BACKFIRING

BY MIKE RIFKIN

If I told you on May 11th that the worst record in baseball would belong to the New York Mets, would you believe me? If, you answered yes, then good for you, but if you said no, you’re response would be what has gone wrong in Queens. The answer to that is simple the offense, it is simply offensive to watch and Steve Cohen should be paying the fans to watch this. 

But, Sunday was a big straw for me, playing in a rubber game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, on a road trip where a win gives you a 6-3 road trip vs 5-4 and the lineup that was put out was inexcusable. Austin Slater and Andy Ibanez, two guys just CLAIMED OFF WAIVERS were hitting third and sixth, I repeat Austin Slater and Andy Ibanez hit third and sixth. The Mets offense had a run on four hits, they also made three errors. They almost had as many errors as hits, and at 15-25 where is rock bottom? 

The Mets offense has a slash line of .224/.288/.345, the only team they have a better average than is the Cincinnati Reds. I know there’s a lot of fans who have gotten on Mendoza, myself included, but the guy who should be front and center on this is David Stearns. He wanted a more contact oriented lineup, well guess what, the results aren’t there. Yes, there are injuries, Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert are currently out of the lineup, but we don’t have a clue when they’re coming back. And yes Juan Soto missed some time earlier in the season, but what the Mets are putting out there, with their payroll is disgusting. The scored five runs in the three games against the D-Backs, two of them scored in the tenth inning Friday night (one was the ghost runner). And how many times have we heard the other team’s pitching has retired 7 plus Mets in a row? Too often, and this is on Stearns.

Now, I am not here to say fire Stearns, mainly because I am unsure who you replace him with. But I was with him on a lot of the moves last offseason, except letting Pete Alonso walk. You can say a lot of things about Alonso, but the Mets miss his presence in the lineup, especially Juan Soto. Jon Heyman had the report of tension between Alonso and Stearns during the first Alonso negotiations and one would wonder if that had an impact on the second one. 

Yes, there’s a lot of baseball to be played, but with not having an idea of when reinforcements are coming and the way it looks, I might get some at-bats at Citi Field this summer. A lot of what Stearns has done has blown up in his face, and Cohen shouldn’t fire him, let him try to erase the wrongs with some rights. But as a fanbase, to see Austin Slater hit third in a rubber game in May is just disrespectful. David Stearns needs to check his ego, because let’s be honest since the trade deadline everything has gone wrong.

WHY?

BY MIKE RIFKIN

According to reports Aaron Rodgers is visiting the Steelers this weekend and by all accounts his intention is to play the 2026 season in Pittsburgh. Last season Rodgers played in 16 games for Pittsburgh and had a 65.7 completion percentage, 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the way to another AFC North title for the Steelers. 

But, was Rodgers play really the reason the Steelers won the AFC North? No, it was because the Ravens had an inability to finish games and lost Lamar Jackson for some time, and the Bengals lost Joe Burrow for most of the season. But still in an offseason that has been solid for the Steelers, it still feels like they’re running it back. 

Mike Tomlin is no longer roaming the sidelines, and has been replaced by Mike McCarthy, who Rodgers won a Super Bowl with in Green Bay (ironically enough against the Steelers). The Steelers in the last two years have drafted Will Howard out of Ohio ST, and Drew Allar out of Penn ST. and also have Mason Rudolph under contract. I don’t care about how much the Steelers win in the regular season, Rodgers is not the long term answer at Quarterback. The Steelers have used bandaid after bandaid on the position since Big Ben retired. Why not see what one of these young kids have? Or if you knew Rodgers was coming back, why draft another Quarterback, sure they could trade one if there’s an injury to another team, but Howard and Allar have no value.

When you sign Rodgers it means you’re going all in again, which they did anyway on the McCarthy hire. But when you take a look across the AFC, Rodgers doesn’t put the Steelers over the top, heck we don’t even know if they’ll repeat as division champs. I’d rather learn about one of the young quarterbacks, but the longer the Steelers want to kick this can down the road, the further behind they’ll get and this core is not getting any younger.

CALEB TOUCHES DOWN SAFELY

By Mark Halpern

       At the beginning of this draft the only name I wanted for the Cowboys was Ohio St. safety Caleb Downs. In recent years the Cowboy defense has struggled, while the offense did it’s thing. The Dallas secondary was so bad last year that it literally cost Dallas the season. The offense would have to outscore the mistakes made by the defense and that was too much to overcome. However, with the departure of Micah Parsons the Cowboys had pick #12 from the Packers and there was only one target.

   Who was the Cowboys’ target you may ask? Well if you read my article weeks ago there was no secret that Downs was the target the real question became how could they possibly pull it off. The Cowboys knew they had a real uphill battle for this to happen. From what we know now is the Cowboys did try trading up to the #6 spot with Cleveland offering a mixture of picks to no avail but Cleveland ended up trading with the Chiefs to #6 dropping the Browns to #9. Well as you know the Browns didn’t select Downs and when the Giants were back on the board at #10 all I could feel was the kick in the balls that Downs was gonna be a Giant. I was making my peace of it then the Giants went Offensive Line (mind you a massive help to NYG OL) my mind scrambling figuring out who had #11 and it was Miami. Again, Downs was dropping and dropping and by mere seconds things changed.

    The Cowboys were one pick away from getting the one player this club wanted. The Dolphins stood in the way and there was no guarantee the Dolphins wouldn’t take him so Dallas did what it does best is create a Draft Day Trade. Dallas flipped pick #12 and two 5th round picks to move up one spot to get who they wanted and Miami made the deal but, little did we all know that it was a mere few seconds before the picks would have been blown. With 3 seconds left on the clock the Cowboys got the pick in and Caleb splashed down safely just like Armstrong and Aldrin. 

     Reports of an injury is a big reason why Downs fell in the draft. Downs had a degenerative ACL ligament. Why does the NFL cringe when you hear ACL, MCL or PCL is that has to do with the knees and for football your knees play a very important part. Downs had been downplaying the news all through out the week. Is there genuine concern of course but, that is what the combine is for. It’s to see potential draftees at there upmost best. Downs impressed across the board but, the injury bug word got the best of the first 10 picks. Dallas got who they wanted and went along to have one of their better drafts in recent years. 

    Joining the Cowboys along with Downs is DE Malachi Lawrence, OLB Jaishwan Barham, OT Drew Shelton, CB Devin Moore (One of the Steals of the Draft), DE LT Overton and WR Anthony Smith. If Lawrence or Barham can excel early it should boost a defense that had a lot of problems last season.

WHAT COMES NEXT : TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

BY Mike Rifkin

The Tampa Bay Lightning were the toast of the NHL when they made three straight Stanley Cup Final (won in 2019-20, 2020-21) and lost in 2022. Since then the Lightning have lost in the first round, including this year losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games. So now it’s time for the old question : What comes next?

Let’s start with superstar Nikita Kucherov. Kucherov, had another MVP esque season with 44 goals and 130 points. In the seven game series against the Habs, Kucherov had six points, but just one goal. In fact Kucherov has just three goals in his last 25 playoff games. Kucherov is signed through 2028 at 9.5 million dollars. I don’t think the Lightning will move one of the game’s best players, but Kucherov only has a ten team no trade clause. Then there’s Victor Hedman, who didn’t play in the series due to what was revealed to be a mental health issues ( wishing the best for Victor) . Hedman is still one of the best d-men in the NHL and posted one goal and 17 points in 33 games this season. Hedman, 35 is signed through 2030 at eight million dollars. Brayden Point (9.5), Jake Guentzel (9), Brandon Hagel (6.5), and Anthony Cirelli (6.25) are all forwards who have a full no trade clause, meaning they’d have to sign off on any deal. Although of the four, Cirelli would be the one to explore in my opinion. Andrei Vasilevskiy returned to form this season and was healthy. Vasilevskiy went 39-15-4 with a 2.31 GAA and a .912 save percentage and two shutouts. In the series against the Habs he had a 2.18 GAA and .897 save percentage.

When guys are in and out of the lineup it means others have to step up, and Tampa got a lot of guys to step up.  Two guys who had awesome seasons on the Blue line were Darren Raddysh and JJ Moser. The two combined for 29 goals (22 Raddysh 7 Moser) and 99 points. Moser, acquired in the Mikhail Sergachev trade signed a new contract that kicks in next season. Raddysh, had his breakout season at 30 and will be a UFA. Personally I would let Raddysh test the market, the Lightning will have 13.5 million dollars in cap space, signing another 30 plus old defenseman might not be the best use of resources. 

One bad thing for the Lightning is that they don’t have a first round pick in each of the next two drafts. But with the free agency market looking thin, maybe the Lightning find a few trades to help themselves, one player I think they should target is Seattle’s Shane Wright. Acquiring Wright could slide Cirelli to the number three Center and Yanni Gourde to the fourth line. But as long as Jon Cooper is in charge the Lightning have a chance.

WHAT COMES NEXT : EDMONTON OILERS

BY MIKE RIFKIN

For the first time in four years the Edmonton Oilers did not win a playoff series, as they were dispatched by the Anaheim Ducks in six games. The Oilers had been to the Stanley Cup Final each of the last two seasons. “ We were an average team all year. When you’re an average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed.” Those words were spoken by Connor McDavid, who prior to the season signed a two year extension to give the team ability to make moves. Now, with the clock ticking on McDavid’s future in Edmonton the question is what comes next?

The first question is who is going to eat the blame for not just losing in the first round, but the Oilers’ overall play this season? I know Bruce Cassidy is on the market, but I don’t know how you fire Kris Knoblauch after going to the Cup Final the prior two seasons? Now the person I would put some blame on is Stan Bowman. He clearly lost the Stuart Skinner for Tristan Jarry trade. Jarry only played in one playoff game, and in the regular season he played in 19 games (16 starts) and was 9-6-2 with a 3.86 GAA and a .858 save percentage. While Skinner went 12-9-5 in 27 games with the Penguins and had a 2.99 GAA and .885 save percentage. The other guy I felt the Oilers missed in the playoffs was Evander Kane, who was traded to the Canucks. Kane, in 68 playoff games with Edmonton  Kane had 26 goals and 42 points. 

The Oilers’ roster is filled with no movement clauses and they’ll have around 16 million in cap space. Could they find someone to take on Zach Hyman’s 5.5 million dollars through 2028-29, as he goes from a full no movement to a ten team no move? What will they do with Tristan Jarry, who is signed through 2029 at 5.375 million dollars? Can they finally find a way to move off the awful Darnell Nurse contract (9.25 through 2030)? 

But every decision the Oilers make, they have to think about two things : First does this bring me closer to a Stanley Cup and the other : Will this make Connor McDavid happy? Because if the Oilers don’t win next season, and McDavid enters the final year of his contract, you run the risk of losing him for nothing. When you think of generational players, losing them for nothing is not an option. The Oilers will have a busy summer with a lot of decisions, but all eyes will be looking ahead to next summer, which could be the summer of McDavid.

MONEY TALKS

By Mike Rifkin

According to reports Deshaun Watson has an early lead over Shedeur Sanders in the Browns Quarterback competition. In week seven of the 2024 season, Watson tore his Achilles, and suffered a setback last January. Sanders, last season played in eight games and had a 56.5 completion percentage, 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

This offseason the Browns hired former Ravens Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken to be the head coach. But, why this early in the offseason are the Browns talking about who is leading the competition?  It’ll be almost two years since Watson has taken a snap, and Shedeur showed some signs last season. Well, there is one answer, Watson is due to make 46 million dollars and it’s fully guaranteed. After the season, the Browns could void the contract ending this saga.

The Browns signed Watson to a fully guaranteed five year 250 million dollar contract after acquiring him from the Texans. The Browns gave up three firsts to get Watson, hoping he’d be the solution to a position that’s been a black hole for their organization. Since being acquired by the Browns, Watson has a 61.2 completion percentage, 3,365 yards (177.1 yards per game), 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 12 games played. 

Are either of these guys the future of the organization? Well, Watson will be 31 in September, while Shedeur is 24. So if either of the two has more of a long term future it’d be Sanders. But if this is about the money it’ll be Watson, but the ultimate question is are the Browns eyeing the 2027 draft for a potential franchise Quarterback? But if you erase the 2027 draft and the 46 million Watson makes, who would start? Based on results it should be Sanders, but let’s be honest it’s not like the Browns have been loaded at receiver for either Quarterback. 

It just seems odd to announce in April, who has the advantage. I’d wait until pads are on and enter training camp with a competition between the two. But the guy who should play more games in 2026 is Shedeur, he’s younger, more athletic and I can see if he is a potential franchise QB.

A 1/1 FOR THE AGES

BY MARK HALPERN

    As most of you may or may not know, I have been a Sport Card Hobby dealer in the Sport Card Business for the better part of the last 3 decades. Let me first address the title. A “1/1” is a specialized card with in a trading card set and it’s got that 1/1 symbol that means it’s the rarest one of those caeds for that player, of that card set and from that year. When 1/1’s broke into the market in the very late 1990’s early 2000’s they were so rare that some have not been unearthed. With some sets 1/1’s are more common today that sometimes they don’t even fetch the price that this type of card should command. Well throughout my 35 years in this business I have pulled plenty of newer 1/1’s, I have pulled some of the first ones when Fleer Metal released them and I have witnessed some very rare ones pulled right in front of me but, nothing could prepare me for what happened on Monday evening 4/26/2026.

     So, I am having surgery on this Friday 5/1/2026 and decided to buy into just one more product before my time is just to recover and let’s be honest going to need the money for after care after surgery. A great friend and Business owner Mark Mariano owner of R.B.I Baseball Breaks had 2 cases of Topps 2026 series 1 but from the Japan series which features some specialized Koi Fish and Cherry Blossom Borders. You still could get some of the same cards that are featured within the Topps Series 1 75th anniversary edition. As an avid collector and seeing the Mets available left to be purchased I wasted no time in claiming the spot. The question becomes what would I be chasing that I don’t already have from this years Topps set. Well Nolan Mclean and Jonah Tong chances of getting those specialized borders were what was my real motivation. If you have never watched two cases of Topps cards being broken it can be monotonous but, if you want to see the action you need to watch begin to end even if it’s a 3-hour break. Mark does a thorough job because sometimes Topps cards that are specialized can slip through so Mark takes extra time to make sure no one misses out on a special rare card.

     During the middle of the second case in one of the last two packs Mark notices a gold shimmer/gold vinyl colored card and this mean two things one it was numbered out of /50 or jus /1. Being how special of a card it is he finished off the rest of the box he was working on so he really could give it the moment it deserved. Mark quickly knew he had a 1/1 because not just seeing it others in the group were saying it’s a “Superfractor” or 1/1. This could have been of anyone of the cards in the entire series 1 set and it has a big base card checklist so this could have been anyone. As Mark got to the card he was being so meticulous not only to not damage the card but to make the suspense last more. As he turned the card and slowly moved the card used to block it out of the way the first thing everyone saw was “NYM” in big orange, Blue and white bordered letters so my heart was pounding and when he revealed that it was the Fransico Lindor true 1/1 Autographed Superfractor, I believe I woke not only my entire family up but a few others in my building as it was just about 11 at night. The jumping up and down and pumping my arms in excitement cause so much pain in my neck, that ran down my shoulder and into my hand that I could not care about it at all. A Superfractor is something that a collector or even dealer dream of pulling cause yes there are a plethora of 1/1’s out there from many different companies, sports, brand of cards, players and on and on but, there is no better feeling then pulling a True Superfractor 1/1. 

  What’s next for this card you may be asking? well first it’s me getting through surgery and then it will be headed to be graded. As any collector would and will tell you is that this card is begging to be graded and you would be right. I hope beyond hope the grading gods are with me and it comes back a Gem Mint 10. Then next question becomes what happens if it grades a 10 or a 9? As a DIE-HARD Mets fan, I would love to keep this in my collection for as long as I could but, to be fair every person has a price and what is mine you may ask? Well email the network with questions or even a request to join a zoom to discuss the card and an offer on an episode of the 1/1.

GAMBLING ISSUES

BY MIKE RIFKIN

On Monday it was announced that Texas Tech Quarterback Brendan Sorsby, the top quarterback transfer this season is entering a gambling addiction program. According to ESPN Sorsby’s decision comes in the wake of the discovery that he made thousands of online bets on multiple Apps. The NCAA is looking into the matter, which could jeopardize Sorsby’s future with Texas Tech as the NCAA doesn’t allow betting on any sports college or professional. While we do hope Sorsby gets the help, there’s another matter at hand and that is that all of these leagues have gotten themselves caught up with all of the gamblings apps (none are sponsors) that it’s having an impact on players. 

For Sorsby, there’s a good chance he would have been a first round pick in the 2027 NFL draft. In the NFL Jameson Williams, Calvin Ridley and others have been suspended for gambling. In Baseball we can talk about the Shohei Ohtani case or what’s going on with Emmanuel Clase of the Guardians. In Basketball Terry Rozier and the case of Chauncey Billups, both are ongoing.There’s also Jontay Porter, who got saw his career end betting on himself. 

Since these leagues have gone into business with these apps, there’s been nothing but trouble. Now, while these commissioners and owners may like the money flowing in from these deals, it’s been a problem for the athletes themselves (or in the Ohtani case an interpreter). I’m not sure if there needs to be more severe discipline? But, it’s not working and now these people are having their lives ruined to a degree, is it their own fault? Sure, they made the decisions, but when you watch a game and every other commercial is a gambling advertisement, they get sucked into it. Yes, the leagues can come down with a more harsh punishment, but that’s not my issue, it might be time for the leagues to abandon these deals. (Again these apps are not a sponsor) People are ruining their careers, yes, it’s partly their own doing but at the same time the leagues have to share some responsibility too, if a higher up in one of the leagues gets caught gambling do they feel the same pressure? No, probably not, this is just a simple case of greed and the players, who definitely deserve blame get the bigger punishment.

LAST DANCE

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Four times in the history of the National Hockey League has a team overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. That’s the hole the Pittsburgh Penguins have dug themselves to their interstate rivals the Philadelphia Flyers after losing game three 5-2. The last team to overcome a 3-0 hole was the LA Kings, who wound up beating their interstate rival the San Jose Sharks. The Penguins have not won a playoff series since 2018, where they beat the Flyers. So, if the Penguins don’t comeback what comes next?

Over the next three years the Penguins have 25 draft picks, including seven picks in the second round over the next three drafts. The Penguins are also expected to have around 46 million dollars in cap space this summer. But, Kyle Dubas has a few things to consider this summer. 

The two biggest questions have to do with two of the best players in franchise history, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby will be entering the final year of his contract and Malkin will be an unrestricted free agent. In 68 games played Crosby had 29 goals and 74 points, and averaged a point per game. Meanwhile Malkin had 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games. Both are future hall of famers, but it might be time for the Penguins to explore letting Malkin walk in free agency, and see what Crosby wants to do. 

Two other guys who had a major impact on the Penguins in the regular season were Anthony Mantha, who scored 33 goals and Egor Chinakhov had 36 points in 43 games for Pittsburgh after being acquired from Columbus. Mantha, will be an unrestricted free agent and Chinakhov will be a restricted free agent. Chinakhov, will fit into the Penguin future, while Mantha may have priced himself out, but would he take a discount to stay? Other players Dubas might have to make decision on include Defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang and goalie Stuart Skinner. 

If this is the end of this iteration of the Penguins, Kyle Dubas has a ton of ammunition to mold the team the way he sees fit. They surprised us with the hire of Dan Muse and by making the playoffs, so maybe the Penguins future is brighter than people think.

Is OBJ Coming Back To The Giants ?

By Bill Murphy 

Well it has been reported that Odell Beckham JR. has worked out and taken a physical with the New York Giants.Beckham’s return would bring him back to where it all started, but is it worth it? Let’s explore both the pros and cons of the Giants bringing him back.

Pros :

  • As stated earlier , Odell Beckham Jr started his career with the New York Giants as made famous by the one handed catch against the Cowboys. He was there from 2014-2018 before being traded to Cleveland. It would be nice to see him come back to where it started.  During his time in East Rutherford, Beckham wracked up 5,476 yards and 44 touchdowns.
  • At age 33 , Beckham  could be a veteran influence on Malik Nabers (both went to LSU) and if the Giants draft a new wide receiver (either Carnell Tate or Jordon Tyson ).
  • If he were to come back to the Giants, he would be reuniting with new Giants head coach John Harbaugh. Beckham played for Harbaugh in Baltimore. In his one season in Baltimore  Beckham had  565 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games. Beckham could be apart of the new regimes enforcement  and mentoring the team about Harbaugh’s methods.

Cons:

  • Here is one that is obvious that was previously stated, Beckham is 33 years old.  Does he have any fuel left at his age and has been gradually declining . 
  • He is injury prone , he tore his ACL twice, once at the end of 2020 season and during Super Bowl 56 .
  • He also did not play at all last season due to his suspension in violating the leauges performance enhancing drug policy 

Conclusion : 

As much as I like Odell Beckham JR. I think the Giants should not sign him because of his age and injury record,  that ship has sailed.The Giants have already signed Calvin Austin and Darnell Mooney, and while they might not be Beckham, I’d rather add another receiver through the draft.