Day 476...

On the eve of Chanukah 2024, the New York Yankees are building a roster for the impending 2025 season, and for the first time in a long time, some of the major pieces are jewish.

Pitcher Max Fried and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt — both acquired this offseason — join a Yankees club heavily reliant on them in pursuit of championship number 28.

Fried and Goldschmidt add to a presence of jewish heritage in the Yankees clubhouse, along with bullpen specialist Scott Effross and bench coach Brad Ausmus.

And with free agent star Alex Bregman being courted by suiters not named the Houston Astros, the potential of his talents joining the Yankees still looms.

However, for jewish fans, New York has long been a Mets town.

Sandy Koufax, who is the greatest jewish ball player to ever grace a major league diamond, played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, so he is indirectly associated with the Mets. When the Dodgers were uprooted from Brooklyn in 1958 and transplanted in Los Angeles, fans would eventually gravitate to the Mets when they’d come into existence in 1962.

Also, the Mets have Jerry Seinfeld as probably their most famous fan, as well as current owner Steve Cohen.

While the Yankees had Ron Bloomberg represent them as the first ever designated hitter used in 1973, they historically had players who changed their last name to avoid antisemitism and discrimination.

For instance, Jimmie Reese, who played alongside Babe Ruth in 1930 and ‘31, was born Hyman Solomon. Earlier than that, when the Yankees were known as the Highlanders, Phil Cooney ditched his last name of Cohen.

Not every jewish ballplayer in history had the talent, nor the fortitude of Hank Greenberg, the Detroit Tigers’ legend.

In the face of tremendous antisemitism, Greenberg did not change his last name, and even publicly observed his heritage.

Koufax and Greenberg are the only jewish players preserved in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

So for the Yankees, and namely Fried, we could be entering a new chapter of jewish empowerment emanating from the Bronx.

Day 466...

I remember being in the throws of my Yankee fandom in the late ‘90s, so the name Bellinger is familiar.

In 1999 it was Clay Bellinger, a 30-year-old Yankee rookie, who at first mention back then elicited reactions of, “Clay who?” And “what position does he play?”

That Bellinger — who spent the first 10 years of professional baseball as a full-time minor leaguer — would end up helping the Yankees win the World Series in ‘99 and 2000. And to stay in the Bronx, he just about played every position besides pitcher and catcher.

About 25 years later, Bellinger’s now 29-year-old son, Cody, is rumored to be traded to the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs.

An above average outfielder with a powerful lefty bat, this Bellinger has already eclipsed his father’s short major league baseball career with two silver slugger awards, a gold glove, NL MVP honors and a World Series to his credit.

Besides filling the Soto-shaped hole left in the Yankees outfield and on their lineup card, Cody would also fill the hearts and minds of fans with nostalgia, assuming you were born around 1990 or before.

It’s a win for Cody, a win for the Yankees and a win for the fanbase.

Maybe more than just on paper, too.

460 days...

Juan Soto is officially a New York Met.

The contract signed by Soto and his handlers late Sunday evening was for $765 million over 15 years.

The contract offer from the incumbent Yankees that he spurned was for $760 million over 16 years.

The Red Sox offer came in around $700 million over 15 years, and the Dodgers made their offer in the $600 million neighborhood.

What Soto’s decision says to me is that there was enough of an overall monetary gap where he only seriously considered the Yankees and Mets as potential landing spots.

Although, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora likely being the best manager of the four teams, and the hypothetical top of the Dodgers lineup being Ohtani-Soto-Betts-Freeman looming, it couldn’t have been easy for Soto to discard those two ball clubs.

Furthermore, if all that separated the Yankees and Mets was $5 million and one year, Soto’s actions say that he has more faith in the future of the Mets than he does the Yankees.

Soto has a player option after five years where he can opt out, so he’s clearly betting that the next five seasons will be more fruitful in Queens than in the Bronx.

However, the Mets also retain some control after five seasons, as they can void Soto’s opt-out clause by bumping up his annual salary to $55 million per.

Looks like Soto’s got what the Lox were singing about in the late 90’s…

Money, power and respect.

Day 458...

I don’t know Jon Heyman personally, but I became a fan of his Friday evening.

It was about 8:30pm on the east coast. He was about ten minutes into a radio guest spot with WFAN host Keith McPherson when Heyman had enough.

“To say I’m getting a cut because I have a relationship with an agent [Scott Boras], it’s outrageous,” Heyman lectured the radio host.

McPherson a few minutes earlier — trying to add some entertainment value to the program — had asked Heyman: “What’s the percentage of the Juan Soto contract that you’re going to get when you break the news on where he signs?”

To which, Heyman forcibly chuckled and denied that he was any part of “Boras Corp,” as McPherson had previously cheaply alleged.

Heyman politely stumbled for a couple more minutes, referencing past offseason contracts of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in comparison to the impending Soto contract, but he grew tired of McPherson using him as his Friday night muse.

“I’m done with you and I’m done with WFAN,” Heyman shouted at the young radio host who had made one too many jokes about the journeyman reporter’s history.

Listening to Heyman crescendo on the overstepping host, I think McPherson got more value out of the call than he ever could have hoped.

It was widely understood that Soto’s deal was not going to be announced by Friday, so talking to Heyman was never going to reveal anything.

Friday’s outburst reminded me of last winter when WFAN midday hosts Sal Licata and Brandon Tierney hung up mid-interview on former New York Giant great Carl Banks over a disagreement.

I used to work at WFAN back when living legends roamed the halls. Imus, Francesa, Russo, Minko, Somers — guys like McPherson, Tierney and Licata are not.

On its best days, WFAN was must listen. On its less that best days, WFAN was still an entertaining listen.

Now, WFAN seems to struggle just to be background noise.

Issue no. 22: Hopes Of American Man Winning US Open Still Alive

As the US Open forges on with the second week of the year’s final major, men’s quarterfinal matches beginning Tuesday include two Americans.

With that, comes the annual reminder that an American man has not won the US Open since Andy Roddick last did so in 2003.

So for the 20 years that have come and gone, every loss and every win by an American has carried a lot of weight.

However, the hope and expectation that an American will be the last man standing this year are as close to realistic as fans have felt in the last two decades.

With Tommy Paul losing a hard fought, yet straight set loss, Monday evening to world no. 1 Jannik Sinner, the proverbial monkey now sits solely on the shoulders of Francis Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz.

The quarterfinals begin Tuesday, as Tiafoe will face Grigor Dmitrov and Fritz will take on Alexander Zverev for spots in the semifinals.

The two lone Americans likely already know this, but had they watched Paul’s match versus Sinner, they’ll know that it’ll take more than a favorably raucous New York crowd for them to emerge victorious.

Crowd influence can certainly alter a match in the early rounds, but as the players are now swimming in deeper waters, it’ll be up to them whether they sink or swim.

Historically, at this stage in a major, the remaining players are those that are best able to show poise, focus and timely shot-making abilities.

Tiafoe and Fritz have yet to execute all of these facets in majors.

Tuesday is another chance, in a sport where chances can be fleeting.

So as 20 years of non-American champions haunt their attempts to change history, it’ll be interesting to see how both players handle the mental and physical game that awaits.