Given up for dead last month, 14 games under .500, the Boston Red Sox have pulled off a miracle with a franchise-tying, 15-game winning streak that vaulted them from last to playoff contention. But could the Red Sox have aspirations beyond a wild card berth? I think so and break it down in the commentary.

Here are some other thoughts for the last Tuesday in July:

• Year two was supposed to be better for the University of North Carolina football program, after Bill Belichick turned out to be a flop as head coach of the football team in year one. Then the news broke yesterday about Belichick’s longtime aide-de-camp, Michael Lombardi. The general manager of the UNC football program has been placed on paid administrative leave. No one is talking on the record, but The Athletic is claiming three people off the record claim the leave is the result of a human resources complaint. The story also notes UNC may also be the subject of an investigation by The College Sports Commission. Stay tuned!

• The New York Giants are apparently sparing no expense to return to their glory days. First they hired John Harbaugh as their next head coach. Now the team is revealing plans for a major upgrade to their workout center. Check out these renderings:

• The Giants open full training camp today.

• It did not work for Dartmouth but that does not mean you do not try again. Word is Stamford University players are prepared to launch a battle to become unionized. This could get interesting.

• The Yankees are in big trouble, unless they can pull off a major trade to bolster their sagging offense. Manager Aaron Boone has revealed that outfielder Cody Bellinger will be out at least four to six weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Figure eight weeks. The regular season ends two months from yesterday.

That is it for today’s newsletter. I may not have as many newsletters this week, with a busy schedule of Hartford Yard Goats games, but I will try to pump some out. Thank you for your understanding and for subscribing. Have a terrific Tuesday.

DAN

Fear not for former UConn Athletic Director Warde Manuel, who has been pushed out as Michigan AD. He will be able to afford that beachfront house.

The chaos surrounding the Michigan football program the last two years has led to his impending departure - He will leave at the end of this year - even though the basketball team won the men’s national championship. At Michigan as at most big time universities, football is king.

Anyway, according to Front Office Sports, here is Manuel’s separation deal:

• Within 21 days of his departure he receives a one lump-payment of $7M

• He receives $108K in retirement funds

• He gets access to AD benefits like sports tickets

• Michigan will pay his attorneys fees, which amounts to roughly $82K

In the end Manuel was forced out of his job, but remember he is a Michigan alum and the Wolverines take care of their own. A beachfront house is looking mighty nice right about now.

Tom Moore departs UConn

Tom Moore is resigning as general manager of the UConn men’s basketball team. Moore has been associated with the program for 21 years, interrupted for 10 years, when he coached the Quinnipiac men’s basketball program.

Moore is leaving because the job is becoming too much. He told David Borges of Hearst Media Connecticut, UConn had just lost the national championship game to Michigan this spring and there was no time to decompress. On the plane ride back from the title game, he was already consumed with recruiting a team for next season. After the plane trip home came 35 days of meetings to complete the building of the team.

Mind you, Moore was not criticizing coach Dan Hurley. This was more about the current, Division I college basketball environment. What with NIL, players getting paid, etc., the season never ends. Moore has had it with the rat race.

Like it or not the collegiate sports culture has changed and Moore has had enough. We wish him well.

Schaefer is still the one

I walk every morning without fail. It’s the best healthcare plan in the world. By 6:50 I am usually out the door for my mile-and-a-half walk. I’m back home in 26 minutes. I never leave the house without my iPhone and Air Pods. Others might walk and listen to podcasts, books or music. I listen to old baseball broadcasts readily available on You Tube.

Recently I have been plugged into listening to games of the 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers, of which there are many on YT. How did the broadcasters handle that last season? The New York Giants made no secret they were heading to San Francisco at the end of the season. Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley was coy. He admitted Los Angeles was wooing his franchise, but there was talk the Dodgers might hold out for a new stadium in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, Dodgers broadcasters Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett and Al Helfer made no mention of this being potentially the last season for the Dodgers at Ebbets Field. They broadcast the games, promoted upcoming events at Ebbets Field and Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City - where the Dodgers played seven home games - and hawked the sponsors.

Baseball on the radio then was much different than today. In 2026 - especially if you listen to the New York Yankees radio broadcasts - there are so many advertisers I do not know how they get a ROI. Ask me who sponsors the Yankees games and I will fail the test. Ask me who sponsored Yankees games on radio in the 1950s, 60s and 70s I can give you the sponsors and sing their jingles.

And in the case of the Brooklyn Dodgers, their advertisers are still getting a return on their investment, at least from me. The Dodgers had two sponsors on radio: Lucky Strike cigarettes and Schaefer Beer. Hell will freeze over before you get me to smoke a cigarette, but 70 years later, the way Scully, Doggett and Helfer pushed Schaefer Beer on their broadcasts, it got me to wondering, do they still brew Schaefer? The answer is a resounding, “Yes.” “Schaefer is the one beer to have, when you’re having more than one.” Although I stick to one.

Times have changed, of course. Schaefer is no longer brewed in Brooklyn, which made them a natural fit for the Dodgers. Pabst Brewing Co., makers of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, now brews Schaefer, a lager beer, which they claim uses the same recipe as back in the Dodgers Brooklyn days.

So thanks to Vin, Jerry and Al, I went out and bought some Schaefer Beer last week. The only problem is, you cannot buy it in those cool six-packs Scully was advertising. At my package store it was a 30-can case or nothing. Hey, at less than a dollar per can, how could you go wrong? So I bought the case. I might be drinking Schaefer until next baseball season but so what.

It may not be the exotic, microbrewery beers of today, but I enjoyed it. And why not? If Vin Scully told me it had a quality taste, who am I to quibble with the greatest baseball broadcaster ever.

So next time you’re at the store, “be sure to pick up some Schaefer Beer.” Meanwhile, if you are reading this early in the morning, I am probably on my walk. When I return I will have a good cup of coffee. In the meantime, I have another Dodgers game to listen to, wondering if they can make it two in a row, after a game-winning home run by Gil Hodges - They did not call them walk-off homers back then - to beat the Milwaukee Braves in a Sunday afternoon contest at Ebbets Field.

Have a splendid Sunday and thank you for subscribing to the newsletter!

DAN

The long wait is over. NBA commissioner Adam Silver can now proceed with the rest of his league’s business, now that free agent LeBron James has committed to the Philadelphia 76ers. (Silver acknowledged some of the NBA’s business plans were on hold, until James decided on his next team.)

What will the addition of James mean to an already solid Philadelphia roster and how will it impact the league, especially the defending champion New York Knicks? I break it down in the commentary.

Here are some other thoughts on this last Saturday in July:

• Tough news about Tony Romo, the top NFL analyst on CBS. The former Cowboys QB was arrested in Milwaukee for OWI (Operating while under the influence.) The arrest reportedly occurred, after Romo finished a round of golf. CBS is not commenting on the apprehension.

• Soon there will be no more home playoff games played in cold weather for the Kansas City Chiefs. The team released renderings of its new stadium, which will be built across the state line in Kansas. The structure has a translucent dome.

• I miss the old stadium already and the Chiefs will play there through the 2030 season.

• Super Bowl LXI will be played on Feb. 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. ABC is already plugging the game. But what about the following season? Where and on which date will Super Bowl LXII be played? Here you go:

• The more you watch Justin Crawford play for the Philadelphia Phillies, the more he looks like his dad Carl Crawford.

• How can an NFL team go from making an $83.8M profit in 2024 to losing $1.1M in 2025? That is how the Green Bay Packers financial statement reads. And the Packers lost money after producing a franchise-record $753.3M in total revenue. The loss is being blamed on the restructuring of several players contracts. By the way, the Packers are the only publicly-owned team in the league.

• For the record, the NFL generated nearly $14.5B in revenue in 2025.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for subscribing!

DAN

Forty-eight years ago today, Billy Martin resigned as manager of the New York Yankees. This was long before anyone thought there would be a Billy II, Billy III, well you get the idea.

Martin was enjoying the most successful run of his managerial career, winning consecutive pennants and a World Series with the Yankees. But he and Reggie Jackson were feuding. In fact, their feud never stopped, beginning when Jackson joined the Yankees as a free agent in 1977.

There had been moments, when one thought the feud had reached its nadir. In June of 1977, in a national televised game from Fenway Park, Martin pulled Jackson from right field in the middle of the game, for what he thought was a lack of hustle on Jackson’s part. The two nearly came to blows in the Yankees third base dugout, with coaches Yogi Berra and Elston Howard intervening to prevent a scene uglier than Jackson being yanked from the game.

More than a year later, the two were at loggerheads again, when Jackson ignored a bunt sign Martin had put on in the ninth inning of a game against Kansas City. Then he took the bunt sign off and Jackson attempted to bunt. The entire episode became unhinged, with Martin finally winning out, getting Jackson suspended for five games with owner George Steinbrenner’s okay.

With Jackson out for five days, the Yankees, reeling in the AL East Division race behind the first place Red Sox, won five straight, including the final game in Chicago on July 23, when Jackson’s suspension ended. Martin did not have Jackson in the lineup that day, but the Bomber beat the White Sox, 3-1 and were getting back into the divisional race.

The Yankees were heading to Kansas City, after their successful sweep of the White Sox, but a long wait at O’Hare Airport coupled with a nearby bar, made for a combustable cocktail for the combatant Martin. When queried by beat writers Murray Chass of the New York Times and Henry Hecht of the New York Post about critical comments Jackson made upon his return, the well-lubricated Martin called Jackson a liar and Steinbrenner a convicted one. (Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball for two years, after making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon’s campaign in 1972.) Martin’s exact words were, “One is a born liar, the other convicted.” Martin insisted the reporters quote him word-for-word. They did.

It did not take long for Martin’s quotes to get back to Steinbrenner, and the wheels were put in motion between Martin’s agent and Steinbrenner’s people to bid Billy adieu. If he did not resign, he was going to be fired. Martin resigned, giving an emotional news conference in the Kansas City hotel where the Yankees were staying. Yankees broadcaster and ex-teammate Phil Rizzuto was along side him to offer comfort.

It would be enough, if the story ended there, but it did not. Martin’s firing was a public relations disaster and Steinbrenner, sensitive to fan criticism, knew it. Five days later it was announced on Old Timer’s Day, that Martin would return as Yankees manager in 1980. Meanwhile, under Martin’s replacement Bob Lemon, the Yankees caught fire and not only overtook the Red Sox but finished off the Dodgers to win their second straight World Series.

Lemon, who was slated to manage the team in 1979, made it until June, when he was fired and Martin brought back early. But he never got the chance to manage the Yankees in 1980. He got into a fight with a salesman in a Minnesota bar, leading to his firing yet again by Steinbrenner. But Martin would return to manage the Yankees again in 1983, 1985 and 1988.

Yankees fans of today, many of whom were born long after Martin died tragically in an automobile accident outside his home on Christmas Day 1989, pang for the return of George Steinbrenner’s leadership. Having lived through it, I can attest it was more chaotic than romantic, no matter how today’s history books twist the narrative.

Here are some other Friday thoughts:

• Yankees-Dodgers snagged Sunday Night Baseball on NBC its second highest rating of the season with 3.9M viewing the game on the network’s platforms. Only Yankees-Red Sox did better earlier this season at 4M.

• The cash-cow called the NFL continues to produce. Numbers in for the 2025 season show revenue from television media rights, league sponsorships, royalties, etc. delivered $450M to each of the league’s 32 teams. And remember, unlike baseball, the NFL has a salary cap.

• Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is part of an investment group that is buying into the Sacramento-Las Vegas Athletics. Look for this trend to continue. With sports franchises generating mucho revenue - See the above note on the NFL - more investment groups are plowing their dough into big league franchises without purchasing a majority stake, because the ROI is profitable.

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

DAN

I believe the revitalized Boston Red Sox have forced their hated-rivals, the New York Yankees, into taking an aggressive approach, as the trade deadline looms. I explain it all in the video/audio commentary.

Here are some other thoughts on a midsummer Thursday:

• I am guessing MLB never anticipated the clock controversy that has exploded around the Jose Caballero pitch-clock deal. As I have had it explained to me, a hitter has to be engaged with the pitcher by the nine-second mark of the pitch-clock countdown, but if a hitter steps into the box before that nine-second mark, he has to be ready to hit. To play the pitch clock by stepping into the box and waiting for the clock to hit the nine-second mark is not permitted. Once you step in the box, you have to be ready to hit.

• Next month - August 13 - will mark 31 years since Mickey Mantle died. The 500th career home run by Mantle was a big deal. The actual WPIX-TV broadcast of that homer is available on You Tube, but I came across this video on You Tube by a family who was at the game on this historic day. So many things to dissect here. The vantage point from the upper deck is one I occupied at the old and real Yankee Stadium numerous times. Also note in the video the Yankees taking infield practice. I used to love to watch infield practice. Then there were the starting pitchers, warming up before the game near the batter’s box, not in the bullpen. That’s the way it should be now. Finally, note Yankees manager Ralph Houk - can the Yankees retire his No. 35 uniform number please? - shuffling the pebbles on the top dugout step, a habit of is, even before the Yankees take the field. Finally, the Mantle home run from a different angle. Enjoy the video:

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

DAN

NFL training camps open for two teams today. I break it down in the latest commentary.

Some other thoughts on a Wednesday in July:

• Jon Heyman of the NY Post is reporting the Mets are not willing to eat any contracts in any trades. In other words, if they propose a trade for a Francisco Lindor and his excessive contract, the team acquiring said player would have to pick up what’s left of the contract. The Mets and their multibillionaire owner would not kick any dough to lessen the financial blow. Good luck with making any trades.

• Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina attracted 63M viewers in the U.S. between Fox and Telemundo. Those are NFL playoff viewership numbers.

• Tough day at ESPN. Among the high profile layoffs:

Karl Ravech was let go, after broadcasting Monday night’s Dodgers-Phillies game. Really? You could not have at least permit him to finish the season? ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro can paint any picture he wants but the reality is this looks bad from a PR standpoint, simple as that.

• If the NFL players want to play on natural turf then give them natural turf.

• MLBPA just rejected the owners proposal for the amateur draft, countering with their own plan. These two sides are so apart on so many issues, I’m thinking it may be a long, cold winter on the baseball labor front. I hope I’m dead wrong.

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

DAN

MLB’s trade deadline is Aug. 3 at 6:00 PM ET and the clickbait stories have started. I break it all down in the above commentary.

Here are some other thoughts as we enter the latter third of July:

• The Red Sox have gone from being in the conversation to being the conversation. Make that 14 wins in a row, after last night’s 6-5 win over the Orioles. They would tie the franchise record with a win tonight.

• I say it’s 50-50 Anthony Volpe is still with the Yankees after the trade deadline. The media makes a big deal how the Yankees do not like to trade a number one draft choice - Volpe was a first round pick in 2019 - because it’s an admission of failure. The reality is most clubs are hesitant to trade a player who was their first round pick. The fact Volpe is no longer an everyday player at the age of 25 is itself an admission it has not worked out. If Volpe is not going to play everyday in pinstripes, he needs to go, and I say it’s 50-50 he does.

• More layoffs at ESPN. The all-sports network is cutting ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark. He was actually given the pink slip while on “NFL Live” yesterday. Clark learned of his dismissal during the program and was not allowed to finish the show. It’s a cruel business. More layoffs are expected today at the Bristol, CT-based network, speaking of cruel businesses.

• As expected former UConn AD Warde Manuel is out as AD at his alma mater Michigan, following a football season that ended in chaos, a no-no at Michigan. He will depart at the end of the calendar year.

• USA Today baseball writer Bob Nightengale is reporting Carlos Beltran is the New York Mets choice to be their next manager. Carlos Mendoza was fired last month and Andy Green hired on an interim basis. Beltran even told The Athletic the Mets wanted to hire him right after Mendoza was dismissed, but he turned them down, because of the hectic summer he is facing. Beltran will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this weekend. Remember all this, by the way, when Beltran does not get the job. Loose lips usually sink ships.

• Also remember Beltran was hired to manage the Mets once before but was then fired before he could even go to spring training, because of his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

• Yesterday Hall of Famer Tony Oliva turned 88. I give you the inside-the-park home run he hit against the Yankees on July 4, 1964 at Yankee Stadium with the “Voice of the Yankees,” Mel Allen on the call.

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

DAN

What a finish to the World Cup. In extra time Spain dethroned Argentina with a thrilling, 1-0 win in the Meadowlands. I get that soccer is an acquired taste, although it might be the world’s favorite sport, but aren’t all sports an acquired taste?

Anyway, Spain did a superb job of dominating the game. It was remarkable to me that the score was 0-0 going into extra time, when you consider Argentina did not even have a shot on goal. In the end, however, Lionel Messi was denied another World Cup and Spain emerged victorious.

To me, it is understandable why soccer or fútbol has worldwide attention. It is an easy sport to follow and although the game’s intricacies may be unknown to the uninitiated, i.e. defensive schematics, etc., it is still a fun game to watch. The physicality involved is itself intriguing. So kudos to Spain and Argentina for putting on quite a show and to the United States for serving as masterful hosts.

How about those Red Sox and Orioles

No one, absolutely no one, had the Red Sox winning 13 straight. And if you did I do not believe you. Are they for real? The team that was 14 games under .500 just three weeks ago, has not only won 13 consecutive games, but has gone 18-2 over its last 20. It all started with a four-game sweep of the hated Yankees. Since then, Boston has lost only two games, both to the Washington Nationals.

The season of discontent has turned into the summer of content for the Red Sox and their fans. It may be time to remove the interim tag from manager Chad Tracy.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles are back in the playoff hunt too, riding a seven-game winning streak into Boston. The Red Sox currently occupy one of the three wild card spots but the Birds are just two games behind them. The two clubs square off in a big three-game series at Fenway Park, starting tonight.

This is what makes baseball’s season fun. Last month, both the Red Sox and Orioles were given up for dead. Now they are playing an important series in late July. Gotta love it!

This is tough news

This sucks. There is no other way to put it. Duane Ward. Dead! At the age of 62. Ward was in Toronto over the weekend to be part of the Blue Jays celebration of winning back-to-back World Series in 1992-93. He was an integral part of Toronto’s bullpen both those seasons. Ward attended a gathering with his former teammates Friday night, that spilled into Saturday morning. When he did not show for the pregame ceremonies Saturday afternoon, people became concerned. He died of natural causes.

Former teammate Todd Stottlemyre posted this tribute on Facebook:

Duane Ward was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. We were together with the 1986 Richmond Braves, Atlanta’s top farm club, when I broadcast the games with the “Voice of the Braves,” Bob Black. He always had a smile and was always willing to give an interview for the pre or postgame show. Just a great guy. My heart aches. Life is too short. May he R.I.P.

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

DAN

Major League Baseball released its schedule for the 2027 season and it set off jokes on social media, considering the potential work stoppage the game faces after 2026. I break it down in the commentary, including why the schedule of regular season games should be reduced.

Other thoughts…

• Here is a look at how MLB wanted to expand the regular season to 168 games for the 1947 season:

• I’m sorry, but every time I see Gerrit Cole pitching against the LA Dodgers, I think of his and the Yankees meltdown in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.

• And while we are at it, every time I see Mookie Betts playing for the Dodgers, I wonder what were the Red Sox thinking?

• Be advised, as much as the rumors on potential MLB trades before the Aug. 3 deadline will be nothing more than clickbait, this year’s deadline will be different, due to the potential labor strife. Service time for MLB players and other roster machinations will all be factored into how these clubs are impacted by the bottom line.

• R.I.P. Ron Hunt. I will always remember him as a Met, getting hit by pitches.

• Football camps are open.

• To be truthful, I would much rather see a Yankees-Dodgers World Series than a regular season matchup, but Yankee Stadium is packed to the rafters and that is why MLB has interleague play. And once they settle this labor deal, expect the addition of two more clubs and a major reorganization of the leagues.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Enjoy your weekend and thank you for subscribing!

DAN

The word that the New York Yankees could be receiving a cash infusion of up to $3B from Apollo Global Management is a big deal in many ways. I break it down in the commentary.

Here is the link mentioned in the commentary.

Here are some other thoughts on this mid-July Friday:

• Are the Red Sox for real? Once given up for dead, buried in both the divisional and wild card race, 14 games under .500, Boston ended the break leading up to the All-Star game with a nine-game winning streak. All the victories came on the road. Suddenly the Red Sox are two games under (46-48) and a 1/2 game out of a wild card spot. Now they open a four-game series against Tampa Bay, starting with a day-night doubleheader today at Fenway. Will the Olde Towne team’s good fortune last? Remember, they fattened up against two of the worst teams in baseball, beating up on the Angels and Mets, and caught a White Sox club due to go into a slump. I still do not believe Boston’s everyday lineup can do the job over the remaining 68 games. We are about to find out.

• On this date in 1957, the owner of the New York Giants, Horace Stoneham, told a congressional committee examining MLB’s antitrust exemption sport’s worst kept secret - the Giants were leaving New York after the season. It did not matter if the Dodgers chose to follow them to California or stay in Brooklyn, the Giants were more than likely moving to San Francisco, although no deal had been made with that city.

• Stoneham, known for his large consumption of alcohol, made several points that were right on the money. He said the Giants had lost their fanbase to the suburbs; stated there was not enough parking for those fans at the Polo Grounds and that New York could not support three big league clubs. When asked if the Giants would stay if a new stadium was built in Queens - eventually Shea Stadium was constructed there for the Mets - Stoneham repeated his claim the city could not support three teams. He also stated San Francisco promised him the infrastructure was in place for pay-tv. Fans would have to pay 50 cents per game to watch the Giants on the tube. He said the infrastructure for pay-tv in New York would not be available for another 10 or 15 years.

• Turns out the pay-tv apparatus was not in place for the SF Giants either, but he was right about New York, as games of the Yankees and Mets did not make it to cable until the 1970s. As for the Giants succeeding on the west coast, after a strong start, the franchise struggled there too, mostly because of Candlestick Park, built in the wrong location. Remember, the franchise almost moved twice, once to Toronto and once to St. Petersburg, FL. In the end the Giants did figure it out with the right ownership, a downtown ballpark as good as any in baseball and three World Series titles. The team is floundering again, but attendance is holding up with games regularly drawing more than 30,000 fans. And to think the boom was lowered 69 years ago today, when Stoneham delivered the sad news to New York fans via a congressional hearing.

• MLB’s All-Star game Tuesday night had its highest ratings since 2018. Some are crediting the World Cup on Fox for the boost of 22% from last year. Fox Sports stated 8.79M viewers tuned to the telecast.

• How big is the Super Bowl? ABC has the next one, Super Bowl LXI. The game is not until February 2027, but the network is already hyping it, running promos it will have the telecast. It’s never too soon, I guess.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter! Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful weekend!

DAN

I will admit it. I am not the biggest soccer fan in the world, although I have covered and watched my share of high school soccer matches over the years. That said, that was some comeback victory for Argentina over England, 2-1, in the World Cup semifinals yesterday.

From this naked eye, it appeared England was content to protect a 1-0 lead in the closing minutes, staying back on defense rather than being aggressive. I get having to hold your team back to defend against goals being scored, but playing the last quarter of the game mostly in your zone, rather than forcing the action onto the Argentinian side to me was a mistake. In the end, England paid the ultimate price and lost, 2-1.

So it will be Spain vs. Argentina for all the marbles Sunday afternoon at 3 EDT at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Expect record television ratings.

Some other thoughts as July meanders along:

• Among my predictions at the start of the 2026 season was it would not surprise me, if the New York Yankees sold a portion of the franchise or the entire team. Well, Sportico is reporting that the Yankees and Apollo Global Management are in talks for Apollo to invest between $2 and $3 billion into the team and its related businesses. That’s some serious coin. Neither the Yankees nor Apollo would comment on the story.

• TV ratings for the World Cup have been through the roof for Fox. No wonder Amazon Prime wants in on the next World Cup. Look for a bidding war to secure the 2030 games to be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. It will be the 100th anniversary of the games, meaning the first three matches will actually be played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

• I cannot tell you the number of professional baseball players who love and follow soccer. Throughout the World Cup, every time I arrived at the ballpark to broadcast a Hartford Yard Goats game - usually 3 1/2 to four hours before first pitch - baseball players from both teams would be out on the field kicking around a soccer ball. And when the Yard Goats took batting practice the visiting club would be sequestered in right field doing - you guessed it - kicking around a soccer ball. Many baseball players, by the way, come from countries where soccer is the most popular sport or a pretty close second.

• You think you were inundated with NFL news before? Get ready for non-stop coverage from now until after the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers open rookie camp tomorrow.

• Kudos to Cody Bellinger of the New York Yankees for winning the All-Star MVP award, following the American League’s 4-0 win over the National League on Tuesday night. I thought this post was interesting:

• As you read this, golf’s final major of the season is underway, the British Open. This year’s Open is being played at historic Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, located on the Irish Sea coast. As you read this the tournament’s first round has started. Scottie Scheffler, the defending champ, teed off at 4:58 a.m. ET, meaning you can have breakfast with Scottie. My golf picks this year have been a disaster. That’s okay. Let’s have some fun anyway. My pick is Matt Fitzpatrick to win the tournament. Enjoy!

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

DAN

MLB is in its All-Star game break. The home run derby was held last night and the All-Star game is tonight. It’s a perfect time for me to delve into some baseball history.

On this date in 1955, seven National League owners awakened feeling good about things, after making an eighth NL owner happy. (Baseball’s American and National Leagues each were made up of eight teams, a far cry from today.) Little did the seven who voted on the eighth owner’s request, realize the seeds had been sown for a dramatic change in the National Pastime.

The day before, July 13, 1955, the owners approved Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley’s request to play seven Dodgers home games at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ. Each team would play a night game there during the 1956 and ‘57 seasons. The announcement of the Dodgers moving seven home games each season would not be made until the following month.

O’Malley was done with the Dodgers home park at Ebbets Field. The building was falling apart, the neighborhood in which it was located was also decaying and Dodgers fans were fleeing to the suburbs. Roosevelt Stadium would have parking for 15,000 automobiles. Ebbets Field had room for 700.

O’Malley also made it clear the Dodgers were done with Ebbets Field, after the 1957 season. His deal with Jersey City officials was a two-year lease, with the proviso the Dodgers would play all of their home games there in 1958, if their new ballpark in Brooklyn was not completed.

The Dodgers announcement caught the attention of New York City and state officials and soon a stadium commission was formed to take a closer look at O’Malley’s plan for a new ballpark at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues - coincidentally the sight of the current arena that is home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.

But city and borough officials dragged their feet, never believing O’Malley would actually move the Dodgers out of Brooklyn. To his credit, despite those in the media who to this day paint O’Malley as the villain, the Dodgers owner did try to keep the franchise in Brooklyn. Why wouldn’t he? He lived there; worked there.

Attendance was dwindling at Ebbets Field. O’Malley needed to act and act fast. Listen to the Brooklyn Dodgers radio broadcasts from that season - and they are readily available on You Tube - and broadcasters Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett and Al Helfer repeatedly talked attendance figures. In one broadcast, July 28, 1957, with Brooklyn at Cincinnati, Scully talked about the big crowds for the three-game series against the “Redlegs” and how the Dodgers would go over the one million mark in road attendance, during the current road trip. The suggestion, of course, was why weren’t the Dodgers fans turning out at Ebbets Field?

In the end the Dodgers never did play all of their home games at Roosevelt Stadium in 1958. The politicians kept dragging their feet, believing O’Malley would never move his team out of Brooklyn. They even believed O’Malley, when he told a congressional hearing about baseball’s antitrust exemption in 1956, that the “Dodgers were not leaving Brooklyn.”

But leave they did, and the seeds of their departure were sown 71 years ago, when O’Malley’s fellow owners granted him permission to take that first step.

Semien goes yard

It has been a long season for the New York Mets. This was the year they were supposed to overcome last year’s collapse and return to the playoffs. Instead, the Mets are 40-57, the most games they have been below .500 at the All-Star break since 1995. The additions of Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox and three-time All-Star Marcus Semien from the Rangers were designed to boost the lineup. Instead both have been injured; Robert Jr. with a herniated disk and Semien with a hip flexor.

On Sunday, both players were on a rehab assignment with the Mets AA affiliate Binghamton, playing against the Hartford Yard Goats. Robert Jr. had two hits in four trips with an RBI and Semien went 2-for-3, including this three-run homer:

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Enjoy the All-Star game and have a terrific Tuesday!

DAN

MLB is into its All-Star break, including tonight’s home run derby. Since MLB took over complete operation of the minor leagues, a split season has been instituted at all levels of the minors. Some have suggested MLB should adopt the same format, but as I explain in the video/audio commentary, in reality a split season already exists.

Here are some other thoughts on this second Monday in July:

• Kudos to Boston Globe baseball writer Peter Abraham, unearthing a statistic that demonstrates how much MLB has changed. Abraham wrote that in his 19-year career, Ted Williams faced 447 different pitchers. Washington Nationals up-and-coming star James Wood, who broke in two seasons ago, has already faced 468 different pitchers. Yes, the game has changed.

• It used to be a badge of honor for pitchers in the old days to throw a complete game (Nine innings for those who do not know.) Now they are doing jumping jacks if a pitcher throws five innings. A quality start is considered a pitcher allowing three or less runs over six innings. Six innings and three runs computes to a 4.50 ERA, which is nothing to brag about.

• And do not get me going on the number of pitches these hurlers throw, another reason many of them are yanked after the fifth inning. More and more the pitch counts are exceeding 80 pitches after five innings, which is not only unacceptable but why pitchers are always getting hurt and requiring Tommy John surgery. These days it’s news if a pitcher hasn’t had TJ surgery.

• Reports indicate Tigers ace Tarik Skubal does not want to be traded and would prefer to remain with the team through the remainder of the season. Skubal is in his walk year. He reportedly has told friends he believes the Tigers have a legitimate shot at winning the World Series. Since June 1 Detroit, which got off to an abysmal start, has been one of the game’s hottest clubs, along with the Miami Marlins. The Tigers were my pick to win it all and I am not backing down now.

• Yahoo Sports is reporting Warde Manuel’s tenure as athletic director at Michigan is hanging in the balance because of the scandal, involving head coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired in December. Moore was dismissed for an “inappropriate relationship” with a female staffer. Manuel left as UConn AD to take the Michigan job - his alma mater - in 2016. His latest contract runs through 2030. Michigan’s Regents meet this Thursday with Manuel’s job reportedly on the agenda, now that an investigation into the Moore saga has been completed. Manuel’s contract does have a buyout clause. I am surprised Manuel has lasted this long, since the scandal broke. Perhaps what saved him was Michigan winning the men’s basketball national championship, but now the Spartans have lost hoops coach Dusty May to the Dallas Mavericks.

• Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler becoming the latest player to bow out of playing in the All-Star game is another example why the game itself is outdated. For that matter, All-Star games in all sports are outdated for fear stars, who are paid megabucks, might get injured.

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

DAN

When the red-hot Boston Red Sox were delayed from leaving Chicago, following Thursday afternoon’s victory, no one thought their plane would depart until the follo…

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While an interesting MLB season is unfolding, labor strife looms ahead for the National Pastime, unless owners abandon their insistence that a salary cap be part of a…

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Can you imagine a team striking out 45 times in three games? A major league team? The New York Yankees accomplished the “feat” in the first three games of their crucial, four-game set at Tampa Bay. I offer some comments in the video.

Volpe denies the story

Beleaguered Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe is denying a story that he refused to play second base in the minor leagues, because of his difficulties as a big league shortstop. The story gained traction the last two days, when Yankees television voice Michael Kay, who also hosts a daily sports talkshow on ESPN-New York, stated he had it confirmed by two “reliable sources” that Volpe did not want to try a new position.

On his show yesterday Kay had to backtrack on his claim, stating other people told him the story that Volpe did not want to play second base in the minors was not true. To his credit Kay apologized to his audience.

When Volpe was hit with the story before the Yankees game last night at Tampa Bay, he stated the Yankees have never asked him to play second base. To me that is the real story. Knowing his difficulties as shortstop, how come the Yankees have not asked Volpe to try second base, particularly as it appears Jazz Chisholm will not return to the club, when he becomes a free agent after the season?

Maybe baseball Hall of Fame writer Bill Madden said it best, when he wrote the other day, the Yankees do not like to admit the mistakes they have made with their number one picks. And there have been many mistakes, for sure.

R.I.P. Phil Regan

One of the first baseball cards I ever collected was a Topps card of Phil Regan in a Detroit Tigers uniform. Regan died yesterday at the age of 89. He was a baseball lifer.

Regan was mostly a reliever for several clubs, winning 96 games and losing 81. He was nicknamed “The Vulture” by teammate Sandy Koufax, when he pitched for the Dodgers, because “he would swoop in and win a game in relief.”

Regan’s second act was even more amazing, as he coached collegiately and in the big leagues. In fact, after serving as a roving pitching instructor in the New York Mets system, Regan was named pitching coach at the age of 82 for the Mets in 2019, when Dave Eiland was dismissed early in the season. He did not let his age bother him and would throw batting practice. He said his arm was never sore.

Regan’s departure from the Mets was acrimonious. When the club let him go, he sued the Mets for age discrimmination.

Some other thoughts

• Who had Tyler Tolbert on their card for getting hits in 12 consecutive big league at bats?

• Red Sox fans may not have much to root about this season - although they are playing better as of late - but they can take delight in sending the Yankees to their demise. The Yankees are 2-11 over their last 13 games, including New York’s 3-0 loss last night at Tampa Bay. It all started with Boston’s four-game sweep of the Yankees last month at Fenway Park.

• Wondering if Fox is rooting for a White Sox-Marlins World Series?

• Leave it to the NBA to be the one league that could pull off a six-team trade.

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

DAN

I guess I missed the Zoom meeting. You know, the one where the consultant told these sports websites be sure to start your headline with “Everybody is saying the same…

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As we continue to clean up from that massive storm that swept through my neck of the woods in Connecticut, there is one MLB club in major need of a clean up - the N…

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Is there a UConn mafia? A Boston Globe sports columnist thinks so. I break it down in the above video/audio commentary.

When baseball was the attraction

On July 4, 1961, with the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees embroiled in a red-hot pennant race, with talk of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle making a run at Babe Ruth’s single season home run record, the Yankees hosted the Tigers in a doubleheader at Yankee Stadium.

How big was this 4th of July attraction? A crowd of 74,246 jammed “the big ballpark in the Bronx,” as broadcaster Red Barber used to describe it. You read that correctly: 74,246. The Yankees outdrew the entire National League that day.

There were no giveaways; no free t-shirts to the first 18,000 fans, no bobblehead dolls. A good, old fashioned doubleheader, involving the American League’s top two clubs and stars galore on both sides, was the attraction. Dick Young wrote about the crowd in the next day’s New York Daily News:

I dare say there has not been a crowd that large to watch a baseball game without a give away since and there never will be, as today’s ballparks do not have that large a capacity. In 1961 giving away caps, balls, bats, t-shirts, etc. to fans was unheard of. Sixty-five years ago the fans turned out to watch good-old fashioned baseball.

Speaking of watching baseball…

If you plan on watching your favorite baseball team on its usual local station tomorrow, forget about it. MLB is promoting the day as “Star-Spangled Sunday.” It’s more, however, a look into how baseball will be delivered in the future, costing fans even more money.

Your local affiliate, be it the Yankees on YES, the Red Sox on NESN, the Mets on SNY, etc., will not be carrying their teams games tomorrow. Two of MLB’s 15 games will be televised on NBC. The remaining 13 will be carried by either the NBC Sports Network or its streaming service Peacock.

What all this means is, if your cable system does not carry the NBC Sports Network, you are out of luck. Of course, you can plunk down money to subscribe to Peacock, even though you are already paying money to subscribe to the regional sports networks being shutout by MLB.

MLB is attempting to put a positive spin on Sunday’s show, claiming fans will only have to seek out one entity - NBC and its streaming service Peacock- to watch their favorite teams. That’s a bunch of bullspit. The ultimate goal, once MLB settles its labor situation, is to take away as many games televised by the RSNs, and make them national so that you will continue to pay the same amount for an RSN subscription, while paying extra to watch your club on a national platform. Count me out, no matter how “Star-Spangled” Sunday may be.

What MLB is doing that I wholeheartedly endorse is combining a showing of the 1993 movie The Sandlot with an actual MLB game at select drive-in movie theaters across the country. Here’s hoping the Great Bambino goes long.

That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber and have a great 4th of July weekend!

DAN

Stunned is the word to best describe the reaction in New England to the Boston Celtics trade of forward Jaylen Brown to the division rival Philadelphia 76ers. The Boston media is in an uproar. I break it all down in the video/audio commentary.

Mickey Mantle discovered the fountain of youth 60 years ago

Sixty years ago the once, proud New York Yankees had hit rock bottom. Two years removed from their last World Series, the Yankees were floundering. After winning 10 World Series and 15 pennants in 18 seasons, the Yankees suffered through their first losing season in 40 years in 1965. But many, including Yankee management, thought it was an aberration and that the club would bounce back in 1966. They did not.

Manager Johnny Keane, who took over for the fired Yogi Berra in 1965, was himself dismissed, after the club got off to a 4-16 start. But the Yankees rallied under Ralph Houk, who returned to the dugout - Houk had managed the Yankees to three straight pennants and two World Championships between 1961-63, before becoming general manager - to win 14 of their next 20. Soon, however, the team resorted to its losing ways, except for one fleeting week.

Everyone knew the best years of Mickey Mantle’s career were over. Playing on two aching legs, Mantle struggled through each game. In all honesty, the Yankees were using him as a gate attraction.

Then on June 28, 1966, in a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox before 14,922 at Fenway Park - Yankees-Red Sox did not sellout back then - Mantle slugged two home runs off of Jose Santiago. They were his eighth and ninth of the season. Mantle struck again the next night at Fenway in New York’s 6-5 win over Boston in front of 14,614. He hit two more home runs, both off of ex-Yankee teammate and UConn alum Rollie Sheldon. Four home runs in two games. The baseball world was beginning to take notice.

Mantle did not homer in the final game of the series, but in Washington on July 1, he belted his fifth home run in four games and 12th of the season in the Yankees 8-6 win over the Senators. The home run came off of Phil Ortega. The next day, a Saturday, the Yankees were trounced by the Senators, 10-4, but Mantle slugged two more home runs, both off of Mike McCormick. Mantle concluded his assault the next day in New York’s 6-5, 11-inning win over Washington, with a first inning homer off of Pete Richert.

(You can listen to the July 3 game in its entirety via this link. For aficionados of baseball broadcasters, I urge you to fast forward to the seventh inning. Legendary Yankees broadcaster Red Barber called the last five innings. It is a lesson on how to broadcast a game for a poor club. The Yankees were 32-40, but without disguising the Yankees ills, Red brought as much enthusiasm and preparation to the mic, as if the pennant was hanging in the balance. I am still upset, lo these many years later, that Yankees president Michael Burke fired him - for no cause - at the end of the season.)

Mantle had slugged eight home runs in six games. He and his Yankees were once again the talk of the baseball world. Dick Young of the New York Daily News, captured the magic of the moment.

The baseball world was abuzz! Were the Yankees back? Had Mantle discovered the fountain of youth? Alas, Mantle slumped and so did the Yankees, sinking into a last place finish. For one brief shining moment, however, Mantle was once again Mantle and the Yankees were once again the Yankees, 60 years ago.

Travelers Championship a ratings hit

No one knows what will happen to the Travelers Championship, when the PGA Tour launches its revised schedule in 2028. The Travelers is a signature event, which would seem to be in the tournament’s favor, but the PGA Tour is going to do what it wants to do, and if that means adding tournaments in Boston and New York at the expense of Connecticut, it does not matter what we think.

A signature event, by the way, is a tournament where total prize money is $20M and there are no cuts after 36 holes. Of the eight signature events held so far, the Travelers had the second highest final round television viewership at 4.2M viewers last Sunday. That is a 19.3% increase from the season before. Only the RBC Heritage did better at 4.35M on CBS and that was a decrease of -0.2%.

One would think these numbers will work in the Travelers favor, but one never knows. We shall see.

That will do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a fabulous Friday!

DAN