HOLBROOK, NY – If you missed Aristotle “Mugsy” Sakellaridis’ column re Pappy Mason and Ty Cobb, give it a look. It’s worth it. In the meantime, our order of business is the following: New York’s NFL Teams, Mets Managerial Search, NBA Opening Night Excitement.
New York’s NFL Teams
The Giants stink and the Jets are on a bye. Sitting at 1-5, Big Blue will start Tyrod Taylor for the second straight game, as they host the Commanders Sunday at 1 PM. The Giants offensive line woes continued this week as starting guard Shane Lemieux suffered a torn bicep and was placed on IR. It can’t get much worse for the Giants, yet it seems I say this every week and they somehow outdo themselves.
Mets Managerial Search
After making the surprising decision to move on from Buck Showalter after just 2 seasons. The Metropolitans are in the market for a new manager. It’s been reported that the team will hire outside the organization, which eliminates Carlos Beltran, who was hired as the teams’ manager prior to the 2020 season. Beltran’s tenure as Mets skipper lasted roughly 3 months after his involvement in the Houston Astros cheating scandal resulted in his suspension. The most obvious candidate is Brewers manager Craig Counsell. The Mets new president of baseball ops David Stearns worked with Counsell for several successful years in Milwaukee. Gabe Kapler could be another potential name to look out for, as he was fired by the Giants. This comes just 2 years from him leading the Giants to a 107-win season, and a Manager of the Year award. Kapler would be a nice fit for the Mets given his analytical background as well as his experience as a player.
NBA Opening Night Excitement
Opening Night is Tuesday, with the Lakers playing the defending champion Nuggets, and the Kevin Durant-led Suns taking on Angry Ward’s Warriors. This season has all sorts of story-lines to follow. Here are some to keep an eye on:
–How will Damian Lillard mesh with the Bucks after his long tenure in Portland? Giannis has never played with a scorer as prolific as Dame, I expect this offense to be the league’s best.
–Does James Harden care about anything other than scoring? Harden still hasn’t reported to the Sixers with the season kicking off in a matter of days. It’s been rumored all offseason he’d be traded yet nothing materialized. This is a make-or-break season for the Sixers, as Joel Embiid’s title window is as big as it will ever be.
–Is Jrue Holiday the player to finally get the Celtics over the hump and win a title? The Celtics finally got their third star to go alongside Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics may be the only team with the fire power to go toe to toe with Milwaukee.
