NIAGARA FALLS, NY – Happy Monday, I’m going to take a page out of the Steinbergs’ book and talk less about myself and write more about what’s going on. So let’s get to it. On tap today: Mets First 3, Knicks Update, Latest on Rangers and Sabres
Mets First 3
It was odd to see the Mets play on Thursday, take Friday off, and then play Saturday and Sunday. They started opening day great, scoring seven runs and knocking out one of the top aces in the league, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes. Although Pittsburgh tried to fight back, the Mets handled them comfortably.
On Saturday, they needed to go into extra innings and come back twice before winning that one. They took two of three overall, but lost a close one on Sunday. The more awkward thing for me was all the new faces. The whole infield is new, and there are some players I can barely remember—like Benge or something—so I’ll have to learn as we go.
We’ve got a ways to go, but it’s a good start winning the first series of the year. Considering the payroll, it’s at least a minimum expectation. Let’s see how they go the rest of the season.
Knicks Update
After winning six in a row on the road, the Knicks have now lost two. These two losses aren’t the end of the world, but they do set up some concern. They lost to the hot Charlotte Hornets and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Hornets are going to be a problem because it looks like they’re going to be a low seed in the playoffs, and they’ve been hot since about the All-Star break. They’ll likely upset someone in the first round before taking somebody to six or seven games in the second. I hope the Knicks do not draw them.
The Thunder are still the Thunder, still playing their high-intensity, flop-all-the-time basketball. We’ll see if they can repeat—I hope not. I was never impressed with them as champions, and I’ve never forgiven Oklahoma City for stealing the SuperSonics.
Rangers and Sabres
I haven’t talked about the Rangers in a while, and I didn’t want people to think I abandoned them and suddenly became a Sabres fan. But being in this area, of course the Sabres are my second hockey team, and the Bills are now my second football team. It’s only awkward because the teams are pretty much in the same conference in both sports.
The Rangers had a busy week, playing five games since last Sunday. They lost three to Canadian teams—the Jets, the Senators, and the Maple Leafs—before winning two straight against the Blackhawks and Panthers. There’s no playoff hope for the Rangers, but at least playing better, smarter hockey is a good thing.
The Sabres, on the other hand, as soon as I started talking about them, went on a three-game losing streak and only just started winning again on Saturday with a win over the Seattle Kraken. So the Sabres are locked in on the playoff season, seemingly fighting for first overall, while my Rangers are just trying to finish strong with some pride. I’ll keep you guys updated.
One more thing..
I didn’t talk about the NCAA tournament, but I’ll be back next Monday with the championship schedule and a recap of the Final Four and how we got there.
Thanks for coming. Stay tuned tomorrow for The Big Aristotle with another great take.
