Trade Deadline Update

Today is the trade deadline. So far, the Yankees have:

* Traded pitchers Cody Carroll, Dillon Tate and Josh Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Zach Britton.
* Traded 3rd baseman Brandon Drury and left fielder Billy McKinney to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher J.A. Happ.
* Traded pitchers Chasen Shreve (thank God) and Giovanny Gallegos (not much better) to the St. Louis Cardinals forn1st baseman Luke Voit and international prospect money.
* Traded pitcher Caleb Fare to the Chicago White Sox for international prospect money.
* Traded pitcher Adam Warren (thank God) to the Seattle Mariners for international prospect money. (Brian Cashman must have his eye on a good Japanese pitcher.)
* And traded 1st baseman Tyler Austin and pitcher Luis Rijo to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Lance Lynn.

I'm fine with all of these moves.

So far, my big fear, that Cashman would trade Masahiro Tanaka and Gary Sanchez for 147 "prospects" hasn't happened.

Still no word on whether the Washington Nationals are trading Bryce Harper. The Yankees don't need him. But the Boston Red Sox... Would David Ortiz give permission to wear Number 34?

Wait, here's a trade coming in over the wire...

America has traded Donald Trump to Russia for cash and a teenaged figure skater to be named later.

If only it were that easy...

*

Days until The Arsenal play again: 1, tomorrow, an International Champions Cup game against Chelsea, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.


Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 2, on Friday night, at Fenway Park.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 4, this Sunday night, home to expansion team Los Angeles FC.

Days until Arsenal play a competitive game with a manager other than Arsène Wenger: 11, in the 2018-19 Premier League season opener, on Saturday, August 11, home to defending Premier League Champions Manchester City. A little under 4 weeks.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 22, onWednesday, August 22, against New York City FC, at Yankee Stadium II. 

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 32, on Saturday, September 1, home to Texas State University. A little over a month.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 38, on Friday, September 7, away to Piscataway.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 38, on Friday, September 7, a "friendly" against Brazil, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play another competitive game: 67, on Saturday, October 6, against the Edmonton Oilers, at... Scandinavium, an arena in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. Yes, that will be a regular-season game, part of the NHL Global Series. The Mulberry Street Marauders will warm up for it on October 1, with an exhibition game in Switzerland against SC Bern; while the Oilers will visit Kölner Haie in Cologne, Germany on October 3.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 81, on Saturday afternoon, October 20, against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The 1st game against the New York Islanders, a.k.a. the Fish Sticks, will be on Saturday night, November 3, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The 1st game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday night, January 31, 2019, at the Prudential Center.

Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 98, on November 6. Exactly 14 weeks.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 109, on Saturday, November 17, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 114, on Thursday, November 22. A little under 4 months.

Days until the next North London Derby: 124, on Sunday, December 2, at the Emirates Stadium. It had been set for December 1, but was moved due to Arsenal once again being stuck playing Europa League games on Thursday nights. No more "Thursday is Spursday" jokes for us Gooners.

Days until a Democratic Congress can convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 156, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. A little over 5 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 176, on January 23, 2019. A little under 6 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 311, on June 7, 2019, in France. A little over 10 months. The U.S. team, as 3-time and defending Champions, has, as usual, a better chance than the men's team would have had in 2018 anyway.

Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 333, on June 29, 2019. A little under 11 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 505, on December 18, 2019. A little under a year and a half, or a little under 17 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 540, on January 22, 2020. A little under a year and a half, or a little under 18 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 724, on July 24, 2020. A shade under 2 years, or just under 24 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 826, on November 3, 2020. Under 2 1/2 years, or a little over 27 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 904, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 3 years, or a little under 30 monnths. 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: 1,284, on February 4, 2022. A little over 3 1/2 years, or a little over 42 months.

Days until the next World Cup for which the American team will be eligible is scheduled to kick off: 1,574, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 4 1/2 years, or a little under 52 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

Yankees Crown Royals, Remain In 1st Place

Tired from all that waiting through rain delays in Washington, the Yankees flew out to Kansas City for their next series. It surprised nobody that they lost the opener to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. CC Sabathia did not have good stuff, although the bullpen was decent. Aaron Hicks went 3-for-4, and Giancarlo Stanton 2-for-4, but the rest of the lineup only managed 3 hits.

Royals 5, Yankees 2. WP: Jakob Junis (5-3). SV: Kelvin Herrera (9). LP: Sabathia (2-1)

*

Things got better on Saturday night. The Royals don't celebrate Old-Timers' Day, but they brought back a bunch of former greats in celebration of their 50th Season. (Next year will be their 50th Anniversary.) In addition to Royal heroes like George Brett and Frank White, there were some guys who also did things of note with the Yankees, like Lou Piniella, Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran.

Luis Severino was very effective again, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, striking out 6. Between them, Chad Green, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman allowed only 1 hit (Green in the 7th) and 1 walk (Chapman in the 9th).

It seemed like ages since the Yankees did any hitting, but they got 2 home runs from Gary Sanchez, and 1 each from Stanton, Hicks and Gleyber Torres. Sanchez and Torres each had 3 RBIs on the night.

Yankees 8, Royals 3. WP: Severino (7-1). No save. LP: Danny Duffy (1-6).

*

Then, yesterday, Sonny Gray pitched brilliantly, taking a shutout into the 8th inning. He was backed by 4 home runs: 2 by Tyler Austin, and 1 each by Miguel Andujar and Austin Romine.

Yankees 10, Royals 1. WP: Gray (3-3). No save. LP: Eric Skoglund (1-4).

*

So here's where things stand, 7 weeks into the 26-week Major League Baseball regular season:

* The Yankees are 30-13, with a winning percentage of .698, the best in the major leagues.

* They and the Boston Red Sox, at 32-15, are technically tied for 1st place in the American League Eastern Division, but, since the Yankees have 2 games in hand, they are 2 games ahead of the Sox in the all-important loss column. The Tampa Bay Rays are 9 back, 10 in the loss column; the Toronto Blue Jays, 10 and 12; the Baltimore Orioles, 17 1/2 and 19. This Division looks like a 2-horse race, and the same 2 classics.

* If the current standings held to the end of the season, the Red Sox would host the Seattle Mariners in the AL Wild Card Game, with the winner facing the Yankees in 1 AL Division Series, and the Houston Astros facing the Cleveland Indians in the other. In the National League, it would be the resurgent Philadelphia Phillies hosting the St. Louis Cardinals, with the winner facing the Atlanta Braves in 1 NLDS, and the Milwaukee Brewers would play the Arizona Diamondbacks in the other.

The Yankees continue their roadtrip, against the Texas Rangers. Here are the projected pitching matchups:

* Monday, 8:05 PM Eastern Time (7:05 Central and local): Masahiro Tanaka against Bartolo Colon, who turns 45 on Thursday. Funny how he was a "cheat" when he pitched for the Yankees in 2011, but nobody has cared about his performance-enhancing drug use since he left the Yankees.

* Tuesday, 8:05: Domingo German vs. Cole Hamels. There is a rumor going around that the Yankees are going to try to trade for Hamels, who helped the Phillies win Pennants in 2008 and '09, but I wouldn't bet on it. He doesn't really offer the Yankees an upgrade anymore. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 World Series. Given some of his acquisitions of the last few years, I've joked that Yankee general manager Brian Cashman is still trying to win the 2008 World Series, more so than he was in 2008 -- or for 2018.

* Wednesday, 7:05 (6:05 local): CC Sabathia -- for once, the thinnest starter in a series, and not the oldest -- vs. Doug Fister.

Thursday is a day off, and then the Yankees return to start a new home series on Friday, against the Whatever They're Calling Themselves This Season Angels of Anaheim.

Washout In Washington

I've seen an entire week of Yankee games wiped out by snow. It was the start of the 1982 season. But I've never seen an entire Yankee series wiped out by rain.

The Yankees were supposed to begin a 2-game series away to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. They started the game, and it didn't start out well, as Masahiro Tanaka allowed yet another 1st inning home run, and then 2 more runs in the 2nd.

The Yankees came back, though, with a 2-run home run by Tyler Austin in the 4th inning. Austin hit a sacrifice fly to bring another run home in the 5th, tying the game at 3-3. But it was already raining, and after the top of the 6th was played, the umpires suspended the game.

There was supposed to be a day-night doubleheader on Wednesday, but there was no chance to get the games in: Both were postponed. And they couldn't be played on Thursday (an intended travel day), either. To sum up: 2 games planned, 5 1/2 innings played, no results.

They will be played on what had been an off-day for both teams, Monday, June 18, starting at 5:05 PM.

So now, the Yankees fly out to Kansas City, always a tough place for them to play since the establishment of the Royals in 1969.

I hope, at the least, that the weather will be good.

El Gary's Walkoff Finishes Yankee 4-Game Sweep of Twins

With my new job, I don't have nearly as much time as I used to. As a result, I had to do an entire 4-game series' worth of recaps in 1 post.

The Yankees began a 4-game home series with the Minnesota Twins on Monday night. Cliche alert: Walks can kill you, especially leadoff walks. Brett Gardner began the Yankee side of the game by drawing a walk off Jake Odorizzi, then stealing 2nd. Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius both struck out, but Giancarlo Stanton, shocking everybody, drew a walk. And then came a double by Gary Sanchez and a single by Aaron Hicks.

This gave Masahiro Tanaka a 3-0 cushion, and he cruised through the 1st 4 innings. He allowed a run in the 5th, but got out of a jam. Home runs by Miguel Andujar in the 3rd and Giancarlo Stanton in the 5th made it 5-1 Yankees.

The Yankees piled on in the 7th. Judge led off with a double. Gregorius popped up, but Stanton singled Judge home. After a Sanchez fly out, Hicks walked, and Tyler Austin doubled them home. 8-1.

Super Prospect Gleyber Torres started his major league career 0-for-7, and I was waiting for somebody to tell me that Willie Mays went 0-for-his-1st-12, and he turned out all right. Well, Torres finally got his 1st hit, a leadoff single up the middle in the 8th.

That's when the ceiling fell in on the Twins. Probably from the Yankees jumping on the roof. Again, walks can kill you, and Gardner and Judge walked to load the bases with nobody out. And Didi crushed a ball to right-center, for a grand slam.

It wasn't over: Stanton singled. Finally, an out, as Sanchez grounded into a force play that eliminated Stanton. Hicks popped up. Then Austin crushed a home run, putting a 6 in the Yankee run column for that inning alone.

Yankees 14, Twins 1. WP: Tanaka (3-2). No  save. LP: Odorizzi (1-2).

*

CC Sabathia started the Tuesday night game, and was his old self, going 6 innings, allowing 1 run, unearned, 2 hits and 1 walk.

But this series was The Gary Sanchez Show. He hit 2 homers on the day, a solo shot in the 2nd and a 2-run job in the 7th. Didi hit another, and Judge hit one as well.

Dellin Betances was shaky in the 7th inning, and had to be bailed out by David Robertson. Chasen Shreve allowed a run in the 8th, but Jonathan Holder finished the game with a perfect 9th. Yankees 8, Twins 3. WP: Sabathia (1-0). No save. LP: Jose Berrios (2-2).

*

The Wednesday night game did not start well, as Miguel Sano gave the Twins a 2-0 lead with a home run off Sonny Gray in the 1st inning. But the Yankees started their half of the inning with 3 straight singles, by Gardner, Judge and Gregorius, to close to within 2-1. Gregorius and Austin hit home runs in the 3rd, and that made it 5-2 Yanks. Sacrifice flies by Judge in the 4th and Stanton in the 8th added runs for the Yankees.

Gray didn't make it out of the 5th, needing 1 more out to qualify for the win, so, even though the Yankees were up 6-3 at the time, he didn't get it. Chad Green finished the 5th and pitched a scoreless 6th, but allowed a run in the 7th. Shreve, Robertson and Chapman allowed only 1 baserunner between them the rest of the way.

Yankees 7, Twins 4. WP: Green (2-0). SV: Chapman (4 -- despite the sweep, this was the only save in the 4 games). LP: Lance Lynn (0-2).

*

Then yesterday was a getaway day, so it was a day game. Jordan Montgomery started for the Pinstripes, but after 5 innings, was trailing 2-0 and had already thrown 98 pitches. Domingo allowed another run in the 6th, and Kyle Gibson had a 1-hit, 10-strikeout shutout through 6. It looked like Minnesota would salvage the series.

Then Twins manager Paul Molitor made a Girardi-esque mistake: He saw that Gibson had thrown 95 pitches, and brought in Addison Reed to pitch the 7th. A Stanton double, a wild pitch getting him to 3rd, and a Hicks sac fly made it 3-1.

Molitor continued to Girardi the game, bringing a new pitcher in for the 8th, Duke. He allowed a single to Torres, who got to 2nd on an error, but Duke stranded him. Then Dellin Betances struck out the side in the top of the 9th, and Molitor brought in another pitcher for the bottom of the 9th, Fernando Rodney. As you may have noticed, Fernando Rodney is not a good relief pitcher.

Didi grounded to 3rd, and Sano made his 2nd error of the game. Stanton singled. And then game El Gary, who crushed one deep to left field. It was the 1st walkoff home run of his career.

Yankees 4, Twins 3. WP: Betances (1-1). No save. LP: Rodney (1-2).

Home runs on the year: Gregorius 9, Judge 7, Sanchez 6, Stanton 5, Austin 5, Andujar 3.

*

So now the Yankees go out on a tough Western roadtrip, 3 in Anaheim and 4 in Houston. They are 15-9, 4 games behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League Eastern Division, and, if the current standings were to hold, would get the 2nd Wild Card slot.

If they can get 4 out of the 7, they'll be in pretty good shape going into May. Come on you Bombers!

Sonny Doesn't Share In Winning

Here is how I sum up the Yankees' Friday night game against the Toronto Blue Jays: They used 4 pitchers, and the best of them on the night was Chasen Shreve.

It's not that they didn't hit. Tyler Austin hit a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning, his 3rd dinger of the young season. Giancarlo Stanton showed he's ready and willing -- "able" remains to be seen -- to break out of his rotten start by hitting a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning, his 4th tater. And Miguel Andujar hit a solo shot in the 4th, his 2nd blast. Ronald Torreyes had 3 hits; Austin and Aaron Hicks, 2 each.

Given that kind of attack, the Yankees should have won. All they needed was good pitching. But they didn't get it. Handed a 2-0 lead after 2 innings, Sonny Gray fell apart, allowing 2 runs in the 3rd, and 3 runs in the 4th, and was pulled. This Sonny did not "share" in winning.

Domingo German was no better, allowing runs in the 5th, and he turned out to be the losing pitcher (0-1). Adam Warren also allowed a run.

This made a winning pitcher out of Marco Estrada (2-1), who pitched little better than Gray, 5 runs in 5 innings. But, on the night, "little better" was good enough. The Jays' bullpen sent out 4 relievers who allowed just 4 baserunners over the last 4 innings, culminating in Roberto Osuna's 6th save. Final score: Blue Jays 8, Yankees 5.

Now, what I am about to say is not a mark against Gray's character. And he wasn't bad at all after we got him last season. But, this season, he has not gotten the job done. And, given that Justin Verlander was available, it makes Brian Cashman look like an idiot. It was like trading for The Bay City Rollers when The Eagles were available.

The series continues this afternoon. Jordan Montgomery starts against Marcus Stroman.

Found: One Set of Guts

Over the last few days, I have called the Yankees "gutless wonders."

Last night, at Fenway Park, against the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees found their guts.

Given how they followed up the 8-7 12-inning loss on Sunday with a 14-1 disaster the night before, I figured it, if the 8-7 debacle didn't wake them up, nothing would. Fortunately, I was wrong!

First, they jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Red Sox even came to bat, thanks to a 2-run triple by Giancarlo Stanton and a home run over the Green Monster by Gary Sanchez -- the 2 players who were, lately, most in need of remembering their guts. And that turned out to be the only inning that David Price, a Yankee nemesis since he was with the Tampa Bay Rays, pitched, as he was removed due to an injury precaution.

But then, in the bottom of the 1st inning, Masahiro Tanaka allowed a home run by Hanley Ramirez, and all I can think of was, "Oh, boy, here we go again!" But it didn't turn out that way, as he got out of it, and got through the 4th inning with just that one mistake.

By the way, thinking about Manny, is there a rule on the Red Sox that any player named Ramirez has to have ridiculous hair?

The Yankees scored 4 more runs in the top of the 4th, including another home run by Sanchez. It was 8-1. Ah, but this was Fenway, and we who've watched the Yankees for a while know that no lead is safe at the little green pinball machine off Kenmore Square. The Sox scored 5 runs in the 5th, including a grand slam by J.D. Martinez. 8-6 is too close, especially with so many innings to go.

But the Yankees tacked on 2 more runs in the 6th. But in the 7th, things went retro. It became an old-school Yanks-Sox fight.

The roots were in the 3rd inning, when Tyler Austin tried to break up a double play, and slid spikes-first into Sox shortstop Brock Holt. They exchanged words, but nothing happened then. With Austin not getting thrown at in his next time up, it seemed like that was the end of it.

It wasn't. In the top of the 7th, on an 0-1 count, Sox relief pitcher Joe Kelly threw behind Austin, nearly hitting him.

Okay, message sent. That should have been the end of it. But this is Yanks-Sox, and there will never be an end to it. Kelly threw a seemingly innocent ball 2, and then threw a 98 mile-per-hour fastball right in Austin's ribs.

For the most part, this is how it's gone for the Yankees since 2004: The Red Sox can do whatever they want, and the Yankees can't retaliate. I call it the Yankee Doodle Double Standard.

This time, no. Austin -- who debuted with the Yankees on August 13, 2016, literally the day after Alex Rodriguez' last major league game, never mind after Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera or Joe Torre -- took the Samuel L. Jackson approach. Enough was enough. He had had it with these motherfucking Sox in this motherfucking ballpark.

He threw his bat down, and charged the mound. He was losing the fight. But both benches cleared, and the Sox ended up getting pushed back to their own dugout. As the old football cheer goes, "Push 'em back, push 'em back, way back!"

The instigators Austin and Kelly were ejected. So were Yankee reliever Tommy Kahnle (who, based on recent appearances, the Yankees weren't going to miss) and 3rd base coach Phil Nevin.

In today's Daily News, John Harper wrote that the Yankees were mad at Sox manager Alex Cora, a longtime infielder who played with the Sox from 2005 to 2008 (and with the Mets in 2009 and 2010), and is now in his 1st year as a major league manager, after being a broadcaster and a coach with last year's World Champions, the Houston Astros.

Harper said he interviewed a former major league manager and a current player, who both asked not to be identified due to still being involved in professional baseball. The ex-manager cited Cora making a "shoo" gesture, telling Nevin to back off:

That was bush-league stuff. You don't disrespect the other coaching staff like that. Nevin is a well-respected guy in the game, a former Number 1 (draft) 1 pick... The guy had a good career. What has Cora done? He's a first-year manager. He's not Mike Scioscia...

I don't know what was said, but Cora was waving Nevin away like, 'You're not on my level.' And (Cora) was back in the dugout by then. It looked like that got (Yankee manager Aaron) Boone fired up, and I don't blame him.

Harper then quoted the player as saying:

The other part is you don't like that Kelly tried get cute, and hide his intention to hit the guy. He waits until the second pitch, and when he misses him, he waits until after another pitch before hitting him.

That's chickenshit stuff. Don't play that game, like you're trying to lull the kid into thinking everything is OK, and then you ambush him. That doesn't sit well with guys.

After the game, Stanton told the reporters that, if you want to plunk a guy, "Do it on the first pitch."

At any rate, it remained 10-6 Yankees going to the bottom of the 9th. Boone brought Aroldis Chapman on to close it out. But he got shaky again, allowing a single to Jackie Bradley Jr. and a double to Christian Vazquez. He got Sandy Leon to fly out and struck Mookie Bett, out, then threw a wild pitch to score Bradley. But he struck Rafael Devers out to end it.

Yankees 10, Red Sox 7. WP: Tanaka (2-1). No save. LP: Price (1-1). We beat The Scum.

Rivalry restoked. Guts found. Uncle Mike pleased.

The series concludes tonight. Sonny Gray starts for the Good Guys, Rick Porcello for The Scum. I don't expect Gray to do anything to raise the ante, because the Yankees need this game more than the Sox do.

Let's get ready to rumble -- metaphorically speaking, of course.

UPDATE: Kelly has been suspended for 6 games, Austin for 5.

Yanks Bounce Back, Beat Birds

After 2 bad losses in a row, at home to the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees really needed a win yesterday afternoon. It seemed unlikely, given that they were playing a day game so soon after a night game that went 14 innings.

Sonny Gray started, and was a little shaky, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits, with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. But between them, Adam Warren, David Robertson and the newly called-up Luis Cessa pitched 3 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits and no walks.

That gave the Yankee bats the chance to win the game. Brett Gardner drove in 2 runs with a single in the 2nd inning. Aaron Judge got another home with a groundout in the 5th, tying the game 3-3.

The Yankees got the job done over the next 2 innings. Didi Gregorius led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk. Cliche alert: Leadoff walks can kill you -- or, if you're the batting team, they can save you. Tyler Austin singled Didi to 3rd. Miguel Andujar began living up to his immense promise with a sacrifice fly that brought Didi home with what turned out to be the winning run. Austin Romine singled Tyler Austin home, to make it 5-3.

The Yankees got another leadoff walk in the 7th, from Gardner. Judge doubled him home. Giancarlo Stanton flew out, but Judge tagged up and got to 3rd. The O's intentionally walked Didi to set up the double play, but he then foiled Buck Showalter's strategy by stealing 2nd. (The Yankees only had a 2-run lead, so this was hardly gratuitous -- or, as they would say in England, taking the piss.) Austin singled them both home.

Final score: Yankees 8, Orioles 3. WP: Gray (1-0). No save. LP: Chris Tillman (0-2).

The series concludes this afternoon. Jordan Montgomery starts for the Bronx Bombers, Mike Wright Jr. for the Baltimore Birds.

*

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown, as the regular season is over. It is possible that the Devils will play the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that wouldn't happen unless both teams reach the NHL Eastern Conference Finals. Otherwise, they wouldn't face the Flyers, the New York Rangers or the New York Islanders until the start of the next regular season, which is usually on the 2nd Friday in October. That would be October 12, or 187 days.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 2, this Tuesday night at 7:00, at Fenway Park.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 2, Tuesday night at 8:00, in the Semifinal of the CONCACAF Champions League, against Club Deportivo Guadalajara, a.k.a. "Chivas," at Red Bull Arena. They lost the away leg 1-0, so will need to win 2-0. A 1-0 win will send the game to extra time. A 2-1 win would give the overall match to Chivas on away goals. The winner will face either Toronto FC or Mexico City-based Club America. The next league game will be Saturday afternoon, home to the Montreal Impact.

Days until The Arsenal play again, 4, this Thursday at 3:05 PM our time, in the 2nd leg of the Quarterfinal of the UEFA Europa League, away to Russian club CSKA Moscow, the club whose sports teams were once sponsored by the Soviet Red Army. Arsenal beat the 3-1 in the home leg, so if they do no worse than lose by 1 goal, they advance. They just beat Southampton 3-2 in a game that was entertaining but got nasty at the end.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 27, on Saturday afternoon, May 5, home to New York City FC. Their 1st game against the Philadelphia Union will be on Saturday night, May 26, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison. Their 1st game against the New England Revolution will be on Saturday night, June 2, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Their 1st game against D.C. United, and their 1st game ever at the new Audi Field, will be on Wednesday night, July 25.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 50, a "friendly" against Bolivia, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, home of the Philadelphia Union, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28. After the Bolivia game, there will be a trip to Europe, to play Ireland in Dublin on June 2, and France in Lyon on June 9. These 3 games should have been warmups for the World Cup. Alas...

Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 67, on June 14. A little over 10 weeks. But the U.S. team won't be playing. At least now, Donald Trump doesn't have to choose, and can root for his favorite country, the host nation, Russia.

Days until the 2018 trading deadline, after which we won't have to fear Yankee general manager Brian Cashman trading any proven good players for "prospects": 114, on Tuesday, July 31. A little under 4 months.

Days until the next North London Derby (after this one): Unknown, but not until next season. The Premier League season opener will be on Saturday, August 11, but you never see a derby on the opening weekend. So, more than 125 days.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 146, on Saturday, September 1, home to Texas State University. Under 5 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown. The 2018 schedule hasn't been released yet. But the season opener is usually on the 1st Friday in September. that would be September 7, which is 152 days from now.

Days until the next Congressional election, when we can elect a Democratic Congress that can impeach and remove Donald Trump from the Presidency: 212, on November 6. Under 7 months.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 223, on Saturday, November 17, at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 228, on Thursday, November 22. A little over 8 months.

Days until a Democratic Congress can convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 270, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. Just 10 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 290, on January 23, 2019. A little over 10 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 425, on June 7, 2019, in France. A little over a year, or 14 months. The U.S. team, as 3-time and defending Champions, has, as usual, a better chance than the men's team would have had in 2018 anyway.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 619, on December 18, 2019. Under 2 years, or a little over 20 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 654, on January 22, 2020. A little under 2 years, or a little over 21 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 838, on July 24, 2020. A little over 2 years, or a little over 27 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 940, on November 3, 2020. A little over 2 1/2 years, or under 31 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 1,018, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 3 years, or a little over 33 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 (after the current one in Pyeongchang, Korea) begins in Beijing, China: 1,398, on February 4, 2022. Under 4 years, or under 46 months.

Days until the next World Cup for which the American team will be eligible is scheduled to kick off: 1,688, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 5 years, or a little over 55 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.

Injury Issues & Betances Halt Yankees

You didn't think the Yankees were going to go 162-0, did you?

You may have thought, as I did, that general manager Brian Cashman's apparent strategy of having an all-outfield team was foolish.

Doesn't look so foolish now, does it?

In the bottom of the 1st inning at the Rogers Centre last night, left fielder Billy McKinney, who got his 1st major league hit and RBi yesterday, chased a Josh Donaldson line drive, and crashed into the outfield wall -- one of the last few in the major leagues that isn't padded. He didn't get the ball, and Donaldson reached 2nd on a double.

At first, it looked like McKinney had hit his head, meaning that he should be taken out of the game as a concussion precaution. He insisted that his head was fine, and manager Aaron Boone left him in the game. Then Justin Smoak hit one into the left field corner, and McKinney retrieved it, and threw it back to the infield, and it became clear that the problem wasn't with his head, but with his arm. Boone took him out of the game.

This is on top of Greg Bird, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier already being on the Disabled List. McKinney was started to give Brett Gardner a day off, but Gardner had to be sent out there.

Boone let CC Sabathia pitch only 5 innings, in which he allowed 2 runs, only 1 of which was earned, 5 hits and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts. He had thrown 84 pitches, 54 for strikes. This is CC we're talking about: He could have gone longer. But, apparently, Boone cares more about the pitch count than actual results. If you're still going to have a pitch count, then what the hell was the point of firing Joe Girardi?

Boone brought in Adam Warren, who shouldn't be on the Yankees' roster, or any other major league team's roster, because he stinks. He allowed another run and got hurt. So that's another injury, albeit one that will prevent him from wrecking any more Yankee games for a while. Jonathan Holder finished the 6th inning without further damage.

Tyler Austin hit 2 long home runs, a 432-foot 2-run shot in the 5th inning, and a 412-foot solo drive in the 7th. That made it 3-3.

But instead of letting Holder keep pitching in the bottom of the 7th, Boone put Dellin Betances in. Betances got through the 7th without much trouble. Him, Boone left in. And the 8th turned out to be the worst inning of the Yankees' young season thus far.

Yangervis Solarte -- who, you'll recall, Cashman traded away for Chase Headley -- led off the inning with a tremendous blast to center field, 455 feet. Betances struck Randal Grichuk out, but allowed a single to Kevin Pillar -- not to be confused with Kevin Millar, our former foe in Boston, who was so slow (How slow was he?), he certainly couldn't have done what I'm about to describe.

Betances struck Aledmys Diaz out. But Pillar stole 2nd. Betances walked Luke Maile. Then a double steal: Pillar stole 3rd and Maile stole 2nd. And then, Pillar stole home plate. He stole 2nd, 3rd and home in the same inning. All because Betances wasn't paying enough attention, and wasn't throwing enough strikes.

That made it 5-3 Blue Jays, and that's how it ended. WP: Ryan Tepera (1-0). SV: Roberto Osuna (1). LP: Betances (0-1).

It's not just that the Yankees lost, it's how. It could have been avoided, had Boone just let either Sabathia or Holder pitch longer. Instead, he Girardi-ed the game. His 1st screwup as a major league manager. Well, his 1st 2.

The series concludes this afternoon, Easter Sunday, with a scheduled first pitch of 1:07 PM. Sonny Gray will start for the Yankees, Marcus Stroman for the Jays. Then, tomorrow afternoon is the home opener, against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Too Many Tylers Do Not Spoil the Game

After one game where Joe Girardi's bullpen idiocy almost cost the Yankees a win, and another where it did, the Yankees needed a great all-around performance against the Chicago White Sox at Comisk... at U.S. Cell... at Guaranteed Rate Field last night.

They got it. The pitching game through, with Masahiro Tanaka pitching his 2nd straight strong game after struggling so hard this season: 6 innings, 2 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts -- and no home runs. Chasen Shreve got the 1st out in the 7th, and Chad Green the other 2 and all 3 in the 8th.

A White Sox error led to 3 Yankee runs in the 1st before Tanaka even had to throw a pitch. Rookie left fielder Tyler Wade got his 1st major league hit and RBI with a 6th inning double, part a a 5-run inning that also included another Aaron Judge home run, his 27th. The Yankees scored 4 more runs in the 9th, including the 9th home run of the season by Didi Gregorius.

The Yankees took a 10-run lead in the bottom of the 9th. Now, I have said on a number of occasions that Joe Girardi is an idiot. But, having gotten success out of Tyler Wade, I was concerned that he might put Tyler Clippard into the game.

He didn't. He did, however, put rookie Tyler Webb in. And, for a moment, I was worried that he might be as bad as Tyler Clippard -- or that even Tyler Austin, who is not a pitcher, would be a better option. Fortunately, Webb allowed just 1 run, and we all calmed down. We didn't have too many Tylers spoiling the game.

Yankees 12, White Sox 3. WP: Tanaka (6-7). No save. LP: Carlos Rodon (0-1). And, with the Boston Red Sox losing last night, the Yankees are again tied for 1st place in the American League East, a game ahead of the Sox in the all-important loss column.

The series concludes tonight. Luis Cessa starts for the Bronx Bombers, and former Tampa Bay pain in the neck James Shields for the Pale Hose. Then, it's off to Houston for a weekend series against the rampaging Astros, which could be a harbinger of things to come -- either way.

Girardi Almost Blows Another One, But Yanks Beat Pale Hose

Last night, the Yankees began a series against the Chicago White Sox, their 1st visit to the former new Comiskey Park since its name was changed from U.S. Cellular Field to Guaranteed Rate Field.

And it almost became one of those games that makes me say, "If the Yankees end up losing the American League East (or missing the Playoffs completely) by 1 game, I want you to remember this game."

The Yankee bats were not the problem. Tyler Austin, who played 26 games last season, hitting 5 home runs, but is technically still a rookie, hit his 1st homer of the season last night, for 2 runs. Chase Headley went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Austin Romine and Ronald Torreyes also had RBIs.

Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery was not the problem. He went 7 innings, allowing just 1 run on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 8.

Relief pitcher Jonathan Holder was not the problem. He got the 1st 2 outs in the 8th.

Relief pitcher Dellin Betances was not the problem. He got the last out in the 8th.

Those of you old enough to remember that it doesn't take 3 pitchers to get 6 outs when the opposing team hasn't scored in the innings in question have probably figured out what the problem was: Joe Girardi was reading his damn binder and playing musical chairs with the bullpen again.

He sent Chasen Shreve out to pitch the bottom of the 9th inning, to protect a 5-run lead. And Shreve...

Let's be honest here: Shreve was not the problem. Girardi was the problem. Pretty much any other manager would have ignored the fact that Montgomery had thrown 100 pitches, and left him in for the 8th. Maybe for the 9th, too. He's already going to get 5 days rest, so what's another 15 to 20 pitches?

At the very least, since Holder had gotten the 1st 2 outs in the 8th, Girardi should have let him try to get the 3rd. Or, since Betances had gotten the last out in the 8th, Girardi should have let him try to get the outs in the 9th.

But because Joe Girardi is an idiot who doesn't know how to manage a bullpen, he pulled Montgomery sooner than he should have, burned Holder, burned Betances, and put Shreve in. Here's what Shreve got: Groundout, single, infield single, home run. That cut the Yankee lead from 6-1 to 6-4 in a hurry.

Girardi realized it was now a save situation, and got Shreve out of there, and brought in his closer, Aroldis Chapman. Yankee Twitter was in full collapse mode, sure the game would be lost, wondering why Girardi didn't put Chapman out there in the first place.

Chapman allowed a single. And an RBI double. And it looked for all the world like Girardi had blown yet another one, making the current Yankee slump 11 losses in the last 13 games.

Chapman pulled it together, and got a groundout and a flyout to end it in victory for the Bronx Bombers over the Pale Hose. Whew. Yankees 6, White Sox 5. WP: Montgomery (6-4). SV: Chapman (8). LP: David Holmberg (1-2).

Can someone please explain to me why Joe Girardi still has a job?

The series continues tonight. Luis Severino starts for the Yankees, Jose Quintana for the White Sox.

*

Days until the Red Bulls play again: 1, tomorrow night at 8:00, a "derby" against the Philadelphia Union at Red Bull Arena, in the U.S. Open Cup, the American version of England's FA Cup. In their last game, they lost at home to New York City FC for the 1st time, a pathetic 2-0 effort.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": See the previous answer. They will next play the New England Revolution on Wednesday, July 5, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. They will next play NYCFC on Sunday, August 6, at Yankee Stadium. And they will next play the D.C. Scum on Saturday, September 27, at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 4, this Saturday afternoon at 4:45, a friendly against Ghana, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut.

Days until The Arsenal play again: 16, on Thursday, July 13, when they begin their preseason tour of Australia and Asia, with a game against A-League winners Sydney FC at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series: 17, on Friday, July 14, at Fenway Park. 

Days until the Premier League season begins: 46, on Saturday, August 12. The Arsenal open at home to Leicester City. There is a chance, of course, that the TV networks could have Arsenal's match moved to the following Sunday or Monday.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 66, on Friday, September 1, home to the University of Washington. A little over 2 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 73, on Friday night, September 8, home to Sayreville, a "derby." 

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 102, on Saturday night, October 7, home to the Colorado Avalanche. A little over 3 months.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 109, on Saturday night, October 14, against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan. Their 1st game against the New York Islanders will be on Sunday, January 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn -- and they'll have played the Rangers 3 times by then. Their 1st game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark -- and they'll have played the Rangers 3 times and the Islanders once by then. This is a weird schedule. But, at least, now we have it. The NBA usually doesn't release its new season's schedule until August.

Days until the Alex Rodriguez Contract From Hell officially runs out, and the Yankees can spend his salary on new players: 126, on October 31.

Days until the next election for Governor of New Jersey: 133, on Tuesday, November 7. Just 19 weeks until we elect Phil Murphy, defeat Kim Guadagno, and end Christieism forever. But only if you vote!

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 137, on Saturday, November 11, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania.

Days until the next North London Derby: 144, on Saturday, November 18, at the Emirates Stadium. This game could be moved to the following day, for TV purposes.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving high school football game: 149, on Thursday, November 23, at 10:00 AM. Under 6 months, and thank God it's at home, at Jay Doyle's Green Grove, rather than at that purple shit pit on Route 9. Under 5 months.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Pyeongchang, Korea: 231, on February 9, 2018. Under 8 months.

Days until the next World Cup kicks off in Russia: 352, on June 14, 2018. Just under 1 year, or 12 months. Has Bruce Arena turned our chances around? Maybe. Or maybe, with the tournament on his soil, Vladimir Putin will tell his bitch Donald Trump to tell Bruce Arena to tank the games. Maybe not. Or maybe only if we end up playing Russia. I don't think Arena will listen. If he doesn't, I hope his life insurance is paid up, because Putin has had people killed for defying him.

Days until September 2018 roster call-ups, when we can finally start to expect seeing some of these wonderful "prospects" for whom Yankee general manager Brian Cashman threw away a chance at the 2016 Playoffs: 431. Under a year and a half, or a little over 14 months. Of course, we could end up seeing one of more of them sooner than that, but since most of them are at Double-A Trenton now, if that, who's kidding who?

Days until the next Congressional election: 497, on November 6, 2018. Under a year and a half, or a little over 16 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 561, on January 9, 2019. A little over a year and a half, or a little over 18 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 926, on January 8, 2020. A little over 2 1/2 years, or a little over 30 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 1,131, on July 24, 2020. A little over 3 years, or a little under 37 months.

Days until the next Presidential election: 1,593, on November 3, 2020. Under 3 1/2 years, or a little over 40 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 1,671, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 4 years, or a little under 43 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.