NEW YORK, NY – Another wild and wondrous Wednesday is upon us. Baseball is chugging along toward its final month of the regular season and, predictably this time of year, a lot of people’s attention has turned to football. But I think there’s definitely enough room to talk about both, so let’s do that.
Don’t Pitch to Aaron Judge! I still am amazed at how many teams and managers are cool with pitching to Aaron Judge and, to a lesser degree, Juan Soto. These are the only two guys on the Yankees who can consistently beat you. Last Sunday Colorado (a garbage team) was locked in a 4-3 game with the Yankees going into the 7th inning. At that point, Judge and Soto were already responsible for 3 of those 4 runs. So what does Colorado do in the bottom of the 7th? Pitch to Soto. Pitch to Judge. Boom and boom. And then Stanton went boom for good measure. I don’t know who Colorado’s manager is, and I don’t want to know, but if you care about your team winning games against the New York Yankees, you’ve got to let the “other guys” beat you. If your team is hopelessly out of contention and you want to make sure the fans are entertained, feel free to say so during the post game presser… and have fun looking for a new job in another sector. Let’s move on.
Justin Jefferson > Cee Dee Lamb. I see the Cowboys finally paid wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb, and it’s not as much as Justin Jefferson got from the Minnesota Vikings. I love this, and you almost NEVER see it. Contract numbers usually only keep going up, but not on this occasion. I can’t wait to see what Ja’Marr Chase gets from the Bengals and whether or not it will make Cee Dee’s head explode. Bring it on. Also, I hope Jerry Jones keeps running the Cowboys until the very last day of his life and then into the afterlife. It’s become really fun to watch.
The Mets are (Finally) Francisco Lindor’s Team. First they got rid of Scherzer (they had to), then they got rid of Verlander (it was the right move, even though it didn’t feel like it at the time), and as Pete Alonso’s larger-than-life presence seems to be waning a bit as he scuffles through his “walk year,” all of a sudden, the New York Mets feel like Francisco Lindor’s team. He’s finally settled into the role he was meant for: Team Leader. Lindor has pretty much carried the Mets this year, having more clutch moments in one season than I can remember David Wright having over his entire career. He’s doing his best to get the youngsters on the team fired up too. And with guys like Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez, it looks like the Mets might finally have something going. Hopefully the manager and, more importantly, the front office don’t screw this up as they often do. Forget about things like naming a captain or bringing in outsiders you think will be good in the clubhouse. Just let this team develop and let Lindor be its stalwart.
Fantasy Football People Need to Shut Up. I’ve been doing Fantasy Football since 1985, so I know what I’m talking about here. While you were still an itch in your Daddy’s drawers I was drafting guys like James Brooks and Gary Clark and Fred Barnett and Eddie Murray for my team. You were probably eating *pablum when Natrone Means was scoring 1-yard touchdowns for me. This age we’re in where everyone is some sort of Fantasy Football expert, is beyond stupid. Play if you must (as I continue to do), but please do your best to keep it to yourself. Thanks.
That’s all for today. Come back tomorrow for Buddy Diaz, who grew up on Fantasy Island.
*bland or insipid intellectual fare, entertainment, etc
