Good morning, all and happy Tuesday!
The push is on by the NFL to launch a Wednesday night football broadcast. Why? I break it down in the video/podcast and why WNF and an 18-game regular season go hand-in-hand.
Azzi Fudd first pick
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd was the first pick in last night’s WNBA draft, chosen by the Dallas Wings. It marks the second straight year Dallas has used the number one overall selection to draft a UConn player. Last year the Huskies drafted Paige Bueckers first.
Rooting for Dickie V
Dick Vitale has been an inspiration for millions, not the least of which is because he has been an open book. In recent years, the 86-year-old Vitale has battled cancer. Yesterday he released the results of his latest pet scan and how he is in another cancer-battle. ESPN also added a social media post on X.
Here is hoping for nothing but the best for this true sports icon.
You are not seeing things
Here is Garrett Crochet’s pitching line for the Red Sox in last night’s game at Minnesota:
Crochet threw 55 pitches, as the Twins essentially took batting practice against him.
How often do you see this?
The top four active home run leaders in MLB were in last night’s Yankees-Angels game at Yankee Stadium:
Clicks…clicks…clicks
We live in a media world of clicks and no more proof of this are the numerous social media posts about MLB. It’s not just the fans, either. Supposed reputable sites like The Athletic are going into a deep dive about what is wrong with New York’s MLB teams.
Chill, please. It is not even mid-May. After Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay, which completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees, New York had lost five straight after an 8-2 start. Reading these stories, you have thought it was the end of the world.
Can you imagine if social media was around in 1961? The ‘61 Yankees, reputed to be one of the best teams in MLB history, started out 17-15-1. Imagine the outrage with a team just two games above .500 20 percent through the season?
The Yankees finished 109-53-1 and beat the Cincinnati Reds in five games to capture the World Series.
The point is, quit dividing the season into 162 World Series games. A baseball season has its ups-and-downs and clubs that can identify the rhythms of a season, while pinpointing how to address a team’s particular weaknesses, will win out in the long run. In other words, ignore the click bait.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. With a busy schedule coming up with Hartford Yard Goats broadcasts, I will not be as consistent with the newsletters this week. Thank you for your understanding and support.
DAN
