AROUND NYC BASEBALL
The good news in Queens is that Frankie Montas made his season debut earlier this week for the New York Mets after coming off the injured list. The bad news is that two days later Griffin Canning tore his Achilles tendon. Canning joins fellow starters Sean Manea, Tyler Megill, and Kodai Senga, plus relievers Max Kranick, AJ Minter, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, and Danny Young on the injured list. Expect GM David Stearns to be active at the trade deadline securing pitching depth.
Despite his struggles last season, the New York Yankees insisted that Will Warren’s makeup and stuff would eventually translate to the majors. We’re starting to see why they had such faith:
- July (’24) – 6.75 ERA
- August (’24) – 10.47 ERA
- September (’24) – 27.00 ERA
- April (’25) – 5.63 ERA
- May (’25) – 4.82 ERA
- June (’25) – 2.86 ERA
ICYMI “4 Things About the Yankees 5 Game Losing Streak”
AROUND NYC BASKETBALL
By acquiring, and using, five first round picks, GM Sean Marks made NBA history. By going off the board and selecting several players with the same skillset, he also left other teams scratching their heads. At the end of the day, there is safety in numbers for the Brooklyn Nets who selected Egor Demin, BYU, Nolan Traoré, Saint‑Quentin (France), Drake Powell, North Carolina, Ben Saraf, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany), and Danny Wolf, Michigan. If one emerges as a starter, and two others are used in a trade for another starter, Marks’ bold night would be a success.
In Manhattan, the New York Knicks draft strategy was centered around staying below the second apron. First, they picked up Luka Mitrovic, the 32-year-old Serbian who has made a career out of being stashed in Europe by swapping the 50th for the 51st selection with the Los Angeles Clippers. Then they used #51 on Frenchmen Mohamed Diawara, who is friends with last year’s top pick Pacome Dadiet. He’s scheduled to play in the Summer League, but is a good bet to also be stashed this upcoming season for salary cap purposes.
Sabrina Ionescu was in the spotlight for returning to her hometown this week, when the New York Liberty faced the expansion Golden State Valkyries for the first time. She had a tough night but scored seven points in the final two minutes in the Liberty’s 81-78 win. Overall, Ionescu is off to the best start of her career averaging a career best 19.7 points (5th in the league) and 5.1 assists (9th in the league).
ICYMI “Knicks Fire Coach tom Thibodeau -Would I Have Made the Same Call?
AROUND NYC FOOTBALL
My real take on the New York Giants quarterback situation is that for as long as the Giants are competitive this season, it is Russel Wilson’s job. If, when, the Giants fall out of the race, that’s when you will see rookie Jaxson Dart. According to a Giants insider Art Stapleton, Wilson has looked good this spring. Now, he’s not vintage Wilson from his early Seahawks years, but his stats the last two years are superior to the season Daniel Jones put up in 2022 when he earned his mega-contract:
- Daniel Jones (2022) – 15 TDs, 5 INTs, 92.5 rating
- Russell Wilson (2023) 26 TDs, 8 INTs, 98.0 rating
- Russell Wilson (2024) 16 TD’s, 5 INTs, 95.6 rating
Aaron Glenn wants to “move in silence”, but the NHL schedule makers didn’t do him any favors. For the third season in a row, the primary national storyline going into the New York Jets opener (against the Pittsburgh Steelers, September 7, 1p ET, Met Life Stadium) will be the recently married Aaron Rodgers. The Jets hope that by the end of the game, the storyline switches to ex-Steelers’ QB Justin Fields.
ICYMI “New York Jets: Early 53-Man Roster Projection”
AROUND NYC HOCKEY
For 25 years the New Jersey Devils never had to worry about their net. Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur was the face of their franchise for 22 years before giving way to Cory Schneider. However, since 2018 when Schneider started to battle injuries, the Devils had been looking for a steadying influence. They found it last summer by acquiring Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames for a package including the 18th overall selection in last night’s NHL Draft. Markstrom, 35, had a solid season, but only has one year left on his contract. Will the Devils extend him come July 1? Or will the goalie turnstile continue?
I’m generally impressed by the maturity of the 17 and 18-year-olds drafted annually at the NHL Draft. But Matthew Schaefer is off the charts. The defensemen, selected first overall by the New York Islanders, is an impressive a human being as he is a hockey prospect. If you root for the orange and blue, check out the June 23rd version of Sportsnet’s 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. The interview starts at 1:07. Will Schaefer live up to his draft status? Time will tell. Regardless, he is a kid worth rooting for.
The New York Rangers may have quietly built the most economical, energetic fourth line in the NHL. C Sam Carrick, 33, has two years left at $1m per year. If new Head Coach Mike Sullivan follows in Peter Laviolette’s footsteps, Carrick will be flanked by homegrown giants Adam Edstrom, 24, and Matt Rempe, 22, who both recently signed two year contracts for $975,000 annually.
ICYMI “Rangers Retool Series: Time to Import a Captain”
