With less than one week to go before the U.S. Open, reports are emerging that the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour is about to go under. In the video/audio commentary, I break down the seismic shift that is about to hit the professional golf world.

Here are some other thoughts on the second Friday in June:

• Would you believe me, if I told you the San Antonio Spurs will win the NBA championship in seven games? I did not think so. But hear me out. The Spurs have outplayed the New York Knicks in just about every game in this series yet are trailing in the best-of-seven, 3-1. Dumb plays and the ball bouncing the wrong way have cost San Antonio, but that does not mean they aren’t capable of winning the next three games, especially with two games at home. Repeat after me. DO NOT COUNT OUT THE SPURS!

• Speaking of which, I would not count out the Vegas Golden Knights either. With Carolina’s win last night, the Hurricanes are up 3-2 and one victory away from the franchise’s second Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights return home Sunday night for Game 6. They are more than capable of winning the next two and truth be told, although many people in my neck-of-the-woods are rooting against Carolina, because they used to be the Hartford Whalers, I’m rooting against them for how they unceremoniously dumped their radio broadcaster Chuck Kaiton, who moved with the franchise to Raleigh. Kaiton is one of the all-time great broadcasters. When the penurious, filthy-rich, billionaire Tom Dundon, who recently bought the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, purchased the Hurricanes, he eliminated their radio team and simulcasted the team’s television feed on radio, claiming no one listens to the games on radio anyway. Wow! Go Golden Knights!

• What does it say about our society, when parts of New York City could be ravaged, whether the Knicks win or lose in the finals?

• I don’t know about you but I am liking the Chicago White Sox being in first place. To this point, they are the story of the baseball season in my book.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you so much for being a subscriber. It means so much!

DAN

We have passed the one-third mark of the MLB season. How are my picks, made in the preseason, doing? I check it out in the video/audio podcast.

Some other thoughts on this second Tuesday in June

• The pressure is now on the Knicks to win their first NBA title since 1973, even though they entered the series as decided underdogs. Winning the first two games of the finals on the road changes the entire dynamic of the series.,

• The numbers show that the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals continue to deliver big ratings for ABC. Why? There are several reasons but not the least of which we are talking live television. The nation’s appetite for canned TV can be satiated with social media. These days, the only consistent live programming revolves around sports. That is why the networks are all in for live sporting events.

• Can you believe football camps open next month?

• We live in a different world. Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby placed bets on his own team in 2022, when he played for Indiana. That is a clear violation of NCAA policy. In fact the NCAA ruled the fifth-year senior was permanently ineligible to play college football. Sorsby appealed the decision and won. A Texas state court granted a temporary injunction in his lawsuit against the NCAA, meaning Sorsby can play in 2026, after sitting out the first two games of the season. The NCAA is appealing the decision. By the way, the four judges who ruled on permitting Sorsby to continue his college career graduated from the Texas Tech University School of Law. Where have you gone Shoeless Joe Jackson?

• I won’t be producing as much content for the remainder of the week, although I will try to cobble together a newsletter or two. It’s Hartford Yard Goats baseball time this week, and the Yard Goats have a huge series against New Hampshire in Hartford. The Eastern League plays a split season and there are 13 games remaining in the first-half for Hartford, which is in first place by a 1/2 game over New Hampshire. In fact the top four teams in the six-team Northeast Division are separated by just 1 1/2 games. Jeff Dooley and I will have all of the action on MiLB.tv, the Bally Sports App and on the Audacy and iHeart apps. Our Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday games will also be televised on NESN. Gabby Lucivero, the reigning Connecticut Sportscast of the Year, will join us for the Thursday telecast. It should be fun.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber!

DAN

If you follow sports and have a favorite team or teams, you tend to earmark time by certain events that impacted your team and your life. You knew where you were when the TD pass was thrown to win the Super Bowl; when the home run was struck to win the pennant; when and where the basket was sunk to send your team to the finals.

And so it was I knew exactly where I was 57 years ago, June 8, 1969. I was smack dab in the middle of my living room with my dad and brothers, watching the New York Yankees play the Chicago White Sox on Mickey Mantle Day. The Yankees were retiring Mantle’s uniform no. 7 and more than 60,000 fans jammed the real Yankee Stadium. (The subsequent renovation of that cathedral of baseball and its replacement next door are not the real Yankee Stadium.)

The retirement ceremony occurred in between games of a doubleheader. I remember the roar of the crowd. I remember Pat Summeral serving as the TV host of the ceremony, wondering why a football broadcaster was providing the soundtrack for such an august baseball moment. Little did I know, Summeral once hosted the Yankees pregame and postgame shows on radio, when the club’s games were broadcast on WCBS-AM and that he and Mantle were best buds.

I remember that my broadcast idol, Mel Allen, the “Voice of the Yankees,” who was unceremoniously dumped by the club after the 1964 season, was brought back to call Mantle from the dugout, as he had called Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, when their numbers were retired.

I remember that Mel got the second longest and loudest ovation from the crowd after Mantle’s, even louder than DiMaggio’s. I can still recite word-for-word, Mel’s majestic introduction of Mickey. You fool Yankees, how could you fire such an iconic voice?

I remember the MC for that day, Yankee announcer Frank Messer, another favorite of mine who’s mentor I got to know while broadcasting games in Richmond, VA, saying as the ceremony concluded: “Mickey Mantle, Yankee Stadium is all yours.”

Thanks to You Tube, that historic, baseball day remains available for all to see.

I remember how the Yankees released a 45 RPM record of the ceremony, long before one could even imagine there would be a You Tube, and that I wore the record out, playing it over-and-over.

And I remember that a friend, who was at the event, was kind enough to give me a souvenir pennant the Yankees distributed to fans who attended the doubleheader that day. I proudly hung it on my bedroom wall.

Do not ask me what I had for dinner last night, but I can tell you where I was 57 years ago today. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Have a marvelous Monday and thank you for subscribing to the newsletter!

DAN

The injury to Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is a wake-up call that plays right into the hands of owners. I explain why in the video/commentary. My apologies for the video cutting off part of my head.

Remembering D-Day

Eighty-two years ago today, Allied Expeditionary forces landed on the beaches of Normandy. Eleven months later Nazi Germany surrendered. 4,414 Allied soldiers died in the invasion. Thousands more were wounded.

Not many MLB players were involved in the initial invasion, but one famous player was: Yogi Berra. He was a 19-year-old Navy Gunner’s Mate, part of a six-man crew on a 36-foot Navy rocket boat better known as a LCS (Landing Craft Support boat). Berra and his crew were under heavy enemy fire. During his service in World War II, Berra earned a Purple Heart, a Distinguished Unit Citation, two battle stars and a European Theatre of Operations ribbon.

The Bears a step closer to leaving Chicago and Illinois

It would seem all but a given the Chicago Bears are going to pull up stakes and not only leave Chicago but the entire state of Illinois for greener pastures in next door Indiana. The team’s board of directors voted Thursday to proceed with plans for a stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana. I’m guessing if the Bears depart Illinois, that great Chicago Bears fan, Abe Lincoln, will be rolling over in his grave.

Here are some other thoughts on this first Saturday in June:

• The Stanley Cup Final has the elements of being a classic, following Carolina’s overtime, 4-3 win over Vegas on Thursday night. Game three is tonight in Las Vegas. The series is tied, 1-1.

• The third leg of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, the Belmont, is at Saratoga today. The Belmont track in New York is still undergoing a massive renovation. There used to be a time when I got into horse racing but these days I do not even pay attention. If you are watching the race, enjoy and I hope your horse wins.

• A subscriber to this newsletter from the San Francisco area tells me the chatter in those parts has fans discussing a Rafael Devers-to-Yankees trade. Now that would add some spice to “the Greatest Rivalry in Sports.”

• Since I wrote the SF Giants are in need of massive changes, they have scored 30 runs in their last two games, beating Milwaukee on Thursday, 12-9, and clobbering the Cubs yesterday, 18-3. They are still 12 games under .500 (26-38).

• And what of the Cubs, who lost yet again? They fall to 33-31. Once in first place in the NL Central, they keep alternating in the cellar with the Cincinnati Reds. It is not a stretch to say highly-paid manager Craig Counsell, in the third year of a $40M contract, is on the hot seat. It would not surprise me if Counsell was shown the door, if the Cubs swoon continues.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Have a sensational weekend and thank you for being a subscriber!

DAN

Big time college sports is out of control with millions being doled out to “student-athletes,” players switching schools yearly and coaches seemingly doing the same. Does a bipartisan bill in the Congress tame this schizophrenic environment? I break it down in the video/audio commentary.

You be the Judge

The Yankees are in big trouble, if Aaron Judge is out for any period. The bruise near his right shoulder, or is it his rib cage, seems to be getting bigger with each passing report. The fact is, the Yankees have not been specific about the injury that has sidelined their captain since Tuesday, but it doesn’t sound good. Without Judge, who was in a slump for the last three weeks of May, the mediocre Yankees offense is nearly impotent. They just lost two-of-three at home to Cleveland, scoring a total of 10 runs.

The reality is, even with Judge in the lineup - obviously we now know he was playing hurt - the offense was stagnant. Without Judge, even though Ben Rice and others have their moments, the Yankees offense is lacking consistent firepower. Their starting pitching might be the best in the American League, but without a more balanced offense, they are going to lose more one-run games than win them. The next few weeks could be very interesting.

Not the same

The Yankees will host the Red Sox in a three-game series, starting tonight. The media is already building this up, once again, as “the greatest rivalry in sports.” It is all manufactured hype. The Red Sox are in last place and the Yankees are battling for first. Come talk to me, when these two teams are fighting for the ultimate prize.

When you see a jammed Yankee Stadium tonight - and most New Yorkers will be watching the Knicks and San Antonio in Game 2 of the NBA Finals - remember it never used to be that way. Before Thurman Munson became the Yankees catcher and Carlton Fisk the Red Sox backstop in the early 1970s, Yankees-Red Sox was not even a big draw at their respective ballparks.

Case in point. 60 years ago this past Wednesday, the Yankees lambasted the Red Sox at Fenway Park, 15-5. The big story was the fact 27,000 fans attended the game. The media could not believe such a “big” crowd was in attendance to watch a Friday night game. After all, many times, when the Yankees and Red Sox met, crowds were lucky to surpass 15,000 for a game at either Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. There was no rivalry back then. The Babe Ruth-to-the-Yankees story was not a big deal. It was the Yankees and Red Sox, two American League teams from cities 217 miles apart, just playing a three-game series. The rivalry was yet to be born, even though these clubs did play some important games. But the truth be told, it was rare when both the Yankees and Red Sox were in a tight pennant race together.

Times change, but remember it wasn’t always this way. I know. I lived it. Yankees-Red Sox was no big deal. And if it wasn’t for social media and the hype that goes with everything in this day-and-age, this series would be no big deal too. The last place Red Sox are fighting to survive in the mediocre American League, while the Yankees are attempting to save the bottom from dropping out of their offense. Enjoy the games this weekend, but remember Yankees-Red Sox isn’t always what they tell you it is.

Loving the book

I live and die by the website retrosheet.org. Just about every box score and play-by-play description of every game that has been played in MLB is on the website. Now there is a book out about the origin of Retrosheet, entitled How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History. It’s just 10 bucks, if you download it to your Kindle. And if you are a baseball numbers nerd like I can be at times, you’ll thank me later, especially since the book, believe it or not, is more than the numbers that tell the story about the game.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a fantastic Friday!

DAN

It’s two months before MLB’s trade deadline and the “insiders” say the Detroit Tigers will trade ace Tarik Skubal. But will they? I offer some perspective in the video/audio commentary.

Some other thoughts on the first Thursday in June:

• Following owners meetings in New York yesterday, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred let it be known the owners are insistent on a salary cap. The MLBPA is just as insistent on no salary cap. If neither side budges, it is going to be a long, cold winter. Sad!

• NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has declined an invitation from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to testify on the NFL’s television contracts. Now this thing could get interesting.

• Russell Wilson has officially retired from the NFL and will join CBS as an NFL game analyst. My hunch is he will do a superb job.

• As I hunker down to watch Game 1 of NBA Finals, it would not surprise me if this series does not go seven games. Let’s say Knicks in six. That has a nice ring to it. I know San Antonio is a 2-1 favorite, but wasn’t OKC supposed to win the Western Conference?

• I see Gerrit Cole has not lost his penchant for throwing the gopher ball.

• Game two of Stanley Cup Finals is tonight in Carolina, with Vegas up 1-0. If the series is anything like Tuesday night’s 5-4 win, this could be a record, ratings winner.

• Something has got to give with the San Francisco Giants. They cannot go on like this.

• The next time you watch a MLB game, with a shot from the grass behind the pitcher’s mound, think Hartford Yard Goats. MLB chose Dunkin’ Park and a series of Yard Goats games last season to test these mini cams, before sanctioning their placement on national and local MLB telecasts.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for subscribing and have a terrific Thursday!

DAN

Here are some other thoughts on this first hump day of June:

• The NBA Finals start tonight in San Antonio between the Spurs and New York Knicks. San Antonio is the overwhelming favorite but that’s why they play the games. We shall see.

• The Stanley Cup Finals started last night with the Vegas Golden Knights taking on the Carolina Hurricanes.

• Yesterday I wrote how the media downplayed the passing of Lou Gehrig, when news of his death broke. I posted some pictures of the New York Daily News. Well, upon further research, I cannot say the same about the Chicago Tribune, which was all over the story the day after Gehrig’s death:

• Meanwhile, Yankees TV broadcaster Michael Kay told an interesting story, during last night’s Yankees game against Cleveland that still has be scratching my head. Kay said he heard that the day Gehrig pulled himself out of the lineup in Detroit, ending his then record 2,136 consecutive game playing streak, Gehrig and the “Voice of the Yankees,” Mel Allen, took a long walk around Detroit later in the day. How could this be? The Yankees broadcasters did not travel with the club back then. Road games were recreated back at a New York radio station. Allen broadcast the home games of the Yankees and the New York Giants in 1939. Cannot see how he was in Detroit that day, but hey, it makes for a great story.

• Here’s another great story that, using one of Mel’s favorite phrases, “Is a matter of actual fact.” Entering last night’s game against the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago White Sox had already won 32 games. Two years ago, they did not win their 32nd game of the season, until September, when their record was 32-109. A team can rebuild, making the right moves.

• Somehow you knew the New England Patriots were going to get A.J. Brown, didn’t you?

• The Yankees are famous for downplaying major injuries, but somehow I am thinking Aaron Judge could be out a long time, now that he has been sidelined with a bone bruise near his right shoulder. The Yankees are saying Judge is “day-to-day.” In the words of the great Vin Scully: “Aren’t we all.”

That is going to do it for today newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have wonderful Wednesday!

DAN

Lou Gehrig died on this date, June 2, 1941. Throughout all of organized professional baseball today, it is Lou Gehrig Day. The Yankee legend died from ALS 17 days shy of his 38th birthday.

His passing reminds us of how we live in different times. Throughout all of baseball today there will be ceremonies remembering Gehrig. Because the Hartford Yard Goats are on the road, they held a pregame ceremony on Sunday.

Remarkably, Gehrig’s death went under reported. It is even more amazing when you consider his at-the-time, record 2,136 game consecutive playing streak was front page news, when manager Joe McCarthy took him out of the lineup in Detroit in May of 1939. A search of the New York Daily News archives finds no mention of his death until back page photos of his funeral on June 5. A brief article of the funeral appeared on the sports pages.

Had Gehrig died today his passing would be front page news, lead all the newscasts on radio and TV, be highlighted on social media, etc. A career retrospective would be blasted everywhere. In 1941 the papers were filled with stories about the war in Europe, a war the USA would enter six months later.

The fact Gehrig’s death received little attention is a reminder that back then, unlike today’s sports-crazed world, sports news really was the toy department of the media.

Thank you for subscribing and remember those who suffer from ALS today!

DAN

The first proposals have been exchanged between MLB owners and the MLBPA, regarding a new labor agreement, but regardless of what transpires the owners have already made a major concession among themselves. I break it down in the video/audio commentary.

32 innings of baseball

Imagine the first game of a doubleheader starting at 1:05 pm and the second game not concluding until 11:25 that night. That is just what happened on May 31, 1964, when the New York Mets hosted the San Francisco Giants - themselves seven years removed from New York, the place they called home - in brand new Shea Stadium. After a pedestrian first game, won by the Giants, 5-3 in nine innings, the two clubs proceeded to play a 23-inning game, again won by the Giants, 8-6. At one point Willie Mays, the Giants center fielder, played four innings at shortstop.

Coincidentally the 1964 calendar year coincides with 2026. People who went to bed before the second game was completed, awakened on Monday morning, June 1 to the above headlines in the New York Daily News.

Alan Cohen, who works along side me in the press box at Hartford Yard Goats games, saw every inning of both games at Shea Stadium that day. He wrote about the experience for the Society of American Baseball Research.

Such a dramatic day would not have occurred in the baseball of 2026, what with the automatic runner starting at second base in every extra inning, but 62 years ago today, the Mets-Giants doubleheader was the talk of the baseball world and beyond.

So much for that

Well, another one of my predictions goes down the drain. I had the Oklahoma City Thunder repeating as NBA champions, beating the New York Knicks in the finals. The Knicks made it, but the injury-riddled Thunder did not, losing in the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals Saturday night to San Antonio.

The Knicks and Thunder open the finals Wednesday night in San Antonio. The Spurs are overwhelming favorites to win the series and are 4.5-point favorites to win Game 1.

And yes, for you hockey fans, those are the former Hartford Whalers, the Carolina Hurricanes, in yet another Stanley Cup Final, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Carolina is the overwhelming favorite. Game 1 is tomorrow night.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. As always, thank you for subscribing and have a marvelous Monday!

DAN

The NBA Finals start on Wednesday and with the New York Knicks as participants ratings should be good. But the NBA needs to undertake some changes, as I outline in my commentary.

Some other thoughts for the last Sunday in May:

• I do not believe it’s the last Sunday of the fifth month. Last night, broadcasting the Yard Goats game, I was bundled up like it was March. Wind chills were in the 30s. Ridiculous.

• You are lying if you had the Chicago White Sox 10 games better than the Detroit Tigers at the end of May.

• I don’t know which team is in more trouble, the San Francisco Giants or the Boston Red Sox. What is going on here?

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing!

DAN

I have not been posting that much content this week, as I have been busy broadcasting Hartford Yard Goats games, but here goes: my take on the Houston Astros no-hitter against the Texas Rangers.

Here are some other thoughts on the last Saturday in May:

• Nothing like a deciding seventh game, and that is what’s on tap for the NBA Western Conference finals tonight between defending champion Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The winner advances to the championship series against the New York Knicks, starting next Wednesday night. I had OKC beating the Knicks in the finals, when I made my prediction on January 1 so I will stick with the Thunder for tonight’s contest.

• Plenty of NFL news this week with OTA’s etal, but IMHO the media is pounding the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini and Jaxson Dart-Abdul Carter stories to death. This is nothing more than being bereft of original ideas and an attempt at more clickbait.

• So much on my Yankees diatribe.

• Now Sacramento is making a big push for an MLB expansion franchise. Do not rule the city out, but Nashville and Salt Lake City seem to have a leg up in the race for two more teams, which is expected to happen once the labor situation is settled.

• The “insiders” all but have Tarik Skubal wearing Dodger blue, once he proves he has recovered from his elbow surgery. Put it this way, I’m not an insider and can tell you the Dodgers are the favorites to land him. Never has a franchise wanted so badly to bury the storied Yankees and become the next team to win three straight World Series. The Yanks were the last to do it, winning the Series in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter! Thank you so much for being a subscriber and have a terrific weekend!

DAN

The New York Yankees are once again spinning their wheels. Baseball’s signature franchise has not won a World Series since 2009 and only one this century, if you are among those who count the 21st Century as starting in 2001. The franchise which used to change managers the way people change clothes, is now hesitant to make a change, when one is needed. I know they beat the Rays, 2-0, yesterday on the Aaron Judge walk-off homer and good for them. Including yesterday, however, the team has scored five runs in their last four games. That is not going to cut it. And they are still six down in the loss column to the Rays. I break it down in the video/commentary.

Never forget

In 2018 I made a trip I will remember forever, visiting Omaha Beach in Normandy. It was a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made to preserve our freedom. Never forget.

Other notes:

• Wyndham Clark certainly made a statement winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

• Wow! Closest finish ever in the Indianapolis 500.

• Mets swept by Marlins. How does Mendoza last as manager?

• There used to be a time, when opposing teams feared going into Fenway Park. Now they welcome it. The Twins just completed a three-game sweep against the Red Sox this weekend in Boston, their first sweep there since 1994. The Red Sox have played eight series at home this season and lost seven of them. SEVEN! There is a reason for that “interim” tag in front of manager Chad Tracy’s title. The question is will there be an “interim” tag in front of the replacement for baseball boss Craig Breslow, because it is not working out in Beantown.

• Make that eight straight losses for the Cubs. They are crashing faster than the 1929 stock market.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber!

DAN

The critics are out there saying the New York Giants made the wrong move giving GM Joe Schoen a contract extension. I disagree and explain why in my video/podcast commentary.

Here are some other thoughts on this Saturday of Memorial Day weekend:

• I love these so called influencers. One of them, a huge NY Mets cheerleader, is out there posting on social media, “The Mets should contact the Astros about catcher Christian Vasquez.” With injuries, the Mets have catching issues. My question to the influencer would be, “How do you know the Mets haven’t contacted the Astros about Vasquez?” If you have been around baseball executives - and I have - they are wedded to their phones. They are almost always on them. “The Mets should?” I guarantee you the Mets already have.

• The 2026 Yankees are right up there with the 1967 Yankees of Jake Gibbs, Dooley Womack, Horace Clarke, Dick Howser, John Kennedy, Steve Whitaker, Charley Smith and, of course, Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard, Tom Tresh and Joe Pepitone. #OTD in 1967, just as they are now, they were seven down in the loss column to the first place team. Those Yankees crashed and burned. These Yankees are hitting about the same as that crew. Their only savior? They now play under a contrived system where even a club as bad as the Red Sox are still in the thick of the playoff race. What a game!

• So how is my World Series pick of the Cubs vs. Tigers looking?

• If Jacob deGrom, with a 99-68 2.58 ERA lifetime record is a Hall of Fame candidate, as many suggest, then Ron Guidry, with a 170-91 3.29 ERA lifetime record belongs. BTW, deGrom’s winning percentage is .592, while Guidry finished with a .651 winning percentage.

• I would say Mike Elias, the head of the Baltimore Orioles baseball operations, is in big trouble. He was hired in 2019 to turn around this once glorious franchise. After early success - the Birds made the playoffs twice and won the AL East twice - the team has been a flop. His firing of manager Brandon Hyde a year ago failed to spark the franchise, and they are currently in last place under new manager Craig Albernaz. At some point it comes down to the head honcho and that’s Elias, who has failed to bring the magic to Baltimore that he brought to Houston.

• The Chicago Bears have ruled out building a new stadium near Soldier Field. The team announced yesterday that they will build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, IL or northwest Indiana. Stay tuned.

• Which leads me to the governor of New Jersey, who said this week she wants to convince the Brooklyn Nets to move back to New Jersey. The author of the story stated New Jersey currently has only one major league sports team, the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. I could be wrong, but the last time I checked both the NFL’s Giants and Jets were based in New Jersey. Just sayin.’

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Please don’t wish someone a happy Memorial Day. It is a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our country. Never forget. Thank you for reading and being a subscriber.

DAN

Shocked to hear of the passing of NASCAR racer Kyle Busch. Eleven days ago the two-time Cup Series champion complained of sinus issues, while competing at Watkins G…

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The NFL is not backing off on putting more games on streaming platforms. There is a way the move can be countered. I explain how in the video and audio podcast.

Here is some of what I miss in sports:

• I miss managers bringing up the lineup cards to home plate before the game

• I miss organ-only music at baseball games

• I miss uncluttered TV screens, while watching sporting events

• I miss Pat Summerall and John Madden

• I miss the NFL Giants being a given on Sunday afternoon TV

• I miss the NBA season ending by Memorial Day

• I miss Tiger Woods being in the center of the action

• I definitely miss $4.50 box seats and 50 cent hot dogs

• I miss Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer calling Yankees games

• I miss Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner calling Mets games

• I miss Kiner’s Korner

• I miss Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek on the NBC Game of the Week

• I miss tuning to 1090 WBAL and listening to Chuck Thompson and Bill O’Donnell calling Orioles baseball

• I miss tuning to KDKA late at night and hearing Bob Prince calling Pirates games

• I miss Eddie Layton playing the organ at the old Yankee Stadium

• I miss Jane Jarvis playing the organ at Shea Stadium

• I miss the 10-team American League and the 10-team National League

• I miss afternoon World Series games

• I miss Harry Carey

• I miss the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon

• I miss Jack Whitaker’s golf commentaries

• I miss iconic public address announcers like Bob Sheppard, Sherm Feller, Rex Barney - “Give that fan a contract” - and John Condon

• I miss reading Red Smith, Dick Young, Bill Lee, Owen Canfield and Art McGinley

• I miss the Hartford Whalers

• I miss the morning newspapers, the fresh smell of them and the box scores on the sports page

I know things change and nobody is more on board with progress and new tech than I am. How else could I have published this newsletter! But that doesn’t mean I can’t miss things too.

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter and have a terrific day!

DAN

As the New York Yankees memorialize iconic broadcaster John Sterling with a patch on the players’ uniform sleeve - Sterling died May 4 - it got me to thinking about l…

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Kudos to Chris Sale, the Atlanta Braves pitcher and 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner. I explain why this former Red Sox and White Sox pitcher deserves applause, in the video and audio podcast.

Here are some other thoughts on this Tuesday before Memorial Day:

• Among my 2026 predictions was a New York Knicks-Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Final. We are a step closer, as the Eastern Conference finals open tonight between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. OKC, defending champions, played Game 1 of the Western Conference finals last night against San Antonio.

• By the way, the NBA regular season has become so tedious, this is usually about the time I start paying attention to a league I used to follow religiously, from the first game of the regular season right through the finals. Things change, I guess.

• The Yankees are memorializing the late John Sterling with a patch they will wear on their uniform sleeve for the remainder of the season. The iconic broadcaster, who retired after the 2024 season, died on May 4, two months shy of his 88th birthday.

• I’m guessing the World Cup is a big deal, no? My neighbor, a native of Bosnia, already has his supersized TV aligned with his patio and swimming pool. I told him I’ll bring the refreshments.

• AI can be good and it can put people out of work. Let’s just say, if I am a sports designer, I am very concerned right now. Some of the art being generated by AI is off the charts. The website Front Office Sports ran an AI-generated piece of Caitlin Clark that was remarkable, and it has sports designers very concerned.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Have a terrific Tuesday and thank you for being a subscriber!

DAN

It is not a stretch to say I have broadcast and watched thousands of baseball games at all levels, but never have I broadcast a professional game, where a team stag…

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I do not know where they come up with these statistics, but in this techno-driven age, everything is out there. And so it is the Los Angeles Dodgers lost for a seco…

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It is a busy week in sports coming up. So why is the NFL the dominant subject? I break it down in the above video/podcast.

Here’s my five cents worth on some other subjects:

• The Athletic has a superb story about the splitter, the pitch of the 1980s that is making a comeback. The piece - behind a paywall - also explains why very few left handed pitchers throw the splitter. I can speak from first hand experience that more pitchers in the minor leagues are now throwing the splitter. Who can blame them? It is a nasty pitch that baffles the hitter, as the pitch dives at the last instant, just as it reaches the plate.

• The Preakness Stakes will be this Saturday, and as previously announced, Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not compete. There has been talk the Preakness should be held three weeks after the Derby and not two. This is a good idea. More and more, Kentucky Derby winners are not racing in the Preakness because it is so soon after the Derby. I’m in favor of a three-week interval to increase the chances of having a Triple Crown winner. Here’s hoping it happens.

• There was always the prevailing thought one of the reasons Joe Girardi was let go as Yankees manager after the 2017 season, was he looked as if he was about to have a root canal, when dealing with the media. That is a no-no in media-centric New York. So why is he so good as an analyst on Yankees telecasts? It amazes me the number of athletes, managers, etc. - Yes, Michael Strahan, I’m looking at you too - who want nothing to do with the media, until they come over to the other side and collect big money as members of the media. It’s the world in which we live, I guess.

• It would not surprise me if the New York Yankees engineer a trade for a closer and a catcher. David Begnar is not the answer, when the game is on the line, and defensively, catcher Austin Wells is suspect, while his offense has disappeared faster than someone avoiding a bill collector.

• It’s not hyperbole to say this week’s four-game series in Los Angeles between the rival Giants and Dodgers is huge for San Francisco. If the Dodgers sweep or take three-of-four, the Giants could blow the entire thing up early and start trading away what stars they have. Stay tuned.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. I have a week of baseball broadcasts coming up, so I may not be as consistant with the newsletter this week. I will try to pump out as much content as time permits. Thank you for your understanding and for being a subscriber!

DAN