RETURN OF THE POLAR BEAR

BY MIKE RIFKIN

For a generation of Met fans December 11th 2025 is a day that they’ll never forget. It’s the day that the team’s homerun leader and a player that they felt would be the next Met for life Pete Alonso signed a five year 155 million dollar contract with the Baltimore Orioles. 

Alonso, was a second round pick (64th overall) by the Mets in 2016 out of the University of Florida. Alonso came up in 2019 and immediately became the face of the franchise. Alonso slugged 53 homers, a Major League rookie record on his way to National League Rookie Of The Year. For seven seasons Alonso was a player Mets fans loved to watch, and in the special 2024 season Alonso had the signature moment. In game three of the NL Wild Card Series against Devin Williams, who ironically now is a Met Alonso hit a go ahead three run homer to put the Mets ahead and they won the game and the series. That was probably the coolest Mets homer since David Wright in the 2015 World Series. In seven seasons in Flushing Alonso hit 264 homers, the franchise record and he ranks in the 10 in homers, Slugging percentage, OPS, Runs scored, RBI’S. 

As fans we can criticize Alonso for turning down an extension at an earlier time, but with what Alonso meant to the fans, for the Mets to not even make an offer to him this past winter is unacceptable. Would Alonso being on the 2026 team change what they are? No, probably not, but the Mets are one of those franchises that haven’t had many Mets for life. If you go to Citi Field and look at the retired numbers, the only one who played their whole career for the Mets was David Wright. If Alonso had stayed he would’ve been the second. 

As fans we rationalize things, but one of the things you can’t rationalize is what a player meant to a fanbase. Pete Alonso wasn’t Keith Hernandez at first base, but he is sure better than what the 2026 Mets have put out there. Pete would also be the perfect DH, if it was something he’d do for the Mets. Could we consider what has happened to the 2026 Mets karma for not even acknowledging one of the franchise’s greatest players this winter? I hope Citi Field is packed for the next three days, and the Mets fans give Alonso the ovation he deserves, and I want it to be a reminder that there are some things analytics are good for, but there are certain things you cannot measure. Pete Alonso should still be a Met today, is it a annoying narrative yes, would it change things at the moment, no, but it would make most Met fans joyful.

FOOTBALL SLIGHTY EDGES BASEBALL

BY MARK HALPERN

     If you subscribe to the network or have seen me live on many podcasts on the network there is no Secret that I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and the same for the New York Mets (I also love my Knicks but as sports go Basketball ranks 3rd.) I am one of the few who are part of the network who have seen all of his professional teams win a World championship. That being said I get more vocal, and write more articles pertaining to Football and Baseball then any other sport I am involved with here on the Sports Insanity Network.

   Football to me has more actions and more strategy than Baseball. Both sports have an offensive team and defensive team but, in Baseball its all the same players while Football staffs a full offensive and defensive team. This isn’t to say there is not strategy in baseball, there is but not that you can plainly see. Baseball is a game of anticipation and patience where football is a fast paced non stop action. 

   I grew up liking sports beginning when I was four years old. I was brought up a NY Mets fan cause of my mom and a Dallas Cowboys fan because of my brother (at the time the two most influential people in my life) because he bought me a Danny White jersey and taught me football otherwise I would have been a Giant fan (oh the horror to think about. Every year I cue up the TO that’s my quarterback quote when the Cowboys season ends) I have witnessed the Mets win in 1986 and have watch their up and downs for the past 44 years and  I have been a Dallas fan for 44 years.  and it’s the sport itself that propels it over baseball by so little but, honesty is a rare and hard quality to find. In closing hopefully we will hope to see Lindor hit his 300th Home Run by this season’s end and my Cowboys atop of the NFC East and on their way to the Super Bowl for the first time in 31 years (lets be honest we would be happy at a title game shot.)  But 2026 is already a success because of the Knicks. I am curious to hear where any of my readers stand on this point. Please come and check out the network at www.thesportsinsanitynetwork.com or on X @Sinsanityreal.

TO GRADE OR NOT TO GRADE

BY MARK HALPERN

     When baseball cards were introduced, there were no grading services to determine how good a card was. Let’s face it most cards that came out of packs (because of the way kids ripped them) would have been hard to problem see a mint 9 or higher. Cards made back then were flimsy, if they got a drop of water it would seep through and the way most kids kept cards, whether wrapped in rubber bands cards back then didn’t have much of a shot. However, today if you are lucky to still have some of your treasures from then, then they are needed to be graded.

    What does Grading in the Sport Card Business mean? Well, simple answer: it’s like getting a grade on a test instead of a letter grade. It’s a number from 1-10, the company you chose looks for 4 distinctive characteristics to determine a grade. The company puts the card literally under the microscope checking the surface for any scratches or print lines, the corners are the one of the toughest to get perfect cause they deduct for the slightest ding, they way the card is printed, meaning is perfectly centered or is 80/20, 70/30 (which is most common) or God forbid the dreadful 60/40. Lastly are the edges around the card itself. Older cards have a very rough time getting a fair grade because just removing them from the pack’s edges gets scuffed. With the print stock (meaning thicker and better quality of paper) edges usually are the easiest to determine. So, if you grade a card and get a 10 that’s the best it can get (like getting an A+) and then down from there and ending with a 1 or an F.

    The question I get is what is worth grading? I have several reasons on why I choose to grade cards but I reached out to my Cosigner at Top Notch Sports Club a Mr. Mike Romito (who has never been wrong yet on his assessments) and asked him his opinion what he suggests people to consider today when sending cards in to be graded today and he said “With the grading prices the way they are now, I would grade cards that are worth $100+ raw, or if they are vital to your personal collection. “ Over the last 2 years Bulk grading has been slow because the companies don’t staff enough and prioritize the higher paying submissions first. PSA, SGC, BGS all were backing off of processing bulk orders due to the fact they are beyond overwhelmed and again not enough staffers and have told their customers that the usual 25-50 business days can end up taking closer to 6-8 months.

    I agree with Mike that yes older cards of bigger players such as Mantle and Aaron from those days yes they are worth grading because those cards most likely carry way over the $100 value but, if you have a common base card that even though right now might see some graded selling higher but, after you wait six months that value has a great chance of dropping due to many factors (injuries and bad play don’t help) and you’re agreeing to pay a min of $60 to wait six months and be told your card is an 8 and now worth less than what you just paid. Before sending your cards into any grading company most Sport Card Graders will offer an inspection before sending the card out. It is beyond worth it and usually costs as little as $10 for a view to give the customer the best knowledge of what they can possibly expect. 

    I have been grading cards for a very long time even before it was overly popular. I have scaled back better than 80% of what I used to grade because TIME in this market is not something you have a lot of depending on the player and card itself. If you want the best opinion, reach out to the team at www.topnotchsportsclub.com with any questions on grading, I am sure they would be happy to answer about their process.

ROOKIE AND THE VET

BY MARK HALPERN AND MIKE RIFKIN 

    The New York Mets have underachieved this season. They lost some of their biggest players to free agency before Mets fans had a chance to think about next year. The biggest being Pete Alonso,  who was affectionately as “The Polar Bear” went to the Baltimore Orioles for a 5 year deal and is now known as “the Orange Bear” but, is also having a great last two months as Baltimore pushes to make one of the last of the three wild card spots to head to the playoffs. A series of injuries were a big point of the Mets season, and that caused a fire sales at the trade deadline. It’s been a tough season for Mets fans, but here at the end of the season are a couple stories to pay attention to. 

     Francisco Lindor, who many fans believe should be named the captain of the team.  He dosen’t make excuses about his poor play or others, he is heavily critical of himself and not to mention has empathy towards his teammates and wants them to succeed. Lindor is approaching a big Milestone and after Saturday’s game against the Yankees. His two home runs on Saturday put him one shy of #300. A milestone like this is a positive story Mets fans have been needing. Over the past month Lindor has returned to the player Met fans are used to seeing. The other thing he has found is his smile. He has been injuried, slumping, making errors (so unusual) and just being off. For the first time this year I truly believe that Lindor is 100% healthy. Which is a good sign for 2027. 

     The other major story that is brewing is the outstanding play of Rookie Carson Benge on offense and defense. Benge made the opening day roster and it got off to a slow start. But that was a blip on the radar, as Benge has probably been the most consistent Met. Benge has become a fan favorite because of how great a defender he is, he has been outstanding with the ground he covers and has an absolute bazooka of an arm.  Pete Alonso won Rookie of The Year in 2019,  Carson Benge might not have the 50+ Home Run power like Alonso but, Benge is hitting for a higher average and his OBP is slightly lower than Alonso. But his Defense is far beyond what Alonso’s was (also different position) but, with his arm strength (which was a nice surprise for fans) but, his 10 outfield assists put him near the top of the league.  Let that sink in for a minute, not top of the rookie class we are talking in the league itself and that’s hard to do with the talent that is in the outfield amongst the 30 Major League teams. If Benge keeps this level of play up over the rest of September, Mets Fans will have two huge stories to vault them into next year. What Benge, Lindor and some of the other Mets have done is establish a new core of players, that’ll hopefully translate into a better 2027.

WEEK 1 PREVIEW 

BY SIN BLITZERS

MIA AT LV : The Jeff Hafley era in Miami begins on Sunday where they play the Raiders. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak will also be making his debut. The Raiders will be without their biggest offensive weapon in Brock Bowers, who underwent a knee procedure. But this will be an interesting chess match. Not just new coaches, both teams will be playing new quarterbacks as well, Kirk Cousins starts for the Raiders, while Malik Willis makes his Dolphin debut. 

Keys to the game

MIAMI : 

  1. Contain Maxx Crosby – Crosby is one of the elite pass rushers in the game, the Dolphins have revamped their offensive line. Can that group contain Crosby?
  2. MALIK WILLIS LEGS – The receiving corps in Miami is a major question mark. The Raiders might load eight in the box to stop Devon Achane, so maybe cue up some Malik Willis runs to open some other stuff up.
  1. PRESSURE KIRK COUSINS  – We know at times Cousins struggles with pressure, so Hafley will have to dial some things up for his defense. 

RAIDERS

  1. ESTABLISH SOMEONE OTHER THAN JEANTY – Ashton Jeanty is good to go for Sunday. The second year runner is coming off an ankle injury, Klint Kubiak has to establish someone else with Brock Bowers out. 

BILLS AT TEXANS : In a game of two playoff hopefuls the Bills travel to Houston to play the Texans. The Texans’ defense was the story of their matchup last season, as they sacked Josh Allen eight times and forced three turnovers. Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson combined for 4.5 of those sacks. For the Bills James Cook did go for over 100 yards. Also in that matchup last season Davis Mills started, not CJ Stroud. Which AFC hopeful will get off to a good start. 

BUCS AT BENGALS : Two teams that had disappointing ends to their season last season meet in Cincy on Sunday. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs choked away the NFC South and now the newly paid Baker has an opportunity to right the wrongs of last season. And for the first time since 2014 the Bucs will take the field with Mike Evans not on the roster, so more pressure for Emeka Egbuka, who struggled in the second half of last season. For the Bengals they’re one of those teams under some pressure to win with Joe Burrow, so if they stay healthy, they have a chance. But they have to get off on the right foot.

BEARS AT PANTHERS – There’s an alternate universe where Caleb Williams is the quarterback of the Panthers. The trade that allowed the Panthers to select Bryce Young allowed the Bears to select Caleb Williams. Both young quarterbacks led their teams to the playoffs last season, and are looking to take the next step in their development. 

BRONCOS AT CHIEFS : The Chiefs had a uncharacteristic bad season last year. The cherry on top is when Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL. Well now Mahomes is back and wants to get back to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain are the Denver Broncos, who not only won the division last year, but were the number one seed in the AFC. Bo Nix is back after missing the AFC title Game, the Broncos also had the best defense in football last season. The Broncos also added receiver Jaylen Waddle from Miami, giving Bo Nix and Sean Payton another weapon. The Chiefs looking to get back to the top and the Broncos will be waiting. 

FOR ALL OTHER PREVIEWS CHECK OUT SUNDAY SIDELINE REPORT ON THE SIN YOUTUBE CHANNEL SUNDAY MORNING

2026 BLITZER QUESTIONAIRE

BY SIN BLITZERS

You smell that, it’s a new football season on the horizon and we here at the Sports Insanity Network are extremely excited for it. Here’s how we see the 2026 season playing out. If you want to answer these questions comment on the website (https://thesportsinsanitynetwork.com/) or comment on our Youtube or Facebook pages. 

  1. WHO ARE THE BIGGEST THREATS TO THE SEAHAWKS AND PATS? ( ONE IN EACH CONFERENCE)

AL – RAMS AND BRONCOS

MARK – RAMS AND BILLS

MIKE – RAMS AND RAVENS

  1. FAVORITE/LEAST FAVORITE MOVES OF THE OFFSEASON

AL – FAV: MYLES GARRETT TO RAMS, LEAST FAVORITE : KIRK COUSINS TO RAIDERS

MARK – FAVORITE:  KYLER TO VIKINGS, LEAST OBJ RETURNS TO GIANTS

MIKE – FAVORITE : DEXTER LAWRENCE TO BENGALS, LEAST FAVORITE : AARON RODGERS RETURNING.

  1. FAVORITE COACH HIRE

AL AND MARK : JOHN HARBAUGH TO GIANTS

MIKE : JESSE MINTER TO RAVENS

  1. COACH ON HOT SEAT

AL – ZAC TAYLOR

MARK – SHANE STEICHEN 

MIKE – TODD BOWLES

  1. PLAYER AND COACH WITH MOST TO PROVE

PLAYER

AL – PATRICK MAHOMES

MARK – DAK PRESCOTT

MIKE – KYLER MURRAY

COACH

AL – ZAC TAYLOR

MARK – JOE BRADY

MIKE – AARON GLENN

  1. WHICH FIRST YEAR COACH WINS THE MOST GAMES?

AL – JOE BRADY

MARK AND MIKE – JESSE MINTER

  1. FIRST COACH FIRED 

AL – TODD BOWLES

MARK AND MIKE – AARON GLENN

  1. TEAM(S) THAT MADE THE PLAYOFFS, THAT WILL MISS THIS SEASON?

AL – PANTHERS

MARK – EAGLES AND PATS

MIKE – PATS, PANTHERS, STEELERS, JAGS, PACKERS

  1. TEAMS THAT MISSED PLAYOFFS THAT WILL MAKE IT?

AL AND MARK – BENGALS AND COWBOYS

MIKE – LIONS, BUCS, CHIEFS, BENGALS AND RAVENS

  1. DIVISION WINNERS/PLAYOFF TEAMS 

AFC EAST : ALL : BILLS

AFC NORTH : MARK : BENGALS, MIKE : RAVENS

AFC SOUTH : MARK : COLTS, MIKE : TEXANS

AFC WEST : MIKE AND MARK : BRONCOS

WILD CARDS : MARK: CHIEFS, CHARGERS, RAIDERS

MIKE : CHIEFS, CHARGERS, BENGALS

NFC EAST : MARK – COWBOYS, MIKE : EAGLES

NORTH : MARK – VIKINGS, MIKE – LIONS

SOUTH : MARK – PANTHERS MIKE BUCS

WEST : ALL : RAMS

WILD CARDS MARK : 49ERS, BEARS, LIONS

MIKE : COWBOYS, SEAHAWKS, BEARS

SB PREDICTIONS

AL – RAMS OVER BENGALS

MARK – COWBOYS OVER BILLS

MIKE – RAMS OVER RAVENS

MIKE’S AWARDS

MVP – JOSH ALLEN

OPOY : JAHMYR GIBBS

DPOY : WILL ANDERSON

COTY : JESSE MINTER

OROY : JEREMIYAH LOVE

DROY : CALEB DOWNS

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

For the first time in three months Jonah Tong pitched for the Mets on Monday, and he pitched really well. The stat line won’t show it : five innings, four hits, four runs, one walk and seven strikeouts. But the four runs all came in one inning against Tong. These last few weeks are very important for the 23 year old Tong, who is looking to solidify his spot in the 2027 Mets rotation. Nolan McLean and Christian Scott are going to be in the rotation, Zac Thornton has shown he has a bright future as well. The Mets will have to add a true ace to this rotation whether it’s Tarik Skubal or they try and trade for someone, like they tried this season with Freddy Peralta. 

If you look across the league you hear talking heads talk about cores and nucleuses, and you’re starting to see a new Mets core. We can talk about Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, but they’re the knowns,  We also have to take Bo Bichette’s opt out clause seriously. But, if he stays adding him to the youth could be what David Stearns imagined the 2026 Mets to b. Carson Benge, AJ Ewing, McLean, and Scott are the beginnings of the next core of the Mets. Both Benge and McLean are in the running for NL Rookie of the year, Scott has come back strong after Tommy John, and Ewing has been a real bright spot as well, locking down Center Field, and maybe the best defender out there for the Mets since Juan Lagares.  

Then there are the veterans, what role will they have? Sean Manea, who will be in the final year of his deal, has had a roller coaster season to say the least. He started in the bullpen, with a dipping velocity, and once he came into the rotation he got better. We all know baseball teams don’t make it through the season with five starters. Then there’s Kodai Senga, who has flourished in the closers role, telling teams to “Beat it”. 

I’ll be the first to admit I have been very critical of David Stearns. But if Tong is good enough, you might be seeing some glimpses of what the Mets can become. I know there are pundits and talking heads who will say they’re just playing well when the games don’t matter, but I think you’re starting to see what the future could look like, and with Steve Cohen’s checkbook (even if there’s a salary cap) the Mets might be onto something here.

MILTON STILL A COWBOY

BY MARK HALPERN

     Every fanbase has players that they want to to make the 53-man roster. We know the stars, but we love when a guy wins a spot in training camp. Underdog players have made rosters for a long time none more famous than Philadelphia Eagles Vince Papale and even had a movie made about him starring Mark Wahlberg called “Invincible” (great movie BTW.) There are players that have to wait up to that final moment to find out and two days ago Joe Milton went from being on the 53-man roster to not.

     When the 53-man roster was released, it came before Von Miller was traded for and made the team and Dallas had to make a cut. So, with it being this close to the beginning of the season and most teams are looking for players for certain to fill emergency spots and some teams can put players on a waiver which gives any team 24 hours to claim this player from another team. Dallas did this with Chiefs running back Emari Demercado and he is a prime spot to be behind Javonte Williams.However according to the depth chart he is also behind Malik Davis. The Cowboys were hoping that Milton would not be claimed making him a free agent and able to sign to the Dallas practice squad, which he has. 

    The Cowboys decided to go with Sam Howell as the backup after his impressive play this pre-season. I am not sure that Howell is the right choice to be  behind Dak Prescot and we shall have to see. If he comes in for any reason and can’t hack it Milton can be brought up and back on the 53 man roster as long as Dallas releases a player. But if something happens to Dak the Cowboys will be in trouble.

VON MILLER THE TEACHER

BY MARK HALPERN

     Over the past two decades there have been some outstanding defensive players that have come and gone. The Dallas Cowboy defense was missing everything last year. The defense really struggled without Micah Parsons, who was traded to the Packers. The Cowboys gave up 377 yards per game, only the Bengals and Commanders gave up more. They were also near the bottom of the league in sacks.  So the defense needed a reboot, the Cowboys have done just that. They traded for Rashawn Gary, signed Jalen Thompson, and drafted Caleb Downs.

    The Cowboys have talent that’s not the problem. The problem in my humble opinion is that there was no voice in the locker room that anyone took seriously. Well, the Jones family finaly made a free agent siging that makes perfect sense. The seasoned linebacker has been brought in not only because of his talent but, because on any team he has been on he has been a leader on and off the field mostly to younger players. Von Miller has amassed 138.5 sacks over his career, to go along with an average of 57 solo tackles 14 assists per season. Miller has been in the NFL going on 16 years and is still as active as ever as last year for a terrible Commanders team he collected 9 sacks. 

    Miller was brought in not only for his talent but, to be the leader he has become to be. Von will be working with obviously the linebacking crew but I see him being Caleb Downs’ mentor. Downs as impressive as he is, is still a rookie and even rookies have things to learn. Von Miller has played for some impressive teams including being part of two Super bowl teams (Broncos and Rams.) In my opinion this has been an area where the Cowboys have lacked and I mean leadership. I can name plenty of voices from the offensive side but, what this team needed was a real voice of the defense and one day it will be Downs. Now it’s time to learn from one of the NFL’s best and bring back the days of the “DOOMSDAY” defense cause as good as the offense is going to be, they need the defense to keep points off the board.

Showing Their True Colors

BY Mike Rifkin

Earlier this week the Browns announced that Deshaun Watson would be the team’s starting Quarterback over Shedeur Sanders. The news should be surprising to some based on the fact Watson took a shot at the fans after the second preseason game. Watson claimed fans just booed him based on his off the field actions. 

Watson was sent to Cleveland by the Houston Texans in exchange for three first round picks, two fourth round picks, and a third round pick. The Browns immediately signed Watson to a five year 230 million dollar contract fully guaranteed. Due to injury and suspension Watson has been limited to 19 games as a Brown and has posted the following numbers ; 61.2 completion percentage, 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Watson was supposed to put the Browns over the top, and instead the question about the Browns is that they don’t believe their Quarterback of the future is on the roster.

Sanders, who played in eight games as a rookie last season had a 56.6 completion percentage, 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But one thing about Sanders is at certain times you saw glimpses of what he could be. The hiring of Todd Monken actually had me excited about their potential partnership. And if Sanders had failed, the Browns have two first round picks next year to grab a franchise Quarterback. 

There’s only one reason Deshaun Watson is starting for the Browns, and the decision didn’t come from the head coach. GM Andrew Berry and Owner Jimmy Haslam are looking for anyway to see that their 230 million dollar investment will work. But it’s been a big time failure and will be looked upon as one of the worst trades in NFL history.