Charlie Voelker
Islanders Shut Down Tampa Bay in Game 1
Mathew Barzal put the Islanders on the board with just over 7 minutes remaining in the 2nd period. New York’s offense looked sharp and matched the Lightning shot for shot. But it was Varlomov’s acrobatic act, save after save that was the difference in today’s game.
Don’t Sleep on the Yankees
Maybe it just took a trip to Minnesota to wake up the sleepy bats of the Bronx Bombers. Analytics haters cover your ears... the percentages are starting to play out for the Yankees hitters. Is DJ LeMahieu a .249 hitter? I don’t care what they are putting on the baseballs, DJ will be closer to .300 than .250 by the time September comes around. Giancarlo Stanton is destroying baseballs...when he is healthy enough to be in the lineup. Aaron Judge has been the consistent hitter on the team. Gio Urshela is doing everything that you would want out of Gio Urshela. So, what’s the problem?
Well, Gary Sanchez continues to be an enigma. He shows flashes of such greatness followed by “what was that???” Remember when Clint Frazier took Brett Gardner’s job? Now he’s been bumped to right field by fellow young star that fans are waiting to blossom, Miguel Andujar. Frazier is currently batting the Northway (.187, I-87 for those unfamiliar with the interstate reference). Andujar is actually starting to hit and should be fine, if the Yankees can find a position for him.
With the Yankee hitters beginning to show some life in Minnesota, GM Brian Cashman has to have an eye focusing on his stretch run pitching plans. Should New York make a trade? Right now Gerritt Cole, Domingo German, Jordan Montgomery are a solid 3 to start with.
Will 3 get the Yankees to the playoffs? Jameson Taillon has yet to prove he can be counted on. Corey Kluber has been more than you could have dreamed of, when he can get on the mound. He is not expected back until mid July at best. Luis Severino has a timetable known only to the organization but it should be sometime in late summer. Jonathan Loaisiga and Aroldis Chapman have been lights out at the back end.
Now the Yankees just need to score enough runs to get their pitching to the back end and that is beginning to happen the way tha Brian Cashman dreamt it.
Playoffs Mark Beginning of Sundown for “The Barn” as an NHL Arena
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum opened in 1972. At the time, it was a state of the art facility. Its oval design with highly sloped seats put the fans right on top of the action. The players and performers can feel the fans, not just hear them. The building is so antiquated, they have to bring in portable trailer bathrooms to accommodate the crowds. There still aren’t enough. There are no real corporate suites or club viewing areas. It’s a 1970’s arena. The Nassau Coliseum earned the nickname, “The Barn.”
“Generation K”: The Haunting of the Mets
The Mets organization has been haunted by major blows to their pitching staff for decades. Do you happen to remember “Generation K”, Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson? Probably not, because there wasn’t much to remember, at least with the Mets. All went down with injuries and did little to nothing for Mets fans ever again.