Welp, so much for that idea. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Los Angeles Dodger, and the New York Mets are still the Mets. After putting on a full-court press for the Japanese ace, giving it 115 percent, and leaving it all on the field, owner Steve Cohen’s efforts amounted to diddly squat. Now it’s back to the drawing board, or as Mets fans more commonly refer to it, a drab, depressing existence occasionally highlighted by spurts of misguided optimism. The club hasn’t done everything right since Cohen took over, but it was Cohen taking over that was supposed to fix everything the Wilpons could not. While the Mets might not have the basic knowledge yet, and who knows how long Cohen will listen to the logic of new front office man David Stearns, they possess an owner who’s committed and willing to spend gobs of money, a fanbase dying for success, and a market large enough to attract big-name free agents. At the risk of getting laughed out of sports writing, what’s so different about the Amazins and Dodgers? I know, I know, but strip away the organizational stability, player development, and past decade of success, and the foundations aren’t too dissimilar. What’s to keep New York’s other team from leapfrogging its cross-town rival the way Man City usurped Man United? “How long have you got?” asks the audience. It’s also kind of hard to become Man City when the Dodgers have accounted for more than half of all money dropped in free agency thus far. That said, the Mets were the big spenders a year ago, and though it blew up in their faces like a novelty cigar, big market + hedge fund owner = success, correct? That’s probably a little reductive, and overlooks the nuance that goes into building a contender, but the Dodgers might’ve set a new bar with the Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto signings. The number of billionaires and private equity groups with unspeakable amounts of money is rising, and once they’re in the door, it becomes an Aspen problem. There’s only a finite amount of real estate, and eventually, the multi-billionaire owners will push out the millionaires, or at least relegate them to AFC Bournemouth status. If you root for a club whose ownership group is worth less than what the Dodgers shelled out this offseason, you might be proper f*cked. And that’s especially true in a sport without a salary cap. This Cody Bellinger guy is pretty good, and he had a positive impact on the Cubs’ locker room last season. Perhaps an overpay is in order if not required. That doesn’t mean Cohen should spend superfluously like a shopping addict on a bender; just overdo it with deserving players. Take Jordan Montgomery for example. He’s already been run out of New York once, so that’s a red flag. I know Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander had dry rot, but maybe try giving money to a pitcher under the age of 38? Blake Snell doesn’t suck, is technically still in his 20s, and won’t cost the Mets any prospects. “What about the money?” Yes, what about it? The pundits appalled by the Dodgers’ hostile takeover of MLB clearly haven’t been paying attention to business outside of baseball. Is this sustainable? Will it lead to the downfall of … something? No, yes, and that something is probably the least wealthy teams. And, hey, at least that’s not the Mets, right? Relatedodds calculatorparlay payoutsmoneyline calculatorhalf points in nflkelly criterion bet calculatorhedge calculator for bettingclosing spreadswhat is the over under in bettingbetting on parlaysround robin in bettingpositive ev bettinghedge mean in betting
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The Reds showed no sign of fatigue after winning the Club World Cup in Qatar last weekend, with their nearest challengers Leicester overwhelmed at the King Power Stadium.
Former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers saw his side fall behind to Firmino s first-half header before Jurgen Klopp s men scored three times in seven second-half minutes.
Substitute James Milner made it 2-0 from the penalty spot before Trent Alexander-Arnold teed up Firmino for his second and then finished the scoring himself as Liverpool moved closer to a long-awaited title.
A magnificent performance from the leaders
— Premier League …
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club on Wednesday.
Cole is the second Chelsea star to commit his future to Carlo Ancelotti s team recently after captain John Terry put pen to paper on an improved five-year deal on Monday.
England star Cole joined the Blues in a controversial move from London rivals Arsenal in 2006 and remains arguably the best full-back in the Premier League.
He has won the FA Cup twice and the League Cup once with Chelsea, as well as reaching the 2008 Champions League final.
Chelsea FC is delighted to confirm that Ashley Cole has signed a new four-year contract, a statement on Chelsea s website confirmed.
…
Croatia are playing England at Wembley tonight. That very phrase makes your average England supporter cringe. In November 2007 a point against the Croatians at Wembley would have seen this allegedly ‘golden age’ of English footballers on the plane to Euro 2008.
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Inept
The only potential problem we had in getting a draw against Croatia was that England had their most inept manager at the helm for many years and I include Graham Taylor in that!
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He [Melo] is a player who could bring something to Inter, but right now he has a contract with Galatasaray. We ll see what happens, Mancini told TRT Spor.
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