The Captain Is Out, And The Clock Is Running

Judge has a moderate right calf strain, and nobody should’ve expected it to heal in a week. “I haven’t talked to Judge ever in my life, and I knew he wasn’t gonna be on the roster.” He questioned Aaron Boone’s timeline anyway, the second straight year he’s done that. “I don’t like the fact that he’s thrown his manager under the bus two years in a row now for no reason.”

Everyone expects him to try to play through it. “It’s literally his job to get his body ready to play.” Saying so out loud just gave fans false hope.

Judge turns 35 next year, which leaves three prime seasons at best and more likely two. “Three years is not a lot, we’re on the wrong side of this thing.” After Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS, another dynasty looked like it was on the way. It hasn’t felt that way since 2021.

“It may not feel like it, but it might end up being their best shot in the Aaron Judge window where we’re currently at.”

One More Thing

With Judge out, the lineup won’t carry this team. “Their rotation is going to have to carry them to the World Series.” Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón are healthy and fresher than they’ve been in years, so there’s no excuse for a drop-off. Outside of Judge and Boone, Fried carries the most pressure. “You’re paying him big money to produce in the post season. He sucked last year in the post.”

Tonight belongs to Cam Schlittler, the Walpole, Mass., kid who’s owned Boston since last October. “At this point, the Cam Schlittler versus the Red Sox rivalry is better than the Yankees versus the Red Sox rivalry.”

“I don’t want to hear the excuses. Go get it done.”

The full episode is available below and on YouTube.

It was not easy to watch last night’s Eagles-Bears game and not think about the news that while ESPN has re-signed Joe Buck to a new contract, Troy Aikman hasn’t been inked to a new deal. Aikman discussed the fact that is contract with ESPN is up after this season with Richard Deitsch last week.

Buck and Aikman make up the best booth in the NFL. No broadcast crew on any network gives off “big feel” for a game like Buck and Aikman. They arecsmoother than any other crew. They have more chemistry than any other crew. And they’ve been doing this together for 20-plus years.

Why on earth would ESPN not doing everything it could to make sure Aikman remains at the network? Why would ESPN, which had many years of a substandard “Monday Night Football” booth before bringing over Buck and Aikman from Fox five years ago, even consider breaking up the best broadcast partnership in the league?

Something is fishy here.

Usually, whenever there is a case like this, the answer is always money. The case of Aikman, however, does not seem like a money issue.

ESPN has given Stephen A. Smith a $100 million contract. ESPN pays Pat McAfee $60 to $65 million per year. And, according to the Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, ESPN just gave Joe Buck a $108 million contract extension.

Guess what? ESPN can pay Troy Aikman whatever he is asking for. That’s why this seems fishy to me. Something doesn’t add up here.

I speculated on Monday’s Traina Thoughts Podcast that maybe ESPN wants to make a play for Fox’s Greg Olsen when his contract expires after this season? Or maybe ESPN wants to make a pitch for Travis Kelce if he retires after this season.

While I understand the appeal of those scenarios (Olsen is fantastic analyst who is very popular and Kelce is married to the most famous woman on the planet), it still makes no sense to me that ESPN would consider breaking up Buck and Aikman.

Another layer of weirdness here is that ESPN/ABC will broadcast this season’s Super Bowl. Making Aikman a free agent going into the network’s biggest broadcast of all time is just bizarre.

Hopefully the folks at ESPN come to their senses and get Aikman re-signed sooner than later, but the vibes with this whole thing sure feel like something is off.

Other Stuff

• Charles Barkley gave another interview on Monday in which he stated he will be retiring from “Inside the NBA” after this season. Barkley has said this for many years now, so who knows if it will happen or not.

• I give Mike Tomlin credit here. I didn’t think the former coach, who likley wants to beome a head coach again, would go after coaches in his new role on NBC’s studio show, but he pulled no punches in criticizing Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer for botching the end of the Dallas’s heartbreaking loss to Baltimore on Sunday.

• Here are the broadcast crews for the MLB wild-card round that will air on NBC and Peacok this week.

Phillies-Braves, NBC: Matt Vasgersian, John Kruk, C.J. Nitkowski, Joey Votto

White Sox-Astros, Peacock: Tom McCarthy, Steve Stone, Geoff Blum, Adam Ottavino

Red Sox-Yankees, NBC: Jason Benetti, Lou Merloni, Joe Girardi, Anthony Rizzo

Cubs-Padres, Peacock: Dave Flemming, Jim Deshaies, Mark Grant, Clayton Kershaw

• Among all the controversy, the WNBA generated their best regualr season ratings ever for ESPN.

• If you’re a wrestling fan, you’re gonna want to check out this new show from Jim Cornette, who is a must-watch no matter what he does. Nobody is more entertaining while talking about anything related to wrestling than Cornette.

The Traina Thoughts Podcast

On Monday’s edition of “The Traina Thoughts Podcast,” I talked about the latest sports media news and covered what took place in college football and the NFL from the past weekend.

Topics discussed include a fantastic call by a college football ref; a must-year call from the Iowa student radio station after the Hawkeyes shocking win against Michigan; why this could be a big week for Tony Romo's future at CBS; what's going on with Troy Aikman and ESPN; Jim Nantz and J.J. Watt had their best broadcast of the season with Nantz delivering a great call at the end of the Ravens thrilling win over the Cowboys; NBC takes over the MLB wild-card round; the trailer for the new John Madden movie and much more.The show closed with a Mailbag segment in which I answered listener-submitted questions.

You can watch the podcast on YouTube or listen to it below.

In Closing

This made me laugh out loud.

October in the Bronx

Aaron Judge hasn’t played since Sept. 16, but after taking live BP Monday, he said: “I’ve been doing a lot of convincing, I feel like, so I’m going to keep doing that.” The Yankees have not committed to carrying their captain ahead of this morning’s 10 a.m. Wild Card roster deadline.

• More at the door: Whether or not Judge is back, the Yankees also face decisions on Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham. Both have been taking BP and working out with the team and, as Boone put it, are “knocking on the door.”

• Effectively wild: The roster calculus may hinge on the Yankees going light on arms—and keeping Boston in the dark. Still, Boone sees “no scenario” in which New York carries 13 pitchers, “maybe not even 12.”

• Cam’s command: The Walpole, Mass., native and AL Cy Young frontrunner dominated Boston in last year’s winner-take-all Wild Card Game 3, striking out 12 without issuing a walk over eight shutout innings. The Yankees will need more of the same when he starts Game 1 tonight at 8 p.m. ET

Blueshirts in Boston

Just as the Yankees face the Red Sox in the Bronx, the Rangers are heading up I-95 to open their season against their Original Six rival, the Boston Bruins, at TD Garden at 8 p.m. They’re back in the real Garden on Thursday to host the Tampa Bay Lightning in their home opener.

• Back to basics: After finishing tied for the third-fewest points in the NHL last season with 77, the Rangers are counting on longtime cornerstones Igor Shesterkin, Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad—along with captain J.T. Miller—to lead an otherwise reset roster.

• Bottom’s up: One upside to finishing that low: it gave the Rangers the No. 5 pick—and the chance to add one of hockey’s top prospects. Alberts Smits, their 2026 first-rounder, has made the opening-night roster.

• Next up: The Islanders open Wednesday in Toronto; the Devils host Philadelphia on Thursday, before meeting Saturday at UBS Arena.

Burns Out, McCarthy In

The Giants’ season took two turns Monday: Brian Burns tore his right ACL and will need season-ending surgery, while New York moved to bolster its quarterback room by acquiring J.J. McCarthy from Minnesota. The former No. 10 overall pick cost the Giants a 2027 fifth-rounder.

• No easy counter: McCarthy addressed the void created by Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury. There may be no comparable trade—or replacement—for what Burns provided off the edge.

• Winston’s job—for now: Jameis Winston stays under center after Sunday’s win, but McCarthy is unlikely to remain a backup indefinitely. He needs time to learn the system, so there is no timetable for his first snap.

• A move for now—and later: Underscore’s own Sal Licata sees the McCarthy deal as more than injury insurance: “This is not just a move for now. This is a move moving forward.” In the short term, he said, “the ceiling is higher.”

On This Day:

On September 29, 1951, the Yankees clinched the American League pennant by beating the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, completing a late-season chase that put Joe DiMaggio back in the World Series in his final season. The Yankees went on to beat the Giants for their third straight title.

What to Watch

• Red Sox at Yankees, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock: Schlittler opens the Bronx-based sprint to two wins.

• Rangers at Bruins, Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN: New York’s first regular-season test comes in Boston.

Monsoon Magic

With Jaxson Dart out for the year, Jameis Winston took over in a MetLife monsoon and helped the Giants grind out a 12-7 win over Tennessee. Four Dominic Zvada field goals and Jevón Holland’s end-zone interception pushed Big Blue to 2-1.

• Winston-isms: He completed 12 of 18 passes for 117 yards, protected the football and ran the offense without a touchdown.

  “Belief. Faith. There was no doubt on the sideline that it was going to happen. We are our brother’s keeper. Winning this game for Jaxson. Twelve points. Six times two. It’s for you.”
  — Jameis Winston

• Holland holds: Jevón Holland clinched the Giants’ 12-7 win with an end-zone interception with 17 seconds left after New York forced Tennessee into three-and-outs on its first five possessions — the Giants’ longest such streak since at least 1991.

• Zvada zooms: Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada supplied all 12 Giants points, drilling field goals from 59, 50, 44 and 30 yards to remain a perfect 6-for-6 in his NFL career.

Jets Jolted

Down 24-16 in the fourth quarter, Geno Smith hit Garrett Wilson for a fourth-and-6 touchdown and found Sterling Shepard for the tying two-point conversion before Detroit roared back, took the lead and, with 51 seconds left, strip-sacked Smith to seal a 31-24 Lions win.

• Geno glows: Smith completed 31 of 37 passes for 321 yards, three touchdowns and no picks, hitting eight different Jets. Garrett Wilson (10 catches, 107 yards, TD) and Kenyon Sadiq (seven for 105 and a score) led the way.

• Grounded again: Detroit ran for 131 yards to the Jets’ 58, then delivered the game’s final defensive play. “No one in that locker room is going to take any moral victories,” Aaron Glenn said. “We know in this league you win or lose.”

Cam’s Call

Cam Schlittler led the American League with a 1.95 ERA, won 14 games and struck out 239 hitters, and now he’ll start Game 1 when the Yankees open their Wild Card Series against the Red Sox in the Bronx on Tuesday.

• The order: Max Fried follows in Game 2, with Gerrit Cole set for a winner-take-all Game 3 if Boston pushes the series that far.

• Judge watch: With Judge’s status for Tuesday still murky, did he pick the wrong fight with Boone? Sal thinks so.

Broadway Brunson

Jalen Brunson brought the Knicks to SNL, fielding monologue questions from Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart during Saturday’s season premiere.

On This Day

In 2022, Aaron Judge drilled a 117.4-mph, seventh-inning two-run homer in Toronto — his 61st of the season — tying Roger Maris’ American League record and lifting the Yankees to an 8-3 win over the Blue Jays.

What to Watch

• Red Sox at Yankees, Game 1 — Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock/NBCSN: Schlittler starts as the Yankees open their best-of-three Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.

On the latest edition of The Sal Licata Show, Sal made the case that the Yankees are overthinking their Wild Card rotation. If Cam Schlittler is their best pitcher, he should get the ball in Game 1 against Tampa Bay.

Start With The Best Pitcher

The Yankees can run every rest scenario, matchup split and possible ALDS Game 5 through the computer. They’ve still got to win the first game before any of that matters.

“Why would you mess around with having Cam Schlittler start Game 2? Like, what are we doing here? Why are you overthinking it?”

Schlittler won’t be ready for Game 1 of the Division Series whether he starts the first or second game of the Wild Card round. Start him in Game 1, get ahead in the series, and deal with the next round if the Yankees get there.

There’s a case for saving him. A Game 1 win gives him the chance to close the series in Game 2. A Game 1 loss puts him on the mound with the season on the line. That approach leaves the opener to somebody else while the Yankees wait on their best arm.

“I would just not overthink it. Start Cam Game 1. Expect to win Game 1.”

Schlittler gets Game 1. Max Fried gets Game 2. A Game 3 starter only matters if the series gets that far. Rodón’s been better at home, making a road start against Tampa Bay a tougher sell.

The Yankees have their best arm. Start him.

One More Thing

The Giants can’t lose to Tennessee at home and expect the conversation around the season to stay the same. Jackson Dart is out for the year. A loss to the Titans would turn the focus from getting through the injury to wondering how much progress the new regime has really made.

“This is what Harbaugh is here for. He is here to build the structure, build the foundation, build this team the right way so they can compete no matter the circumstances.”

Jameis Winston gets a full week to prepare. The Giants are at home against a Tennessee team they’re favored to beat. A win won’t answer every question about the rest of the season. It would give Harbaugh a chance to show that the operation can hold up when the quarterback plan changes in September.

CC BEFORE THE CHAOS

The Yankees climbed out of a four-run hole to beat the Rays, 6–4, last night on rookie George Lombard Jr.’s go-ahead eighth-inning homer, while Cam Schlittler capped his regular season with an AL-best 1.95 ERA—the fourth Yankee ever to finish below 2.00.

• CC’s day: A looming weekend nor’easter has moved Sabathia’s No. 52 retirement and Monument Park plaque unveiling up one day, forcing the Yankees and Orioles to play a doubleheader today, just days before the October chaos. The ceremony begins at 3 p.m., after gates open at 2:30 p.m.

• Doubleheader: Game 1 against the Orioles begins at 4:05 p.m.; Game 2 starts at 7:05 p.m. or 30 minutes after the opener ends, whichever is later.

• Arms on deck: Brendan Beck gets the call from Scranton to start one of today’s games, while the Yankees have yet to name a starter for the other.

HOME AGAIN, HURT AGAIN

Week 3 brings familiar faces and injury questions. Former Giants coach Brian Daboll returns to MetLife Stadium as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, insisting the matchup is simply “a one-week season.” The Jets, meanwhile, head to Detroit, where Aaron Glenn returns to a place he said holds “fond memories” — but a game “that we want to win.”

• Giants injury watch: Wide receiver Malik Nabers returned to practice Thursday, but left tackle Andrew Thomas (groin) and edge rusher Brian Burns (ankle) remain sidelined.

• Jets injury watch: Defensive end Joseph Ossai (foot) has been ruled out. Tight end Mason Taylor (thumb), safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (groin) and linebacker Kiko Mauigoa (quad) were also sidelined in practice.

LIVE FROM NEW YORK

Cleared from offseason surgery, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson is ready for training camp—and to host SNL’s Season 52 premiere Saturday.

What to Watch

• Orioles at Yankees, 4:05 p.m. ET, YES: Game 1 of today’s doubleheader in the Bronx.

• Orioles at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET, YES: The nightcap, or 30 minutes after the opener ends if it runs long.

• Saturday Night Live Season 52 premiere, Saturday, 11:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock: Knicks captain Jalen Brunson makes his hosting debut, with KATSEYE as the musical guest.

On today’s edition of The Sal Licata Show, a day after winning a New York Emmy for his work as an anchor on Baseball Night in New York, Sal argued that Aaron Judge is picking the wrong fight with Aaron Boone. Boone said the Yankees aren’t expecting Judge back from a right calf strain for the Wild Card Series, and Judge answered that he plans to play anyway.

Same Fight, Second Year

This happened last season too. Boone said on the show that Judge’s arm wouldn’t be 100 percent coming off the IL, and Judge took issue with it. Boone was being straight with people then, and he’s being straight now. “Boone never said Judge was out. He was just being transparent.”

Calf strains take weeks, and the Wild Card Series opens Tuesday. “This type of injury generally takes a few weeks. You guys do the math. The schedule says we’re playing next week.” Judge’s line about getting his body ready doesn’t settle anything. “The answer is, are you playing or are you not?”

“It felt like Judge flexing his power within the Yankee organization.”

The frustration makes sense, since nobody wants to miss Red Sox-Yankees in October in the Bronx. Talking about playing right field on a strained calf is where it stops adding up. “I feel like he wants to sound like a conquering superhero.” That raises an awkward question about a season in which the Yankees lost the division: “Was he not hurt in the regular season? What happened to that body? That’s different from everybody else.”

The one thing that could change the outlook is Giancarlo Stanton, who’s been running around in the outfield and taking live batting practice in Double-A after a calf strain that looked like it could end his season. A Tuesday lineup with both Judge and Stanton in it “would change the way that I feel about the Yankees going into this wild card series.” Until that happens, the pick is Boston: “Right now, I would favor, unfortunately, I think the Sox, even with Cam Schlittler likely going in game one.”

One More Thing

The Giants’ Jimmy Garoppolo buzz is about finding a backup. “Jimmy G at this point, he’s toast.” “Jameis Winston is their best option, period, end of story.” The anger goes to Joe Schoen, who said Jaxson Dart would be OK before the MRI showed a season-ending injury. Misleading the fan base like that should have cost Schoen his job, and he “should have been fired to begin with.” The season isn’t over yet, though: “I’m not ready to throw in the towel on the season yet.”

Watch the episode below and catch The Sal Licata Show every weekday at 9 a.m. on YouTube.

Back when ESPN didn’t have a strong booth for “Monday Night Football,” the ManningCast was kind of a godsend.

The ManningCast was also fresh, fun and innovative when it debuted in 2021.

But now, in year six, the ManningCast is facing a significant drop in the ratings.

After not drawing a million viewers for any edition of the "ManningCast in 2025, viewership has continued to drop at the start of the 2026 season. Week 1’s ManningCast drew 705,00 viewers. Week 2 pulled in 661,000 viewers.

NFL fans don’t have the NEED to watch the ManningCast since ESPN has the best broadcast crew in the sport with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. That has undoubtedly hurt the ManningCast. In addition, alt-casts and watch-alongs are no longer unique.

Obviously, most alt-casts and watch-alongs don’t have hosts with the reputations of Peyton and Eli Manning. The strength of the ManningCast has always been and will always be, Peyton and Eli.

It would be fascinating to see the ManningCast experiment one week without guests. Just like the brothers cook and see what happens. I would think if you’re a big NFL fan and you have a good game going on or a game featuring a lot happening, like in this past Monday’s Giants-Rams game, you want to hear from Peyton and Eli. Not Bryan Cranston. No matter how big of a “Breaking Bad” fan you are.

While I don’t expect the ManningCast to shun guests, if I were in charge of the ManningCast, the first thing I’d do is get rid of the policy that you need guests who have ties to the teams involved in the game. Just get the best guests possible each week. Don’t overthink it. Was anybody in America clamoring to hear from Jeremy Shockey and Andrew Whitworth this past week because they were connected to the Giants and Rams, respectively? The answer would be no.

But at the end of the day, I’m not sure the viewership numbers for the ManningCast matter that much. Much like Fox is paying Tom Brady $375 million because it wants to be in business with Tom Brady, ESPN wants to be in business with Peyton Manning. Peyton and Eli do a variety of things for ESPN and can be found on other shows besides the ManningCast. ESPN is not just paying them for the 12 Monday nights they do the alt-cast.

It’s a good look for ESPN to have a Peyton and Eli broadcast on Monday nights no matter how many people are or aren’t watch.

Week 2 NFL Ratings Roundup

The NFL had some strong viewership numbers for Week 2.

The Lions-Bills games kicked off the week with 18.6 million viewers on “Thursday Night Football.”

CBS pulled in a huge number for its 1 p.m. singleheader window, led by Steelers-Patriots, with 19.3 million viewers.

Fox had the best number of the week for the 4:25 p.m. slot featuring Commanders-Cowboys with 27.2 million viewers.

“Sunday Night Football” on NBC drew 24.3 million viewers for the Colts-Chiefs thriller.

Week 2 closed out with Giants-Rams pulling in 19.4 million viewers for ESPN on “Monday Night Football.”

Other Stuff

• I don’t understand why anyone at “First Take” would ask Jordan Rodgers, who is a college football analyst, by the way, to go on television and discuss his brother, Aaron. Why was he put in this position? Who would take anything he says seriously? He’s not going to go on national television and give an honest assessment of his brother’s play. And who can blame him? What does he get out of going on ESPN and saying that Aaron Rodgers is just a medicore quarterback these days? What a baffling decision here by “First Take.”

• Jaxon Dart’s season-ending injury is obviously devastating for the Giants and their fans. How does it affect the networks?

It’s a mixed bad. The NFL wants to the Giants to be good and relevant because New York is the topi television market in the country. However, in terms of the prime time schedule, the Dart injury isn’t

The Giants’ next six games are regional games airing at 1 p.m on Sunday.

They have just two prime time games the rest of the season: Week 10 on “Thursday Night Football” vs. Washington and Week 16 on “Monday Night Football” at Detroit.

• Luke Kuechly, who I enjoyed on Netflix’s Week 1 Rams-Nineres game, will call his first game for CBS this Sunday. He’ll work with play-by-play voice Chris Lewis on the Raiders-Saints game.

• I ask this question regularly and no one ever seems to have an answer for me. Tell me again how cutting the cord is cheaper than cable when streaming services keep raising their prices every few months. Disney and Hulu are the latest to take more of your money.

• I’m a couple of days late on this, but I had to include this week’s “Bad Beats” segment after the N.C. St-Vanderbilt insanity.

• This was the funniest thing I’ve seen all week.

The Traina Thoughts Podcast

This week’s guest was ESPN’s Peter Scharger.

Schrager talked about getting his own show, "Big Day With Peter Schrager," what he wants the show to be, how much control he has over the show, branching out beyond NFL, whether he feels pressure to draw ratings and why he wants to lean on nostalgia. Schrager also touches on NFL topics including the Rams, Broncos, Chiefs, Niners and Jaxson Dart.

In addition, Schrager talks about whether he can keep up with pop culture while taking on the responsibility of having his own show, reports that he's not allowed to appear on Bill Simmons's podcast, ESPN taking over NFL Network, his bewilderment at the cost of flights, his new love for playing golf and an experience at an outstanding Long Island Chinese restaurant that is my go-to.

You watch the podcast below on YouTube or you can listen to it on Apple, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts.

In Closing

This “interview” with Blake Griffin is one of the funniest things I’ve seen online in recent memory. The podcast, “Boy Talk Talk Show” is hosted by Paul Walter Hauser and Julian Sergi. It’s unlike any other podcast you’ve ever watched. The humor may not be for anyone, but if you like awkward, dry humor, you will love this.

Winston’s Way

With Jaxson Dart officially set for season-ending knee surgery, it’ll be up to Jameis Winston to lead a banged-up Big Blue the rest of the way.

• Plan B: Winston gets a full week with the starters after being thrown into Monday’s loss in Los Angeles, where he went 11-of-27 for 111 yards with an interception off the bench.

• Slim pickings: With Jake Haener the only other healthy quarterback in the organization, the Giants need to add someone, but the options (Jimmy Garoppolo? Mac Jones?) are thin.

• Sal says: Underscore’s Sal Licata called Dart’s injury the worst thing to happen to New York sports this year, but he doesn’t think the Giants are finished. “I still believe that Harbaugh will get this team to be competitive,” he says, adding that Winston is a better option than any of the quarterbacks being floated.

Watch The Sal Licata Show every weekday at 9 a.m.

Pending Judgment

The Yankees beat the Rays, 9–2, but the bigger October question still hangs over the Bronx: Will Aaron Judge play in the Wild Card Series?

• Judge’s call, Boone’s caution: Judge says he’ll be ready for Game 1. Boone is less certain, saying the Yankees have to prepare for the possibility of playing the series without their captain.

• Rice, Rice baby: Ben Rice went deep twice to tie for the AL lead in homers, while Ryan McMahon added a grand slam.

• Ace timing: Cole allowed two runs on three hits and struck out eight in 5⅔ innings—his best start in weeks as the Yanks’ Wild Card roster decisions loom.

Towns Talks Stall

With training camp days away, extension talks between the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns have hit a wall. Towns is reportedly seeking a four-year, $277 million max extension. The Knicks want a Brunson-style discount—and are counting on their New Jersey-born lifelong fan to take less after helping bring a title back to New York.

If talks stay stuck, Towns can decline his $61 million player option for 2027–28 and test free agency next summer.

What to Watch

• Mets at Rangers, 2:35 p.m. ET, SNY: Zac Thornton (5–5, 3.40 ERA) faces Kumar Rocker (5–11, 4.47 ERA), the former Mets first-rounder who went unsigned in 2021 before Texas drafted him third overall a year later.

• Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET, YES: Cam Schlittler (14–6, 1.94 ERA) takes on Ian Seymour (9–7, 4.38 ERA) as the Yankees look to clinch the series before the regular season’s final weekend begins Friday.

• Falcons at Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video: Fresh off beating the Jets in overtime, the 1–1 Packers host the 0–2 Falcons at Lambeau Field.

The big takeaway

A month ago, Green said he didn’t want the job because he wanted more time with his family. Now he has it for three years. The reluctance was a hedge: “He wanted the job and he threw the family stuff out there as an excuse in the event that the Mets wanted to go in a different direction.”

The process doesn’t hold up either. The Mets said there’d be a search, “and there wasn’t a search.” The media and fans have fallen hard for a manager who hasn’t earned it yet, a guy who was “a 90 plus game loser for four years” in San Diego. The late push came from Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor getting healthy.

“He’s managed under zero pressure at all. Has never had to deal with adversity since becoming the Mets manager.”

All of it lands on David Stearns, who hired Carlos Mendoza over Green in the first place. “So if Andy Green’s the perfect fit, well then why’d you choose Mendy instead of him in the first place?” Patience is gone with a front office that “can’t sniff the playoffs” while the owner spends billions. If Stearns ever wins a World Series, “I’ll dress up as RoboCop.” Until then, Green’s first full season carries one expectation: “It’s going to be, hey, you better go out there and win and get to the playoffs or else.”

One more thing

Jaxson Dart’s reported season-ending injury is the worst thing to happen to New York sports this year. “I don’t think there could have been a worse blow to New York sports.” Dart belongs with Jalen Brunson and Aaron Judge as the athletes this city can least afford to lose. The Giants aren’t finished, though: “I still believe that Harbaugh will get this team to be competitive.” And “Jameis Winston is a better option” than any of the names being floated.

The full episode is available below and on YouTube: The Sal Licata Show Episode 173

On the latest edition of New York, New York, John Jastremski sat down with former Yankees catcher Jim Leyritz for a conversation that ran well past an hour, covering his most famous playing moment, his read on the current Yankees and Knicks, and the DUI manslaughter trial he fought for years after his career ended.

Leyritz opened by walking through the mechanics behind his three-run homer off Mark Wohlers in Game 4 of the 1996 World Series, right down to the bat he borrowed from Darryl Strawberry because he’d already broken his own.

“I said, ‘Straw, I only got two bats left for tomorrow. When I face Smoltz, I go, this guy throws 100. Can I borrow one of your bats?’”

He drew a direct line between that ‘96 Yankees team and this year’s Knicks, pointing to the coaching change and the way Joe Torre made every player on a 25-man roster feel like he mattered.

“Joe Torre made all 25 of us feel like at some point I’m going to need you to just be ready... I was talking to some of the guys on the Knicks, and that’s the one thing he made all 10 of them guys feel.”

On the current Yankees, Leyritz set a low bar for what the team should expect from Aaron Judge’s calf injury this postseason, while calling the starting rotation the best he’s seen in his time with the organization.

“Anything we get from this guy’s gravy, you can’t assume he’s coming back, right?” “I think it’s the best Yankee starting pitching season I’ve ever seen.”

The conversation closed with Leyritz detailing the 2007 DUI manslaughter case that followed his playing career, including the plea deal he turned down and the faith that carried him through a three-year wait for trial.

“I am not taking the plea. I’m not giving this woman a chance to become a judge.”

A Dart Turn

Jaxson Dart’s knee injury is worse than the Giants first feared. The team says the evaluation is ongoing, but reports indicate surgery and a season-ending absence are possible.

• The Winston plan: With Dart’s season in doubt, the offense belongs to Jameis Winston, starting Sunday against Tennessee and possibly much longer.

• The supporting cast took hits, too: Andrew Thomas (groin) and Brian Burns (low-ankle sprain) were hurt in Monday’s loss, while Malik Nabers briefly left with a shoulder issue before returning.

• Thin at quarterback: Winston is the only QB on the active roster, with Jake Haener on the practice squad, so expect the Giants to add one.

Wild Card It Is

The Yankees split Tuesday’s doubleheader with Tampa Bay, winning the opener to lock up home field before the Rays took the nightcap and clinched the AL East in the Bronx. The best-of-three Wild Card Series opens Sept. 29.

• Same old strikeout story: The Yanks struck out 11 times in the 6–1 loss as Rays ace Drew Rasmussen held them hitless through six.

• Sal says: The Wild Card isn’t good enough, with or without Judge. “The Yankees season was a failure, full stop.” Watch The Sal Licata Show weekdays at 9 a.m.

Watch: A ’96 Champ Weighs In
Jim Leyritz joins JJ on New York, New York to relive his iconic homer and size up this year’s Yankees.

Mets Go Green

The Mets dropped Andy Green’s interim tag and gave him a three-year deal, no search required. He opened his permanent tenure with a 6–3 win over Texas in Arlington.

• A winning first night: Sean Manaea struck out nine over six innings, and Francisco Alvarez went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Watch: Sal on the Green Hire
Sal breaks down the Mets handing Andy Green the full-time job.

What to Watch

• Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video: Gerrit Cole (9–9, 3.63 ERA) vs. Ian Seymour (9–7, 4.38 ERA), as the Yankees look for momentum before October.

• Mets at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. ET, SNY: Nolan McLean (11–10, 3.18 ERA) vs. Cody Bradford (0–5, 4.19 ERA), as the Mets go for two straight under Green.

The big takeaway

A Yankees team that fails to win its division has failed, and no injury excuse changes that. Judge’s latest setback is legitimate, but it doesn’t absolve the outcome.

“This is why it’s a bad Yankee season. It should never be accepted.”

The timing makes it worse. Judge got hurt again with the postseason roughly a week away and the AL East already decided, one of two reasons fans should feel uneasy heading into October. The Red Sox are the matchup to fear most in a potential series, ahead of the Rays.

For Yankees fans, the team heads into meaningful October baseball having already underachieved its way into a tougher path, injury or not. This isn’t a call for anyone’s job, but it is a call for accountability for what has become an annual repeat.

“Something needs to change. I’m not advocating for firing Cashman, firing Boone, but something’s got to change because they do the same thing every single year and it hasn’t worked.”

One more thing

Pete Alonso’s monster 40-homer season doesn’t change his Hall of Fame outlook. The math is simple: Alonso sits at 304 career home runs and would need roughly 35 per year across six seasons to reach 500, the real threshold. It’s a reality check, not a knock on his value to the Mets.

“I don’t look at Pete as a Hall of Famer, and I’m not sold.”

Catch the full episode on YouTube, including the full breakdown of Alonso’s Hall of Fame case, and watch The Sal Licata Show every weekday at 9 a.m. ET.

It’s always dicey to make declarations based off what you see on Twitter, but it certainly seems like open season on ESPN’s “College GameDay.”

Two main narratives that have developed are 1) the presence of Pat McAfee and 2) the show relying too much on SEC venues.

The McAfee thing is pretty straightforward: Either you enjoy Pat or you don’t. It’s subjective. I don’t understand how anyone could not love McAfee’s field-goal kicking contest, but, again, this is subjective.

I do think there is an element of the McAfee backlash that could be chalked up to overexposure. McAfee’s afternoon show is on ESPN five days a week, he’s on “GameDay,” now he’s on “Monday Night Countdown” and you can also throw in alt-casts that he anchors.

I also think some of the backlash is a pile-on effect. It does seem like some people bash McAfee because when you want engagement, you just bash whoever the biggest people are in media.

As for the claim of SEC bias because “GameDay” will be at an SEC site for the fourth week in a row this Saturday, that’s just business.

Let me be clear about one thing: I’d love to see “GameDay” visit more small school and offbeat schools. I think that would be good for the show and the sport. But I’m not gonna bitch and complain because “GameDay” chooses SEC schools over Big Ten schools or ACC schools or Big 12 schools.

I’d like the people who are mad that “GameDay” will broadcast from Tennessee this Saturday to tell me where the show should have gone.

These are the games between ranked opponents:

Ole Miss at Florida
Iowa at Michigan
Texas A&M-LSU
Oregon-USC
Missouri-Miss St.

Two of those games feature non-SEC schools. “GameDay” has been to the Big House a million times and I’m sure they’ve been to USC plenty. You cannot make a legit argument that ESPN should’ve chosen one of those games over Texas vs. Tennessee.

I know most of you will hate hearing this, but here’s the No. 1 reason why ESPN needs to just ignore all of the “GameDay” critics: ratings.

You cannot argue with the show’s success when it comes to the business side.

Last season, “College GameDay” averaged 2.7 million viewers. Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” averaged 1.8 million viewers. And that’s with Fox playing games with the numbers and only counting the 11 am to Noon hour even though the show is on the air at 10 am. If you compared “GameDay” to “Big Noon Kickoff” from 10 am to Noon, the ratings gap is even wider.

“GameDay” was in Austin for Week ahead of the Ohio State-Texas game. The show pulled in 2.7 million viewers. It was “GameDay’s” most-watched Week 2 episode ever.

Meanwhile, no one seems to ever have an issue with where Fox sends its “Big Noon Kickoff” crew.

The biggest game of Week 3, and one of the biggest games of the entire season thanks to the Lane Kiffin saga, was LSU at Ole Miss. I didn’t see anyone criticize “Big Noon Kickoff” for not doing their show at the Grove.

Where was “Big Noon Kickoff” last week? At that college hotbed known as London, England. Why were they there? Because Fox carried the Arizona State-Kansas game.

In Week 2, “Big Noon Kickoff” took place at the Big House? Why? Because Fox was airing Oklahoma at Michigan that day.

In Week 1, “Big Noon Kickoff” was in Bloomington? Why? Because Fox was airing the riveting North Texas vs. indiana game that ended 52-16.

You may not like that ESPN goes heavy on SEC schools for “GameDay” but this is what the business is. And from a business perspective, you cannot deny that “GameDay” is thriving by doing things their way.

Other Stuff

• Kevin Harlan. That’s all.

• This was a funny moment from Monday’s Blue Jays-Tigers game in which the director and/or camera operator had some fun a Jason Benetti’s expense.

• Doc Rivers, who was ESPN’s lead NBA analyst for a minute in 2023-24 season before becoming head coach of the Bucks, has joined NBC.

• I thought this was fake when I first saw it and someone was making a joke about always finishing fifth or third, but this is actually real. The Tigers will now play in “Fifth Third Park.” I have no idea what Fifth Third is but this has to be the worst stadium name in baseball.

• Not surprisingly, the best reaction to Vanderbilt’s improbable and absurd cover against N.C. State, came from Scott Van Pelt and Stanford Steve.

The Traina Thoughts Podcast

Check out my weekly Monday edition of “The Traina Thoughts Podcast” where I went through the best and worst of sports media from the past week.

And in case you missed last week’s show with radio legend, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, you can watch that below.

You can also listen to all episodes of The Traina Thoughts Podcast on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

In Closing

This was a wonderful video to see in my TikTok algorithm.

@wvmdkid84Two of the all time greats 😁❤️🤣#BobbyTheBrainHeenan #GorillaMonsoon #WWF #ProWrestling #80s

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RAMMED

The Giants’ first loss of the John Harbaugh era came with a much bigger cost. Dart left on New York’s seventh offensive snap with a left-knee injury, Jameis Winston could not revive the offense, and Los Angeles pulled away for a 28–6 win, dropping Big Blue to 1–1 and scrambling its plans for Sunday’s Tennessee game.

• Dart’s doubt: Dart is believed to have sprained his MCL. X-rays were negative; the MRI comes Tuesday. Harbaugh called avoiding a “devastating outcome” “really good news.”

• Bruised Blue: Malik Nabers popped his shoulder back in; Andrew Thomas left with a groin injury; Brian Burns suffered a low-ankle sprain. All three join Dart on the injury watch for Tennessee.

• Holland’s start: Jevon Holland already has two interceptions in two games, plus two forced fumbles and a recovery. The problem: Stafford threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns, Adams had 195 receiving yards and two scores, and the Rams piled up 481 yards.

BRONX BLOCKADE

Tampa Bay arrives at Yankee Stadium six games up with four head-to-head games remaining—and one Rays win, or one Yankees loss, clinches the AL East. The Yankees have already booked their October ticket. Now they need a sweep to keep the Rays from celebrating in the Bronx.

• Two shots: Carlos Rodón and Max Fried start Tuesday’s day-night doubleheader. Rodón gets Nick Martinez at 1:05 p.m.; Fried faces Drew Rasmussen at 7:05. If New York is going to make Tampa Bay wait, it needs its best starters to lead the way.

• Champagne problem: Aaron Boone called stopping Tampa Bay from “spraying bubbly in the Bronx” a “tall order”. The Rays lead the season series 6–3 and need one win to lock up the division; New York needs four straight to keep the race alive.

• No. 99, no margin: Aaron Judge’s right-calf strain has sent him back to the injured list. Judge can return Sept. 27, but the Yankees have not set a timetable—and October will not wait for him to find his timing.

• Arms race: Underscore’s own John Jastremski calls the lineup “incredibly mediocre” without Judge, but still sees a path through a vulnerable American League: great pitching and low-scoring wins. “Imagine if they actually won the World Series without Aaron Judge, and how crazy that would be,” he said.

GANG GREEN GOES DOWN

Underscore’s own Sal Licata and John Jastremski went live Sunday night to break down the Jets’ overtime collapse against Green Bay—from Aaron Glenn’s late-game decisions to the mistakes that turned a 17–7 lead into a 20–17 loss.

LIBERTY SLIP

The Liberty lost more than Monday’s game: Atlanta’s 95–84 win at Barclays Center sent New York to the road for the opening round. They close the regular season against the Dream again Wednesday, but can’t finish higher than fifth; their first-round opponent remains unsettled.

What to Watch

• Rays at Yankees, Game 1, 1:05 p.m. ET, YES: Carlos Rodón (6–3, 2.95 ERA) faces Nick Martinez (15–4, 2.94) as the Yankees begin a day-night doubleheader with Tampa Bay one win from the AL East. Then it’s time to keep the Rays waiting.

• Rays at Yankees, Game 2, 7:05 p.m. ET, YES: Max Fried (5–4, 2.63) takes on Drew Rasmussen (15–5, 2.72) in the nightcap, with New York trying to turn a long-shot division chase into something worth caring about through Wednesday.

• Mets at Rangers, 8:05 p.m. ET, SNY: Sean Manaea starts opposite MacKenzie Gore as the Mets open a three-game set in Texas. The Rangers remain in the AL West fight, while New York begins its final road swing of the season.

DESERT DISASTER

After losing four of their last nine, including two of three in Arizona this weekend, the Yankees are all but done in the division race. The first-place Rays can clinch the AL East with one win in the Bronx, where the teams open a four-game series with a day-night doubleheader Tuesday.

• Double trouble: Tuesday’s first pitch is 1:05 p.m., with Game 2 at 7:05 p.m. The Yankees need a four-game sweep — and help — to keep even a sliver of hope alive.

• Cam the man? The Cy Young is basically his. Schlittler swept MLB.com’s final 32-voter poll, and now the Yankees ace faces a bigger question: Can he become the first full-time pitcher since Clayton Kershaw in 2014 to win MVP?

• Jury’s still out: Aaron Judge is back on the 10-day IL with a right-calf strain, and his postseason availability is up in the air. “I’d like to be back by the postseason,” Judge said. His earliest possible return is the Sept. 27 finale.

GLENN GROUNDED

The Jets needed just 8:05 to cough up a 17-7 lead and, with it, a chance at their first 2-0 start since 2015. Green Bay won in overtime, 20-17. Sunday was supposed to show this team was different. Instead, it looked like the same old Jets. Aaron Glenn’s team has seven days to prove it was a lesson, not an identity.

• Outcoached: With Green Bay facing fourth-and-five and 1:02 left in regulation, Glenn sat on his timeouts — a decision that baffled Jets fans and Packers coach Matt LaFleur alike. Glenn said afterward he “didn't think of using a timeout at all." Green Bay drained the clock, and the Jets never saw the ball again until overtime.

• Flag football: The teams combined for 27 penalties and 289 yards, and the Jets found a way to lose. Green Bay managed just 199 yards and one third-down conversion, yet erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. The Packers didn’t beat the Jets; the Jets beat themselves.

• Crash landing: The Jets came up empty on fourth-and-one with a chance to bleed the clock. Then, after Green Bay cut the lead to three, New York went three-and-out, let Skyy Moore rip off a 63-yard punt return, and watched its lead fly away.

• Overtime misfire: The Jets won the coin toss but chose to receive, passing up the advantage of knowing what they needed after Green Bay’s possession under the new rules. New York went three-and-out; the Packers then kicked the game-winning field goal.

STAYING POWER

The Giants can turn an opening-week statement into something bigger tonight. A victory over the Rams in Los Angeles would move John Harbaugh’s team to 2-0 and into a share of the NFC East lead, with wins over Dallas and a Super Bowl contender to show for it. The bookies aren’t buying it yet: New York is a seven-point underdog.

• Prime-time prove-it: Jaxson Dart heads back under the lights after a near-flawless opener — 23-for-29, 230 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. Malik Nabers added six catches for 69 yards in his first full game with Dart under center. The Rams present a much tougher test, and a cross-country Monday night trip is a long way from Dallas at home.

• Cornered: The secondary is thin. Deonte Banks is questionable with a calf injury, and Paulson Adebo is already on injured reserve. That’s a problem against Matthew Stafford, though the Rams have their own issue: Puka Nacua is questionable with a hip injury.

• A Giants giant: Former GM Ernie Accorsi died Saturday at 84. He hired Tom Coughlin and swung the trade for Eli Manning — the foundation of two Super Bowl titles.

What to Watch

• Giants at Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN: Big Blue takes its 1–0 record to SoFi Stadium for Monday Night Football, with an early opportunity to turn a promising opening-week result into a real September statement.

• Dream at Liberty, 8 p.m. ET, WWOR/Peacock/NBCSN: New York brings a three-game winning streak into Barclays Center against an Atlanta team that has also won three straight.

• Rangers at Devils, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+: A tri-state preseason opener at Prudential Center gives the Blueshirts their first live look of the fall against the Devils.

Good morning, New York—The Yankees head into the desert for a three-game reunion with the Diamondbacks, 25 years after their duel in the Fall Classic—and with fresh injury questions waiting in their dugout. The Mets, meanwhile, managed four singles in a 3–0 Citi Field shutout by Aaron Nola and the Phillies. They might as well have had Thursday off, too.

Arizona Audit

While the Diamondbacks will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their lone World Series title—and one of the few times Mariano Rivera ever looked human—the Yankees arrive for their final road series of the regular season with 27 rings, a clinched playoff berth and questions.

• Judge’s October orders: After a personal day and only one full game back in the lineup since coming off the injured list, Aaron Judge’s availability for Friday night—or at any point this weekend—remains unclear. He exited Wednesday’s game in the sixth inning with lower-right-leg tightness. While the Yankees have treated the issue aggressively, Boone said: “We’re not going to speculate one way or the other. We’ll just see how he responds.”

• Cole’s case: Having been hit hard in his last three outings—allowing seven home runs in 12⅔ innings with a 6.48 ERA—Gerrit Cole has to get right, and Boone expects him to. If not, he could find himself in the bullpen—or off the Wild Card Series roster altogether.

• No more freebies: The Yankees have made 18 errors over their last 28 games—three in Monday’s clincher alone—then watched George Lombard Jr.’s misplay decide Wednesday’s loss in Minnesota. That might be survivable in September. It won’t be in October.

No Runs, No Relief

The Mets got six innings of one-run ball from Nolan McLean, managed just four singles and watched another night at Citi Field slip away without a run. The division-leading Phillies rode Aaron Nola’s seven scoreless innings to a 3–0 win, handing the Mets their fifth straight loss and dropping them to 69–84. The Mets’ $357 million payroll had little else to show for the night.

• Perspective, painfully delivered: Mets first baseman Jared Young was carted off after McLean’s knee struck him in the head as both converged on a slow roller near first base. Young briefly lost consciousness. Interim manager Andy Green said Young had full use of his extremities and a negative CT scan, though concussion symptoms lingered. At that point, the final score barely mattered.

• More than McLean: As good as McLean’s been, he’s hardly been the only rookie-eligible player giving the Mets something back. Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Zac Thornton, Jonah Tong and Christian Scott are expected to be important pieces of a better 2027. Even Steve Cohen needs homegrown help.

• A Rose for Sunday’s best: The Mets will honor longtime radio voice Howie Rose before Sunday’s final home game. It is the beginning of Rose’s farewell: he will retire after the season, ending nearly 40 years with the franchise.

Gang Green & Big Blue

• Glenn’s green light: Aaron Glenn saw an “outstanding” debut from Geno Smith and pointed to the quarterback’s growing trust with Garrett Wilson and the Jets’ other weapons. The stronger compliment was about identity: Glenn called the offensive line “tough, violent, gritty” and said it played with a “you’re-not-going-to-stop-what-we’re-trying-to-do mentality.”

• Big Blue Bruisin’: Brandon Jacobs didn’t become the Giants’ all-time rushing-touchdown leader through jukes and spin moves—and he sees that same punishment-first mentality in Cam Skattebo. Jacobs calls Skattebo “undoubtedly the heartbeat of the offense,” a ringing endorsement from one Giants bruiser to another.

What to Watch

Yankees at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. ET, YES: Gerrit Cole (8–9, 3.67 ERA) opens the Arizona series against Zac Gallen (3–9, 6.22). With Aaron Judge’s status unresolved, the Yankees could use a clean start from the former Cy Young winner to begin their final road series.

Phillies at Mets, 7:15 p.m. ET, Apple TV: Zac Thornton (4–5, 3.44 ERA) gets the ball against Jesús Luzardo (12–7, 3.28) as the Mets try to snap their skid and give Citi Field something to cheer about.

Red Bulls at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV / MLS Season Pass: The Hudson River Derby is back at Yankee Stadium, where the first installment’s 1–1 draw means Friday offers a little more than city bragging rights.

With Prime Video’s first game of the season taking place tonight in Buffalo’s brand new Highmark Stadium, as the Bills host the Lions, I was curious something.

How many stadiums has Al Michaels, who has the call of tonight’s game with Kirk Herbstreit, broadcasted an NFL game from.

So, I called Michaels and posed that question to him. He didn’t have the exact number off the top of his head, so he worked through it with me on the phone.

“Every existing stadium, so that’s 32,” said Michaels, before adding, “plus the old Giants Stadium, the L.A. Coliseum, Oakland, the AstroDome with the old Oilers, the Orange Bowl in Miami, Veterans Stadium, Riverfront Stadium, Three Rivers Stadium, the old Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Candlestick, of course.”

Michaels was far from done.

“Atlanta, I think I did one in the old stadium and in the Georgia Dome, the old Metrodome and Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis, where I did my first every NFL game.

“Buffalo at Minnesota, October 1971. That was for NBC, but NBC had the rights to postseason baseball so the NBC station in Buffalo opted to carry the baseball game and the football game was farmed out to a UHF station.

“I did that game with Johnny Morris and two of the players in the game for the Buffalo Bills: O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings. And those were the years before the home team was able to televise the game to their market, so that game wasn’t even on in Minneapolis, and was only on a UHF station in Buffalo. Think about that.”

Back to stadiums Michaels has worked in while calling NFL games.

“San Diego Stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park, where the Chargers played when they were waiting to move into SoFi. Sun Devil Stadium, don’t forget the Kingdome and old Texas Stadium in Irving, the Silverdome, Shea Stadium.”

At this point, even Michaels couldn’t believe this list.

“Now that I’m thinking, holy shit, you’re right I’ve done a ton.”

But he wasn’t done.

“University of Minnesota Stadium, when they were building U.S. Bank, the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Mile High in Denver, Schaefer Stadium in New England, RFK. Is that insane or what?”

A quick, unofficial count, including today’s stadiums, would have Michaels at 58 stadiums where he has worked in the booth calling an NFL game.

So, which stadium had the best booth and which had the worst?

“Believe it or not,” said Michaels, “the best was opened in 1972: Arrowhead. Why? They built it vertically and the booth is sitting right over the field. It’s the best naked eye vantage point ever.

“The worst would be when the 49ers moved into Candlestick and they turned the baseball field into the football stadium and the boradcast booth was high atop the upper deck. One night on “Monday Night Football,” I said, ‘I wouldn’t say we’re very high right now, but we’re looking down on the blimp.’ Candlestick was the worst stadium ever on every level.”

When I spoke to Michaels he still hasn’t been to Highmark Stadium, but he likes what they did in Buffalo.

“[Highmark] will probably be the last open air stadium in these climates. Maybe they’ll build one in some southern climates, like if they ever redo Miami or Tampa, it would probably be outside.

“The stadiums now, most of them have these translucent roofs, which makes it look like daytime during daytime, like SoFi and Vegas, but they’re building these stadiums, you can’t just have 8-10 games a year played in there. You need to have that stadium operating 80 to a 100 to 120 days a year. So, you have to have the ability to do that by having a roof and some artificial surface.

“Football still needs to be played in conditions television fans love. The most memorable games are the snow games or the -21 degrees or whatever the temperature would be. Those are the most memorable of games, so I’m glad they did what they did here in Buffalo.”

Before my conversation with Michaels wrapped up, I asked him what he thought of Prime Video’s 2026 schedule.

“Very good,” Michaels said. “We got this one, which is a beauty. We got Seattle at Denver. Had Bo Nix not gotten hurt might have been the Super Bowl last year. We got New England at Chicago. We got Jacksonville at Baltimore which is pretty interesting game considering both teams are pretty damn good. One game I’d put the spotlight on is Dec. 3: Chiefs at Rams.

“The Rams, what they did in Australia notwithstanding, when the schedule came out, that game made me say, “WOW!” And we end the season on New Year’s Eve with Baltimore-Cincinnati, which could very well be for all the marbles. And we have the Cowboys, which will be only the second time we’ve been in Dallas for a Thursday night game. We haven’t had one game in Minnesota.

“Our schedule has gotten better year and after year, you can see that. Last year, we had what was probably the most exciting and dramatic regular season game of the 270, which was Rams at Seahawks with the crazy ending, going to overtime and Zach Charbonnet running the ball in on a 2-point conversion and Seattle winning it on 4th down at the end. And then in the playoffs, we had Green Bay-Chicago, with the Bears erasing an 18-point Packers lead, so that might have been the best of the postseason games.

“We’re on a pretty good roll with this thing.”

Other Stuff

• The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand broke the news Wednesday that Joe Buck has signed a new six-year deal to stay at ESPN and call “Monday Night Football.”

This wasn’t shock, so the most interesting nugget in Marchand’s story had nothing to do with football. From the article:

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro is interested in getting the rights to the World Series in 2029, according to sources briefed on ESPN’s plans but not permitted to speak publicly. If ESPN were to swipe all or part of the World Series, Pitaro has told Buck he would like him to call it, the sources said. No provision in Buck’s new contract guarantees that happens.

Buck has repeatedly said he does not want to call baseball on a regular basis anymore, so it will be fascinating to see if ESPN could convince him to change his mind. It would also help MLB tremendously if Buck would return to baseball because it has been missing a voice of the sport since he left Fox five years ago.

• Speaking of Buck and “Monday Night Football,” ESPN got some great ratings news to kick of its Super Bowl season.

Monday’s Broncos-Chiefs game drew 23.2 million on ABC/ESPN. It was the network’s most-watched Week 1 game ever. Clearly, the Chiefs still have drawing power. Patrick Mahomes’s return from injury certainly drew interest in the game, as well.

Marchand also reported that the Week 1 ManningCast pulled in just 705,000 viewers, which is way down from what it has averaged in the past.

• In addition, with CBS and Fox both airing nationally televised 4:25 p.m. games in Week 1, nearly 40 million people were tuned into football.

Fox generated 20.3 million viewers for its window of Commanders-Eagles and Dolphins-Raiders while CBS pulled in 18.6 million viewers for Packers-Vikings and Cardinals-Chargers.

• I’ve been ranting and raving for a week about how dumb it is that the U.S. Open plays the men’s final at 2 p.m. on the first Sunday of the NFL sesaon. I guess I need to shut up because Sunday’s final between Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton drew 3.2 million viewers, making the most-watched match to air on ESPN since they got the rights to the U.S Open in 2009.

• Cannot wait for this HBO documentary.

• This was a downright blistering line from ESPN’s Kevin Brown on the 2026 Mets.

• This is UNBELIEVABLE. How does this happen? How do the Patriots let another play wear Rob Gronkowski’s No. 87?

• I feel like college football’s oversight committee saying Western Michigan got screwed against Michigan in Week 1 just makes things worse, not better. The committee released a statement basically saying, “Sorry you should’ve won, but you lost. Have a good day.” What’s the point?

The Traina Thoughts Podcast

This week’s guest on “The Traina Thoughts Podcast” is SiriusXM Radio Hall of Famer, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.

Russo goes off on the U.S. Open for various scheduling issues, reveals whether he'd root for the Dodgers or Yankees if they met in the World Series, explains why he thinks we'll get a Major League Baseball lockout and when he thinks the 2027 season could begin and breaks down his 2026 NFL team over/under bets.

In addition, Russo also gives us an update on his recent shoulder surgery and talks about not being able to do anything for six weeks, gives us background on his friend "Fat Rob, who he often mentions on SiriusXM and "First Take," and talks about what a schedule for him would look like if he decides to slow down.The podcast ends with a discussion about Mike Francesa recently calling me out for "being a Dog guy," and Russo telling everyone that he has to leave the show because he has an appointment to get a hot towel shave.

You can watch the podcast on YouTube.

You can also listen to it on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

In Closing

I saw the news that Judge Judy is retiring from television after one hell of a run and a completely insane amount of money made. I’ve always found “Judge Judy” perfect comfort television, so I wanted mention her here and show you the most batshit crazy case in the history of the show featuring one of the worst people on earth. This was Judge Judy at her finest.

GLOVE STORY

The Yankees survived three errors in Monday’s playoff-clinching win, cruised Tuesday, then watched George Lombard Jr.’s 13th-inning misplay end Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Twins. Judge’s exit turned a frustrating finale into a potentially consequential one.

• Error encore: The Yankees survived three errors in Monday’s playoff-clinching win. But when Lombard charged a 13th-inning grounder Wednesday, the ball scooted under his glove for the walk-off, and this time New York couldn’t recover.

• Judge and jury: Judge felt tightness in the first inning, tried to play through it and exited in the sixth. With October nearing, his status matters far more than a missed chance at three straight wins.

• Bases loaded, nothing doing: Needing just one run to take the lead, the Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out in the 12th, then stranded all three. Lombard’s misplay ended it an inning later.

• Division damage: The Yankees could’ve trimmed the AL East margin. Instead, they’re now 4½ games behind the first-place Rays with 10 to play. They’ll host the Rays in a four-game set next week, with Tampa Bay holding a 6-3 season-series edge.

PETE’S PAYBACK

Alonso followed Tuesday’s ninth-inning Citi Field stunner with a first-inning homer Wednesday, and Baltimore beat the Mets, 7-1, to complete the three-game sweep. He hit two homers in his first series back in Queens as an Oriole, turning an affectionate welcome into a Flushing headache.

• Curry favor: Called up after Robert Stock landed on the IL with finger numbness, Xzavion Curry allowed four homers in three innings before the Mets could answer, falling into a 6-0 hole.

• Bassitt’s business trip: Chris Bassitt held down his former club, allowing one run over 6⅔ innings. Francisco Lindor’s RBI single in the fourth produced New York’s lone run.

• 299 problems: Alonso arrived tied with Lindor at 299 career homers. He hit No. 300 Tuesday, added No. 301 Wednesday, and left Lindor one swing short.

• Sweep ’em and leave ’em: Baltimore left Queens with the broom, pulling within 2½ games of the final AL Wild Card spot. The Mets have now lost four straight.

GIANTS, JETS ON DECK

The Giants’ promising start gets a Monday-night measuring stick in Los Angeles, while the Jets return to MetLife hoping to validate their Week 1 win in Tennessee.

• Dart goes prime time: Jaxson Dart and the Giants head to SoFi off a 28-20 opening-night win over Dallas. The Rams opened as heavy favorites, but the Big Blue’s physical approach has caught Rob Gronkowski’s attention: "It’s old school. They’re running it down your throat.“

• Make it a statement: Green Bay comes to MetLife next, and a win would give the Jets their first 2-0 start since 2015. Players are counting on the Jets’ faithful to provide an edge against the Packers.

WHAT TO WATCH

• Thursday, 7:15 p.m. ET (FOX/FOX One) — Phillies at Mets: Nolan McLean (11-9, 3.24 ERA) gets the ball against Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola (6-10, 4.69 ERA) as New York tries to snap a four-game skid.

• Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET (Prime Video) — Lions at Bills: The Giants can get an early look at their Week 3 opponent. Detroit brings Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs to Buffalo, but a depleted offensive line could be the Lions’ vulnerability when they reach MetLife next week.

HOMECOMING HURTS

Pete Alonso got the standing ovation, the curtain call and the milestone. The Mets got beaten, 7–5 in 11 innings. His ninth-inning blast for career No. 300 forced extras, where Baltimore finished the job.

• Cheers, then jeers: Alonso’s 414-foot homer off Kodai Senga erased a 3–2 Mets lead in the ninth. Citi Field gave its former star a standing ovation and a curtain call — then pivoted to “Fire Stearns!” chants aimed at president of baseball operations David Stearns.

• Ex factor: Alonso became the 20th player in AL/NL history to hit career homer No. 300 against a former team. He is also just the third player to reach 300 homers within his first eight major-league seasons.

• Man(a)ea unloads: Sean Manaea called the Citi Field curtain call “crazy.” The veteran lefty said he respects Alonso, but made his view plain: “Pete’s not here. He’s just not here.”

• Inside job: Coby Mayo’s drive glanced off rookie center fielder A.J. Ewing’s glove as Ewing slammed into the wall. Mayo kept running, circling the bases for a three-run inside-the-park homer that put Baltimore ahead for good in the 11th.

NO CHAMPAGNE HANGOVER

Champagne Monday, business Tuesday. One night after clinching a third straight postseason berth, the Yankees came right back and flattened Minnesota, 8–1. Max Fried handled the pitching, while Cody Bellinger and Spencer Jones supplied the muscle — and the AL East is still there to chase.

• Back to work: Fried held Minnesota to one run over seven innings, striking out six without a walk. It was his longest start since April 22, and exactly the kind of outing the Yankees want from him heading toward October.

• Belli keeps banging: Cody Bellinger’s first-inning, two-run shot was his fourth homer in seven games after he had hit just one in his previous 46. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk.

• Jones joins in: Spencer Jones blew it open with a three-run homer in the sixth, giving him 10 on the year and making him the Yankees’ 11th player with double-digit homers — their most since the 2019 “Savages” lineup.

• Still something to play for: The postseason spot is secured. The division isn’t. New York keeps the AL East race alive, with a four-game set against Tampa Bay looming next week in the Bronx.

NO EASY ENCORES

The Giants and Jets are both 1–0, with actual early-season buzz around both teams. Now comes the harder part: doing it again. The Giants head to Hollywood for Monday Night Football — their second straight week under the prime-time lights — while the Jets welcome a wounded Green Bay team for Sunday’s home opener.

• Lights, camera, Giants: Big Blue takes its 1–0 start from Sunday night in Dallas to Monday night in Hollywood, where another prime-time stage awaits against the Rams. Matthew Stafford already called the Giants “a dangerous team,” while Jaxson Dart keeps his eyes on what comes next: “This is just the start.”

• Home, sweet home? The Jets bring their 1–0 start back to MetLife for Sunday’s home opener, where Green Bay arrives looking to shake off a 39–22 loss to Minnesota that included a blown 12-point lead and 29 unanswered points. Aaron Glenn isn’t changing the standard: “Winning. I mean, hands down.”

• Run it back: Both teams are 1–0 and feeling good. They have to do it again. Otherwise, it becomes a very different New York football conversation — Monday morning for the Jets, Tuesday morning for the Giants.

WHAT TO WATCH:

Yankees at Twins, 1:40 p.m. ET, YES: Carlos Rodón (6–3, 2.94 ERA) gets the ball as the Yankees go for a series sweep against Minnesota’s Zebby Matthews (9–10, 4.98).

Orioles at Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN: Former Met Chris Bassitt (7–5, 4.88 ERA) returns to Citi Field looking to complete Baltimore’s sweep. Robert Stock (1–3, 5.93 ERA) starts for the Mets.