Reversal Of Fortune

By Mike Rifkin

Friday night, the vibes at Citi Field were immaculate. The Mets had a seven run third inning, looking for their second consecutive win over the division rival Atlanta Braves, and their fifth straight win overall. But the vibes changed in the sixth inning of that game and changed the series as a whole. 

Mets ace Kodai Senga, was making his season debut and was cruising along. In the Sixth inning Senga got a pop up and when he ran off the mound he collapsed on the field holding his leg. The Mets announced Senga has a high strained calf and is done for the regular season, but might return for the playoffs if the Mets were to get there. Senga went 5 ⅓ innings giving up two runs on two hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. The Mets, who waited so long to get their ace back will have to presumably play the rest of the regular season without him. But Senga’s injury left a dark cloud over Citi Field the rest of the weekend. 

The Braves outscored the Mets 15-2 after Senga’s injury, ensuing in a split of the four game series. Now the Mets will have to do something they’ve done all season, rise to the occasion, now with the trade deadline coming on Tuesday We’ll have to see what David Stearns does. But the Mets entered the series against the Braves 1 ½ games behind Atlanta, and that ‘s where they stand now, but now they understand that just like the Braves they aren’t getting their ace back.  So can the Mets respond once again in a season filled with them. 

Securing The Bag

By Mike Rifkin

Friday was a good day for a couple of NFL Quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa of the Dolphins and Jordan Love of the Packers both signed lucrative contract extensions. These two contracts land these two as two of the four highest paid Quarterbacks in the NFL based on AAV (average annual value). To quote Uncle Ben from Spiderman : “ With great power, comes great responsibility.” And with big contracts comes big expectations. 

Tagovailoa and the Dolphins agreed to a four year 212 Million Dollar contract with 167 million guaranteed. Tua is a lightning rod for fans across the league, you have some who say he’s only good because he has Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Mike McDaniel. Others will say Tua doesn’t scare them like a Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. But, what if I said both things can be true. Tua benefits from the weapons he has (as does every quarterback in the NFL), but he’s also not a Mahomes or Allen : Tua doesn’t have their arm strength, but he is extremely accurate with the football.  For the first time in his career Tua played in every game last season and had career highs in completion percentage, yards and touchdowns. Tua was in the MVP conversation as well until the last two weeks of the regular season, where the Dolphins got crushed by the Ravens and lost to the Bills, making them a wild card team as opposed to winning the AFC East and had to go to Kansas City instead of hosting a playoff game. The question for Tua will always be can he stay healthy, if he can that’s a boost for the Dolphins if not it’s a big problem. 

Jordan Love and the Packers agreed to a four year contract worth 220 Million Dollars with 155 million guaranteed and a record 75 million dollar signing bonus. Love was top ten in Yards, Touchdowns and QBR. Love had big shoes to fill, as he was the heir to Aaron Rodgers, and if Love struggled fans would wonder if the Packers made a mistake by taking Love in the first round in the 2020 draft. At one point during the season, the Packers had lost five of six games and then Jordan Love went off. In a three game stretch against the Chargers, Lions and Chiefs Love threw for 857 yards and combined for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Love’s best game though might’ve come in the NFC Wild Card game where he went into Dallas and threw for 272 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions against one of the league’s best defenses. Jordan Love had a lot of questions to answer last season and he passed with flying colors. 

Both Tua and Love now are at the top of the highest paid Quarterback list. Now that they’ve both been paid the expectations for both have changed, you have to win. Both guys led their teams to the playoffs last season. In Love’s case he won a playoff game, something Tua has yet to do. Both guys have organizations that firmly believe in them, now they have to go out and prove their organizations right.

ARE WE WITNESSING ANOTHER MIRACLE METS

BY MARK HALPERN

 If Estelle Getty was writing this, this is how it would open “Picture it flushing Queens 1969. The Mets were in third place and chasing the Cubs all season and on August 14th a Miracle began.” That magical season in 1969 proved that even being so far back, came back to not only win the pennant but, also went on to win the World Series. I could only imagine what Shea Stadium felt like. I had a season ticket to the Mets and there was a time the stadium got so loud you felt the stadium shake. An example of that moment I was there was when Endy Chavez Robbed the home run and got the ball in for a double play. I think during that time in 1969 the stadium shook harder.

    Here we are 7/25/2024 and at the beginning of the season with all the injuries to the rotation and bullpen, there was speculation the Mets would have another abysmal season and miss the playoffs. Things were looking that way too as the Mets sat in fourth place in the NL East. The Mets organization has enough on their minds with EXTENDING ALONSO, getting more pitching for next year, or dare I say a trade happening soon to help the bullpen and starting but, only time will tell. Sitting where they were Mets fans didn’t quit and kept coming to games to cheer this team on.

   Then on June 13th, 2024, the Mets had a special guest to throw out the first pitch. Grimace one of Mcdonald’s mascots threw a decent pitch to home. It’s hard to throw a ball in a mascot uniform and he got it there. After that, it was like the Mets had some extra boost in their step. The Mets went from really being counted out, to a team if the season ended now, they would be in the playoffs. The Terms “No Quit New York” and “OMG” (happens to be Iglesias #1 hit single) have special meanings and the Mets have been on a tear and now find themselves in the second wild card slot and a game and a half out from the top spot. The team that stands in their way right now has been a thorn in their sign forever and that’s the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have always been a huge threat in the NL East but, they have had some very bad luck with injuries losing Acuna, Strider and now Albies are all most likely out for the season. Atlanta has been in a slow downward spiral and that’s the team the Mets will face off and if we sweep, we own the top spot.

    Injuries have plagued the Mets as well but one injured player will return to face the Braves and that’s the Met’s Ace Kodai Senga who was hampered by a capsule strain that takes time to heal as we saw with Scherzer and Verlander who both had the same issue. Senga has finished his rehab and is ready to contribute and it’s at the right time.

   With the Trade deadline rapidly approaching the Mets have to make decisions on what they are willing to move to get a top-end bullpen hand like Tanner Scott of the Marlins. Brett Baty doesn’t have a spot right now as Vientos has won the 3b job. Baty could be used and adding Scott would be amazing, especially with the loss of Drew Smith.

   My mom said “It’s like Déjà vu” on what’s happening with the Mets. This Lineup is producing big time and not just by one player. The entire team seems to have a bonfire in their bellies and wants to bring this city another championship. Keep watching cause the Phillies are now only 11 games ahead and now we just need to keep winning series.    

All In?

By Mike Rifkin

Training camps across the NFL are open and the season is right around the corner. One of the big storylines of the offseason was the Dallas Cowboys and how they were going to approach the offseason. Well, owner Jerry Jones told people that he was “All In”, well the Cowboys were not very aggressive in free agency. If you’re a Cowboy fan you can forgive Jerry for not being ultra aggressive if he took care of his own players : Ceedee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and Micah Parsons are all up for new deals as is Head Coach Mike McCarthy. None of them were taken care of and Ceedee Lamb hasn’t reported to training camp yet. 

In my opinion there’s one way this goes down. Lamb and Parsons should and will get paid, the only question is why it hasn’t happened yet. As for Dak and McCarthy, the only way either one is a Cowboy in the long term is if the Cowboys reach the NFC Championship game. So, why is there a difference and divide here : Lamb and Parsons are absolute game changers. Lamb in 2023 : led the league in catches, was second in yards and third in touchdowns. Lamb’s numbers have increased since his rookie season and he has become a top receiver in the sport. 

As for Parsons, the guy is an absolute game changer, probably the most dynamic linebacker/edge hybrid people have seen since Lawrence Taylor. In his three seasons Parsons has at least 13 sacks and he creates space for others on the Dallas defense to get to the quarterback. Now if Jerry is just thinking about the Wild Card game where Parsons and the defense were obliterated by the Packers and that is making him second guess what he’s doing, well that isn’t really smart. Here’s the other thing about both Parsons and Lamb, yes they’re both one of the best at their respective positions, but they’re 25 years old and they both still have great football ahead of them. 

As for Dak Prescott, the fourth round pick who took the league by storm. Well, Dak is coming off a career high 36 touchdowns last season along with a career high 69.5 completion percentage. Unfortunately for Dak, like the defense he didn’t play great against the Packers in the Wild Card game and that is our lasting image of last season. Now I believe Dak has earned a new contract and is a top Quarterback in the NFL, but the one thing against him is his owner. I don’t believe Jerry has ever wanted to pay Dak and think of how things have gone in negotiations during Dak’s career. Remember when Zeke went to Cabo and they made sure they took care of him (he had two years left on contract), while Dak needed a new deal. Here’s the other unfortunate thing for Prescott, we judge quarterbacks based on rings and how they’ve performed in the playoffs. Dak has had his moments, but has yet to win the big one. 

Like I said above if Dak and McCarthy don’t get to the NFC title game, they’ll both be out. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the 90’s. The reason why is simple and it’s the only common denominator Jerry Jones. Nobody can be bigger than the owner of the team, who claims he’s all in, but is he really all in? The Cowboys will make the playoffs, but if they don’t go to the Super Bowl, there will be a lot of finger pointing, but just not at the person really at fault.

ARE WE WITNESSING ANOTHER MIRACLE METS



BY MARK
HALPERNIf Estelle Getty was writing this, this is how it would open “Picture it flushing
Queens 1969. The Mets were in third place and chasing the Cubs all season and
on August 14th a Miracle began.” That magical season in 1969 proved that even
being so far back, came back to not only win the pennant but, also went on to
win the World Series. I could only imagine what Shea Stadium felt like. I had a
season ticket to the Mets and there was a time the stadium got so loud you felt
the stadium shake. An example of that moment I was there was when Endy Chavez
Robbed the home run and got the ball in for a double play. I think during that
time in 1969 the stadium shook harder.



    Here we are 7/25/2024 and at the beginning of the season with all the injuries to the rotation and bullpen, there was speculation the Mets would have another abysmal season and miss the playoffs. Things were looking that way too as the Mets sat in fourth place in the NL East. The Mets organization has enough on their minds with EXTENDING ALONSO, getting more pitching for next year, or dare I say
a trade happening soon to help the bullpen and starting but, only time will
tell. Sitting where they were Mets fans didn’t quit and kept coming to games to
cheer this team on.



   Then on June 13th, 2024, the Mets had a
special guest to throw out the first pitch. Grimace one of Mcdonald’s mascots
threw a decent pitch to home. It’s hard to throw a ball in a mascot uniform and
he got it there. After that, it was like the Mets had some extra boost in their step. The
Mets went from really being counted out, to a team if the season ended
now, they would be in the playoffs. The Terms “No Quit New York” and “OMG”
(happens to be Iglesias #1 hit single) have special meanings and the Mets
have been on a tear and now find themselves in the second wild card slot and a
game and a half out from the top spot. The team that stands in their way right
now has been a thorn in their sign forever and that’s the Atlanta Braves. The
Braves have always been a huge threat in the NL East but, they have had some very bad
luck with injuries losing Acuna, Strider and now Albies are all most likely out
for the season. Atlanta has been in a slow downward spiral and that’s the team
the Mets will face off and if we sweep, we own the top spot.



    Injuries have plagued the Mets as well but one injured player will return to face the Braves and that’s the Met’s Ace Kodai Senga who was hampered by a capsule strain that takes time to heal as we saw with Scherzer and Verlander who both had the same issue. Senga has finished his rehab and is ready to contribute and it’s at the right time.

With the Trade deadline rapidly approaching the Mets have to make decisions on what they are willing to move to get a top-end bullpen hand like Tanner Scott of the Marlins. Brett Baty doesn’t have a spot right now as Vientos has won the 3b job. Baty could be used and adding Scott would be amazing, especially with the loss of Drew Smith. My mom said “It’s like Déjà vu” on what’s happening with the Mets. This Lineup is producing big time and not just by one player. The entire team seems to have a bonfire in their bellies and wants to bring this city another championship. Keep watching cause the Phillies are now only 11 games ahead.   



 



Kings Of New York

By Mike Rifkin

The New York Mets defeated the New York Yankees 12-3 on Wednesday night, completing their first Subway Series sweep since 2013. The Mets scored 36 runs in the four games, hit 13 home runs and 25 extra base hits. The depth of the Mets lineup is what you take away from these four games. They didn’t have to rely on the big guys, unlike the Yankees everyone stepped up. Tyrone Taylor, Mark Vientos and Harrison Bader along with Francisco Lindor all had multiple Homers in the Subway Series. 

The most impressive thing about the Mets offense, is what they did to reigning AL CY Young Award Winner Gerrit Cole. Cole in two starts against the crosstown rivals went 9.2 innings pitched gave up 15 hits, 12 runs, six walks,four strikeouts and gave up seven home runs. 

The other key was the Yankees lack of hitting with Runners in Scoring Position, where they were 3-34. If you look at the boxscore for each game, three of these games were non competitive outside of an Aaron Judge grand slam. 

At least for 2024 the Kings of New York reside in Queens.

TEXANS, LIONS AND COWBOYS OH MY!



BY MARK
HALPERN



     As a member of the Sports Insanity
Network, I get the honor of being an NFL Blitzer. What is that? Well, simply we
as a network break down the 32 teams, and members MAY pick a team to write
about and follow through the year. I am excited to be writing about my Dallas
Cowboys, the playoff-bound Detroit Lions, and the complete reemergence of the
Houston Texans. Being a Blitzer allows me to write not only recaps of the games of the teams I
have chosen. Each Team that I have will have regular weekly articles or vlogs
on our YouTube channel, then write the pregame and then the post-game, and then
repeat for 17 weeks + playoffs.With the Texans, I get the opportunity to write about C.J. Stroud. Stroud who
brought the Texans back to life. He made a star out of Tank Dell and this
team’s offense is going to be one of the most electric offenses this season.
The Defense needs to get better and they have and I will get into all of that
when I do the Texans opening article.The Detroit Lions were a lot of fun to write about last year. This team is for
real and the league needs to take notice. This high-powered offense can score
on any team in the league. The biggest weakness is the Lion’s secondary as they
collapsed over the last 5 regular season games. So, keep a look out for their
outlook for the season very soon.

  I am a 40-year fan of Dallas Cowboys and I
have been there during the ups and downs and have been on this roller-coaster
way too long. This is the year that Dallas needs to get to the NFC Championship
at least. Winning the Superbowl would be the icing on the cake. This Dallas
offense is high-powered, the offensive line has been re-done and DAK is the
guy. The Defense is top 5 in football and can’t say enough about the
linebackers and the “no-fly zone” secondary is getting Diggs back after missing
last year. We will get into the defense line in the opening article. All these
articles will be rolling out very soon so be on the lookout cause the BLITZERS
are getting ready for the opening day

A HUGE POSITIVE SIGN FOR THE WNBA



BY MARK
HALPERN Over this past year, I have been grateful to be given the task of writing about the WNBA. If you have read my previous articles they were just about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. They are the story of the young and upcoming stars. However, we will leave the competition aside and get to the great news. It has been no secret the WNBA has been losing close to 10 million a year with a whopping 50 million loss this
year. With the excitement of Veterans and Rookies, the response has been the best in the last few years. Games are selling out and to be fair it’s when Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are the opponents. The same can be said for Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. The emergence of youth and talent has caught the eyes of investors
worldwide. It was announced two days ago that a new Broadcast deal to air games on multiple different platforms to the tune of 2.24 billion Dollars. This is the announcement that this league needed. The WNBA is filled with amazing talent such as Breanna Stewart, A,Ja Wilson, Elena Delle Donne, and Candace Parker just to name a few. It’s hard to be recognized in a league if you have no strong media access for WNBA fans.   I will say that Clark and Reese were the catalysts that got it going. Both players have set records upon records and there are still about 15 games left. The coverage of these games being made to be seen all over is going to attract a whole new audience and this league because of ALL the talent that it has is going to inspire a whole
new audience and that means everything from merchandise to autograph signings
will also bring in financial capital to help each struggling team out. This is
a huge moment for the WNBA and they ALL should be ecstatic.



Showing Their Stripes

By Mike Rifkin

The NFL season is right around the corner, and training camp is beginning this week.. The Cincinnati Bengals are seen as one of the biggest threats to the Kansas City Chiefs, not just in the AFC but across the NFL.  In 2023 the Bengals finished with a record of 9-8 and missed the playoffs, but a lot of their issues had to do with injuries. The two seasons prior the Bengals were in among the final four teams standing. 

One of the reasons the Bengals have become a top tier team in the NFL is the dynamic offense they’ve built. Quarterback Joe Burrow (who has a long term deal), Running Back Joe Mixon, Wide Receivers Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase were just so much fun to watch. Now this offseason things are changing in Cincy, Joe Mixon was traded to the Texans, Tyler Boyd signed with the Tennessee Titans, following Offensive Coordinator Brian Callahan. That leaves Higgins and Chase, but the question is for how much longer? 

Tee Higgins was given the Franchise Tag this summer, and he and the team couldn’t get a long term deal done. Things got so bad, that Higgins had requested a trade, but later just signed the tender. Then there’s Chase, who has one year (fifth year option) left after this season. But Chase was eligible to sign an extension this offseason. 

Bengals President Mike Brown said on a potential extension : “It’s not so likely that this is a good time to negotiate. The offseason is a better time for that and we’re going to try to keep focused on the football part. I’m not going to rule anything out, but I will tell you that the die has probably been cast.” Chase, the fifth overall pick in 2021 has been sensational since going to Cincy, going over 1,000 yards in each of his three prior seasons. Last season Chase had a career high 100 receptions for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns. 

So if the Bengals are not inclined to give Tee Higgins a long term contract, why are they not making Chase more of a priority? They’ve locked up Joe Burrow, so why not his favorite target? And the Bengals really missed an opportunity here, because they had a chance to lock Chase up before the Vikings locked up Justin Jefferson and the Cowboys lock up Ceedee Lamb. Chase’s production is up among the best in the league and he will deserve every penny, and the longer this goes the more his price will go up and the Bengals will have to pony up, because under no circumstances can they lose both Higgins and Chase and still be considered a Super Bowl threat. But these clouds hang over Cincy as they look to bounce back from 2023.

HOW I WOULD VOTE : BASEBALL HALL OF FAME 2025

BY Mike Rifkin

On Sunday the Baseball Hall of Fame presented their class of 2024. The class consisted of Joe Mauer, Todd Helton, Adrian Beltre and Jim Leyland (Vet committee). So let’s look ahead to how I would vote for next year’s class. *Note will not include from Veterans committee. 

Returning 

  • Billy Wagner : At the moment Wagner is top 10 in saves all time and outside of John Franco and Francisco Rodriguez all of the guys in front of him are in the Hall or will go in (Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen). Even though his playoff numbers might not be the best, Wagner fell a few votes shy last year, and with this being his last time on the ballot he should get in. 
  • Andruw Jones: 10 Gold Gloves and 434 homers should be enough to put Andruw Jones in. Jones was a premier Center Fielder on the premier team of the National League in the 90’s. 
  • Carlos Beltran : 2,700 hits, 435 homers, 312 Stolen Bases, three gold gloves, and a World Series Champ. Like Jones, Beltran was one of the best center fielders of his time. Yes, people can hold him accountable for his actions for the 2017 Astros, but it’s time he gets his plaque in Cooperstown. 

First Time

  • Ichiro Suzuki : Ichiro came into MLB in 2001 and promptly won Rookie Of The Year and MVP in the same season. He set the American League hit record for a season, had 10 200 hit seasons. 
  • CC Sabathia : Sabathia was the definition of a big game pitcher. Look at what he did for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 after being acquired from the Indians. CC was then instrumental in the Yankees success. He won one CY Young, but was a top five finisher four times. CC won 251 games,was the 2009 ALCS MVP  and is a member of the 3,000 strikeout club. 
  • Dustin Pedroia : Pedroia’s career was cut short due to injuries, but when he played he was impactful. He won three World Series with the Red Sox,, four gold gloves, 2007 rookie of the year and 2008 AL MVP. Pedroia wasn’t the best player on the field, but he gave the Red Sox everything he had.