The Better Team Wins

You know how you can tell which is the better team? It wins, that's how. Trust me, I have a lot of experience rooting for teams that have lost to better ones.

In 1973, the Mets lost to the A's in the World Series. Both teams were good; the A's were better.

In 1994, the Knicks lost to the Rockets in the NBA finals. Both team were good; the Rockets were better. 

In 2001, the Giants lost to the Ravens in Super Bowl 35. Both teams were good; the Ravens were better.

In 2014, the Rangers lost to the Kings in the Stanley Cup finals. Both teams were good; the Kings were better.

In 2015, the Mets lost to the Royals in the World Series. Again both teams were good; the Royals were better.

So far in the 2026 NBA finals, a lot of people have tied themselves up in knots coming up with reasons for why the Knicks couldn't possibly be the better team in this series. They point out that over the first four games, the Spurs have led for a total of 133 minutes while the Knicks have led for only 52 minutes, ergo the Spurs are better. Percentage of time led in basketball is about as meaningless as time of possession is in football. Many teams have won the time of possession while losing the game. It happens more than you think. Last time I checked, the only score that mattered was the final score.

Look, have the Spurs gotten off to good starts in these finals? Most definitely, yes. San Antonio has led at the end of all four first quarters. In fact, they've held double-digit leads in every game of this series. But as good as they've been in the first quarter, the Knicks have been better in the other three. New York is a collective -47 in the first quarter, but in quarters two, three and four, they're +24, +16 and +15 respectively. The 29-point lead the Spurs blew in the second half of game four represents the largest blown lead ever in an NBA final. That singular distinction belongs to them, not the Knicks.

This postseason, the Knicks have played better on the road than they have at Madison Square Garden. They're +171 away vs +108 at home. All three closeout games have occurred in the visitors arena, not one has been remotely close. Clearly, living out of a suitcase has not been a problem for this team.

The Knicks have the best player in this final; the best clutch player in all of basketball. They might even have the second best player. That is not a knock on the Spurs; it's just a fact based on everything we've observed from watching both these teams in the closing minutes. With the exception of game three, the Knicks have been the more composed, more poised and more mature team on the court. Their best players have simply been better than the Spurs best players, and Mike Brown has out-coached his counterpart Mitch Johnson.

Ask yourself this question. Who would rather have when the game is on the line: Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns or De'Aaron Fox, Julian Champagnie and Victor Wembanyama? That was meant as a rhetorical question, by the way. I wasn't looking for an answer.

I don't know why this is so hard for some people to comprehend. The Knicks are not leading 3-1 because they've been lucky or because they had an easy path to the finals or even because the basketball gods are finally smiling on them. They're leading because they've been the better team.

Is it possible that the Spurs can come back and win this series? Of course it is. And if they do, guess what? They will be the better team.  But I sincerely doubt that will happen. I think this series ends tonight with the better team hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.

That's how this works; it's how it's always worked. There are no participation trophies when it comes to sports. There are just winners and losers. The winners get to celebrate with their teammates on a podium and receive a ring; the losers get to go home empty handed. 

Sorry if that ruins your narrative, but then I've never been very good at drawing narratives. Besides, I'm a Rangers fan. Who knows more about losing to a better team than us?

Why Aaron Judge Deserves the A.L. MVP

Just so we're clear, Shohei Ohtani is that most unique of baseball players; a gifted power hitter who is also an accomplished pitcher. He won last season's A.L. MVP award and is making a pretty strong case to at least be considered for it again this year. Players like this don't grow on trees. Check out the slash line below:

BA: .271, HRs: 34; RBIs: 89, OPS: .892

W-L: 13-8; ERA: 2.43; IP: 148; SO: 196

Those are pretty good numbers, if I do say so myself, and if Perry Minasian happens to call up Billy Eppler over the winter to inquire if the Mets would be interested in obtaining the 27 year old, anything other than an unqualified "who do I have to kill?" should get Eppler committed to Bellevue indefinitely.

On day one, Ohtani would instantly become the Mets best player. Just imagine a pitching rotation that includes Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Ohtani. Then imagine a lineup that consists of Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Ohtani. The Braves can kiss the N.L. East goodbye for the foreseeable future.

But here's the thing: as good a season as Ohtani is having for the Angels, it doesn't come remotely close to the season Aaron Judge is having for the Yankees. There's no other way around it: Judge is having the kind of season baseball players dream about. You want a slash line? Try this one on for size.

BA: .316 (1st), HRs: 60 (1st), RBIs: 128 (1st), OPS: 1.125 (1st)

The last player to win the triple crown in the American League was Miguel Cabrera for the Tigers in 2012. Before that, it was Carl Yastrzemski for the Red Sox in 1967. As you can see, it doesn't happen very often. Judge would be the first triple crown winner to smack 60 plus home runs. Not even Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig did that. He's just one home run away from tying Roger Maris's single season record and two away from breaking it. Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, none of them had the kind of year Judge is having. Even when Maris broke the Babe's record in 1961, he still only hit .269.

No, Judge doesn't wear multiple hats like Ohtani, but he personifies in every way imaginable what it means to be a most valuable player. Think about it. If the Angels didn't have Ohtani on their roster, they would still be a lousy ball club. But if the Yankees didn't have Judge on theirs, they wouldn't even be in playoff contention. Just look at the lineup. Yes, it's encouraging that Stanton is finally starting to hit, but throughout this entire season, when his team has needed him most, Judge has come through in the clutch. Last night, he threw out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double. The man does it all. He's the epitome of a five-tool player. I say this as a Mets fan, it has been a joy to watch the professionalism he brings to the game. If Steve Cohen could afford him, he'd be a fixture at CitiField for the next decade.

Look, in any other year, Shohei Ohtani might be a deserving candidate for MVP. Not this year; not with the kind of season Aaron Judge is having. If the term MVP means anything, then the decision should be a no-brainer.

October in May

Well it sure was fun while it lasted, wasn't it? Seriously, it's news these days when the Mets manage to put together back to back wins, let alone sweep the most storied franchise in professional sports. In case you haven't been paying attention, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum (AKA, the Wilpons, Mutt and Jeff) have pretty much destroyed this team the last few years.

So you can imagine everyone's shock and amazement when the Amazin's did the improbable and took all four games against the Bronx Bombers, the last two coming at Yankee Stadium. Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming.

Now to be fair, this wasn't your usual Yankee team. No Teixeira, no Jeter, no A-Rod. About the only two regulars in the lineup were Cano and Gardner. By all accounts, this was the weakest hitting team the Yankees have fielded in decades. They were bound to lose a few eventually.

As for the Muts, you know the old saying, on any given day...?  Well, the Mets had four of those in a row.  And, so long as we're being fair to the Yanks, let's just state the obvious: the Mets aren't the worst team in baseball; they just play like it most nights.  Indeed both teams were due for a change in fortunes.  It's just a little odd that the change happened at the exact same time. The Mets looked like champs; the Yanks chumps.

But while Mets' fans celebrated the moment and rightly so, if I were them I wouldn't go making plans for any post-season parties just yet. As we speak, their team is desperately trying to salvage the final game of a 3-game set against the Miami Marlins - truly the worst team in Baseball - after getting pummeled in the first two. So much for a winning streak.

Yeah, it sure was nice to see some wins; it was even nicer to see Yankee fans suffer, if only for a short while. But, like most vacations, there comes a point when you come back home and all you have left are the memories and the pictures.

It's back to business as usual. The Yankees will move on an, in all likelihood, win at least 90 games, which should be enough to capture this division. As for the Flushing faithful. Let's just say that 90 games sounds about right. Unfortunately, those 90 will be in the loss column.