ONE STEP CLOSER

BY MARK HALPERN

     If you are expecting an article having to do with stats then this isn’t for you. The New York Knicks improved exceptionally this season as they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals only to be sent packing by the same team who ended their playoff run last season, the Indiana Pacers. 

   After the Knicks eliminated the Celtics, which became easier after the Tatum injury (hopefully he recovers) in the second round and poised to keep this magical run alive heading into the Eastern Conference Finals. The Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks don’t really have that much love for each other as the teams has been in more memorable history than any other team that has played against the Knicks including the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. When these two teams play whether it is in the regular season or playoffs something historical is probably going to happen.

   There have been many moments but I want to focus on two. Back in 1994, Reggie Miller went on one of the craziest runs in the fourth quarter scoring 25pts during that quarter. After leading the Pacers to an unbelievable comeback Miller turned to long life Knicks fan and put up the “choke symbol” to him saying the Knicks blew it. IN the first game of this ECF the Knicks led by double digits and the Pacers did their thing with hitting several threes in the waning the final minutes upsetting the Knicks once again and Tyrese Haliburton turned to Spike Lee and did the same thing that Miller di by symbolizing the Knicks choked again.

    In 1999 with 11.2 seconds left in the game and the Knicks trailing by three you couldn’t find a Knick who wasn’t by the 3 pt line. The ball was inbounded and moved around and finally was in the hands of Larry “Grandmama” Johnson and he made a turnaround three to tie the game but, he was also fouled and gave the Knicks a 4-point play to win ad very competitive game that went down to the final seconds yet again to these two teams.

   Yes, there are more like Miller’s 9 points in 8 seconds, to the John Starks head butt, Ewing blocking a miller three at the end of a game and so many more. I chose these two the first one for the fact history plays a huge factor and I was there during the 8 seconds and I was there for the Larry Johnson play. Whether you knew the person next to you or not we were hugging high fiving it didn’t matter because we are all New Yorkers. 

    This was tough to swallow but the Knicks didn’t regress in their play. They got better and made one step closer to the finals. The Knicks need help off the Bench. The biggest loss from last season was not keeping Donte DiVincenzo who was clearly their biggest threat not only from the 3pt line but a great passer and team player. I hope somehow, we can get him back but, that’s just me.      In conclusion I am truly excited for next season as the Knicks keep progressing to the next stop THE NBA FINALS.

WHOA HERE HE COMES

WATCH OUT LEAGUE IT’S MAURICIO TIME

BY MARK HALPERN

    One thing the Mets have an abundance of is young position players. The guy who people seemed to forget was Ronny Mauricio, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, suffered in Winter Ball. But now Mauricio is back. 

     The Mets made the move yesterday after putting DH Mark Vientos on the IL after he strained his right hamstring. The Mets are waiting for the MRI to figure out how long he’ll actually be out.      Mauricio is considered to be in the Mets top 3 prospects that are in AAA along with Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford and Jett Willams who are all awaiting their shot to prove themselves. Mauricio already had a taste of being in the show in 2023.  He played in 26 games and had a slash line of .248/.296/.347 with two homers, four doubles and nine RBI’S. You don’t need to look at these numbers to know he is the real deal. Mauricio will most likely split time at 3B with Brett Baty (who has been on a ridiculous tear) and will also be the DH and if needed can play Left field. 

    This chance that he is being given  will determine what to do come the trade deadline especially if a team who has a high-end pitcher they are willing to trade. The Mets have made it clear that Mauricio, Gilbert, Jett Williams, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat are not on the table but, the Mets would have 3 3B on the roster and when Vientos is set to come back the Mets are going to have a real quandary on their hands. One product states “Gotta catch them all”, for the Mets its going to be “You can’t keep them all.” But it’s a good problem for David Stearns and company to have.

The Final Farewell

By Mike Rifkin

2025 is the farewell tour for John Cena. John Cena has turned heel and found a way to defeat Cody Rhodes to win a record breaking 17th world title at Wrestlemania. Fans had not seen Rhodes since Wrestlemania, until last week when he returned to help Jey Uso fend off a Cena and Logan Paul attack at Saturday Night’s Main Event. After this it was announced the main event of Money In The Bank will be a Tag Match between Cena and Paul taking on Rhodes and Uso. 

No matter how the tag match plays out, we can assume that Rhodes and Cena will rematch for the title at SummerSlam or something. But, when Cena and Rhodes rematch it up, Cena has to go over again. Rhodes just held the title for about a year, prior to losing to Cena. If Cena’s farewell is just to make Rhodes the next face of the company, there was no point to this because Rhodes was already on that trajectory. As for who should take the title off of Cena, I think that answer should be Seth Rollins, who has vowed to preserve wrestling. Then we’ll see what happens with Cena and Rhodes after Money In The Bank.

Decisions, Decisions

By Mike Rifkin

Once again the Toronto Maple Leafs fell short of their goal of winning the team’s first Stanley Cup since 1967. MLSE President Keith Pelley announced in his end of season press conference that team President Brendan Shannahan would not return to the club. Pelley went on to say that he might not replace Shannahan, he will communicate more with GM Brad Treliving and Coach Craig Berube.  

The biggest decision facing the Leafs this summer is what will happen with impending unrestricted free agents Mitch Marner and John Taveras. Marner, the fourth overall pick by the Leafs in 2015 finished fifth in the league in points with 102 (his first 100 point season). Marner ranks fifth in team history in points with 741. Marner has been a tremendous regular season player, when it comes to the playoffs that is a different story. In 70 games played during the playoffs Marner has 63 points, which is good but only 13 goals. This year in the second round against the Panthers Marner had one shot in three games (games 4-6). It’s not the first time Marner disappeared in the playoffs. Tavares, was the prized free agent Shannahan signed to a seven year 77 million dollar contract to bring Tavares home. The 34 year old Tavares put up 38 goals and 74 points in 75 regular season games. Tavares has scored 35 + goals in two of the last three seasons. Tavares put up five goals and seven points in 13 games in the playoffs. In 51 playoff games as a Leaf, Tavares has 17 goal and 31 points. 

The Leafs have won a grand total of TWO playoff series under the Shanaplan with all of these star forwards. The Leafs have already changed coaches and General Managers and it hasn’t worked, so now they have to change the current core. So if I was Treliving and company I would let Marner walk out the door. As for Tavares the thing for me and I would consider bringing him back, but that depends on the term that he wants. Anything over two years, and I’d let him test the market. 

So with potentially both Marner and Tavares out the door, how should Treliving use his money?

  •  Matthew Knies had a breakout season and is a RFA, so the first thing should be a Knies deal.
  • A true number one goalie :Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll had a very good season together, until Stolarz got hurt in the playoffs. Now there’s not an elite goalie on the free agent market and if the Leafs make a trade they’ll have to get creative. The Leafs don’t own their own first rd pick over the next three years. 

However the Leafs want to use the money freed from Marner and Tavares (potentially) one thing is for sure and that is they cannot run it back with the same core again. And thus ends the Shanaplan which was a failure.

A WEEKEND AT CITI : THE STARS ARE OUT

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Memorial Day weekend, the first sign of summer coming and that means Baseball will take over the hierarchy. And what better way to celebrate the weekend with an epic showdown in the greatest city in the world. The Mets will welcome the Dodgers to Citi Field this weekend in a rematch from last year’s NLCS, which saw the Dodgers win in six games. These two teams have two of the top four records in the National League so far this season. 

The two teams have won in different ways. The Dodgers possess one of the league’s best lineups. The Dodgers lead the league in batting average (.267), second in home runs (81), second in hits (454). The Mets pitching has led the way to start the season. The Mets lead the league in ERA (2.82) and are fourth in strikeouts (448).

The stars will be out at Citi Field this weekend. The top of the Dodgers lineup has been sensational, led by Shohei Ohtani. Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez and Will Smith are all off to fantastic starts. But the Dodgers are so deep that Tommy Edman, who won NLCS MVP just came off the IL has eight homers. 

To counter the Dodgers star power the Mets signed Juan Soto to a record contract. Now, while Soto isn’t off to the start most people expected, this might be the series that Soto turns it around. Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso have carried the Mets offense so far this season. 

Pitching matchups 

Friday Clayton Kershaw (0-0 11.25) vs Griffin Canning (5-1 2.47)

Saturday Tony Gonsolin (2-0 4.05) vs David Peterson (2-2 2.86)

Sunday Landon Knack (2-1 6.17) vs Kodai Senga ( 4-3 1.43)

DÉJÀ VU 

BY MARK HALPERN

     Last night we saw the tipoff of the Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers and this will go down as one of the most unforgettable games for both team’s fanbases.

   The Knicks and the Pacers have a long-time standing rivalry that goes as far back as  the Patrick Ewing era. There is no love lost between these two teams as the Pacers knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs last year. IN my opinion it wasn’t because they were good, but because the Knicks had a ton of injuries, but still drove it to 7 games. So, there are high expectations that this series will go the same.

On May 7th 1995 I witnessed one of the most miraculous moments in basketball when Reggie Miller scored 8 points in under 9 seconds to beat the Knicks and Miller turned to the infamous Spike Lee and symbolized the Knicks choking in the final minutes by putting his hands around his throat saying the Knicks choked. Well, last night we as Knicks fans witnessed the second coming of the Miller episode watching Aaron Nesmith go 8-9 on 3pt in the game and he made at one point 5 straight to bring the Pacers back to within two after the Knicks squandered a double-digit lead and gave one of the most clutch players in the NBA in Tyrese Haliburton one last shot with just under 3 seconds. Haliburton got away from Josh Hart and to what he thought was a game winning 3 pointer as the ball hit the back of the rim and got a lucky bounce and it fell through the hoop in what at the time Haliburton thought it was a 3 pointer and he immediately celebrated in Reggie Miller style by doing the same choking symbol to the same fan in Spike Lee (who is arguably the biggest Knicks fan in the world.) Well Haliburton’s right foot was on the 3-point line so it only counted as a 2-point shot but still sent the game into overtime. In overtime the Pacers outscored the Knicks 13-10 to win the game by three and take home court advantage. 

   Several factors went into this collapse. The lackadaisical defense around the 3-point line while they were up double digits. Missing critical FREE THROWS at the end of the game, mainly by Karl Anthony Towns. If he would have made all 3 of his free throws in the last seconds of the fourth then the Haliburton shot wouldn’t have mattered. Finally foul trouble definitely played a factor at the end of the game for players like Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, both of whom had five fouls, Josh Hart and Karl Anthony Towns had four each.

   Last night was a tragedy for all Knicks fans, now the team needs to have a short memory in getting ready for game two. They can’t go down 0-2 going back to Indiana. So game two is a must win.

It Happened Again

By Mike Rifkin

The Baltimore Orioles were swept this weekend by the Washington Nationals. For the Orioles, they’ve now dropped six in a row and are 2-8 in their last 10 games played. Furthermore a team that had such lofty expectations at the beginning of the season has the fourth worst record in all of baseball. On Saturday the team announced it was firing manager Brandon Hyde. Hyde became the third manager in about a week to get canned following Derek Shelton of the Pirates and Bud Black of the Rockies. 

There’s a major difference between the Orioles and the other two franchises mentioned above, and that is the Orioles had high hopes to make the playoffs for a third consecutive season. So why are the Orioles so bad in 2025? The answer is simple: the Orioles starting pitching has been dreadful. If you look at stats the Orioles are at the bottom of most pitching metrics including ERA, Opponent’s Average and OPS, etc… So what separates good teams from great ones? An ace at the top of the rotation. The Orioles last season had that in Corbin Burnes, but they let him walk in free agency. But the Orioles have this farm system that is supposed to be the envy of everyone else in baseball and yet their front office continues to hold onto their prospects and they create a dilemma with players who are already trying to establish themselves in the big leagues. So there is no reason why Corbin Burnes isn’t in Baltimore or Garrett Crochet or Dylan Cease. But the other thing is now there’s new ownership in Baltimore so money shouldn’t be an issue either. 

The Orioles were banking on Grayson Rodriguez taking a step forward in development, but he hasn’t thrown a pitch this season. Zach Eflin has also missed time due to a lat injury. The starting pitcher the Orioles did sign Charlie Morton is 0-7 with an ERA of 7.68 and has been  moved to the bullpen.

The Rockies and Pirates will cry about being poor ( they shouldn’t) The Orioles don’t have that luxury with a new owner. The Orioles have this young and extremely talented nucleus and yet sit in last place in the AL East and MLB and that’s unacceptable. 

UNSTOPPABLE VS UNFORGETTABLE

BY MARK HALPERN

     Throughout my 40 years of being a Knick fan I can recall memorable moments from  Knick legends like Carmelo Anthony, Ewing, Starks, LJ, Stoudamire, Camby and Houston. Of course I can also recall fond memories from opponents such as  Jordan, Kobe, Shaq, LeBron and Steph Curry. However, what I witnessed Monday night will go down as one of the most memorable games I have ever watched.

    For those of you who don’t know, let me explain. The rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics runs deep. The fanbases are two of the most passionate in the game. The Celtics have won 17 championships in their career and have had some HOF players such as Bird, Russell, Cousy, McHale and Robert Parish so the fans there are used to winning and come to expect it from their team. The New York Knicks well it’s New York they love you when you’re winning and hate you when you’re losing but, in the case of the Knicks, the Garden usually sells out when they take the floor even in an off year but the Knicks have two NBA Championships in 1970 and 1973 and since then there have been teams that have made it there but, with no such luck. Last year the Knicks went to the second round of the playoffs, and this year fans are hoping to see their team advance.

   Game 4 took place at MSG Monday night and through out the entire game the Celtics as a team shot close to 40% from the 3pt mark and Jayson Tatum had 7 of them. Tatum is one of the top ten players I have had the pleasure to watch him play a game. He is deadly accurate, very competitive and is the face of the organization. From the moment the ball was tipped he was everywhere and anywhere finding ways to weave in and out of the Knick defense and find ways to score. He also had a game high 8 rebounds and 4 assists and 4 steals. Late in the fourth quarter Tatum was going for a lose ball (that was scooped up by OG Annouby and dunked) but, in the process hurt his lower right part of his leg and was in considerable pain. Once the Garden saw what was going on after the dunk, fans witnessed something that was very scary. Jayson Tatum was down on the court in a lot of pain.

 Tatum left the Garden in an Ambulance to go and have an MRI on the lower leg to see what the Celtics are dealing with. The Celtics worst fears came true as Tatum tore his right Achilles. Our best wishes go out to Tatum but, clearly, he was UNSTOPPABLE.

    On the other side of the ball, we have Jalen Brunson. Burnson and Tatum attended camp together as kids. They are very close  but, the fierce rivals. Brunson was brought in a few years ago to lead this team to greatness and with what has he has been given talent around him to help support him and this team is in sync. Brunson tried to match Tatum bucket for bucket. It was kind of watching a game of 1 on 1 at times as they pushed each other to higher limits. Brunson didn’t hit as many 3’s as Tatum (as he only hit 4) but, the 4 he hit were in clutch times to take the lead and to further the lead. Brunson himself had 5 rebounds, 12 assists and no steals. This is why Brunson is so valuable. He finds ways not only to score himself but to create opportunities to help keep pace with opposing teams. Brunson’s night will go down as one of the most UNFORGETTABLE moments in New York Knicks History.

    There series heads back to Boston for Game five and a potential game seven All analysts are waiting for the word on Jayson Tatum because he makes the Celtics better and without him, they need a new game plan. Our best wishes go out to Jayson Tatum as no one ever likes to see a player get injured ever.

REINSTATED

BY MIKE RIFKIN

On Tuesday MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement reinstating several players including Pete Rose and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Manfred said in a statement “In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent eligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list. I want to emphasize that it is not part of my authority or responsibility to express any view concerning Mr. Rose’s consideration by or possible election to the Hall Of Fame. I agree with Commissioner Giamatti that responsibility for that decision lies with the Hall Of Fame.”

First, I have to give Manfred credit for something here, he immediately shifted the blame game to others when he could have just accepted what he did. But, he’s right it’s up to the Hall Of Fame to put Rose in the Hall. Now, when Rose retired he was the all time hit king, and some still view him as that. But, that’s not Rose’s only accolade, he was an accomplished baseball player. Rose won three World Series Championships, a World Series MVP, 1963 Rookie of the Year, 1973 MVP, three batting titles, two gold gloves and was a 17 time All-Star. 

Rose’s accomplishments speak for themselves, but Rose was suspended for gambling on his own team when he was a manager. Now, when you watch a ballgame every commercial is about gambling, now that’s not condoning what Rose did but times have changed so much. 

But, like I said earlier the one thing Manfred said that was right was this is now in the hands of the Hall Of Fame, but I hope they realize that they can’t tell the story of baseball without Rose. But I also wish Manfred had reinstated Rose sooner, so he could eventually get his day in the sun in Cooperstown. Now, to the other thing: Does Rose getting in open the door for guys who used PEDS?  The answer to that is simple: no the two don’t go hand in hand and we can talk about PEDS another day, but now we have to see what happens next with the Rose situation.

I’VE SEEN THIS STORY BEFORE: SKENES FEELING LIKE DEGROM DID AS A MET

BY MARK HALPERN

     Mets fans love and remember their ace Jacob DeGrom through the good and bad. DeGrom was a bulldog, who can forget game five of the 2015 NLDS where he gave the Mets a chance to win. From that moment Degrom eventually became the best pitcher in baseball. But while DeGrom might have been the best pitcher in the sport, the results weren’t always there. Whether it be the Mets bullpen that let him down or the offense not coming through, you knew every five days Jake was going to give it his all and give the Mets a chance to win. Well, another pitcher is starting to feel like DeGrom and I can say in my own opinion it’s like saying I’m going through déjà vu.

   Pual Skenes is arguably the best pitcher in baseball came on the scene last year, after being the first overall pick and took the league by storm.  Skenes has a seven pitch mix including an upper 90s Fastball and a Splinker (combo of a Splitter and Sinker). Skenes blew through the minors to make his major league debut. The Pirates have one of the best Pitchers in baseball but, with no lineup to strike fear into any opponent and are usually playing from behind. The Pirates are last in the league in runs per game, averaging just over three per game.

    Last night Skenes had the Mets frustrated through six innings. He left the game not because of injury or anything but his pitch count was getting too high and with they way the Mets looked Pittsburgh turned it over to the bullpen only for the Mets to take the lead. Baseball considers a quality start at least six innings giving up three runs or less. Well, by that definition Paul Skenes has made nine starts, he has seven quality starts, and it’d be eight if they let him go deeper in the game on opening day.

   Obviously, you don’t want to take chance in leaving your Star pitcher risking injury but, he should have finished the sixth at 92 pitches. The Pirates have been in the news too much as of late, with the latest story dropping last week was the letting go of their manager only 2 months into the season. There is so much controversy between ownership, players, coaching staff and anyone who has a say there is no wonder no one wants to play there. Funny enough this is exactly what Jacob DeGrom went through with the Mets and the Wilpons. If the Pirates want to win then get a true bat and stop waiting for Oneil Cruz and Ke’Brayn Hayes to become type of supermen and give them some protection. Go out and get 3 Bullpen pitchers who can actually pitch even if that means moving Hayes or Cruz. Build now prove you want to win and Skenes will stay and be loyal. If you don’t it’s just as good as cutting your own nose off to despite your face. Just look at what happened when you had Gerrit Cole on your team.