Pandemic championships

 When Sports returned without fans, we knew things would be different.  Most every sport outside of football is in some kind of bubble and without fans or fans at a reduced capacity.  Having socially distianced sports is better than nothing but makes for some interesting made for T.V events.  When the U.S Open, tennis tournament crowned their champions we got a taste of what playing and winning a championship during a pandemic would be like.  There were no people on the grounds at the tennis center and no tunnel of sound ringing down on the eventual champion, just some staff members and coaches.  I watched a lot of this tournament and I felt that they could have done more, can someone say virtual fans projected on a cyclorama in the biggest tennis stadium in the world.  Inside Arthur Ashe stadium there were just a couple video boards that would switch between virtual fans and other messages.  When Lebron and the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship, in the Orlando bubble last month things seemed better planned out.  There were virtual fans, some teams chants and scoreboard messages so although you weren't in the teams home arenas on television this was close.  Some family was able to witness the championship, on site but they weren't staying with the players.  Baseball is hosting most of its playoffs and eventual World Series in one of two bubbles, the American League playoffs have been in Southern California and the National League and World Series have been in Texas.  MLB is still in the midst of its Championship Series and one in San Diego California is being played without fans but in Texas they have some fans and although the fans and wearing masks and are under strict covid-19 rules it feels more natural to have real people not just cardboard cutouts in the stands.  The World Series which will be played at Globe Life Park in Arlington Texas will also host fans, at a reduced capacity and will no doubt add a little something to an otherwise empty ballpark.  Having fans in seats at about 30% capacity cannot replicate a screaming capacity crowd.  After seeing spots crown champions with no fans and then virtual fans we'll see what baseball looks like, it's better than nothing which has been a theme this year.  Being in bubbles is hard on players and families, when not playing it probably feels a little like prison with having to follow all the covid-19 guidelines and then your separated from loved ones but championships are still sweet.                    

Another Yankee exit... Yankee postmortem

 Back in June we were told sports were coming back, in different formats.  In July that became reality, singling some sense of normalcy.  

The Yankees made it through Summer Camp, the strange 60 game MLB season and the Wild Card round of the playoffs with no Coronavirus cases but a very up and down season and once again an early playoff exit.  Although this team has been making postseason runs, Failing to win the World Series (in Yankee land your conditioned to believe it's World Series or bust) and reloading, that is not how it's done.  The Yankees need to find their core to build around.  Garrett Cole is proving to be a horse on the pitching staff and for nine years and $350 + million he should be.  Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela are nice players but they haven't really had that Yankee moment.  Brett Gardner is a fine player but his career is winding down.  Giancarlo Stanton is now a DH who is only healthy six weeks a year.  Aaron Judge is one of the few players you can build around but he has had injury problems as well.  Back when the Yankees were winning championships in the 90's they had the core four.  This team needs guys they can count on, on the big stage and can make a name for themselves in the postseason.  

In the offseason, might look a little different with possible money losses and Covid, the Yankees have some decisions to make.  First of all please sign DJ LeMahieu who was the AL batting champ this season.  I would bring back Gardner for another year, he still has some pop while being a good 4th or 5th outfielder.  The team needs some pitching behind Cole and the emergence of Devi Garcia.  Tanaka, Happ and Paxton are free agents, these guys can be good when they are on and healthy, you probably don't need to sign all three, i'd bring Paxton and Happ back.  Can we please trade Gary Sanchez, he came up with all this hype but despite his catching fixes he's a liability back there and I hate his new style with one knee down.  Gary as a hitter is very streaky.  They also have a option on manager Aaron Boone who I've never looked at as a multiple championship manager but he has guided us to the playoff every year since he's been here which includes this strange 2020 although in a normal year with five playoff teams in each league it might have been harder), you pick up the option and give him another shot.  This not my usual upbeat Yankee post, I was not confident in them throughout the season they enter the offseason with work to do in order to become the Yankee team we enjoy watching.  We'll see what the long cold offseason has in store.