Connery’s Views from a recliner

The Yankees won 6-5 today over

There’s an old adage in sports, players are ‘clutch’, or ‘step up in the clutch’. In football, you hear it all the time, usually with Quarterbacks in big moments in big games. ‘Eli was clutch’ against the Patriots (twice, just sayin), ‘Troy Aikman was clutch’ against the 49ers’, etc. The point is, big time players are ‘Clutch’, not all the time but especially in big moments. Today, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez were ‘Clutch’ for the Yankees.

The Yankees won today 6-5 over the Minnesota Twins in 10 innings. The game was one the Yankees had no business being close in, let alone winning.

Luis Gil started today and, the young gun struggled. 4 runs in the Minnesota 1st, and it looked bleak for a while. As a Yankee fan, working from home, eyes locked on the MLB App in between calls and tasks, it was a stressful day, I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t sad, I was annoyed.

Annoyed, because, despite Joey Gallo, (thanks for doing something positive), despite a Gallo home run it was 5-2 in the Bottom of the 8th. In the frame, the Yankees put 2 runners on, but had two outs, Aaron Judge came up. Judge has been good this year, but lately like the rest of the team, had struggled lately.

Ever the optimist, I thought ‘ehh, he’ll ground out, he’ll try to hard to hit one out and top one. God!’ Luckily, this time I enjoyed being wrong. Judge, to my surprise was patient, and jacked a 2-1 pitch in the stands in left center. Somehow, it was 5-5!

After the Yankee Pen stepped up led by Andrew Heaney of all people, as well as nervous escapes from Aroldis Chapman in Clay Holmes, it was the Yankees turn in the Bottom of the 10th.

Now, Gary Sanchez has had a rough few days. I didn’t see the moment on Friday, but something about a missed tag, and Gary has been getting evisersated on Social Media, so he was due, and a big hit would get Gary out of the collective Yankee fandom doghouse.

Sanchez came thru, ripping a single to left, scoring Gleyber Torres and sending Yankee fans home and at work happy, posting a 6-5 win.

As has been the theme in the second half, keep winning, keep winning series, play good baseball and control on what they can control. The good vibes and play are going to need to continue given the team’s recent struggles.

I will be back tomorrow with some final thoughts on week 1 of the NFL.

Welp!!!

Holy shit, the Giants were bad today. Daniel Jones fumbled, surprise surprise. Jason Garrett’s play-calling was vanilla, plain and not at all creative. Saquon was not a factor, and not surprisingly looked tenative.

This team has a TON of work to do before playing at Washington on Thursday Night. The defense looked out of sync all game, that was the most alarming part.

One bright spot, Sterling Shepard had a solid game, but that was it. Kadarius Toney was used on a jet sweep that went backwards, and them Garrett instead of giving him opportunities, kinda left him in the background.

Thursday Nightcould absolutely suck. They must be better, they can’t get much worse.

Good Lord. Back tomorrow with a Yankee recap.

So, yesterday was all about survival. Notre Dame had to pull off a late 4th Quarter drive to be Toledo, in Notre Dame Stadium!!! The Irish must be better moving forward, especially on defense. They get one more against Purdue next week, then from last week of September, its 5 straight ranked opponents. It’s a brutal stretch the Irish must be ready for.

New Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman has to have his guys ready. You aren’t going to be able to spot Wisconsin, USC and UNC points, make mistakes and win those games.

If I were Freeman, or head coach Brian Kelly, I’d go back to the fundamentals. Proper angles, starting and staying low, and hanging on to the football. Fumbling seems to be an issue with teams I root for, and it has to improve, or it will be a lonnngggggg depressing fall, sports fandom wise.

In keeping with Darwinian theme, survival was the name of the game for the Yankees last night. The Bombers needed a comeback over the Mets and good pitching to win 8-7. Aaron Judge had a couple of big hits keying rhe comeback, meanwhile, Aroldis Chapman held up his end and held the Mets at bay thru the Bottom of the 9th Inning. The Yankees got a series win and a season split of the Subway Series tonight at Citi Field.

And, lastly, survival will be the name of the game at Met Life Stadium where the Denver Broncos visit the New York Football Giants. First and foremost, be good to Saquon. I don’t want any injuries on either side, but be careful with 26, please. Jason Garrett, open the fucking playbook!

If the Giants win it will be their first opening day win in 5 seasons. My head hurts typing that.

Back tomorrow with recaps. Enjoy this fall Sunday.

Not gonna talk Yankees today. They are a flick of a cigarette that has somehow engulfed a series of dumpsters. Not waving the white flag but holy shit! The teams around you lost last night. Get your collective heads right and get going. Christ.

Speaking of Jesus Christ, Notre Dame plays today. (Golf Clap for that seamless seague!!!). Notre Dame plays Toledo. They should win. The defense has to be better. The new D Coordinator was heralded at his hiring, his squad did some pretty unheralded stuff last week giving up 38 points to Florida State. It has to be better. Go Irish.

Lastly, the New York Football Giants are back tomorrow!!! I am cautiously optimistic, excited, but telling myself ‘nope they ain’t gonna suck me in). Who am I kidding!!! By 4:25, the color rush Saquon Barkley jersey will be on, and the black cherry rum and coke will be poured, if it hasn’t been already and at least one consumed. Go Giants. I just hope. I hope if he plays Saquon, Saquon is healthy, I hope all players on both sudes are healthy and injury free. I hope Andrew Thomas remembers how to block at the pro level, and leads the oline. And, lastly, Daniel Jones, be you, have your first big Giants moment. Own It! Lead the team with smart football.

Back tomorrow with more…enjoy this beautiful September Saturday.

The Yankees lost last night again to Toronto and with it their lead in the race for the first Wild Card spot in the American League.

Who’s to blame? Injuries , yeah….questionable in game decisions, maybe…Brian Cashman? I vote Cashman. Now, organizational history, because Cashman has done a lot in that regard, but this year was asleep at the wheel.

Now, the pickups he did make have helped, I’m not sure without Gallo and Rizzo the Yankees are in contention. But he had to look at his pitching staff and say ‘we need better’, instead he brought us Andrew Heaney. Andrew Heaney, the baseball equivalent of the D studemt who hangs with the cool kids and gets by because he hangs out with the cool kids. He has been awful. Honestly, before being traded, had anyone outside Anaheim heard of him? I hate to say it but this on Cashman. Don’t you think a lefty flyball pitcher at Yankee Stadium goes against everything the Yankees do and that ballpark does for them? God.

Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, nice stories, good for a spot start, but not for a playoff run. I’ve very critical of Aaron Boone and his in game managemt, but the pitching on this team, and a lot due to injuries, is a smoldering dumpster fire. It needed to be addressed and it wasn’t or was barely, and now the Yankees are barely treading water with a mammoth wave facing them.

The silver lining in all this is NFL Football returns tonight. Color me intrigued. To a Giants fan, there’s no rooting interest because, first, it’s the Cowboys, and I’d rather eat still smoldering glass, then on the other side it’s Brady….ugh!!! Tom Brady is like that douse of mud on a new suit, that smile, that arrogant ‘trying to act like a dude that plays football’ smile. Loathe Brady.

But I’m intrigued. Can Dak be Dak again? Will he be tentative on the ankle? Will Zeke hit holes and try? Same goes for Leonard Fournette on the other side.

As I said, excitedly intrigued. Back tomorrow with recaps of it all.

The Yankees lost last night again to the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1. For The Bombers, it was their fourth straight loss. However, the loss itself was not and is not my concern.

My concern is Gerrit Cole, my guy, Ace. Cole left his start last night in the 4th inning with a Yankee trainer. (Gulp!) During the start, Cole looked off. Citing hamstring tightness, Cole was pulled in the 4th.

Now, 22 hours later, I’ve caught my breath, no more alarming Facebook posts or internal monologues about how God’s actually a Red Sox fan. Cole is ‘encouraged’ and will be monitored over next 24-48 hours, hoping to make his next start. Fingers crossed!

But, Cole coming back and being Ace aside, the Yankees have looked awful over the last four games. The first two against the Orioles, Saturday they came back and lost in the ninth, and Sunday, they had the lead and then ‘Our Fearless Leader’ showed up and brought in the walking disaster, Andrew Heaney. It, did not end well and the Yankees lost. Then Monday and Tuesday, they looked lifeless, flat, almost overmatched.

This is a problem. Boston is right there, and Boston hasn’t been playing well either. The Yankees need to take advantage of the Sox and their struggles.

I keep coming back to the Wild Card. That game needs to be at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees need to get their collective heads out of the sand and start winning. They need to recapture the mojo of the team that won 12 straight, before it’s too late.

Well folks, it’s that time again. No, not football season, that comes Thursday. It’s time for your favorite scenario and mine, ‘Gerrit Cole saving the Yankees!!!’

I hate writing that, but once again, here we are. By some act of God, the Yankees remained a half game up on the Boston Red Sox, thank you to the Tampa Bay Rays for winning yesterday, and no thanks to the guys in pinstripes.

Jameson Taillon was blah, but battled gamely, the offense shrunk like a frightened turtle, and the bullpen outside of Lucas Luetge stunk. If I see Brooks Kriske anywhere near the mound….Good God. What was the benefit of bringing him in, because holding a lead or in this case keeping the score manageable is clearly not his forte. Holy shit. Well, at least he didn’t work or wild pitch the runs in, he simply gave up a Grand Slam, game over, 8-0 Toronto.

Once again Yankee fans turn to Gerrit Cole. Cole, struck out 15 in his last start, and if nothing else, he’s a gutty gamer, and probably the only pitcher on the staff to say ‘fuck it, I’m ending this!’

So, am I encouraged tonighy with The Ace? Sure. But, last I checked he doesn’t have a robotic arm and can’t pitch every day.

My hope tonight is Gerrit can be Gerrit, and the offense steps up. Unfortunately, hope and reality have two vastly different perceptions.

Back tomorrow with a recap.

This weekend, college football came back with a vengeance. Teams that won should have, Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame were all among the winners. The only real surprises was watching both LSU and North Carolina losing games they probably should have won.

That brings me to my issue with the weekend. 3rd ranked Clemson lost at home to 5th ranked Georgia, 10-3. Now, I’m admittedly not a Clemson fan so, watching them lose was that first bite of a Peanutbutter and chocolate desert, immensely satisfying!

This is my issue. All the Clemson fans moaning and crying, ‘we had to play Georgia!!!’ First, stop it was a neutral field, and second, have you seen Clemson’s ACC schedule this year? It’s a diabetic’s dream, cupcake city! They have road games against ‘powerhouses’, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and, catch your breath Tiger fans, Louisville. I have never seen an easier path of a one loss team to a potential College Football Playoff birth!

By comparision, Notre Dame opened the season at Florida State, and has road games at Virginia Teach, at Virginia and a home game against North Carolina. None of those team appear on Clemson’s schedule.

Here’s the problem. The NCAA is a business, first. Right now, Clemson means ratings and revenue, right now, Notre Dame gets by on name alone.

Using the ratings and revenue and af revenues as a model, wouldn’t Clemson be better suited going to Blacksburg, Chapel Hill, or Coral Gables? I can guarantee people would tune into ABC Saturday Prime Time. By ensuring ratings in the first or second weekend of December, and what I’m sure they are hoping for huge ratings on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the NCAA is missing a huge opportunity this fall.

The NCAA has to question their scheduling. Take for example, Oklahoma and Texas. These two are moving to the SEC in 2025 at the latest. You’re crazy if the NCAA and its media partners didn’t see billions in revenue. Imagine it, Alabama going to Norman in Primetime? Texas at Bama or LSU in prime time? Hell, you could even do the Annual Texas-OU game in Prime Time from the Cotton Bowl! An organization so high on making money and greed, how could they not have their media darling Clemson represented in better matchups? It’s a terrible disservice to passion fans,

It’s all about money and being a business. College sports stopped being college sports long ago, as technology evolves it will only get further away from sport and ‘love of the game’, and all about the business and money.

Back tomorrow with a Yankee recap.

The Yankees just lost 2 out of 3 to the Baltimore Orioles, dropping the last two in particularly heartbreaking fashion.

Once again, it was the bullpen that let The Bombers down. Saturday, after a comeback, it was Aroldis Chapman, the closer, doing everything but close.

Today was worse. Gary Sanchez had a big day, including a grand slam. The Yankees led much of the game, then the 7th inning happened. More specifically, Andrew Heaney happened because Aaron Boone happened.

In their ascent to the top of the American League Wild Card, the Yankees have won a lot, I like to think in spite of their manager. The team hits, starters pitch well, and Aaron Boone doesn’t have to manager situationally.

Lately, the Yankees have struggled. The formula that was working, isn’t as much and Boone is forced to manage. Today, he brought in Andrew Heaney.

Heaney, since joining the Yankees at the trade deadline has not been good. He’s a flyball pitcher at Yankee Stadium, and he’s supposed to be a starter!!! Why in the world was he in during the 7th Innning?

All year I have been critical of Aaron Boone. Today, all my criticisms and fears came to fruition. If the Yankees are going to get to the Playoffs, they have to be better. Boone has to be better because the team is not constructed to win in spite of their manager.

Sometimes, you win because of the manager, and Boone has yet to consistently make those key decisions where he gets, and more importantly deserves credit for the winning. Unfortunately, he’s running out of chances to prove to the Yankees and their fanbase that he is the right man for this job.

The Yankees beat the Orioles last night 4-3 last night in 11 innings. That’s the good news, they stayed ahead of Boston and kept their own playoff chances intact. The bad news, this stupid runner on second rule to start extra innings.

Now, I know why they do, excitement and at the same times to move games along. Short of a massive rain delay, nobody wants to leave the ballpark at 1 AM because baseball needs a shot in the arm and it’s commissioner doesn’t know what he’a doing.

I hattttteeeee this rule for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, if a team wants to be a playoff team, they better be good enough to win in 8.5 or 9 innings. Chad Green, I’m looking at you pal, thanks for that meatball you threw in the top of the 8th that hasn’t landed yet!!! Okay, deep breath, and moving on.

The other reason I hate this rule, it cheapens the game. I mean, shouldn’t strategy and situational awareness be paramount, especially in extra innings? Now, its like ‘well, the game takes too long, let’s leave one fan base happy with they win, the other team will win another time’.

Think about it like this. This year’s AL Wild Card game. It’s shaping up to potentially be Red Sox-Yankees in The Bronx. I mean, shouldn’t that be enough? Can you imagine if either team wins on a bloop single in the 10th? Fans of the losing team would say ‘our team got screwed’ and MLB would stick by ‘rules are rules’.

My point is, MLB is talking about modifying the rule for 2022, maybe not playing the man on second until the 11th or 12 innings. They should get rid of the rule, entirely. Seasons are going to get ruined, fans are gonna be pissed, and not show up or stop watching, then what happens? Another reach by MLB to ‘enhance the game’? Spare us baseball fans from that please!!!!

Baseball should be remembered those this, ‘hey, remember the 2021 AL Wild Card Game where Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the top of the 10th, and then Aaron Judge won it with a Home Run in the bottom of the inning? Remember, the crowd? Another Red Sox Yankees classic!!’

Baseball should not be remembered like this; ‘Remember when Xander Bogaerts was placed on second, sacrificed over and then scored on a sac fly? Tough luck for Chapman but what are gonna do, guy on second and no outs, talk about being behind the 8 ball!’

The fans are speaking up Mr. Manfred. The question is, are you ready and willing to listen?