There is no indication that anything will improve. Far from it: Cashman seems bent on dumping 2 of the team's effective starting hitters and fielders: Shortstop Didi Gregorius and left fielder Brett Gardner.
Throw in the likelihood that the Boston Red Sox will rebound after a bad season (as they did in 2012-13 and 2015-16), that the Tampa Bay Rays will probably be good again, and that the Toronto Blue Jays' pitching will probably be better-supported, and the Yankees' chances in 2020 aren't as good as they were in 2019.
New Jersey Devils: Missed the Playoffs 6 of the last 7 seasons. Currently have just 22 points, next-to-last in the NHL. Yesterday, they got embarrassed at home by The Scum, the New York Rangers. Head coach John Hynes seems clueless, and he's now in his 5th season. He's had plenty of time to turn it around.
And, already, general manager Ray Shero appears to be entertaining offers for Taylor Hall, the only Devil ever to win the Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP, after just 3 seasons and change with the team -- and he's only 28. This team has no direction, no ambition, and the 3rd Stanley Cup of 2003 is starting to feel as distant as the Ranger Cup of 1994 and the last New York Islanders Cup of 1983.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights: They played their own "Scum" yesterday, traveling to Penn State, and were within 13-6 early in the 4th quarter. Arguably, they had outplayed the Nittany Lions. But the better-trained team took off, and won 27-6.
The team finished 2-10, 0-9 in Big 10 play, and the only 2 wins were against Massachusetts and Liberty, 2 schools in what used to be called Division I-AA. Of the 9 games in Big 10 play, the closest was a 38-10 loss to 6-6 Illinois.
They gave up 56 to Ohio State. Big deal, so did Michigan, right? Well, Rutgers lost 52-0 to Michigan. Also, 48-7 to Maryland, 42-7 to Minnesota, 35-0 to Indiana, 30- to Iowa and 27-0 to Michigan State. The average score of a Rutgers Big 10 game this season was Opponents 39, Rutgers 6.
Head coach Chris Ash was fired 4 games into the season. Interim coach Nunzio Campanile played the hand he was dealt about as well as could be hoped. Now, we find out that Greg Schiano, who coached from 2001 to 2011, and built the team up into a bowl game regular, then walked out on the team to go to the pros and massively flopped, is returning after a tenure as an Ohio State assistant. The deadbeat dad has been thrown out by 2 mistresses, and now wants to go back to his 1st wife.
East Brunswick Bears: New head coach Andy Steinfeld got off to a 1-3 start, including losing the opener to arch-rival Old Bridge, but won 3 out of 4 to make it look respectable, before closing with a loss to Sayreville. That 4-5 season was EB's best in 6 years. So there's hope here.
New York Red Bulls: Barely made the Playoffs, as the 6th seed on the MLS Eastern Conference. Went out in the 1st Round, to a nearby rival, the Philadelphia Union. Chris Armas is not a good head coach. The offense is too reliant on Bradley Wright-Phillips. The defense is not good. And the team's rock, goalkeeper Luis Robles, will be 36 early the next season. This team needs a new manager now.
Arsenal Football Club: In their 1st game with former star winger Freddie Ljungberg as manager, the Gunners came back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to forge a 2-2 draw away to Norfolk team Norwich City, a relegation struggler.
That's 8 straight games without a win, but that's the fault of just-fired manager Unai Emery. Freddie needs time to put his own plans to work. In the meantime, the North Londoners are in 8th place in the Premier League, although they are likely to advance to the knockout round of the UEFA Europa League. But the defense, and to a lesser extend the midfield, must improve.
So, for EBHS, things are looking up, a little. For Arsenal, possibly the same. For everyone else, as they in medical dramas: I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't look good.
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Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: Unknown. No matches are currently scheduled. There won't be another CONCACAF Gold Cup until July 2, 2021. The USMNT will compete in the 2020 Olympics, which open on July 24. Surely, there will be tuneup matches before then.
Days until Arsenal play again: 4, on Thursday, at 3:15 PM New York time, home to Sussex team Brighton & Hove Albion.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 17, on Wednesday, December 18. Under 3 weeks.
Days until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 19, on December 20, 2019.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 32, on Thursday night, January 2, 2020, against the New York Islanders, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The next game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday, January 9, at Madison Square Garden. The next game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, will be on Thursday, February 6, at the Wells Fargo Center.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 51, on January 21. A little over 7 weeks.
Days until the 1st Presidential voting of 2020, the Iowa Caucuses: 64, on Monday, February 3. A little over 9 weeks. The New Hampshire Primary will be 8 days later.
Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: Unknown. They washed out of the MLS Cup Playoffs, blowing a lead and losing to the Philadelphia Union. Going by recent history, the 2020 MLS season would probably begin on the 1st Saturday in March, and the Red Bulls would play the next day, which would be March 8, which would be in 98 days. A little over 3 months.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": See the previous answer. It is unlikely that their opener will be against one of their regional rivals: The Union, New York City FC, D.C. United and the New England Revolution.
Days until the Yankees' 2020 Opening Day: 116, on Thursday, March 26, away to the Baltimore Orioles. Under 4 months. And it's going to be a very long, hard, cold 4 months.
Days until the Yankees' 2020 home opener: 123, on Thursday, April 2, against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Days until the next North London Derby: 146, on Saturday, April 25, Arsenal's 1st visit to the new Tottenham Stadium, adjacent to the site of the previous White Hart Lane. Under 5 months. It is currently scheduled to be on the 16th Anniversary of the 2nd time that Arsenal won the League at White Hart Lane -- but also the last time Arsenal won the League anywhere. Of course, for TV reasons, the game could be moved to another date, probably the next day.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 159, on May 8, 2020, at Yankee Stadium II. A little over 5 months.
Days until Euro 2020 begins, a tournament being held all over Europe instead of in a single host nation: 194, on Friday, June 12, 2020. Under 7 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 236, on July 24, 2020. Under 8 months.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 279, on Saturday, September 5, at noon, home to Monmouth University, a Football Championship Subdivision School in West Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey. In other words, if they don't win this game overwhelmingly, it will look very, very bad. Anyway, a little over 9 months.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, as the 2020 schedule has not been released yet. Most likely, the season opener will be against arch-rival Old Bridge, on Friday night, September 11, away at the purple shit pit on Route 9. That's 285 days.
Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: See the previous answer.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 338, on November 3, 2020. Just over 11 months.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 363, on Saturday, November 28, at home.
Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 399, on January 3, 2021. A little over a year, or a little over 13 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 416, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little over a year, or under 14 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 796, on February 4, 2022. A little over 2 years, or a little over 26 months.
Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off in Qatar: 1,086, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 3 years, or a little under 36 months.
Days until the next Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off: As yet unknown, but probably on the 2nd Friday in June 2023, which would be June 9. That would be 1,286 days, a little over 3 1/2 years, or a little over 42 months. A host nation is expected to be chosen on March 20, 2020. Since 2 of the last 3 host nations have been in Europe, North America (Canada) hosted in 2015, and Asia (China) hosted in 2007, my guess is that it will be in either Asia (Japan, possibly Korea, but not China) or Oceania (Australia, possibly a joint bid with New Zealand).
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