The Sports Insanity Network

Nucleus

By: Mike Rifkin

The Mets have been one of the biggest disappointments in MLB. Tuesday was the MLB trade deadline and the end of the Mets fire sale. The Mets traded away future Hall Of Fame Pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. They also traded Outfielders Mark Canha and Tommy Pham and reliever Dominic Leone.

During Tuesday, Scherzer’s introductory press conference with the Rangers, he said after speaking with Billy Eppler and the front office, “They’re looking to compete in 2025 and 2026. It was not gonna be a reload situation in New York. It was gonna be more of a transition in 2024.” We’ll see what the Mets aim to do in the wintertime, but the question remains: what does the nucleus of the Mets look like in 2025?

Before Tuesday’s game, the Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor said, “I signed up here to be in a winning franchise, and they’re trying to do whatever it takes to be a sustainable, winning franchise. I’m on board. Lindor, the first significant acquisition in the Steve Cohen era, signed a ten-year 341 Million dollar contract in 2021. Lindor is on board, and 20-year-old catcher Fransisco Alvarez, who has 21 Home Runs, is probably locked to be on the 2025 roster. I want to say Center Fielder Brandon Nimmo will also be there, but anything is possible after what Cohen and company did here at the deadline, eating money to get better prospects. Young players Mark Vientos and Brett Baty are looking to make their marks, along with Ronny Mauricio, who is still in Syracuse.

What about Pete Alonso? Billy Eppler said he plans to talk with Alonso and his representatives within the next couple of days/week about his long-term vision of the Mets. Alonso is slated to be a free agent after next season. Alonso, a second-round pick out of the University of Florida in 2016, has been a fan favorite since he made his Major League debut. Alonso is 5th in team history with 176 home runs. If you listen to Alonso when he does postgame interviews, he bleeds Blue and Orange and should be a Met for Life.

When Steve Cohen bought the franchise, he said the goal was to win a World Series in three to five years. Now the Mets are pivoting course apparently and waiting on the next few years. Now, the fans will not go against Cohen for everything he has done for the franchise. Everyone will be on Shohei Ohtani watch this winter, but if the Mets don’t land the big fish, a consolation prize for the fans this winter would be a Pete Alonso extension. An extension for Alonso could make him the most critical homegrown player since David Wright. Alonso should be a part of the Mets nucleus whether they compete in 2024, 2025, or 2026.

JUST IN TIME

By: Mike Rifkin

As we approach the 2023 MLB trade deadline, everyone keeps asking if the Mets will buy or sell. One of the names people keep bringing up is future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. On Tuesday night, Verlander pitched six shutout innings in the Mets’ victory over the Yankees. Verlander has given up one run in 15 innings over his last two starts.

Verlander, the 2021 AL CY Young Award winner, has lowered his ERA to 3.24. Verlander’s ERA since June first is 2.44; over the last month, his ERA has been 1.45. Verlander is rounding into form. He has expressed his desire to win in New York, so he signed with the Mets and said that GM Billy Eppler has not approached him about waiving his no-trade clause. Now, there are plenty of complications with trading Verlander from a financial perspective.

But most Mets fans should be okay with Verlander being a part of the 2024 team. Not just from what he gives the team on the mound but also from a leadership perspective. Also, the rotation is in flux. Carlos Carrasco, who has struggled, is a free agent after the season, Jose Quintana can be traded, and David Peterson and Tylor Megill have yet to take the step forward most expected them to. Kodai Senga has been the most consistent starter, and Max Scherzer is in a similar situation to Verlander.

If the 2023 Mets miss the playoffs, it will be a massive failure. But if Justin Verlander pitches well the rest of the season and is not traded, the team and fans will now be at least ⅖ of the rotation for 2024. Verlander has rounded into form just in time.

Starting To Sting

By: Mike Rifkin

The Rays lost three of four to the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend and seven of eight overall. Now, they find themselves two games behind Baltimore in the AL East. The Rays had led the division all season until now, but a 4-14 record in July, tied for the worst in baseball, has people wondering what is going on in Tampa. The Rays’ next eight games will be against in-state rival Marlins, the reigning World Series Champion Astros, and Division rival Yankees, all of whom currently have their issues.

A big part of the Rays’ struggles has been injuries to their pitching staff, which they rely heavily on. Shane Baz, Drew Rasmussen, and Jeffrey Springs are all out for the season. Josh Fleming and Andrew Kittredge have started rehab assignments and are working their way back. Their two most reliable starters, Shane Mclanahan and Tyler Glasnow, have also been on the injured list this year.

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the Rays should be in the pitching market for both starters and relievers. Here’s the thing: the Rays have always done things differently, and many experts write them off every year. But this American League is different. Everybody has been up and down. The Rays had been dominant up until this point. So why dip into one of the top farm systems in baseball and go all out and make a play for Shohei Ohtani? Ohtani probably wouldn’t re-sign in Tampa, but imagine adding him to that rotation and lineup. That would change the balance of power in the AL back to Tampa and could lead the franchise to its first World Series Championship.

How I Would Vote: 2024 Baseball Hall Of Fame

By: Mike Rifkin

On Sunday, Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen were enshrined as the 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame class. Both were well-deserving additions, but let’s fast forward to next year and how I would vote for the Hall Of Fame.

The Holdovers with their 2023 percentages. : Todd Helton (72.2%), Billy Wagner (68.1%), Andruw Jones (58.1%), Gary Sheffield (55%), Carlos Beltran (46.5), Alex Rodriguez (35.7%), Manny Ramirez (33.2%). If a player got under 30 percent of the vote, I don’t think they will jump to 75 percent to get entry.

The First-Timers: Jose Bautista, Adrian Beltre, Bartolo Colon, Matt Holliday, Adrian Gonzalez, Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer, Brandon Phillips, Chase Utley, and David Wright.

HOW I WOULD VOTE

Todd Helton: The former Rockies first baseman played his whole career in Colorado, but that is no longer a significant factor, especially after getting 72 percent of the vote this year. Helton is one of 23 players ever with a .300/.400/.500 slash line. Helton won three Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and a Batting Title.

Andruw Jones: Jones was a member of the Atlanta Braves that ran the National League East in the late 90s and early 2000s. 1998-2007, Jones had the third-best WAR in Baseball, only trailing Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez. Jones is one of three Center Fielders to win 10 Gold Gloves along with Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. Jones is also one of four players with ten gold gloves and 400 plus home runs joining Mays, Griffey, and Mike Schmidt. From 1998 to 2007, he had at least 25 home runs and drove in at least 84 runs.

Billy Wagner: 422 career saves, 2.31 career ERA, and 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings haven’t been enough to get Wagner into Cooperstown yet. Yes, there are only six closers in the Hall Of Fame, but Wagner was dominant in his era and deserves to be enshrined.

Adrian Beltre: Five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, 477 Home Runs, and 3,166 hits. If that doesn’t get Beltre into the Hall of Fame, many questions will arise. But he makes my Hall Of Fame.

Joe Mauer: A former MVP, three Gold Gloves, three Batting Titles, and five-time Silver Slugger. Mauer was arguably the best pure hitter in his era, finishing with a .306 Batting Average and, at the same time, playing the most physically demanding position on the field. Also, the ball he hit in 2009 was fair.

Carlos Beltran: I still hold a grudge over game seven of the 2006 NLCS. But three Gold Gloves, two Silver Sluggers, and 435 Home Runs should be enough to get this World Series Champion into the Hall Of Fame.

There are three polarizing figures remaining on the ballot. Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, and Manny Ramirez have all been linked to PEDs. Rodriguez and Ramirez are polling in the 30s, and Sheffield polled at 55 and is entering his final year on the ballot. Baseball should acknowledge that the steroid era happened, but there is a dark cloud for me, especially over A-Rod regarding Biogenesis and lying to Katie Couric. But if the voters or Veteran’s Committee put any of these guys in, it opens the door for guys like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. So watch their numbers when the 2024 class gets announced in January.

Allie’s 1st Reaction: “Quarterback” Series on Netflix

Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota, and Patrick Mahomes are not only 3 of 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. All three have participated in a new Netflix series by former QB Peyton Manning called “Quarterback”. This sports series follows a day in the life of these quarterbacks during the 2022 NFL season.

After watching the first 2 episodes, the series so far made me appreciate how much each has gone through from their high school careers until now. I can see how much hard work they have put in during practice and throughout the season. Each one of them had a unique story with unique goals in unique situations. We can witness the pressure they go through as game-changers for the entire season they have played in. I empathize with the “growing pains” they face with changes to their team and their personal lives during the season.

If you have never seen any Mic’d Up on the NFL channel on Youtube, go watch that as well, but during the series, it was like Mic’d Up all the time with each QB in the series. I enjoy these players opening up about their mental health and the mind games they battle with on the field. These players make you feel like a human being when they get overwhelmed with the errors and mistakes they make over the successes they accomplished.

Overall, this was an amazing series. The 40-60 minute episodes feel short. If you have Netflix, I would highly recommend you watch this series. You will feel all emotions with the show. And finally Peyton Manning, I hope we get another season of this with 3 new QBs’ lives for the 2023 season when it comes along.

Should London Host Wrestlemania?

By Allison Weiner

As we witnessed at the 2023 Money In The Bank premium live event in London, WWE legend and Hollywood actor John Cena came out to a roaring London crowd petitioning with London fans to have a Wrestlemania in the UK, London in particular. The question does come to this, should London host Wrestlemania in the near future. The answer is simple. Of course, they should host Wrestlemania in the near future. Here are a few reasons why.

The last time WWE had a Wrestlemania outside the United States was Wrestlemania X8 in 2002. Toronto, Ontario, Canada hosted that year’s Wrestlemania. It’s been over 2 decades since an international country has hosted a Wrestlemania and it’s time for a country such as London to host one.
AEW is hosting All In at Wembley Stadium at the end of August. This was the PPV that made AEW the brand it is. For WWE to see the success of this AEW PPV, it can make them consider hosting a future Wrestlemania at Wembley Stadium
2023 has been a huge success internationally for WWE. WWE hosted 4 premium live events as of now in 4 countries. Those countries are Montreal, Quebec, Canada; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and London, United Kingdom. The fans at these events were into each match and were enjoying a premium live event in their own country. The international fans are the reason I love premium live events overseas.
When WWE hosts a Wrestlemania, it brings economic success and an increase in tourism wherever the event takes place. It also shows what there is in their host city and gives local entertainers and groups the support they need to shine throughout the whole weekend.

WWE board of directors, please take this into consideration. We know you are planning for Wrestlemania after next year’s in Philadelphia. You will have great success with hosting a future Wrestlemania in London. Listen to the crowds you host a live weekly taping or a premium live event. Feel their energy as you can see the excitement it will be to be part of a successful industry if you make this move.

KEYS TO A TURNAROUND

BY: Mike Rifkin

The New York Mets had high expectations entering the 2023 season after winning 101 games last season. But the Mets will enter the second half of the season with a record of 42-48, and every time you think they’re making a run, something else happens. The team enters the second half seven games out of the Wild Card Race, but to be positive, they are 6-4 in their last ten games. Here are five keys to a second-half turnaround.

Aces High – Yes, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are future Hall Of Famers, although both have yet to find consistency this season. Scherzer is 8-3 but has a 4.31 ERA and has had to deal with a 10-game suspension due to a “sticky substance usage.” Verlander, the reigning AL CY Young Award winner, is 3-4 with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts because he missed the season’s first month. The Mets have committed to these guys, and they need to be the future Hall Of Famers. They are this second half if the Mets want to get to October.
Resurgent Squirrel – Jeff McNeil won the NL Batting Title last season, hitting .326; this year, McNeil is hitting .253. I don’t know if the lack of a shift is hurting his approach, but the Mets need Jeff McNeil to become the hit machine they thought they were extending this spring, especially if Buck Showalter will keep him in a high position in the order.
Reservation For A Marte Party – Starling Marte was fantastic in his first year in Queens and was an All-Star. But Marte has had a sophomore slump after Core Muscle Surgery this offseason. Marte had a first-half slash line of .256/.309/.336. Here’s a positive on Marte, he is 23-27 in stolen bases.
Youth Gone Wild – Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty were heavily talked about during Spring Training. Despite not making the team right out of Spring Training, both have been positives since being inserted into the lineup. Alvarez coming off a road trip where he homered four times in six games, has had a knack for clutch hits. Baty has also played solid since becoming the full-time third baseman since Eduardo Escobar was traded. The two twenty-somethings have been a bright spot. If other guys in the lineup continue to struggle, will the Mets call up Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio? We’ll have to wait and see.
Home Sweet Home – The Mets are 20-19 at home this season. Last year they won 54 games at home. The Mets will have 42 games at home during the second half, including the first six out of the break against the Dodgers and White Sox. The Mets must take advantage of their home schedule in the second half.

Rifkins List : NHL FREE AGENCY

By : Mike Rifkin

With NHL Free Agency in full force, here are moves I like and moves that made me scratch my head.

Positives

Matt Duchene – Dallas Stars – After being bought out by the Nashville Predators, Matt Duchene finds himself staying in the Central Division. Duchene last season led the Predators in goals and was second in points. Now he joins a team with Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin, Wyatt Johnston, etc., so Duchene won’t have to be the guy in Dallas, but he should have a significant impact.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi – Toronto Maple Leafs – The Leafs won their first playoff series since 2004 after beating the Lightning in six games before losing to the Panthers in five games. The Maple Leafs added jam and grit to their game by adding Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. Bertuzzi was traded from the Red Wings to the Bruins at the trade deadline and had eight goals in 50 games. Domi went from the Blackhawks to the Stars at the trade deadline and had 20 goals in 80 games played; Domi also has a family tie as his dad Tie played for the Leafs.
Taylor Hall – Chicago Blackhawks – The Blackhawks’ rebuild got expedited when they won the draft lottery, AKA the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. The Blackhawks took advantage of having cap space and another team having a cap crunch, so they acquired former first-overall pick Taylor Hall from the Bruins. Hall had 16 goals in 61 games last year, but he’ll play with Bedard in Chicago.
Ryan O’Reilly – Nashville Predators – O’Reilly was one of Nashville’s first signings of the Barry Trotz era. O’Reilly, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blues, was traded from St. Louis to Toronto at the trade deadline. O’Reilly had 11 points in 13 regular season games for the Leafs. He goes to a Preds team that bought out Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen, so now O’Reilly will slot in as the number-one center in Smashville.
Ryan Graves, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari – Pittsburgh Penguins – Kyle Dubas has had an interesting first offseason in Pittsburgh. Eller and Acciari are excellent bottom two centers and can help the Penguins’ PK. Graves is a shot-blocking machine and can replace John Marino, who the prior regime traded to the division rival Devils, from whom the Penguins got Graves.
Blake Wheeler – New York Rangers – To acquire a player who had 50 points for 800,000 dollars is a massive win. Wheeler was a productive player for the Jets before being bought out. He can slot in anywhere in the top nine on Broadway.
Conor Sheary – Lightning – Trading away Pat Maroon and Corey Perry meant the Lightning needed to add speed and toughness to their bottom-six forward. Sheary has been an impactful player everywhere he has been and, again, a bargain for the Lightning.

Negatives

Alex Killorn – Ducks – Yes, Killorn won two Cups with the Lightning, so he took the payday from the rebuilding Ducks. Going four years for a guy who will be 34 in September is an interesting decision.
Tristan Jarry – Penguins – I get the Penguins might not have the necessary tools to trade for a goalie like Connor Hellebuyck, but I can’t trust Tristan Jarry to stay healthy for an entire season. When he’s good, he’s outstanding. The problem is finding that consistency while staying healthy. Kyle Dubas believes he’ll figure it out; he’ll have to show the world.
John Klingberg- Maple Leafs – Klingberg has always been a solid offensive defenseman, but he could have been better defensively. But is Klingberg going to be taking minutes away from Morgan Reilly? This is a fascinating signing.
Joonas Korpisalo – Senators – I love the direction the Senators are heading, but for me, this move is a head-scratcher. Korpisalo did have a 2.87 GAA and a .915 save percentage last season, but his numbers improved when he went to the defensive-heavy LA Kings. How will he fare with a young team in Ottawa that could be on the cusp of the playoffs?
James Reimer/ Alex Lyon- Red Wings – Reimer had a 3.48 GAA and a .890 save percentage and made headlines for the wrong reasons in San Jose last season. Lyon was 9-4-2 with a 2.89 GAA and .914 save percentage and was significant for the Panthers in their run to make the playoffs. I’m not too fond of the signings because none of these two guys, along with Ville Husso, have shown the ability to be number one. When you look at Husso’s numbers from before he got traded, he was in a solid tandem with Jordan Binnington. The things I said about the Senators can be said for the Red Wings; if they get the goaltending, they’re a playoff team.
Milan Lucic – Bruins – Yes, reunions are fun, but shouldn’t the Bruins have focused more on Centers? Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are still on the market, but what’s the plan if they’re not returning? Unless something changes, the Bruins are looking at Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle as their top two Centers.

PUT HIM IN JERRY

By Mark Halpern

When Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, he made many changes throughout the organization. The change that shot through the world was the Firing of the Cowboys’ legendary coach Tom Landry and the hiring of the University of Miami Head Coach Jimmy Johnson.

Johnson made a significant impact from the first day he came on board. Following Jimmy from Miami was WR Michael Irvin (Drafted), and Irvin’s talent in college showed why the Cowboys drafted him to be their #1 receiver. Dallas didn’t have a perfect 1988 season giving them the first pick in the 1989 draft, and Jimmy once again got his guy by Drafting Troy Aikman from UCLA to be the future franchise QB. Even in Aikman’s first year, everything wasn’t together as the Cowboys were rebuilding.

After the 1989 season ended, Jimmy Johnson and the organization showed their genius. First trading star running back Hershel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for six draft picks, which lead to drafting future all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith and star defensive lineman Russel Maryland. Throughout this process of trading and signing players off of plan B and free agents in 1992, the Dallas Cowboys broke camp with the most impressive team since the Rodger Staubach era.

The Dallas Cowboys in 92-93 and 93-94 were back-to-back Superbowl champs beating the Buffalo Bills twice. They were projected to win as many as three more, but tragedy struck. Jimmy Johnson and head owner Jerry Jones had a huge falling out after the 94 Superbowl, and it was called a mutual split, but it was a lot more than that involved. If Jimmy stayed with the Cowboys, the Cowboys could have won 4 straight Super Bowls, but the Cowboys could only win 3 out of 4. Johnson was the Cowboys’ lifeline and the one man who came in with a plan and stuck to it, making America’s Team Great Again. He needs to be put in the Ring of Honor in AT&T stadium, glorifying him as an eternal Cowboy, just like Landry, and that is how the old man sees it.

Deciding On Sho-time

By Mike Rifkin

During Monday’s loss to the Padres, Angels All-Star Mike Trout got hit by a pitch and left the game. On Tuesday, the Angels announced Trout had broken the left hamate bone in his wrist and is unsure if he will need surgery. Trout has been a big part of the Angels’ surprising first half. Trout has 18 home runs and 44 RBI with a slash line of .263/.369/.493. The Angels currently have a record of 45-43 and are seven games out of first place in the AL West and four games back of the last Wild Card spot in the American League.

The Trout injury has more implications than what occurs on the field. Shohei Ohtani is a free agent after the season, and the Angels cannot afford to lose him, especially for nothing. Ohtani leads the Angels in basically every statistic, leads all of baseball in home runs, and is third in baseball in strikeouts (pitching). Ohtani is right now the favorite to win the AL MVP, and no executive wants to be known as the guy who traded Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is the best player in the game; how great he is as both a pitcher and hitter, and it’s something we’ve never witnessed, and the game hasn’t witnessed since Babe Ruth.

If the Angels falter in the absence of Trout, they have to consider trading Ohtani at the trade deadline because you cannot let him get to free agency. Now if the Angels survive the Trout injury and find themselves in the race at the deadline, they have to do what is best for them to make the playoffs, which would mean keeping Ohtani and adding other pieces. Ohtani’s agent said before the season that his client deserved to explore free agency.

Now, a lot of this decision is determined by how the Angels perform in the absence of Mike Trout, but regardless of Trout’s injury, the Angels have a massive decision to make. If Ohtani will not sign an extension and the Angels fall out of the playoff race, they have to consider moving Ohtani because they can’t lose him for just a draft pick. Either way, the lights are bright from now until the trade deadline, and everyone will wait to see what happens to the Sho.