That’s enough, Devin.

Last night, in the rain, the Yankees were leading the San Diego Padres 3-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Fernando Cruz threw two pitches at the bottom of the seventh to keep Carlos Rodón’s start scoreless. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Yankees called upon the setup services of Devin Williams.

Williams was one of baseball’s best closers last season, earning 14 saves and a 1.25 ERA. In 2023, he earned 36 saves and posted a 1.53 ERA. In 2025, he has a 10.03 ERA across 11 2/3 innings pitched. Last night, he loaded the bases for Luke Weaver, who gave up four runs to give San Diego a 4-3 lead.

We made it! It’s the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and tonight at 7 PM, the New York Knicks visit the Boston Celtics for Game 1 of this best-of-seven series.

This will be the Knicks’ third straight Eastern Conference Semifinals appearance. They lost in each of their last two visits, and this squad of Celtics is the toughest playoff opponent the Knicks have faced in the last three years.

Initially, I thought this season would be a failure if the Knicks lost this series to Boston. If they can stretch the series to at least six games, I will give the Knicks credit. If they win the series, then they will defy expectations, because I don’t believe the Knicks can beat the Celtics.

My official prediction for this second-round series: Celtics in five.

Tonight, at 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT), the New York Knicks (3-1) will host the Detroit Pistons (1-3) in Round 1, Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs (TNT, TruTV, MAX, MSG).

It’s time for the Knicks to finish the job. It’s time for them to beat the Pistons in this series. Nobody wants this tightly contested series to return to Detroit.

The fourth win of a seven-game series is always the hardest to secure, and Detroit is going to do everything in its power to prevent the Knicks from winning this series in five games. Especially after the controversial no-call on Josh Hart that helped the Knicks secure a one-point win in Game 4, the Pistons will be working extra hard tonight with massive potato chips on their shoulders.

Karl-Anthony Towns is an even better player than we thought. It might not look pretty when he moves around the court, but somehow, the best three-point shooting big man in the NBA has added the fadeaway to his arsenal.

“It’s the NBA playoffs,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “You expect nothing but the greatest competition right now in NBA basketball this season. You go out there, you wanna match their physicality. You understand you’re in Detroit. You’re playing Detroit, who hasn’t been in the playoffs, and they have a lot of pride right now. They haven’t seen the playoffs in a while, so they want to fight for their city. And as much as they want to fight for their city, we’re trying to fight for our city.”

On Sunday afternoon in Detroit, the Knicks exceeded the Pistons’ physicality. It was the only way for them to win Game 4 and take a 3-1 series lead. The Knicks drove through lanes and destroyed screens to beat the Pistons 94-93, but the win didn’t come without controversy.

Devin Williams is no longer the Yankees’ closer. He has fallen into one of those pressure traps that often plague New York newcomers. On Friday night, he entered the bottom of the ninth inning against Toronto with a one-run lead and gave up three runs without securing any outs. He was awarded his first blown save of the season, and his ERA increased to 11.25.

“For now, I’m gonna take him out of that role,” said Aaron Boone. “As I said to him, ‘You’ve still got everything to be great.’ This is a guy who’s in the prime of his career and is just going through a little bit. It happens.”

Aaron Boone has moved Luke Weaver to the closer position in Williams’s place, a situation with which Weaver is familiar. Late last season, he filled in for Clay Holmes, who slid from the best closer in baseball during the first half of the season to one of the worst down the stretch. At the back end of their bullpen, Weaver helped the Yankees win their 41st American League pennant. He is currently pitching to a 0.00 ERA.

We finally made it! It’s draft day! Tonight at 8 PM (7 PM CDT), the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft will begin in Green Bay, and the New York Giants hold the third overall pick (ESPN, ABC).

When the Giants beat Indianapolis on December 29, all hopes of securing the first overall pick were lost. The only star quarterback available in this draft is Cam Ward, and Tennessee will likely draft him first overall. With the third overall pick, the Giants have several options, and their best bet is to draft Abdul Carter tonight.

Currently, the Giants hold the third, 34th, 65th, 99th, 105th, 154th, 219th, and 246th picks in this draft. They will attempt to trade for the first and 18th overall picks, since they like Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart.

On Sunday, it was poor officiating, but it didn’t matter because the Yankees won. Yesterday, it was Clarke Schmidt, and this time the Yankees lost.

Across 4.0 innings in Cleveland last night, Schmidt gave up five runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and three walks. In the third inning, José Ramírez three-run homered before Kyle Manzardo flew solo. Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit two-run shots in the seventh and eighth innings, but it wasn’t enough to propel the Yankees over the Guardians. Cleveland won the first game of this three-game series 6-4.

As disappointing as this Rangers season was, it got worse on its final day. I discussed the article about Artemi Panarin’s sexual assault allegation in yesterday’s report. That news was an awful conclusion to a disastrous season.

And after becoming the fourth defending Presidents’ Trophy winners (and the second such New York Rangers team) to miss the playoffs, all Vincent Trocheck had to say was, “I still think, even after this season, I know what this team is capable of.” He added, “We saw it last year.”

“Come on, Belly,” cried Aaron Boone as MJ Melendez lined Fernando Cruz’s splitter to right field for a potential game-tying hit. It was the ninth inning of a 4-3 ballgame, and the Yankees were an out away from  sweeping Kansas City. In right field, Cody Bellinger sprinted toward the ball and tripped onto his left side, but he extended his right arm, and… caught the ball!

After stumbling to make this epic game-winning catch, Bellinger rolled onto his back and sat up, his legs spread out atop the right field grass. When he got up, he leaned back and soaked in the electrifying Yankee Stadium energy.

When you’re hitting 1-for-20 against lefties, sometimes all you need is a bonk on the head.

Last night, Jasson Domínguez delivered a clutch three-run double in the 6th inning to put the Yankees ahead of Kansas City 4-2. But even Martians need glasses. Or contact lenses. When Domínguez pulled that inside fastball down the left field line, his bat circled his head and knocked his helmet off. It also dislodged his contact lenses.

“I’ve been having a little bit of a struggle from the right side, but lately I feel I’ve made some improvements,” said Domínguez. He has been working hard to produce on both sides of the plate, and his defense has improved impressively as well.

Parting is such sweet sorrow. In case you missed it, the New York Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. There will be more on this later this week. Today, I wanted to highlight a story about Calvin de Haan.

There’s a pretty long list of Rangers players this season who have expressed their discontent over lineup decisions, including Kaapo Kakko (who got traded), Jimmy Vesey (who got traded), Jacob Trouba (who got traded), Zac Jones (who didn’t want to be traded), and Calvin de Haan. The Rangers’ locker room issues have been public knowledge all season long. Since October, there have been murmurs (maybe a little louder than that) that players were offended by Barclay Goodrow getting waived and the organization’s attitude toward Jacob Trouba’s refusal to accept a trade.

Tonight at 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT), the Rangers will host the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden (TNT, TruTV, MAX). Guess what dynamic duo is on the call of tonight’s game? Sam Rosen and John Davidson! Oh, baby!

Sam Rosen told the New York Post this morning that John Davidson is “taking [tonight’s broadcast] very seriously.” Rosen explained, “He’s already made several phone calls. We spoke this morning and he said, ‘Where you off to?’ I said, ‘I’m heading for the training facility.’ He said, ‘If you can, would you ask K’Andre Miller about how old he was when he switched from forward to defense and whose idea it was? And would you ask Vincent Trocheck…’ That was our conversation this morning.” Rosen and Davidson will reunite in the Rangers’ broadcast booth for the first time since 2006.

Have the Rangers players given up on their team, or has the team given up on its players?

Last night, the Bah Bah Boo Shirts lost to Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1. The Rangers gave up three first-period goals in a 1:45 span. The Rangers are the only NHL team without a multi-goal comeback win this season, so at that point, the game was as good as over.

Somehow, these New York Rangers led the NHL and set a franchise record in wins and comeback wins last season. Now, they’re going to become the fourth defending Presidents’ Trophy-winning team to miss the playoffs. When asked about his message to the team after last night’s loss, Peter Laviolette said, “I don’t have a message right now. I don’t go into the locker room after [games].” And there it is: Peter Laviolette wants out.

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.”