The Basement View

  Aaron Boone gave Yankee fans their own special April Fool’s Day prank. It came in the form of his bullpen usage against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Look, I get it, the reason why the Yankee bullpen fell a part in the 8 th inning was because Tim Hill simply didn’t have it last night. That’s the reason why Mark Leiter Jr had to be a fireman against Arizona. And the reason why Tim Hill was ushered into action in the 8 th inning was because closer Devin Williams was placed on the paternity list yesterday afternoon and the Yankee bullpen was in such dire straits, they had to sign familiar face Adam Ottavino to fill out the 26-man roster. However, it is a questionable decision on Boone’s part as to why Luke Weaver wasn’t the second guy out of the pen after Hill or even the man to take care of the 8 th inning from the start. Going into the top of the 8 th Arizona was sending up their eight, nine, and one in their order. However, the Diamondbacks had an ace in the hole on the bench, Ra...

Three games in and the Yankees have slugged their way to three wins. Over the first series against the Milwaukee Brewers the Bombers have scored 36 runs which is the most since 1901. They have also hit 15 home runs along the way. Usually at this time of year the pitchers are ahead of the hitters. Not in the Bronx. Aaron Judge remains superhuman, hitting already his fourth home run of the season, and the Brewers waived the white flag and walked the Yankee captain the next three times he stepped into the batter’s box. Jazz Chisholm and his new “torpedo” bat clobbered two more home runs. Paul Goldschmidt led off for the second straight game and had four more hits. While the offense in the Boogie Down cannot be stopped so far, the starters toeing the slab have had a little bit of an issue to start the year. Carlos Rodon had a solid outing on Opening Day but only went five and a third. Both Max Fried and Marcus Stroman didn’t get out the 5 th inning in their first starts. The bullpen has p...

  20/16/5 is a stat line that Karl Anthony-Towns, Jalen Brunson, or Josh Hart could give the Knicks on any given night. It is not supposed to be the three columns of a baseball line score, but it was yesterday afternoon. The Yankees scored 20 runs, did so by producing 16 hits, and yes, fumbled the ball around Yankee Stadium attune to five errors. Even with the five errors, as you might have guessed, if you score 20 runs in a baseball game, you more often than not win, that contest, which the Bronx Bombers did. And the moniker “Bronx Bombers” could not be more spot on than what the Yankee offense did to Milwaukee pitching. It started with New York becoming the first team in Major League history to lead off the game with three swings and three home runs. Back-to-back-to-back by Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and the captain Aaron Judge. The Yanks went back out onto the field in the top of the second with a four-run cushion thanks to Austin Wells’ second home run in as many games. ...

No Juan Soto, no problem for the New York Yankees on Opening Day 2025. The offense provided enough pop, Carlos Rodon missed enough bats, and Devin Williams scared the sold-out crowd in the Bronx but nailed down his first Yankee save. Along the way, Austin Wells became the first catcher in Major League Baseball history to hit a lead-off home run on Opening Day, Aaron Judge knocked home two key 7 th inning insurance runs, and Anthony Volpe’s home run swing stayed true since last October. For one day all is right with the world at East 161 st Street. Even with the departure of Soto to Queens, there is optimism among this ballclub to realize the dream of raising banner number 28. However, something did feel off. Maybe it was that Gerrit Cole didn’t toe the slab as the ace of a staff should on Opening Day. Or it was the fact that Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt are Yankees, and this isn’t an MLB The Show franchise save. Or the fact that players can have beards now, and this isn’t som...

  2025 is an immensely important year for the New York Yankees. A season after they made the World Series for the first time in 15 years, the expectation now is for the Yankees to take that next step and win it all. The most important Bomber to help realize the dream of Mission 28 is Jazz Chisholm. The 27-year-old second baseman is the key because he could be the table setter to Aaron Judge while also needing to be the protection for the Yankee captain. It is undetermined where Chisholm will bat in New York’s order in the upcoming season, but with the injury to Giancarlo Stanton, the need for protection behind Judge to provide power to the Yankee lineup is the number one priority as the ball club moves along in Spring Training. Chisholm in his limited 46-game audition to the Yankee universe was a favorable one. In 191 at-bats the then third baseman batted .276 with seven doubles, 11 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He was the Yankee offense in a time in late Augus when the ...

  Basketball in New York will forever be linked in Brooklyn and Madison Square Garden. The Nets will never catch the Knicks in terms of fanfare, ratings, or relevance—but because New York is a basketball city they will always be on the top of mind within the center of the universe. Part of this relationship within the city between both squads right now is the Mikal Bridges trade, but even that isn’t the biggest difference with where the Knicks and Nets are at right now. Wednesday night was a snapshot of the directions each team is headed. The Knicks almost choked away a 19-point lead at home against the struggling Philadelphia 76’ers. They were saved by the heroics of Jalen Brunson yet again. In Brooklyn at the same time, the Nets crumbled against one of the best teams in the NBA despite scoring 76 points in the first half, out shooting Oklahoma City from the three-point line, having more rebounds and assists than the Thunder, and going into the locker room at halftime up 18 points...