Daily Report – 2/10/25
Greetings,
Here is today’s report and weekend recap:
Yankees
It’s going to be a long two weeks. The NFL season has fully concluded, the NHL regular season is on hold for two weeks because of the Four Nations Face-Off, and the NBA breaks for the All-Star Game on Wednesday. At least pitchers and catchers report soon.
Wait, is it that time already? Could it be?
Yes, it is! Pitchers and catchers report TOMORROW!
The MLB free agent market continues to sizzle, and the Yankees still seek a third baseman, although that area of the market will remain stagnant until Alex Bregman signs a contract. I do not believe the organization plans to start anyone specific, including DJ LeMahieu, at third base. If a trade cannot be completed or if a contract fails to be signed before Spring Training formally begins, a competition will be held between LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Oswald Peraza for the starting spot.
An interesting storyline to follow heading into tomorrow is Marcus Stroman’s future with the team. Aaron Boone will meet the media tomorrow, and I imagine he’ll be asked about him. The Yankees owe Stroman $18 million this season, and if they cannot trade him, he will likely serve as the sixth man in the starting rotation or as a bullpen piece. Stroman has removed all traces of the Yankees from his Instagram profile, but he remains part of their roster.
Here is the list of non-roster invitees the Yankees have prepared for Spring Training:
Pitchers:
RHP Sean Boyle
RHP Colten Brewer
RHP Carlos Carrasco
RHP Chase Hampton
RHP Geoff Hartlieb
RHP Christian Hernández
RHP Erick Leal
RHP Brandon Leibrandt
RHP Leonardo Pestana
RHP Eric Reyzelman
RHP Wilking Rodríguez
RHP Cam Schlittler
RHP Kevin Stevens
Catchers:
Rafael Flores
Alex Jackson
Omar Martínez
Infielders:
Roderick Arias
George Lombard Jr.
Pablo Reyes
TJ Rumfield
Dominic Smith
Andrew Velazquez
Outfielders:
Brennen Davis
Duke Ellis
Spencer Jones
Ismael Munguia
Tomorrow, I will provide news on pitchers and catchers along with a look at the Yankees’ current active roster.
As for recent Yankees acquisition Tyler Matzek, the Yankees have signed him to a minor league contract.
Rangers
Welcome to the Four Nations Face-Off Break. Starting Wednesday, six different Rangers players will represent their countries in the Four Nations Face-Off. Adam Fox, Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, and JT Miller will play for team USA. Also, Mika Zibanejad will play for team Sweden and Urho Vaakanainen for team Finland.
Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the USA will be the four nations competing in this tournament, which will begin Wednesday night and last through February 20. All games will take place in Montreal (Bell Centre) and Boston (TD Garden). Here is the schedule for the tournament:
Montreal, CA; Bell Centre:
Wednesday 2/12, 8 PM (7 PM CST): First Round – CAN vs. SWE; TNT, TruTV, MAX
Thursday 2/13, 8 PM (7 PM CST): First Round – USA vs. FIN; ESPN, ESPN+
Saturday 2/15, 1 PM (12 PM CST): Second Round – FIN vs. SWE; ABC, ESPN+
Saturday 2/15, 8 PM (7 PM CST): Second Round – USA vs. CAN; ABC, ESPN+
Boston, MA; TD Garden:
Monday 2/17, 1 PM (2 PM CST): Third Round – CAN vs. FIN; TNT, TruTV, MAX
Monday 2/17, 8 PM (7 PM CST): Third Round – SWE vs. USA; TNT, TruTV, MAX
Thursday 2/20, 8 PM (7 PM CST): Championship Game; ESPN, ESPN+
Each team will play each other at least once in this tournament, with three round-robin games through the first three rounds. The following criteria will determine the championship game participants (who has the most points at the end):
All NHL rules apply, except that:
Regulation wins are worth three points
Overtime (which lasts 10 minutes) and shootout wins are worth two points
Overtime and shootout losses are worth one point
The championship game will follow NHL postseason overtime rules
For the NHL, the focus has shifted to the Four Nations tournament. For the Rangers, the focus remains on three points. Three points are needed to make the playoffs. Achieving this goal is not as simple as just winning two games; it requires consistent attention and an infectious desire to win from everyone on the team. Each player must commit to the same objective and contribute to the team's success.
On Friday night, when the Rangers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2, the team demonstrated a lack of urgency. For the first 40 minutes of the game, they played as if defeating the struggling Penguins was unnecessary. Unnecessary? Unacceptable. Coach Peter Laviolette expressed his surprise and frustration, stating, “We needed to pick up on the backcheck, and we didn’t.”
Points are all that matter now, as several Eastern Conference teams are vying for playoff berths. The Rangers cannot afford to drop any games or take unnecessary risks. They must attack the next segment of the season with full intensity, or they will risk missing the playoffs altogether.
If not for JT Miller’s influence, the Rangers might not have had a chance against Pittsburgh on Friday night. In the third period, the team rallied together, and although the effort was not enough to secure the win, it was commendable. Corsi is a statistic that measures a team’s overall offense, tracked by period by Natural Stat Trick. In the third period of this game, the Rangers not only outshot the Penguins 7-0 but held them to a Corsi rating of 3 while recording a Corsi rating of 32. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh's goaltender, Alex Nedeljkovic, excelled in the matchup, allowing Pittsburgh to win despite being without their star player, Sidney Crosby.
The Rangers had come back to win in the third period during their two games before Friday night, and despite the results, their performance in the third period against Pittsburgh was the best they had shown in any period all season—until they faced Columbus the following night.
As the second intermission approached, the scoreboard read 3-2 in favor of Columbus. The Rangers had given up two goals within a minute during the first period. Despite Mika Zibanejad's efforts to tie the game in the second, a defensive lapse by Ryan Lindgren allowed James van Riemsdyk to put the Blue Jackets in the lead. However, the Rangers were determined not to lose two games in a row before their extended break, and they outshot Columbus 17-4 in the third period.
Nearly two minutes into the third period, Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle intercepted a clearing attempt by Columbus, forcing a delayed penalty. Rather than letting Columbus touch up, Cuylle dragged the puck across the ice and fired a wrist shot from above the left circle, which Urho Vaakanainen tipped into the net.
With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Cuylle sealed the victory for the Rangers. Adam Fox made an impressive block in his zone, allowing him to pass the puck to Cuylle, who initially mishandled it in the offensive zone. Columbus attempted to clear the puck, but Trocheck defended it once again and dropped it back for Cuylle, who scored from the right circle. Trocheck's play fooled the Blue Jackets twice, and the Rangers came back to win the game 4-3.
The Rangers now have 58 points, sitting three points out of a playoff spot. The rest of the season is sure to be an exciting journey.
Knicks
It isn’t enough. From Oklahoma City to Boston, the Knicks simply aren’t built to handle the NBA’s toughest teams. They lack the depth necessary to defend effectively for 48 minutes, which puts excessive pressure on their offense. The Knicks were blown out by the Celtics, losing 131-104 on Saturday night.
Boston is a remarkably deep team that defends exceptionally well and scores consistently, especially from beyond the arc. Throughout this game, the Knicks struggled to defend behind the three-point line and frequently found themselves mismatched against Boston’s larger players. The absence of OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson severely impacted the Knicks' defense. They miss those two players dearly, although the Celtics were also shorthanded on Saturday night.
Midway through the third quarter, the Knicks managed to cut Boston’s significant lead to just three points, but they couldn’t make the necessary stops. Then, Jayson Tatum took over, finishing the night with 40 points, 19 of which came in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Knicks ran out of gas, despite entering the game with the worst three-point percentage allowed in the NBA at 37.8%.
The Knicks need to adapt their defensive strategies. Tom Thibodeau is known for his defensive mindset, but the team’s performance has been mediocre at best this season. They need to develop strategies to defend both the three-point line and the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns must avoid foul trouble, and the team needs to get healthy. Offensively, they lack sufficient size, but Robinson's return should help create more screens to get guards open for three-point shots. Additionally, Robinson needs to be a reliable rebounder, particularly on the offensive end.
There are also too many instances where players on this Knicks team struggle to shoot from downtown. Towns, who is supposed to be the best three-point shooting center in the league, has been struggling lately. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges doesn’t get enough clean looks from beyond the arc, and Josh Hart’s shot has been inconsistent. The Knicks need to rest and address their shooting issues while maintaining a defense-first mentality.
Last season, the Knicks ranked among the NBA’s best in defense. Hopefully, Mitchell Robinson’s return will help them improve this season.
In this game, Boston led for all 48 minutes, with a maximum lead of 35 points, and the longest run of the game was for nine points.
The Knicks will play their next game tomorrow night in Indianapolis against the Pacers.
That will do it for this report. Have a good night.
