Good morning, all! It’s hump day!!!
As expected, speculation is running rampant on who will be the next head coach of the New York Giants. However, as I explain in the audio podcast posted above, there is a case to be made that Brian Daboll’s interim replacement, Mike Kafka, just might be the long-term answer.
Here are some other thoughts as I realize Christmas Eve is just six weeks away:
Do these people who ask Bill Belichick about his interest in the Giants job honestly believe they are going to get an answer other than the one Belichick gave them at his news conference? For the record, Belichick told his audience he is focused on North Carolina’s next opponent: Wake Forest.
This battle between LSU and fired head coach Brian Kelly is getting more intriguing by the moment. Kelly wants his full $53M from his buyout, the second-largest buyout in college sports history. LSU is claiming Kelly was fired “for cause,” claiming that designation would avoid the school from paying the buyout. In fact, the university has filed legal paperwork with the “for cause” designation. My hunch is the two sides will settle out of court and Kelly will have to take less than the $53M.
So as more sports shift to streaming platforms, Paramount+ is announcing a price hike come January. Thought you might want to know.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman is not at the GM meetings in Las Vegas due to “something non-baseball related” that popped up at the last minute, according to the NY Post. Three of his associates are at the gathering and Cashman has been performing his baseball-related functions the way many of his relief pitchers performed theirs down the stretch: remotely.
Nico Harrison is out as Dallas Mavericks GM. His dismissal comes nine months after he traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers. That 3-8 start didn’t help either.
So now Packers coach Matt LeFleur is on the hot seat, according to The Athletic.
Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy is the NL Manager of the Year for the second straight season and Stephen Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians is the AL Manager of the Year for the second straight year. The last back-to-back MOY winner was Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash in 2020 and 2021. Murphy is the first NL manager to win it in back-to-back seasons since Atlanta’s Bobby Cox in 2004 and 2005. Terry Francona of the Reds came in a distant second. Incidentally, the well-liked Murphy and Vogt are the first managers to win MOY honors in their first two seasons as big league managers.
By the way, why does 2005 seem as if it was only yesterday?
Cy Young Award winners will be announced today and the MVP winners on Thursday.
The Kansas City Chiefs ownership still has not decided whether to undertake a massive renovation of Arrowhead Stadium or move to next door Kansas where a new, domed stadium is being proposed. Meanwhile, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe added another angle by saying it’s possible a partial dome could be constructed over Arrowhead.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and have a terrific Wednesday!
DAN
