BRONX, NY – I’m (sorta) back in the New York groove. Since my return from paradise, I went to see a great play in Manhattan, waited out an almost-2-hour Mets rain delay in Flushing only to see them blow a 6-run lead to Atlanta, and have dipped my toe into some of the bottomless well of bureaucracies this city and state have to offer. On the sports front, I’ve paid almost zero attention to exhibition football (you can call it preseason, if you like), seen the Twins and Cardinals help pull the Yankees out of their shame spiral, and then watched as my Mariners helped the Mets off their losing schneid, and then got pummeled by the Phillies in their first game against that fun-loving franchise and fan base, and lost the second game as well. It’s been fun! Here’s some other stuff that’s afoot.
Rich Eisen Back on ESPN SportsCenter? This would be an improvement if it was anything more than a one-off appearance but, on Monday Night, Rich Eisen returned to anchor ESPN’s SportsCenter for the first time in 20 years. Look, I wasn’t exactly an Eisen fanatic during his heyday—and I definitely had issues with his now-deceased friend and co-anchor Stuart Scott’s news reporting panache, as it were—but these guys were leaps and bounds better then the absolute dreck being trotted out in front of cameras today. I don’t watch SportsCenter anymore and avoid shows like First Take and Pat McAfee like the friggin’ plague. But it’s virtually impossible to escape all the stupid “takes” and soundbites as they get shot out of a circus cannon and onto social media. So Eisen will be back on ESPN/Disney with his eponymous show. Clips of interviews he’s done the past few years have been kinda entertaining. I’m sure the Worldwide Leader in Sports is already hard at work figuring out how to ruin it.
QB or Not QB? So, this is pretty simple. If your NFL team just announced that either 40-year-old Joe Flacco will be your starting quarterback Week 1 (Cleveland Browns) or Daniel Jones will be under center (Indianapolis Colts), you might as well start looking forward to hockey and basketball, or just take up rooting against Aaron Rodgers, which is always fun. It must be awful knowing your season is over before it even starts. Don’t worry, Giants and Jets fans, there’s still a chance you guys make it out of September with a shred of hope… well, one of you anyway.
Let the Arch Manning Hype Begin. Nah, let’s not. It’s is first year starting for the Texas Longhorns, and there will be plenty of time to anoint him as the #1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft or start all sorts of rumors about why he’ll be continuing his college career indefinitely because he doesn’t want to play for the Jets, Saints, or any team in the AFC South. I did find it funny that he claims his grandpa Archie ends every phone call with the words “Get down or get out of bounds.” Not exactly “I love you,” but maybe for Archie it is?
As I put the finishing touches on yet another masterpiece, I see the Yankees have hit three home runs in the first inning against the Rays at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Should this even be legal?
Okay, I’m done. Come back tomorrow for the President of the Yankee/Pepsi Fan Club (look it up, this was a thing once upon a time), Buddy Diaz.
