Regional Sports

Hope springs eternal for some

We kick off another Major League Baseball season on Thursday. Opening Day brings hope, even if it’s for a day. It offers renewal and cleansing of our soul. It makes us feel young again. It’s a day where we shouldn’t be working and kids should be staying home than going to school.

For New Yorkers, it’s a mixed bag. The Mets offer excitement and hope while the Yankees offer cynicism in this 2021 season. What’s wrong with this picture?

Everyone feels the Mets will make the playoffs because Steve Cohen bought the team for $2.4 billion that would offer hope in the short-term and long-term. Yankees fans are taking a wait-and-see approach with their ballclub after a dull offseason. Signing Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon does not get your average Yankees fan up in a tizzy.

The Mets failed to get Trevor Bauer, J.T. Realmuto and George Springer. No matter. They acquired Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco and Joey Lucchesi, and they signed Trevor May, Aaron Loup and James McCann. Marcus Stroman returns to the rotation after opting out last season. Noah Syndergaard should return from Tommy John surgery in the summer. Carrasco should be in the rotation later in the season after being on the injured list for a torn hamstring.

The Mets improved their pitching depth. Will it mean much? That’s a good question. Results will tell the story. Too many questions outside of Jacob deGrom and David Peterson in the starting rotation along with guys in the bullpen make me hesitant to pick the Mets to be a playoff team. The Atlanta Braves are loaded on offense and pitching for the Mets to keep up, not to mention they made the playoffs the last three seasons. The Washington Nationals are still good, and they should be over the hangover after winning a championship two seasons ago.

The Mets offense should be good all around, but question marks on their pitching put them at 84 wins.

As for the Yankees, it’s rare to hear a lack of bluster about this being their year. That’s exactly the case. Yankees fans know the score. They know the team did not do much to make themselves better this offseason. It’s the same team. Yes, they added Kluber and Taillon, but the former Indians ace hasn’t been healthy in recent seasons and Taillon is coming off a Tommy John surgery. No one knows what to expect, and both will be question marks until they pitch a full season.

From my eyes, it’s Gerrit Cole and pray for rain. In other words, the Yankees don’t have much to offer outside of Cole in the starting rotation. Maybe Domingo German breaks out to be that No. 2 starter who could make a difference in October. Maybe Deivi Garcia breaks out this summer when the Yankees call him up in the minors. Maybe Kluber and Taillon pitch well and be healthy. Too many maybes and not sure things make the Yankees a question mark when it comes to being a championship team. In fact, I don’t even know if they will make the playoffs.

The Yankees bullpen should be good like it always is every year. I do wonder if I can trust Aroldis Chapman in a big spot after he gave up the game-winning home run to Mike Brosseau in an epic 10-pitch at-bat in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, giving the Rays a 2-1 victory over the Yankees that had them advancing in the AL Championship Series. The Yankees closer once gave up a game-winning home run to Jose Altuve in Game 6 of the ALCS. Oh, and who can forget him giving up a two-run, eighth-inning home run to Rajai Davis that tied the game at 6 in the 2016 World Series as a member of the Cubs?

The Yankees lineup should be good as long as Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are healthy, which is a question mark.

Yes, the AL is weak. Not many strong teams out there. Maybe the Chicago White Sox or Toronto Blue Jays really do something. Maybe the Tampa Bay Rays continue to do their magic like they did last season despite Blake Snell being traded to the San Diego Padres and Charlie Morton signing with the Atlanta Braves. But the Yankees can benefit from not many challengers in the AL. This could help them get to the World Series.

As far as winning their 28th championship, I don’t think so.

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It’s comically amusing Giants fans and local media bobos hailing the Giants for signing Kenny Golladay and Adoree’ Jackson. Here’s the funny thing: No one heard of those two until the Giants signed them.

When did Golladay become Jerry Rice all of sudden? He missed the final two months of the season after straining a hip flexor muscle against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 1. It’s not like he created good moments for the sorry Detroit Lions. Plus if he was that good, why haven’t other NFL teams sign him?

As for Jackson, who? If he was that good, why did the Titans let him go?

The Giants experienced success spending money on free agency in Ben McAdoo’s first season when they signed Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon and Janoris Jenkins. Yes, it resulted in success by making the postseason. A lone postseason appearance that the Giants did not even win. Then, those guys faltered and the Giants stink. The point is it’s a risk when it comes to NFL free agency, and there’s no guarantee they can live up to that contract. This isn’t baseball or basketball.

And when John Mara expressed his optimism on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and the Giants to New York Post’s Ian O’Connor, he came off delusional like your average Giants fan. Is it any wonder why the Giants stunk in the last few years?

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All signs point to Jets drafting BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, doesn’t it?

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No surprise the Islanders are doing well this season. You expected it.

Still, the Islanders need to find someone who can replace Anders Lee’s size and tenacity. Do they go with experience in Semyon Varlamov or ride with the hot hand in Ilya Sorokin in the postseason? Also, what can they do to solve the riddle of beating the Pittsburgh Penguins?

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Look for the Atlanta Braves to win the World Series this year, and look for the Los Angeles Dodgers to take a step back by making the playoffs and losing to the San Diego Padres in the playoffs. Also, expect the Tampa Bay Rays to make the playoffs since they always find a way to overachieve year in and year out.

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The Knicks get it. They did not overreact by making a deal just for the sake of making a deal in an attempt to make the playoffs. After a disastrous experience with Jimmy Butler in Minnesota, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau understands the importance of chemistry. This Knicks team plays hard, and they have players such as Julius Randle that are easy to root for. Thibodeau worked so hard to create a culture that is conducive to winning, and adding new players would be risky to chemistry. Plus, there was really no one that would transform the Knicks.

They can make the playoffs with this current roster being that the Eastern Conference is weak.

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For Myles Johnson to enter NCAA’s transfer portal, Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell should be crying foul. Other coaches should be, too because now, there are people in back channels that can talk to a player on a team to transfer elsewhere. This isn’t good.

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