Scoreless In Seattle

By Mike Rifkin

The New York Mets were swept by the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. The Mariners outscored the Mets 22-1 over the three games, and the Mariners pitching staff only allowed 17 hits. The Mets were shutout for the first 24 innings of the series until Jeff McNeil hit a home run in the fifth inning on Sunday.

The Mets offense which was the catalyst for them turning their season around, has hit a funk. And outside of a few innings and a game in Colorado the Mets offense has really struggled since the All -Star Break. A few guys who have been in major slumps are Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez. Nimmo said after Saturday’s game “I expect more of myself and I’m working on it every day. It’s just not good enough. I’m one of the leaders of this team. I’m supposed to come through, I’m supposed to do better and I’m not.” Nimmo was 3-22 over the last week and one has to wonder if the 16 homers he has, has changed his approach at the plate. Similar to Jeff McNeil a few years ago. As for Alvarez it’s been a struggle since he was activated off the IL with a broken thumb, so one has to wonder if that is still bothering him along with a sore left shoulder. The other guy who the Mets need to get going is JD Martinez. When the Mets were hot Nimmo and Martinez led the charge and at the moment they’re not getting much from either guy. With Pete Alonso having the season he is having, and we all know the contract is weighing on him, the team needs others to step up. 

Jeff McNeil has been great since the break and Francisco Lindor has been really good since being moved to the leadoff spot. The Mets do have a reinforcement on the way in the form of Starling Marte, who played for Binghamton on Sunday, so his return will give the Mets offense another dimension. Despite being swept by the Mariners the Mets remain ½ game behind the Braves for the final wild card spot.

Feeling The Heat

By Mike Rifkin

We are less than a month away from the NFL season kicking off. All fans are confident that their respective teams are going to compete for a Super Bowl Championship. We often talk about coaches who need to show something as the pressure mounts, here’s a list of the ten Quarterbacks I believe under the most pressure to show something this season. 

  1. Aaron Rodgers – Jets : The Jets dream in 2023 turned into a nightmare four plays into the season when Rodgers tore his Achilles. Aaron is now 40 years old and who knows how much great football he has left, but the Jets got the four time MVP with the hopes of winning their first Super Bowl since 1969, if they don’t win this year we know Robert Salah will be gone, but what happens with Rodgers? If Rodgers can’t lead the Jets to the promise land, it’ll be Brett Favre 2.0.
  1. Deshaun Watson – Browns : Watson has really struggled with the Browns. In 12 games he has a combined 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions, over a season and a half. Now part of the reason he’s played so little has been suspension and the other is injury, but after signing a 230 million dollar fully guaranteed deal the Browns need Watson to be the superstar he was with the Texans.
  1. Dak Prescott – Cowboys : Part of this comes with the territory, there’s not a tougher position to be in in sports than quarterback of the Cowboys. The other reason that there’s a lot of pressure on Dak is that this season is an audition, Dak is a free agent after the season and I don’t think he’ll be re-signed by the Cowboys unless he reaches the NFC title game, but Dak is auditioning for every other team in the NFL and he’s looking to show his owner that he has what it takes. 
  1. Russell Wilson – Steelers : The Denver experiment failed miserably for Russ, but now he gets another crack with the Steelers. While a calf injury has sidelined him during the beginning portion of training camp, coach Mike Tomlin has consistently said Russ is in the lead to start for the Steelers. If Russ doesn’t play well, he’ll have to look over his shoulder at Justin Fields and wonder what’s next for himself. 
  1. Daniel Jones – Giants : Giants fans saw their star Running Back go down the Jersey turnpike to play for their arch-rival. One of the reasons that happened is the contract of Daniel Jones. Jones had a nice season two years ago, but regressed last season before tearing his ACL. If Jones struggles once again, he’ll be looking for work elsewhere. 
  1. Trevor Lawrence – Jags : Lawrence became one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL. The 24 year old saw his touchdowns decrease last season, while his interceptions increased. The Jags were 8-3 last season, and lost five of six and collapsed and lost the division to the Texans. 
  1. Tua Tagovailoa – Dolphins : Like Lawrence, Tagovailoa signed a massive contract extension to remain in Florida. Tua is a lightning rod for people across the league, whether they like him or hate him. Tua was an MVP candidate last season, until the final two games of the regular season. The pressure is on Tua to break the longest drought to win a playoff game. 
  1. Justin Herbert : Chargers – Herbert’s been ranked amongst the elites of NFL quarterbacks. Last season the Chargers were the biggest disappointment in the league. Herbert was limited to 13 games due to injury, but now the pressure is on because his top three targets Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler are all gone, now Herbert is going to have to show his elite talent. 
  1. Lamar Jackson – Ravens/Josh Allen Bills : Ok I cheated and said 10 but there’s really 11. These two quarterbacks face the same pressure, it’s time to win. For both it’s to get over the Mahomes’ hump. Both guys lost to Mahomes and the Chiefs at home in the playoffs. While both are going to be MVP candidates they need to get over the KC hump.
  2.  Kirk Cousins – Falcons : Cousins like Aaron Rodgers is coming off an Achilles tear. The Falcons didn’t care and decided to give Cousins a big contract, with the thought that now the Falcons can be a playoff team. If Cousins struggles though, people in Atlanta will clamor for Michael Penix Jr., whom the Falcons selected eighth overall in the draft.

Wrong Direction

By Mike Rifkin

In 2021 the Chicago White Sox won 93 games and a lot of people thought that was the beginning of something special on the South Side. Well, things turned the other way for the White Sox and now who knows when it will end. On Sunday the White Sox lost to the Minnesota Twins, to lose their 20th consecutive game, one shy of the American League record which was set in 1988. The White Sox are a disaster from top to bottom, but this week there’s more to shed on this because of this past Tuesday’s trade deadline. 

Most people thought the White Sox should be fairly active during the trade deadline given their place in the standings. But the White Sox made one major move. In a three team trade with the Cardinals and Dodgers, the White Sox shipped out Starting Pitcher Eric Fede and Outfielder Tommy Pham to the Cardinals, and reliever Michael Kopech to the Dodgers. The White Sox added two players (Jeral Perez and Alexander Albertus) who are 19 years old. They also got 24 year old Miguel Vargas, who had limited playing time in LA. Entering the season none of the three were in the Dodgers’ top 30 within their farm system. They were able to dump Eloy Jimenez’s contract on the Baltimore Orioles as well.  The other reason people thought the White Sox would do well at the deadline, Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet both were rumored to be on the block and neither was moved. Robert was fantastic in 2023, with 38 homers and 80 RBI’S with a slash line of .264/.315/.542. 2023 was also the only time in his career Robert has played in over 100 games. This year it’s been a different story Robert has 12 homers and 26 RBI’s with a slash line of .214/.282/.432 in 58 games. The best ability is availability and Robert hasn’t proven to be available enough. Crochet wasn’t traded for a different reason, his problem was something said by someone in his camp. They said Crochet wouldn’t pitch down the stretch without a contract extension, the thing is Crochet still has two years left on his contract. The White Sox have moved Crochet from reliever to starter, Crochet is 6-8 with a 3.19 ERA and is second in baseball with 162 strikeouts. Did the White Sox fail the trade deadline? Yes, but I don’t blame Chris Getz for the team’s failures. 

The person at fault for the White Sox issues is owner Jerry Reinsdorf. So, why is it Reinsdorf’s fault that the team is this bad? Well let’s start with the hiring of Tony La Russa. La Russa hadn’t managed a team in a decade, and he couldn’t last two full seasons as the manager in Chicago, in part to his health, but there’s been some stories about things that went down in the clubhouse. The other one that got me was when Reinsdorf fired GM Rick Hahn and President Kenny Williams, both of whom had been with the organization a long time. But instead of doing a thorough search, Reinsdorf just promoted assistant GM Chris Getz to the position. Now this is not a slight at Getz, but if you at least interview other candidates maybe you find something you like. The White Sox are 27-87, they haven’t won a game in a month and they could catch the 1962 Mets for most losses in a season (120) and the owner will have nobody to blame but himself.

Absurd

By Mike Rifkin

The NFL released its top 100 players list voted by the players, and there’s a new number one player. Tyreek Hill was voted by his peers as the best player in the NFL. Hill unseats his former Quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the best player in the league. Mahomes slipped to four behind Hill, Lamar Jackson and Christian McCaffrey. How can Mahomes slip to four?

Here’s the first thing all three players ranked above Mahomes, well his team beat their teams in the playoffs on his way to his second consecutive Super Bowl Championship. Mahomes’ numbers weren’t what we are used to seeing, but he was in the top 10 in yards, touchdowns and QBR. Also last season it wasn’t like Mahomes was working with this great group of receivers. The Chiefs had two receivers (Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice) go over 900 yards, the next closest was at 460 (Justin Watson). Also in the playoffs, what we saw at times was Mahomes’ use of his running ability, especially in the Super Bowl. 

I’m starting to wonder if we take Mahomes’ greatness for granted. No offense to the three players ranked in front of him, but in a clutch situation Patrick Mahomes is the guy you want with the ball in his hands. People try to find things to throw at Mahomes, for instance he didn’t win a road playoff game, well he went into Buffalo and Baltimore in the playoffs and found a way to win. Tyreek Hill and McCaffrey are great players, but the way Quarterbacks are valued I am not sure you can say they’re better than Mahomes. I will say the Dolphins offense did change when Tyreek Hill hurt his ankle, but that was also a depth issue for Miami. There’s not one player better in the NFL than Patrick Mahomes, and to quote Ric Flair “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” Well at the moment the Chiefs are the back to back champs and somebody is going to have to knock them off. The last thing Mahomes and the Chiefs need is some bulletin board material entering the season.

Things we need to see at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

We have seen many events happening with 1 week left of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. From Simone Biles’s comeback to Katie Ledecky being the most decorated female athlete in the USA to an Egyptian fencer competing 7 months pregnant to controversy with transgender athletes competing in boxing (There should be more inclusion for transgender athletes in my opinion), we have to start looking to the next 4 years as the olympics comeback to the United States for the first time since the Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City in 2002 (Will also be hosting it again in 2034). Here are a few things I would love to see at the 2028 Summer Olympics

*First, here is what is now announced as events for the 2028 Olympic Games

2028 Summer Olympic Sports Program
Aquatics Artistic swimming (2) Diving (8) Swimming (37) Water polo (2) Archery (5) Athletics (48) Badminton (5)Baseball Baseball (1) Softball (1) BasketballBasketball (2)3×3 basketball (2) CanoeingSlalom (6)Sprint (10) Cricket (2) CyclingBMX freestyle (2)BMX racing (2)Mountain biking (2)Road (4)Track (12) EquestrianDressage (2)Eventing (2)Jumping (2) Fencing (12) Field hockey (2) Flag football (2) Football (2) Golf (2) GymnasticsArtistic (14)Rhythmic (2)Trampoline (2) Handball (2) Judo (15) Lacrosse (2) Modern pentathlon (2) Rowing (15) Rugby sevens (2) Sailing (10) Shooting (15) Skateboarding (4) Sport climbing (4) Squash (2) Surfing (2) Table tennis (5) Taekwondo (8) Tennis (5) Triathlon (3) VolleyballVolleyball (indoor) (2)Beach volleyball (2) Weightlifting (10) WrestlingFreestyle (12)Greco-Roman (6)
  1. Need a Hollywood theme opening ceremony something like what Wrestlemania 39 and Superbowl 56 halftime show did when hosting their events at Sofi Stadium
  2. Bring in New Events
    • Pickleball
    • Bowling
    • Parkour or Ninja Course
    • 5k Run
    • 10k Run
    • Spartan Race
    • Karate (Bring it back after the 2020 Olympic Games)
    • Frisbee Events
      • Frisbee Golf
      • Ultimate Frisbee
  3. Bring back Snoop Dogg for the Olympics as he was raised in that area. He was also a part of Superbowl 56 Halftime show and was the co-host of Wrestlemania 39 with the Miz (Should also be there for the Olympics along with Dr. Dre)
  4. Have a Cross Country road trip torch relay starting on the east coast making it’s way all the way to Los Angeles (Or just a Route 66 Torch Relay)
  5. Have an epic Opening and Closing Ceremony concerts from artists like
    • Billie Eilish
    • Kendrick Lamar
    • Katy Perry
    • Weird Al Yankovic
    • Tyga
    • Cher
    • Green Day
    • Josh Groban
  6. Alex Morgan lighting the flame to open the ceremony with the cauldron being like fireworks
  7. The Parade of Nations taking place on floats like the Rose Parade showing each nations’ flags and flowers
  8. Yes it has Oklahoma City asssisting in some events, Softball and Canoe Slalom, but it should take place in California or nearby.
    • Softball and Baseball use baseball fields from the LA Dodgers, LA Angels, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Oakland/Las Vegas A’s along with their minor league teams there
    • Canoe Slalom takes place in Central and or Northern California

Long -Term Vision

By Mike Rifkin

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, there were winners and losers. Teams asked themselves if they should go all in or if they should hold onto some top prospects and have some flexibility for the winter and beyond. One of those teams who had this question : the New York Mets. 

The Mets struggled early this season, starting 0-5 and falling 11 games under .500 in May, back then people were talking about the Mets selling Pete Alonso, Luis Severino, etc… But since June the Mets have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, and made new President Of Baseball Ops David Stearns change course. But the question was would Stearns go all in in a “evaluation” year? In past offseasons Steve Cohen and the Mets have been aggressive in free agency, throwing money at future Hall Of Famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. That plan didn’t work and last year at the trade deadline the Mets said they’d pay the bulk of both salaries in exchange for better prospects. This winter Steve Cohen hired David Stearns to be the President of Baseball Ops, the same position he held with the Milwaukee Brewers. Stears put together some really good teams in Milwaukee and made some big deals, but he never had Steve Cohen’s wallet with him. 

So fast forward to this past few weeks, when Met players were basically begging the organization to help them at the deadline. Stearns did just that, as he added three relievers ( Ryne Stanek, Phil Maton, and Huascar Brazoban), a starting pitcher (Paul Blackburn), and a Left handed bench player (Jesse Winker). Stearns did all of this without having to pluck from the top of the thirteenth best farm system according to MLB Pipeline (entering the season).  

By not going “All in” for a guy like Blake Snell at the deadline the Mets put themselves in an interesting position this winter. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer both should come off the Mets payroll, Starling Marte will have one year left on his deal and then there’s the impending free agency of Pete Alonso. But for Stearns and Cohen they’ll have some financial flexibility as well as trade chips to use. So if the Mets miss out on signing Corbin Burnes this winter, would they use some of their trade chips on a Tarik Skubal from the Tigers (Although I still don’t know why Detroit would move him). But the Mets not only have a wallet to go out and sign players, but they’re building a farm system that can help them as well. That farm system is looking good on the Major League level right now with how Mark Vientos and Fransisco Alvaerz have performed this season. 

The Mets have organizational depth and with David Stearns, who did well in his first trade deadline. The Mets have a very intriguing winter ahead of them, meanwhile the team is in the thick of the wildcard race, Stearns and Cohen couldn’t have asked for a better season, but both of them are thinking about the long term.

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.