Dan On Sports

Kudos to the football Giants

Good morning, all and happy Saturday! The critics are out there saying the New York Giants made the wrong move giving GM Joe Schoen a contract extension. I disagree and explain why in my video/podcast commentary. Here are some other thoughts on this Saturday of Memorial Day weekend: * I love these so called influencers. One of them, a huge NY Mets cheerleader, is out there posting on social media, “The Mets should contact the Astros about catcher Christian Vasquez.” With injuries, the Mets have catching issues. My question to the influencer would be, “How do you know the Mets haven’t contacted the Astros about Vasquez?” If you have been around baseball executives - and I have - they are wedded to their phones. They are almost always on them. “The Mets should?” I guarantee you the Mets already have. * The 2026 Yankees are right up there with the 1967 Yankees of Jake Gibbs, Dooley Womack, Horace Clarke, Dick Howser, John Kennedy, Steve Whitaker, Charley Smith and, of course, Mickey Mantle, Elston Howard, Tom Tresh and Joe Pepitone. #OTD in 1967, just as they are now, they were seven down in the loss column to the first place team. Those Yankees crashed and burned. These Yankees are hitting about the same as that crew. Their only savior? They now play under a contrived system where even a club as bad as the Red Sox are still in the thick of the playoff race. What a game! * So how is my World Series pick of the Cubs vs. Tigers looking? * If Jacob deGrom, with a 99-68 2.58 ERA lifetime record is a Hall of Fame candidate, as many suggest, then Ron Guidry, with a 170-91 3.29 ERA lifetime record belongs. BTW, deGrom’s winning percentage is .592, while Guidry finished with a .651 winning percentage. * I would say Mike Elias, the head of the Baltimore Orioles baseball operations, is in big trouble. He was hired in 2019 to turn around this once glorious franchise. After early success - the Birds made the playoffs twice and won the AL East twice - the team has been a flop. His firing of manager Brandon Hyde a year ago failed to spark the franchise, and they are currently in last place under new manager Craig Albernaz. At some point it comes down to the head honcho and that’s Elias, who has failed to bring the magic to Baltimore that he brought to Houston. * The Chicago Bears have ruled out building a new stadium near Soldier Field. The team announced yesterday that they will build a new stadium in Arlington Heights, IL or northwest Indiana. Stay tuned. * Which leads me to the governor of New Jersey, who said this week she wants to convince the Brooklyn Nets to move back to New Jersey. The author of the story stated New Jersey currently has only one major league sports team, the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. I could be wrong, but the last time I checked both the NFL’s Giants and Jets were based in New Jersey. Just sayin.’ That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Please don’t wish someone a happy Memorial Day. It is a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our country. Never forget. Thank you for reading and being a subscriber. DAN This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.danonsports.com/subscribe [https://www.danonsports.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

How to counter NFL streaming platform

Good morning, all and happy Thursday! The NFL is not backing off on putting more games on streaming platforms. There is a way the move can be countered. I explain how in the video and audio podcast. Here is some of what I miss in sports: * I miss managers bringing up the lineup cards to home plate before the game * I miss organ-only music at baseball games * I miss uncluttered TV screens, while watching sporting events * I miss Pat Summerall and John Madden * I miss the NFL Giants being a given on Sunday afternoon TV * I miss the NBA season ending by Memorial Day * I miss Tiger Woods being in the center of the action * I definitely miss $4.50 box seats and 50 cent hot dogs * I miss Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer calling Yankees games * I miss Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy and Ralph Kiner calling Mets games * I miss Kiner’s Korner * I miss Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek on the NBC Game of the Week * I miss tuning to 1090 WBAL and listening to Chuck Thompson and Bill O’Donnell calling Orioles baseball * I miss tuning to KDKA late at night and hearing Bob Prince calling Pirates games * I miss Eddie Layton playing the organ at the old Yankee Stadium * I miss Jane Jarvis playing the organ at Shea Stadium * I miss the 10-team American League and the 10-team National League * I miss afternoon World Series games * I miss Harry Carey * I miss the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon * I miss Jack Whitaker’s golf commentaries * I miss iconic public address announcers like Bob Sheppard, Sherm Feller, Rex Barney - “Give that fan a contract” - and John Condon * I miss reading Red Smith, Dick Young, Bill Lee, Owen Canfield and Art McGinley * I miss the Hartford Whalers * I miss the morning newspapers, the fresh smell of them and the box scores on the sports page I know things change and nobody is more on board with progress and new tech than I am. How else could I have published this newsletter! But that doesn’t mean I can’t miss things too. Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter and have a terrific day! DAN This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.danonsports.com/subscribe [https://www.danonsports.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Chris Sale is a class act

Good morning, all and happy Tuesday! Kudos to Chris Sale, the Atlanta Braves pitcher and 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner. I explain why this former Red Sox and White Sox pitcher deserves applause, in the video and audio podcast. Here are some other thoughts on this Tuesday before Memorial Day: * Among my 2026 predictions was a New York Knicks-Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Final. We are a step closer, as the Eastern Conference finals open tonight between the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers. OKC, defending champions, played Game 1 of the Western Conference finals last night against San Antonio. * By the way, the NBA regular season has become so tedious, this is usually about the time I start paying attention to a league I used to follow religiously, from the first game of the regular season right through the finals. Things change, I guess. * The Yankees are memorializing the late John Sterling with a patch they will wear on their uniform sleeve for the remainder of the season. The iconic broadcaster, who retired after the 2024 season, died on May 4, two months shy of his 88th birthday. * I’m guessing the World Cup is a big deal, no? My neighbor, a native of Bosnia, already has his supersized TV aligned with his patio and swimming pool. I told him I’ll bring the refreshments. * AI can be good and it can put people out of work. Let’s just say, if I am a sports designer, I am very concerned right now. Some of the art being generated by AI is off the charts. The website Front Office Sports ran an AI-generated piece of Caitlin Clark that was remarkable, and it has sports designers very concerned. That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Have a terrific Tuesday and thank you for being a subscriber! DAN This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.danonsports.com/subscribe [https://www.danonsports.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

NFL controls the narrative

Good morning, all and happy Tuesday! It is a busy week in sports coming up. So why is the NFL the dominant subject? I break it down in the above video/podcast. Here’s my five cents worth on some other subjects: * The Athletic has a superb story about the splitter, the pitch of the 1980s that is making a comeback. The piece - behind a paywall - also explains why very few left handed pitchers throw the splitter. I can speak from first hand experience that more pitchers in the minor leagues are now throwing the splitter. Who can blame them? It is a nasty pitch that baffles the hitter, as the pitch dives at the last instant, just as it reaches the plate. * The Preakness Stakes will be this Saturday, and as previously announced, Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo will not compete. There has been talk the Preakness should be held three weeks after the Derby and not two. This is a good idea. More and more, Kentucky Derby winners are not racing in the Preakness because it is so soon after the Derby. I’m in favor of a three-week interval to increase the chances of having a Triple Crown winner. Here’s hoping it happens. * There was always the prevailing thought one of the reasons Joe Girardi was let go as Yankees manager after the 2017 season, was he looked as if he was about to have a root canal, when dealing with the media. That is a no-no in media-centric New York. So why is he so good as an analyst on Yankees telecasts? It amazes me the number of athletes, managers, etc. - Yes, Michael Strahan, I’m looking at you too - who want nothing to do with the media, until they come over to the other side and collect big money as members of the media. It’s the world in which we live, I guess. * It would not surprise me if the New York Yankees engineer a trade for a closer and a catcher. David Begnar is not the answer, when the game is on the line, and defensively, catcher Austin Wells is suspect, while his offense has disappeared faster than someone avoiding a bill collector. * It’s not hyperbole to say this week’s four-game series in Los Angeles between the rival Giants and Dodgers is huge for San Francisco. If the Dodgers sweep or take three-of-four, the Giants could blow the entire thing up early and start trading away what stars they have. Stay tuned. That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. I have a week of baseball broadcasts coming up, so I may not be as consistant with the newsletter this week. I will try to pump out as much content as time permits. Thank you for your understanding and for being a subscriber! DAN This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.danonsports.com/subscribe [https://www.danonsports.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Is the walk-up song 60 years old?

Good morning, all and happy Friday! We have become used to walk-up songs for baseball players, whether you are talking at major league or minor league games. When did this practice start? I give my guess in the video/podcast. Here is the link to that May 8, 1966 game: Here’s my five cents worth - remember pennies are going away - on some other topics: * You knew it was going to happen. The powers-that-be have rendered their decision and to no one’s surprise they are expanding the field for March Madness for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, starting this upcoming season. Why? Well, as we speculated, it’s money, namely $50 million. Cha-Ching! * The hits keep coming for the floundering Red Sox. Roman Anthony, built up as the second Ted Williams by the fawning Boston sports media, is going on the IL with a wrist injury. Anthony is off to a horrible start, just like his team, who lost the first game of an important four-game series at Fenway last night, 8-4, to the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays. * Poor Jasson Dominguez of the Yankees, who seemed to be hitting his stride. He was placed on the IL yesterday with a sprained shoulder, after slamming into the fence in left field at Yankee Stadium, making a spectacular catch. He had to be carted off the field. Manager Aaron Boone admitted Dominguez could be on the IL for a while * This is why I always say things will work out. Yankees fans have been screaming for left hand hitting power hitter Spencer Jones to be called up. Now they will get their wish. Jones was promoted to the big team yesterday. He is a left hand hitting Aaron Judge, who Jones told me, when he played against the Hartford Yard Goats the last two seasons, has had a big influence on him, during spring training. * Making schedules is not the easiest thing in the world, even with computers. That stated, could someone please tell me how MLB could permit a schedule that has both the Yankees and Mets on the road, during a May weekend? Neither New York club is home this Mother’s Day weekend. The Yankees are at Milwaukee and the Mets at Arizona. That makes no sense. * I’m beginning to think Mike Vrabel might not be the coach of the New England Patriots, come the kick-off to the 2026 NFL season. That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for subscribing and enjoy your Friday! DAN This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.danonsports.com/subscribe [https://www.danonsports.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]