Stamford, CT: Some folks will tell you the worst sports time of the year is after the Super Bowl. But I’m here to tell you that it’s in the summer, after basketball and hockey finish up, and before NFL training camp starts. Nothing but snoozy baseball. Exhibit A will be today’s topics, the Yankee Freefall, the Knicks’ Summer League, and the Cleveland Browns QB Room. Oh boy!
Pig Pen
The Yankees were seven games up, I blinked and now they’re three and a half back. The bullpen is as leaky as Andy Reid’s shorts after a tequila and cheesesteak celebration. After the Yanks were swept out of first place by the Jays, Aaron Boone reportedly told the team that they are the best team in the league. Oh really?
Boone added that Ace Ventura, Pet Detective is the greatest sports movie of all time, Jeffrey Epstein definitely committed suicide and there is no client list, and the Covid vaccines were safe and effective. As long as were just making sh!t up.
Devin Williams has kind of straightened himself out, but no one else down there can get big outs these days. And now Clarke Schmidt is getting TJ Surgery. Things are not looking good for Los Yankees.
Must-Watch Summer B-Ball
Summer league basketball is not usually on the radar for most, but the Knicks are trying to develop some depth guys, including Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti, and Pacome Dadiet.
Kolek showed off strong point guard passing skills in limited action with the Knicks last season. But he needs to prove he can be a threat to score and hone up on D before he gets meaningful minutes. 
Dadiet flashed strong defensive chops but must prove he can develop into a reliable “3 and D” wing that could provide a spark off the bench. Hukporti needs to show that he can be a reliable depth big man. Lord knows, Mitchell Robinson is not in contention for iron man honors.
Mike Brown will hopefully use the bench more than Thibs, so they Knicks could obviously use some useful guys toward the end of the bench. I’ve never seen the Knicks win a title and it sure would be fun. I am not holding my breath.
Browns QB Room
A fun storyline going into training camp will be the Browns’ crowded QB room. The Browns famously passed on Shedeur Sanders several times, took another QB, and then said, “screw it, he’s still there, let’s take him.” Sanders joins old man Flacco, fellow first round pick Gabriel, and Steelers first round pick Kenny Pickett. And don’t forget about Desaun Watson! (Come back next week for my All-Tug Team, featuring owner Bob Kraft, Watson at QB, and Justin Tucker at K). This could shake out in a lot of ways.
I think the most likely scenario is Flacco starting off as QB1 but Sanders will get a shot before long, assuming the offense struggles at some point. It is clear that Pickett is not a franchise guy and Gabriel’s ceiling in QB2. Flacco will hold it down until Sanders is ready. We’ll see if the kid can make some teams (cough, Giants, cough) look stupid.
That’s it for me. Come back tomorrow for a guy who rarely looks stupid, Angry Ward.
