When Connor McDonald addressed the Madison Square Garden crowd on Wednesday night, he left a special message for the Rangers. “And I tell this team tonight,” he began, “My father suffered 30 years and died for this city. He never gave up. He never gave up. As you reach toward the playoffs, just remember my father, and never give up.”

McDonald continued, “[My father] loved this city, I know you love this city. Remember where we come from and go kick some ass.”

The Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award has been a New York Rangers cornerstone for decades. And the Rangers honored the late great Steven McDonald with a hard-fought win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a significant two points as the Rangers continued their pursuit of the postseason.

Tom Thibodeau is alternating his centers tonight as the Knicks travel to Cleveland for the second game of a back-to-back set. Karl-Anthony Towns missed last night’s game against Philadelphia, but Mitchell Robinson balled out on his birthday. The Knicks beat the 76ers 105-91 last night, and their 15 games allowing fewer than 100 points are the eighth most in the NBA.

Mitchell Robinson recorded 14 points and 14 rebounds last night, including seven offensive rebounds. Robinson said this was the best birthday game of his career.

“Still got a lot of work to do,” said Robinson. “But as of right now, I mean, it’s heading in the right direction.” The shorthanded Knicks were without Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Cameron Payne, or Deuce McBride, but Philadelphia had worse injuries to overcome. They lacked Joel Embiid and Paul George, so led by former Knick Quentin Grimes, they were rather easy to beat.

Some organizations acquire players to improve their teams. Others simplify the process by inventing new bats.

And in one weekend, one man has become baseball’s biggest star: Aaron Leanhardt, the inventor of the “torpedo bat.”

The concept is simple: The bat features a concentrated barrel located closer to the handle. This benefits hitters who hit balls with the lower ends of their bats, allowing them to hit more home runs.

Yesterday at Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees kicked off their 2025 season with a bang and a fright.

The bang: In his first at-bat as the first Yankees catcher to ever hit lead-off, Austin Wells homered.

The fright: Devin Williams nearly pulled a “Nestor Cortes in Game 1 of the World Series.”

But the Bronx Bombers the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2.

“Why doesn’t it make sense?” Boone asked rhetorically when questioned about his decision to put Wells in the leadoff spot. For a catcher, hitting leadoff is especially difficult because you must transition between helping your pitcher through his first inning and decoding another pitcher during his.

Record: 94-68, 1st in AL East

Final result: World Series loss in 6 games to the Los Angeles Dodgers

Best hitter: RF Aaron Judge (55 HR, .314 AVG, 114 RBI, 1.117 OPS)

Best pitcher: LHP Max Fried (22-9, 2.89 ERA)

Biggest boost: C Austin Wells (23 HR, .268 AVG, 52 RBI, .812 OPS)

Biggest disappointment: 3B Oswaldo Cabrera (7 HR, .253 AVG, 17 RBI, .579 OPS)

The Knicks made history at the Garden last night as Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded the franchise’s first single-game pair of triple-doubles. Along with 35 points from OG Anunoby, the Knicks defeated the Dallas Mavericks 128-113. This was the first regulation game in NBA history in which one player scored at least 35 points and two of his teammates recorded triple-doubles (OptaSTATS).

The game was close at first, with both teams finishing the first half tied at 68. But the Knicks eclipsed Dallas in the third quarter, outscoring them 30-16.

Tonight, at the Mecca, at 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CT), the Knicks will host the Dallas Mavericks (MSG).

This Mavericks team looks a bit different from the one that beat the Knicks on November 27. Luka Doncic is now a Laker, Kyrie Irving is out for the season, and Anthony Davis doubts he’ll play tonight. When Dallas beat the Knicks 129-114 in November, Jalen Brunson posted 37 points against his former team. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points and collected 14 rebounds, and Josh Hart scored 12 points. It was, unfortunately, a wasted effort by Brunson and Towns.

Jalen Brunson and Deuce McBride will both sit out tonight against Dallas, which means the former Marquette star Tyler Kolek gets some more playing time. Regarding Kolek’s opportunity, which first arrived on Saturday against Washington, Josh Hart said, “He stayed ready, stayed involved, stayed working, and when he got his opportunity, he was able to go out there and execute.”

This weekend was special for the Rangers as the organization honored their legendary play-by-play announcer, Sam Rosen, before Saturday’s game against Vancover. Rosen has been the voice of the Rangers for 40 years, and he plans to retire at the end of this season.

The Rangers honored Rosen with a special on-ice pregame ceremony, MC’d by current broadcast partner Joe Micheletti, with some cameo appearances by former broadcast partners John Davidson and Phil Esposito.

“I’m trying to drag this team into the playoffs with me,” Rosen told the media before Saturday’s game. “I walk around the locker room at practice giving them encouragement, ‘Come on guys! You can do it!’ They’re not listening to me.” Rosen told Henrik Lundqvist on his Club 30 podcast that he wants to retire while he is still at the top of his game. He wouldn’t want to be remembered any other way.

If I told you on Thursday night that the Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the NHL’s best odd-man rush teams and the New York Rangers give up some of the most odd-man rushes in the league, then how would you recommend the Rangers prepare for a game against Toronto?

If you said by focusing on defending odd-man rushes, then – ding ding ding! – you’re correct. But are you?

Arthur Staple wrote a fantastic article in the Athletic yesterday that includes intriguing Rangers stats from Clear Sight Analytics. This season, the Blueshirts rank 29th in the NHL in expected goals against off the 5v5 rush. During their 12-4-1 stretch, their rush defense ranked 19th in the league. When they went 4-15-0, it ranked 32nd. Since January 1st, their rush defense ranks 18th in the NHL.

Physicality is more than just a philosophy; it’s a commitment. It’s an umbrella term used to describe a hockey team that forechecks heavily and allows few high-quality scoring chances. Such teams also rank among the league’s best in wins and scoring chances. Carolina finishes atop the Eastern Conference every season because they are committed to forechecking. As a result, they get the most out of each of their players and lead the NHL in offensive zone time per game. Meanwhile, the Rangers consistently over-pass the puck around the offensive zone. They check too much with their sticks instead of their bodies. And they take too many penalties because their pace of play is broken. Artemi Panarin is only productive in the regular season because in the playoffs, opposing defensive units shut him down while the rest of the Rangers’ core wilts in distress. Throughout the last two decades, the Rangers have been generally successful in the postseason because of their goaltending, not their skaters.

This is why the Rangers’ future of physicality lies in JT Miller’s hands. And Will Cuylle’s. And Matt Rempe’s. And Gabe Perreault’s. If the 2024-25 Rangers fail to make the playoffs – after quitting on their franchise, their fans, and each other – big changes will be made on Broadway. And they begin with the head coach.

The time is now. The time is now for the Rangers to prove they deserve the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.

Over the weekend, the Rangers shut out Columbus on Saturday and lost to Edmonton on Sunday. Igor Shesterkin started both games for the Rangers, who fell just short of winning three straight.

Against Columbus, the Rangers struggled to execute in the first period, but in the second period, they cleaned up their game, and in the first period, they shut Columbus down. The Rangers blocked 17 shots and defended their blue line beautifully in the third period. Dave Maloney on ESPN 880 compared the Rangers’ style of play to the Vegas Golden Knights, pointing out that they felt they deserved to lead 2-0 entering the final frame.

Braden Schneider won it in overtime for the Rangers on Thursday night in Minnesota. The Rangers bested the Wild 3-2 thanks to his sharp backhand shot. The Rangers and Blue Jackets now have 70 points, so this win sets up a Saturday night showdown in Columbus (MSG). The Rangers will also host the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday night (MSG).

Despite Schneider’s clutch game-winner, my favorite moment of this game was Jonny Brodzinski’s second period goal. The Rangers’ fourth line, centered by Jonny Brodzinski, has been finding plenty open ice in recent games, thanks to Matt Rempe’s defense at the red line. Jonny Brodzinski has a sharp wrist shot that can fool goaltenders. It slipped past Filip Gustavsson on Thursday night.

I don’t care how many minutes Mikal Bridges plays, as long as he can come up clutch in overtime.

On Wednesday night in Portland, with four seconds remaining in overtime, the Knicks led the Trail Blazers 111-110 as Deni Avdija darted through the paint. Mitchell Robinson stuck his right hand in the air to block his shot, but Avdija collected the rebound. Josh Hart threw his right hand over Avdija’s arms to cover his second attempt, but to no avail as the shot was successful and Avdija drew a foul. Avdija completed the three-point play to give Portland a 113-111 lead. The crowd was on its feet with 3.4 seconds remaining in overtime.

The Knicks now have Jalen CLUTCHson and MiCLUTCH Bridges!

On Monday, the Yankees announced some heartbreaking news that Gerrit Cole will miss the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL. I wish him the best and look forward to seeing him next season.

Luckily, the Yankees have Max Fried. I speculate that Cole didn’t seek a contract opt-out during the offseason because he and the Yankees knew his health was compromised. While they couldn’t have predicted he would tear his UCL, his elbow injury last season concerned the Yankees. As a result, it became even more important for the team to sign a star pitcher in the offseason, regardless of whether they resigned Juan Soto.

Happy NHL Trade Deadline Day! The NHL trade deadline is approaching at 3 PM ET this afternoon, and the Rangers have already made some moves.

Yesterday, the Rangers traded Reilly Smith to Vegas for forward Brendan Brisson and a third-round pick. Brendan Brisson is a 23-year-old forward who has scored two goals and registered six assists in 24 career NHL games. Reilly Smith was acquired from Pittsburgh last offseason to play left wing alongside Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. However, the Rangers have experimented with countless line combinations this season and have decided not to retain Smith. He will return to Vegas and contend for another Stanley Cup.

Tonight at 7 PM (6 PM CST), the Rangers will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in an Original Six matchup at Madison Square Garden (MSGSN, NHLN). The Rangers will also host Nashville on Sunday night at 7 PM (6 PM CST) (MSG2).

The Rangers currently hold a two-game win streak and they have won five of their last seven games and three of their last four. Tonight’s game will kick off a four-game homestand that extends through Wednesday with games against Long Island and Washington.

I’m scared.

I’m scared that Giancarlo Stanton is considering retirement.

When a Yankees player gets injured and returns to New York during Spring Training, the immediate concern is typically that he is seeing a doctor. According to Jon Heyman, Stanton went back to New York earlier this week to undergo tests for dual-elbow tendinitis.

I understand that Stanton has struggled with injuries throughout his career. But then, Aaron Boone mentioned that Stanton returned to New York to address a personal issue.

All season long, the Knicks have struggled defensively. They currently rank 20th in the NBA in defensive rating and allow a 38.1% three-point field goal percentage, the highest in the league. Last season, the Knicks had the ninth-best defensive rating in the NBA and even recorded the league’s top defensive rating in January. While the team has made impressive offensive improvements this season, their defense has worsened considerably.

It’s surprising that a basketball team coached by Tom Thibodeau can rank so poorly defensively. Over the last five years, the Knicks organization has been building a championship-caliber team, and after acquiring OG Anunoby last season, they looked like contenders for the first time in decades. With Josh Hart, Julius Randle, and Jalen Brunson at the core, the 2023-24 Knicks became known for their grittiness and defensive mindset.

Start spreading the HAIR!

The New York Yankees have updated their facial hair policy to allow “well-groomed beards moving forward,” according to Hal Steinbrenner. This change is seen as long overdue, as beards were permitted before 1976 but banned under George Steinbrenner's tenure.

Aaron Boone mentioned that losing even one free agent due to the facial hair policy would be “too many,” acknowledging that some players have declined to join the Yankees because of it. Hal Steinbrenner spoke with many current and former Yankees before making this decision. He learned that CC Sabathia hesitated to sign with the Yankees in 2009 primarily because of their facial hair restrictions. Additionally, he recognized the significance of beards to the identities of several current players.

“It’s the same game I’ve been doing for a long time; it’s just been a little more difficult for me,” DJ LeMahieu told Yankees beat writers on Wednesday. The two-time batting champion is healthy for the first time in years and finds himself in a fierce battle to start at third base. The looming question surrounding LeMahieu, who is owed $30 million over the next two seasons, is how close he is to hanging up his cleats.

Aaron Boone expressed confidence in a healthy LeMahieu, saying he won't “put anything past” him. However, DJ cautioned, “It’s easy to feel good in January.”

It's disheartening to think about. Four years ago, the idea that DJ LeMachine could break down seemed unthinkable. The reality set in the following season, and the next two years were fraught with challenges for David John. Now, he has returned to Tampa after not swinging a bat for two months – the longest break he’s ever taken in his career. It’s been a difficult journey for him to regain his health.