EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday! I had no idea what to write today (not interested in Colorado winning the Cup), then it came to me as I struggled with writing late night and parenting, that I was jealous of people whose kids could fend for themselves. Now when it came to sports, who was I jealous of. So, without further ado, here are you topics for today. Aaron Judge Envy, EPL Teams and NY Rangers Goalies
Aaron Judge
I am not jealous of the fact that he is 6’6″ or that he is a physical specimen or his looks. I am jealous that he is about to get super paid. Going into the season he wanted big-time money and that seemed a stretch. He was a good player but not elite top 50 hitter money type. The Yankees agreed and though they made offers, they didn’t meet his deadline, which was the start of the season. So, like lots of players Judge went into the season in the final year of his contract determined to have the kind of season that would make him one of the top free agents by the end of the season. It looks like he is doing the damn thing too.
Judge was impressive in 2021, but in 2022 he has been utterly absurd. Here’s a look at his numbers year over year.
| Year | G | BA | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | SO | BB |
| 2021 | 148 | .287 | .373 | .544 | 39 | 98 | 158 | 75 |
| 2022 | 68 | .304 | .379 | .658 | 27 | 53 | 74 | 34 |
As we near the midpoint of the season, Judge is approaching 30 home runs, five more than second-place slugger Yordan Alvarez. His OPS is over 1.000, and above all, he’s been clutch in helping the Yankees win games. He’s doing things no other player in baseball is doing, so it’s hard to look at him independent of this season. He has made the league minimum for three seasons and now he is gonna get paid big time.
EPL Teams
Yes this is about “soccer” but it is specific, so everyone can relate… As a Manchester United fan, this is a tough offseason. It appears that with a new coach, rather than try and get all the new signings in, after losing 6 players to expired contracts or requests to leave, no new signings are happening. I mean, to finish top 6 and look around, see teams below and above you makings signs to improve their roster and not one player has been brought in? It’s just so depressing. I am just jealous of other teams with a proper team structure. For reference, United are structured a bit like the Cowboys, with just the manager and business director. There is no GM or director of football operations. As a fan, you just sit and wait and wonder what is the point? I now wish that the team finishes dead last and force the horrid Glazers to sell. I don’t care who buys it, just let it be someone who cares about the team and not milking it to pay debts.
NY Rangers Goalies
This is more about things people would be jealous of the Rangers for! I looked at how well Igor Shesterkin was performing during the NHL Playoffs. The Rangers have had some poor luck in the outfield (not sure that is the right hockey word… skaters?) that they signed or developed but their run at goalie – going back decades – has been impressive. And better than most franchises. In my time as a Blueshirts fan they have gone from John Vanbiesbrouck, Mike Richter, Henrik Lundqvist to Shesterkin. They had a couple of off years between Richter to Lundqvist and Lundqvist to Shesterkin, but even then it was short-lived and in one season for an injured Lundqvist, Cam Talbot had a President’s Cup winning season. There are not many other teams that have enjoyed bonafide top 10 goaltenders for so many seasons out of the last 25-30 years. They have managed to draft well and that has been the difference.
Thanks for reading, feel free to comment below. Come back tomorrow for our Ben Whitney, who will bang-on about something!!
