Rock Bottom

By Mike Rifkin

The Jets lost to the Cardinals 31-6 on Sunday, dropping the Jets to 3-7 on the season. When the Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers, they believed that they were destined to end their playoff drought and potentially win the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1969. Well both those ships look like they’re sailing away. 

Last year the organization could say just wait until Aaron returns and then we’ll be back on track. Well this season they still can’t get on track, and all the scapegoats are gone. Robert Saleh was fired a few weeks ago and Mike Williams, who Rodgers threw under the bus multiple times was traded to the Steelers at the trade deadline. The Jets even acquired Rodgers’ best friend in Davante Adams, but that hasn’t helped things change much. Now, is this all Rodgers’ fault? 

No, this supposed elite defense, which cornerback DJ Reed compared to the ‘85 Bears in training camp last season has been abysmal at times this season. They made the Cardinals’ offense look like the greatest show on turf. They gave up over 400 yards to the Cardinals, and the Cardinals averaged seven yards per play. The play that summed up this game, and the Jets season overall took place in the second quarter where Kyler Murray hit Tight End Trey Mcbride for a catch and McBride just threw Sauce Gardener off of him for a gain of 17 yards. 

Interim Coach Jeff Ulbrich said the team was “not prepared to play”. This team had 10 days to prepare for the game, and they weren’t ready? Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams said the team lacked energy. This team lacks a lot of things and it has shown in 2024, even though they thought they were a Quarterback away from contention a lot has gone wrong over the last year plus. So here’s my question for Jet fans and this organization: what comes next? But for a lot of parties they better hope Sunday was rock bottom.

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 10 PREVIEW

BY SIN BLITZERS

EAGLES AT COWBOYS : Two longtime rivals play for the first time as the Eagles head to Jerry World to play the Cowboys. The Eagles have regained their identity, which is run the ball down team’s throats. They’ve won four straight games and their ability to run the ball has been a big part of it. Jalen Hurts’ running ability in particular, he’s rushed for 159 yards during the winning streak. Hurts along with Saquon Barkley in the backfield, along with AJ Brown and Devonta Smith on the outside is exactly what Eagles’ fans thought it was going to be when Barkley signed. One issue for Philly is Nick Siriani’s in game decisions, even in last week’s win over the Jags, Siriani kept the Jags in the game with his fascination of going for two point conversions, or going for it on fourth down. On the other side we have the Dallas Cowboys, who have are in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Cowboys have lost three in a row, and now they will be without Dak Prescott, who is out with a hamstring injury. The Cowboys should have linebacker Micah Parsons back this week. The key to this game can Dallas win on the line of scrimmage? Their defense gives up 148 rushing yards a game and Philly is the second best team running the football at 175 yards per game. On the other side Philly gives up 101 yards on the ground, but Dallas is 31st in the league averaging 82 yards per game on the ground, they’re going to have to help Cooper Rush otherwise it will be a long day. 

STEELERS AT COMMANDERS : Two first place teams will battle as the Steelers travel to DC to play the Commanders. The Steelers are coming off the bye, but before that they beat both New York teams in prime time. Even though I disagreed with the decision, Russell Wilson has been really good since being named the starter. Washington is coming off a win against the Giants as well. Jayden Daniels has been better than advertised for the Commanders. The Commanders do have two major injuries coming into this, Running Back Brian Robinson will miss his second consecutive game with a hamstring injury and newly acquired Cornerback Marshon Lattimore will also miss the game with a hamstring. Will the Commanders’ offensive line be able to stop TJ Watt and company? 

LIONS AT TEXANS : Two of the best teams in Football square off on Sunday Night. The Lions are coming off a huge win at Lambeau Field last week. Jared Goff has been sensational this season, and the Lions have the best running back duo in the league with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Texans are facing a little adversity, most of that is due to injury, and might be getting back receiver Nico Collins. Two great teams, two great, young coaches, we can be in for an old fashioned Texas shootout. 
DOLPHINS AT RAMS : The Rams are rolling and healthy. Getting Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back has totally rejuvenated this team, and if they get into the playoffs nobody is going to want to play them. Matthew Stafford has found his game and this young defense has been solid. The Dolphins are 0-2 since Tua Tagovailoa returned, losing two games via the walk off field goal. The Dolphins offense has looked fantastic since Tua returned, one of the biggest beneficiaries has been De’von Achane, who has looked solid running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield. It’ll be a return for Dolphins’ corner Jalen Ramsey and receiver Odell Beckham Jr., both of whom helped the Rams win the Super Bowl a few seasons ago.

The Fallback

By Mike Rifkin

It’s officially free agency in Major League Baseball, and unlike other sports fans usually have to wait until some of the marquee guys sign. Last offseason Shohei Ohtani, a generational talent, was the big star. This offseason another generational talent is the top guy on the market Juan Soto. Soto was traded by the Padres to the Yankees last winter and Soto had his best offensive season ever. Soto had a career high 41 homers, 109 RBI’S (which is one shy of his career high) and had a slash line of .288/.419/.569. Soto then had a great postseason with four homers including the game winning three run shot in game five of the ALCS, nine RBI’S and a slash line of .327/.469/.633. Soto, is the premier guy on the market and said after the Yankees lost the World Series that he’d be open to all 30 teams talking to him, there are only a select few that can pay him what he wants. One of those teams is the New York Mets, who were 11 games under .500 in May, and wound up two wins away from representing the National League in the World Series. The Mets have not won the Fall Classic since 1986, and owner Steve Cohen did say in his introductory press conference that his goal was to win one in his first five seasons. The Mets have a lot of money off their books now and should go hard after Soto, a year after they really didn’t go hard on Ohtani. But what should the fallback look like if Soto signs elsewhere. 

The Mets extended three qualifying offers on Monday to First baseman Pete Alonso and Starting Pitchers Sean Manea and Luis Severino. The only one who might take it is Severino, but for this exercise I am going to say all three decline the qualifying offer.  

If Soto were to sign elsewhere, the Mets top priority should be bringing back Alonso. Even in a “down” season he still hit 34 homers and had some massive hits in the postseason. Steve Cohen has always ingrained himself with the history of the franchise. If he brings back Alonso, Alonso will own every power record in the franchise’s history and could be considered the greatest homegrown Met of all time. 

Whether the Mets bring in Soto or not, they’ll have to add to the rotation. Right now the only rotation pieces for next season are Kodai Senga, who threw a grand total of five innings in the regular season and David Peterson, who had the best season of his career. Personally I like the idea of Tylor Megill and Jose Butto coming out of the bullpen. So of the big three free agent starters the Mets have, the only one I would bring back is Sean Manaea. As well as Severino and Quintana pitched I just wouldn’t bring them back. Severino, because he hadn’t had a healthy season since 2018, is going to look for a multi year deal, which is something I wouldn’t do. As for Quintana, if Manaea is back and Peterson is there, do they need three lefties in the rotation? Even cheap I don’t think I’d bring back Quintana. So, if guys leave, who comes in? Everyone is going to talk about Corbin Burnes, who has a history with David Stearns from their days in Milwaukee. Burnes, will finish in the top five of the CY Young voting again this year, but the Mets will face stiff competition for the stud pitcher. Two guys who I’d have my eye on and both have had big postseason success, Nathan Eovaldi of the Rangers and Walker Buehler of the Dodgers. I wouldn’t go anywhere over three years on either, but this could be something creative Stearns likes to do. There’s also the trade market that can help the Mets pitching staff. One thing is for sure, whatever pitchers the Mets have, they’ll need to cut down on the walks, which were a detrimental factor throughout the season. And they reared their ugly head during the NLCS.

Two guys who I think could be the odd men out are Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil. With the emergence of Mark Vientos at third base, the call up of Luis Angel Acuna, and the impending return of Ronny Mauricio, all of a sudden the Mets have a plethora of middle infielders. That plan also could include bringing back Jose Iglesias, who had a nice season in his return to the Majors. As much as it would hurt to move Baty, a former first round pick, Mark Vientos has earned playing third base.  Jeff McNeil won the batting title in 2022. McNeil this season really struggled in the first half of the season, but wound up with 12 homers and 44 RBI’S with a slash line of .238/.308/.384. McNeil did break his wrist late in the season, he did appear in the NLCS and hit a few sac flies, but that was it. 

So how I would approach the offseason if Juan Soto doesn’t sign with the Mets. ( All numbers are guesses)

  1. Re-sign Pete Alonso – 5 yrs/180 mill (option for a sixth if needed)
  2. Re-sign Sean Manaea – 3 yrs 66 million dollars
  3. Sign Nathan Eovaldi – 3 yrs 60 million dollars
  4. Sign either Walker Buehler or Shane Bieber ( 2yrs 36 mil – third yr option)
  5. Re-sign Jesse Winker (1 yr 4 mill +incentives)/ Jose Iglesias (1 yr 2 mill+incentives_
  6. Trade Jeff McNeil/ Brett Baty for another SP/CF ( teams to watch: Mariners, Rays, Blue Jays)
  7. Sign Brooks Raley (1 yr 2 mill), AJ Minter (1 yr 3.6 mill), Jose Leclerc or Scott Barlow (1 yr 2.4 mill

Everything changes if Soto signs with the Mets, but while Soto would be great. The Mets can use Steve Cohen’s money in other ways to compete in 2025.

CHA CHING

BY MIKE RIFKIN

In Sunday’s 5-2 win over the rival Islanders, Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped 35 of 37 shots. Over the last three contests Shesterkin has made 116 saves on 124 shots. On the young season Shesterkin is 6-2-1 with a 2.22 GAA and a .933 save percentage. In his career Shesterkin has a 2.42 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Shesterkin, who is an impending unrestricted free agent wants to be the highest paid goalie in the league, has already turned down an eight year extension worth 88 million dollars. Sergei Bobrovsky of the defending Champion Panthers is the highest paid goalie making 10 million dollars a season. Carey Price, of the Montreal Canadiens has the largest contract ever for a goalie making 10.5 million dollars a season. 

Shesterkin, will turn 29 years old next month, and already has a Vezina Trophy on his shelf, and if he keeps playing like this he’ll have a second. But everytime he takes the ice for the Rangers, his demand will get higher. Shesterkin is the Rangers’ most important player and Chris Drury is going to have to pay him like it. 

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 9 PREVIEW

SIN BLITZERS

DOLPHINS AT BILLS : This will be the second meeting of the season between the AFC East rivals. In week two the Bills dismantled the Dolphins 31-10, and late in that game is where Tua Tagovailoa suffered his concussion, that kept him out the next four games. James Cook had 95 total yards and three touchdowns in the win. Before leaving with injury, Tua threw three interceptions, including a pick six from Ja’marcus Ingram. Josh Allen has crushed the Dolphins in his career with 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions with 110 passer rating. The bright spot for the Dolphins in week two was De’von Achane, who had 165 total yards and a touchdown. He had a strong game last week against Arizona with 147 total yards and a receiving touchdown. 

COWBOYS AT FALCONS : These are two teams heading in different directions. The Cowboys are coming off another loss, this one to the injury riddled 49ers on Sunday Night. The same issues that have plagued the Cowboys were on display Sunday night, Dak threw two picks and the defense gave up 223 yards rushing including 85 and a touchdown to rookie Isaac Guerendo. The Cowboys will look to flip the script against the Falcons, who are coming off a win over the Bucs to take control of the NFC South. Kirk Cousins had four touchdowns, one of which went to Running Back Bijan Robinson who had 106 total yards. This Falcons’ offense has a plethora of weapons, so the Cowboys defense might be in for it. But one advantage could be that Cousins played for Dallas DC Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. If the Cowboys lose this game, it could be a long few weeks. So they need Dak to be great, don’ t be surprised if this is a high scoring affair. 

LIONS AT PACKERS : First place in the NFC North is on the line as the Lions go to Lambeau to play the Packers for the first time this season. The two teams split last season, with each winning on the road. Last year at Lambeau it was the David Montgomery show, as he had 121 yards and three touchdowns rushing. The Packers are entering this game banged up as Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and Jaire Alexander are all questionable, if Love can’t go, the Packers will turn to Malik Willis for the second time this season. This should be an entertaining one at Lambeau as two of the NFC’S best go at it. 

Bengals Vs Raiders : Preview 

By Bill Murphy 

Coming off a 37-17 loss to the Eagles, the Bengals are desperately trying to look for their first home win of the season against the Raiders .The Raiders are coming off of a 27-20 loss against the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. 

X Factors 

Bengals 

Offense 

 Wide Receiver Corp – Ja’marr Chase last week had nine receptions for 54 yards and touchdown. Chase is currently  the league leading receiver with 674 yards and seven touchdowns . Another big weapon for the wide receiver corp is going to be Mike Geisicki who last week  led with 7 receptions and 73 yards. Geisicki is going to be an important part of the wide receiver corp to have Joe Burrow take the load off of  Chase while Tee Higgins is doubtful for Sunday .  

Linebackers-  Hendrickson , Logan and Pratt are gonna be the key to taking on the Raiders weak  offensive line. Last week  Gardner Minshew was sacked five times against the Kansas City Defense and has taken 25 sacks on the season .  Hendrickson , so far this year 21 tackles and seven sacks .  Germaine Pratt has one tackle for loss 80 tackles and one sack .  Logan Wilson has 78 tackles on the year . 

Raiders 

Offense 

Jakobi Meyers – Last Week Meyers had six receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown. Myers this year has 325 yards , two touchdowns and 43 receptions . I think Meyers is going to be an essential weapon for Gardner Minshew .  As the Raiders have the 18th ranked passing offense in the league . 

Defense 

Secondary – The Raiders defense is tied for 11th in the league.   Their secondary is going to be a real threat to the Bengals wide receiver corp. Since Higgins is out for Sunday , The secondary better double up on Ja’marr chase .  The Raiders pass defense is ranked 7th in the league and a big player is going to be safety Tre’von  Moherig who leads the team with two interceptions. 

Prediction 

Bengals  28    Raiders 17

WEEK 8 RECAP

BY SIN BLITZERS

Bengals vs Eagles Recap 

By Bill Murphy 

Well the Bengals let this one get away. They had a chance to get back to .500, but fall to the Eagles 37-17. 

Stars of The game 

Bengals 

  • Joe Burrow – For the Most Part , Burrow had a good game , He threw  26/37 for 234  yds and one touchdown. He helped the Bengals go 10-13 on third down. A couple of turnovers (one on Burrow) hurt the team. 
  • Ja’Marr Chase – Ja’ Marr Chase had nine receptions for 54 yards and one touchdown.  (2 yard)
  • Chase Brown –  Brown had 12 carries , 32 yards  and scored one touchdown.  . (4 yard)
  • Mike Geisicki – Geisicki didn’t score on National Tight End day. But he had a nice holiday with seven receptions  and 73 yards. He was vital in the absence of Tee Higgins

Eagles 

  • Jalen Hurts – Hurts threw for 16/20 ,236 yds and one touchdown.  His legs were the story as he had 10 carries , 37 yards and scored three touchdowns. 
  • Saquon Barkley –  After having a great game last week against the Giants , Barkley continued today. Barkley ran for  22 carries and 108 yards  which helped move the ball . 
  • Devonta Smith – Devonta Smith had six receptions , 85 yards and one touchdown.  Smith scored that one touchdown on a 45 yard pass from Jalen Hurts . 

Next week 

The Bengals  will face the Raiders

The Eagles will face the Jaguars 
CARDS AT DOLPHINS:  Tua Tagovailoa returned to the Dolphins and the offense looked great, but Kyler Murray got the last laugh. Tua was 28-38 for 234 yards and a touchdown. Tua’s return also helped the run game, that had 150 yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. De’von Achane had 147 total yards and two touchdowns, and Raheem Mostert had two rushing touchdowns. Tyreek Hill had six catches for 72 yards. For Arizona Kyler Murray was 26-36 for 307 yards and two touchdowns and 19 yards rushing. Marvin Harrison Jr. had six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Trey McBride went for over 100 yards receiving as well.  The key play was a bad snap that went over Tua’s head for a safety.  Next week the Dolphins go to Buffalo to play the Bills and the Cardinals will host the Bears.

SIN BLITZERS : WEEK 8 PREVIEWS

BY SIN BLITZERS

Bengals Vs Eagles

By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals have won two in a row , after beating their AFC  North rival Cleveland Browns 21-14 .This week the Bengals will be taking on the Philadelphia Eagles who are coming off a 28-3 victory over their NFC East rival , New York Giants. Both of these teams played the same teams over the last two weeks , The Bengals played the Browns last week and the Giants , the week before , while the Eagles played the Giants last week and the Browns, the week before . 

Keys To Victory 

Bengals 

Offense : Wide Receiver Corp 

The Eagles pass defense does not do well with wide receivers allowing passes to them 98.2% of the time , which ranks them 22nd in the league. To expose this weakness Joe Burrow is going to have to hit his two favorite targets Tee Higgins and Ja’marr Chase.  Last week , Higgins got four receptions 82 yards and a touchdown, while Chase got five receptions 44 yards and a touchdown. 

Defense : Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard 

Trey Hendrickson  and Sam Hubbard are the top defensive weapons for the Bengals. Hendrickson so far this season has seven sacks and three games where he has two sacks or more. Hubbard so far on the year has  18 solo tackles and two sacks , he had one sack last week against Cleveland. Jalen Hurts has been sacked 18 times so far this season. 

Eagles 

Offense : Saquon Barkley 

Saquon Barkley  has been a major asset to this Eagles, this season so far . Last week, Barkley  had 17 carries for 176 yards and one touchdown against his former team, the New York Giants.  I would like to see how he would do against  Cincinnati’s rush defense that gives up over 130 yards per game. Last week they had a solid outing with 21 attempts containing the Browns to 77 yards, 3.7 yards per carry and one touchdown .

Defense : Pass Defense 

Last week , the Eagles defense really did a number on the Giants Offense , the Eagles sacked Daniel Jones eight times and held him to only 99 yards (I know its Daniel Jones). The Eagles have also  held Quarterbacks to only a 60 percent completion rate which is sixth fewest in the league . Burrow has only faced pressure 26 % of the time , which puts him at third lowest of all the quarterback pressure . If the Bengals give Burrow time he should be able to pick this defense a part. 

Prediction 

Bengals 31 Eagles 27

CARDINALS AT DOLPHINS : The 2-4 Dolphins will get their quarterback back as Tua Tagovailoa returns after missing time with another concussion. The Dolphins offense really sputtered without Tua. The most points they scored without Tua was 15. The Dolphins will play a Cardinals team that’s coming off a win over the Chargers. The Cardinals’ ground game has been sensational averaging 150 yards per game, so players like David Long are going to have to be big. If the Dolphins want to make a run, it starts here with a home game against the Cards. 

COLTS AT TEXANS : This is the second meeting of the season between these two division rivals. The Texans won 29-27 in week one. CJ Stroud threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Mixon had 159 yards and a touchdown in his Texan debut. For Indy Anthony Richardson had three total touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush) and Alec Pierce had 125 yards and a touchdown. After last week where the Texans lost in Green Bay and the Colts won against the Dolphins, the Colts are a game behind the Texans in the AFC South. 

Falcons at Bucs : These two teams played a fantastic game in week five, where the Falcons won in overtime. Kirk Cousins threw for 509 yards and four touchdowns in that game, both Drake London and Darnell Mooney both went over 100 yards and scored. Baker Mayfield threw for three touchdowns, but two of those touchdowns went to Mike Evans, who will miss this game with a hamstring injury. Who will take control in the NFC South?

COWBOYS AT 49ERS : A big time rivalry heats up on Sunday night, but the biggest question is who will play? Both teams are dealing with injuries. If the Cowboys lose this game, there will be more turmoil in Dallas, but if the Niners lose this game and fall to 3-5 what happens? This will be a massive game on Sunday Night.

A Stearn Winter

BY : Mike Rifkin

On Wednesday, Mets GM and President of Baseball Ops David Stearns spoke to the media after the Mets were eliminated in the NLCS. Stearns echoed the thoughts of Manager Carlos Mendoza in hoping this season will be the start of continued success. But for that to happen Stearns is going to have to be very aggressive this winter, and with Steve Cohen’s checkbook anything is possible. 

Stearns said the Mets have financial flexibility this winter, and went on to say “ It means that pretty much the entirety of of the player universe is potentially accessible to us. That’s an enormous opportunity. I envision us taking advantage of that opportunity, and being aggressive in certain spaces.” So, how should Stearns approach the winter? The Mets not only have financial flexibility, they also have some positions with an abundance of talent. 

STARTING WITH THEIR OWN

The Mets themselves have 10 players set to hit free agency. Pete Alonso, Harrison Bader, Jose Iglesias, Sean Manea, JD Martinez, Adam Ottavino, Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, Ryne Stanek, and Jesse Winker are all going to hit the market, so which should Stearns bring back?  

ALONSO : Pete had a down season for his standards, but in the playoffs came up clutch multiple times. Stearns said “Pete’s a great Met, I hope we have him back.” He also said he and Pete have not spoke face to face on his contract, but he was very invested. Most Met fans would like to see Alonso be a Met for life, and if he is he will break all the power records for the organization. 

Manea, Quintana, Severino : The Mets rotation was a massive question mark entering the season, and Stearns took flyers on Manea and Severino and they exceeded the fans’ expectations for them. Severino threw his most innings in six years. Manea threw a career high 181.2 innings pitched. Quintana threw his most innings in five seasons, and all three ran out of gas against the Dodgers, but all three had fantastic seasons for the Mets. 

BADER : One of the things David Stearns said when he was first hired, was to improve the defense. Enter Harrison Bader, who is a former Gold Glove winner. Bader, who in a platoon hit 12 homers and drove in 51 runs, and had some clutch hits for the Mets throughout the season. He also brings a speed element. 

IGLESIAS : The guy who changed the vibes of the team with his “OMG” song. Iglesias plays really good defense, while having a slash line of .337/.381/.448. Iglesias also had some massive hits this season. 

MARTINEZ : The Mets have had a hole at DH since MLB incorporated the universal DH. JD Martinez has been one of the best hitters in baseball the last few seasons, but he didn’t sign until March, so it took a while for him to get going. He ended the season with 16 homers, but he ended the regular season ice cold, and eventually wasn’t playing in the playoffs. 

WINKER/STANEK : Two guys the Mets acquired at the trade deadline and both had some big moments in the playoffs. Winker in the playoffs had a homer and four RBI with a slash line of .318/.531/.636. He also is a tremendous value in the clubhouse. Stanek on the other hand really struggled in the regular season with an ERA over six, but in the playoffs he had a 3.38 ERA, and became the second most reliable reliever behind Diaz. 

WHO WOULD I BRING BACK : ALONSO, MANEA, IGLESIAS, WINKER, STANEK.

SOTO FACTOR : The top free agent on the market will be 26 year old Juan Soto. Soto has shown the ability to play in New York, with what he has done for the Yankees this season. The Mets have gotten close looks at Soto during his days with the Nationals. Soto in 78 games against the Mets is hitting .289 with 19 homers, 46 RBIS and 46 runs scored. Now Soto is going to command an Ohtani like contract, and if it comes down to the highest bidder, Steve Cohen has the checkbook for that, although they will face stiff competition from the Yankees in order to get him. 

PITCHING MATTERS : Stearns said about the rotation “This isn’t new to us, we had a similar task last offseason. Some of that could be from those guys returning. We’re going to have to add multiple starters.” As I mentioned above the trio of Manea, Quintana, and Severino I would only bring back Manea. As good as Severino was, there’s a large injury history there and I am not sure he can stay healthy for a second consecutive season. Quintana, as solid as he was had ups and downs, and he will be 36 years old at the start of next season. 

Corbin Burnes, who pitched for David Stearns in Milwaukee is the top free agent starting pitcher on the market. Burnes, who won a CY Young under Stearns, will finish in the top five of CY Young voting again this season. Burnes along with Braves lefty Max Fried top the market. Blake Snell can opt out of his deal with the Giants, and Shane Bieber is coming off of Tommy John Surgery.  The Mets are also going to have to bring in some more swing and miss out of the bullpen. Even if Stanek is back, they’ll need to address the pen. 

TRADES : The Mets not only have financial flexibility, they have position flexibility as well. With the development of some of their farm talent, does that make players on the Major League roster available. Three names I’d keep an eye on if the Mets were to deal for some pitching are Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte and Brett Baty. Luis Angel Acuna’s development along with the impending return of Ronnie Mauricio could put McNeil’s spot in jeopardy. 

We heard what Stearns said to the media. This winter we’ll have to see what he comes up with to help a team that was on the brink of the World Series and was the best team in Baseball since June first.

EARNED IT

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Mets lost game six of the NLCS to the Dodgers and now their season is officially over. Now is the time to reflect on what was a surprising and enjoyable season. Prior to the season Owner Steve Cohen along with new President of Baseball Ops David Stearns said they believed this team would be in Wild Card contention. And that’s exactly what happened, but times were bleak when the team struggled in May at 11 games under .500. 

One of the major talking points at that time is what was going to happen to First Baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso, a second round pick by the Mets in 2016 came up with a bang in 2019 with 53 homers, a record for rookies in MLB. Outside of 2020 (where teams played 60 games) Alonso has hit over 30 home runs each season. Currently Alonso ranks third in franchise history with 226 homers only trailing David Wright and Darryl Strawberry. 

Alonso hit 34 homers during the regular season, and at times in big situations did not get that big hit. But, Alonso redeemed himself in the playoffs with some big time hits. 

PETE ALONSO BIG HITS IN THE PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD G3 : Three run homer off Devin Williams in the ninth inning.

NLDS G3 : Solo homer off Aaron Nola

NLCS G4 : Single, stolen base, scored insurance run

NLCS G5 : Three run homer off of Jack Flaherty in first inning. 

Alonso has embraced being a Met and talks about it often in post game interviews. The fans have embraced him as well. Alonso, if he re-signs, could be the greatest homegrown player in franchise history. Pete has earned the contract.

SIN BLITZERS : WEEK 7 PREVIEW

BY SIN BLITZERS

DOLPHINS AT COLTS : The 2-3 Dolphins look to make it two in a row and have a chance to get back to .500 when they visit the Colts. Prior to the Bye week the Dolphins defeated the Patriots 15-10. It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. The Dolphins only touchdown was scored by Alec Ingold. Tyler Huntley will get another start in Indy. The Colts are coming off a 20-17 win over the Titans. Joe Flacco threw for 189 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. But Anthony Richardson is expected to return after missing the last couple of games with an oblique injury. Speaking of injuries Jonathan Taylor is expected to miss another game with his ankle injury. This could be a trap game for Indy as they have the Texans next week. 

BENGALS AT BROWNS : Joe Burrow and Chase Brown both had long touchdown runs and that was enough for the Bengals to pick up their second win of the season over the Giants. Now the battle of Ohio against the Browns. The Browns lost 20-16 to the Eagles last week. Last season the two teams split the two meetings. In week one the Browns decimated the Bengals 24-3 and Joe Burrow threw for just 82 yards. With how poorly the Browns are playing this is a must win for the Bengals, even though the Browns will be getting a boost in the return of Nick Chubb. 

LIONS AT VIKINGS : Two of the top teams in the NFC will clash in an NFC North division matchup on Sunday. The Lions are coming off their decimation of the Cowboys. It was a flawless game Jared Goff threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns, David Montgomery had 80 yards and two touchdowns and the defense had four sacks and forced five turnovers. The only downside was the injury to Aidan Hutchinson. For the Vikings they are one of the two undefeated teams left. Before the bye week they beat the Jets in London. Sam Darnold has had a renaissance season, and Brian Flores has this defense playing very well. The key to this game will be how the Lions’ young corners play against these Viking receivers. 

TEXANS AT PACKERS :  Two young stud QB’S go head to head when the Texans and Packers meet. CJ Stroud is coming off a three touchdown performance in the 41-21 win over the Patriots. Joe Mixon added 102 yards and a touchdown rushing and the defense had it’s moments against Drake Maye in his first start. Jordan Love is coming off a four touchdown performance against the Cardinals. Love has looked solid since returning from injury. Key to this game might be which running back performs better : Joe Mixon has been really good for the Texans, while the Packers are waiting for Josh Jacobs to break out. 
CHIEFS AT 49ERS : It’s a Super Bowl rematch out by the bay. The Chiefs, who are coming off their bye week are probably coming off their most dominating performance, a 26-13 win over the Saints. Mahomes threw for 331 yards, but rushing touchdowns by Kareem Hunt and Xavier Worthy was enough for KC. Hunt ran for over 100 yards and JuJu Smith- Schuster went over 100 yards receiving. One of the keys for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl was Mahomes’ running ability he had 66 yards rushing. The Niners are coming off a 36-24 win over the Seahawks. Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns, two to George Kittle and Deebo Samuel went over 100 yards receiving. Good news for the Niners is that Jordan Mason, who left that game should play in this one as will Ricky Pearsall. Pearsall, the Niners first round pick in the draft, missed the first six weeks after getting shot during a mugging. The X factor for the Niners will be Deebo Samuel. He went for over 100 yards last week, and in the Super Bowl was a non factor, if the Niners want to win this game he has to be a factor.