News by Tom Barton
News by Tom Barton on South Shore Press
A Champion Arrives on Long Island
The Long Island Ducks have signed former major leaguer Jackie Bradley Jr. to a contract. Bradley was a 2018 World Series Champion and played for the Red Sox, Brewers, Blue Jays, and Royals over his 11 year career. The 2016 All Star was known for his glove and won a Rawlings Gold Glove for his efforts. Bradley is regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders of his era and those skills are what the Ducks are banking on. His bat was always more contact, rather than power, but his doubles power will make him a dual threat.
Going Streaking
The Stony Brook baseball team completed a much needed three game series sweep this weekend over the Elon Phoenix. With the win Stony Brook was able to even their record to 15-15 on the season and have now won 2 of their last 3 series.
Back to .500
The Stony Brook baseball team completed a much needed three game series sweep this weekend over the Elon Phoenix. With the win Stony Brook was able to even their record to 15-15 on the season and have now won 2 of their last 3 series.
The Final Four
In a season where the brackets were dominated by heavy favorites we find ourselves with potetntially the most dominat favorite in history. The reigning champion UConn Huskies were ranked near the top of the rankings all season long, before eventually steamrolling teams in the Big East tournament and eventually continuing that pure dominance in the big dance. UConn has had the best NCAA tournament ove rthe past 10 seasons, and many are saying this could be the best team of all time. Hurley and the Huskies grabbed the #1 overall seed and proceeded to beat 7 teams in a row by double digits, beating the spread in each game. They wont on a 30-0 run against Illinois to get here and are still the clear favorite to win it all.
Chalky Tasting Sweets
The 2024 installment of the NCAA tournament has been mostly bland. We had a few upsets early, but there are no upper seeds advancing, no last second buzzer beaters to hang our hats on and this Sweet 16 is tasting very chalky. Chalk is a term used by sports bettors when you talk about the favorites and favorites were on full display this past Saturday. Favorites went a perfect 8-0 on Saturday with all but one team covering the spread. It was a nightmare scenario for sports books, but the public ended up cheering. That favorite run didn't only start and end Saturday. In fact bookmakers have called this the most chalk filled NCAA tournament of all time.
Discount Shopping
Mere hours later the New York Giants landed defensive end Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. Burns was traded for a second round pick and a fifth round pick, a massive discount from just a year ago. Last season at this time Burns was being asked about in NFL circles and it was reported that the Panthers inept front office declined two first rounders. Now, just one year later he falls into the laps of the G-Men. Not only is Burns now part of the fold, but he can take the place of Barkley as the most talented player on the team, and he will be for some time. Not only did Burns land in New York but he quickly signed a five-year extension, worth $150 million dollars with $87.5 million guaranteed.
A Sunday For The Island
This Sunday changed all of that, setting up one heck of a game Monday night in a clash of the Island. Both Hofstra and Stony Brook walked away winners in their tournament games, setting up the #3 vs. #7 matchup. The Seawolves shocked everyone en route to their victory, not only because they were +3000 to win their own tournament, but the fashion that they won was as exciting as we have seen in a long time for island basketball. Stony Brook won their game in double OT, with contributions from their entire lineup and clutch late shots to take down #2 Drexel. Meanwhile, Hofstra had no issues defeating Delaware to advance as a 3 seed. The Pride might have been a 3 seed but even they had to feel disrespected at the +400 number that was put on them to win the tournament as well.
The Case Against Caleb
We have watched super star quarterbacks push to not be drafted by certain teams. Eli Manning and John Elway were pretty vocal about their landing spots and both got what they wanted. The latest entry is Caleb Williams. He had people in his camp make it known that he does not want to go to Chicago, before backing off that statement weeks later. This week he decided to not allow medical examinations with teams at the NFL Combine and did not sign off on having his medical records shared with all teams. This is the first player ever at the combine to decline an examination. This sort of behavior, combined with his other odd behavior, could be sending up red flags for the Bears.
The Knicks are Dangerous
The Knicks sit in 4th place in the Eastern Conference standings and are within shouting distance of 3rd place and second is not too far away. They have been excellent at home and have one of the best defenses in the NBA. What is so impressive about this team though is that they are young and exciting. While the Celtics and Bucks have their mega stars, the Knicks are playing like a true team.
Will The Polar Bear Walk
Stearns gave a press conference just days before players were expected to report to camp and in that conference he was asked about the face of the Mets, and impending free agent Pete Alonso's future with the club. Stearns' response was deafening for fans. Stearns said he believes that the most likely outcome would be that the team would not negotiate with Alonso during the season and he expects him to test free agency. With a smile that annoyed many, he went on to explain that the Polar Bear was represented by agent Scott Boras, a notoriously tough player negotiator, and that usually leads to his players testing the market.
Already Looking Ahead
In the world of sports betting the next game is always more important than the last game. As the confetti was still falling on the Kansas City Chiefs in Allegiant Stadium this past Sunday, sports books just minutes from the game were posting 2025 Super Bowl odds. They wanted to make sure as people walked up to the counters in Las Vegas to cash their Super Bowl 58 tickets, they could turn that money over into the hope of a big future play for the big game 59.
Super Bowl LVIII Preview
Betting and the Super Bowl have always been hand in hand in the American lexicon, but this Sunday there will be no greater example of how far the sports betting world has come than the city of Las Vegas hosting it's very first Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs, or as most publications and media will now present the game ... the San Francisco 49ers are a 2 point favorite over the Kansas City Chiefs, with a total set at 47 1/2.
Super Bowl MVP Odds
Name recognition and popularity will be the theme for this year's big game and no player is more popular than #15 for the Chiefs. That's why even though the Kansas City Chiefs opened as underdogs for the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers, Patrick Mahomes opened as the favorite for the games Most Valuable Player award.
And Then There Were Four ...
We usually reserve the phrase "Final Four" for the NCAA Basketball championship in March, but being one of the final four teams in the NFL really does lift teams to a new stratosphere. This year's group of teams who have advanced all have some new flavor to the mix, which is refreshing for NFL fans and adds a nuance for football bettors.
Greatness Walks Away
Last week, Nick Saban announced his retirement as head football coach of the University of Alabama, and the very next day, Bill Belichick announced he and the New England Patriots had mutually agreed to part ways. The two miraculous coaching tenures came to an end within hours of each other, and both have had unparalleled success in their coaching careers. All of those wins and championships though only begin to highlight the similarities between the two friends and icons of the football world.
It's Playoff Time
The NFL playoff picture is set and while it took some twists and turns to get here, most of the teams are no surprise to be in the field. What could be a surprise will come next when we have weaker top teams than in years past, and many of these playoff contenders have limped to the finish line. In fact, it's not far fetched to say that every team in the playoff picture has a glaring weakness, the question is can anyone take advantage of those, while masking their own inadequacies.
2023 is Gone and Good Riddance
New York sports has a long and storied history of immense talent, bigger than life players and championships littered throughout it's history. There have also been some pretty lean years for the area's sports teams over those years. 2023 may have just proved to be the leanest years in the history of New York Sports.
No Guarantees for LA
After spending over a billion dollars, yes that is a billion with a B, this winter the Los Angeles Dodgers are the prevailing World Series favorites. After LA opened their purse for Shohei Ohtani, their World Series odds fell from +550 to +450. Once Yamamoto signed last week the boys in blue had their chances to win it all go all the way down to under 4 to 1 in some books across the country.
The Backup Plan
As of this writing Yoshinobu Yamamoto has yet to be signed by a team, and while it's being reported that as many as five teams have made offers north of $300 million dollars, and he will sign this week, we are also watching the fallout in New York. This is the first time that Steve Cohen and his huge bank account will be in the pursuit of the same free agent as the Evil Empire and Hal Steinbrenner. Someone will be left disappointed and there is a chance that neither New York team lands the coveted free agent. That means they will need to pivot their offseason after the miss.
Juan Amazing Christmas Gift
Use whatever phrases you must to explain what happened to the Yankee Universe this week but it all comes out the same. Pushing all your chips in, making a statement or whatever other fun sayings fans and media will use can be interchanged, but one thing is for certain ... The Evil Empire is back!
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