⚾ Aaron Judge Is On A Mission

You don’t have to be a New York Yankees fan to marvel at what Aaron Judge is doing right now. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Aaron Judge’s current hot streak may be just the kind of unifying boost that baseball needs right now ... we take a look at the future of the XFL after a group including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson agreed to purchase the league ... and Alex Ovechkin’s one-year-old son shows off his hockey skills. After blasting home runs in five consecutive games, after becoming the first member of the New York Yankees to do that in 13 years, after leading his team to the best record in Major League Baseball, after lighting up the start to this tightened rush of a season, how about this for an absurd claim: Aaron Judge is still “not locked in yet.” It is the hottest of hot takes, a position that would seem to be immediately debunked by both visual and statistical evidence. However, because the source of that statement is none other than Judge himself, we might want to consider that there is a possibility of it actually being true. If it is? Well, pitchers across the league, you need to watch out. “That’s the daily grind of baseball, searching for that locked in feeling,” Judge told reporters following the Yankees' 9-7 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. “I’m not locked in yet. Still trying to find it.” [STORY IMAGE 1] Told you. But Judge looks pretty locked in, doesn’t he? Each time the 28-year-old slugger approaches the plate right now, a sense of foreboding journeys there with him. He is looking to do damage and the pitcher knows it, he knows it, and everyone watching knows it. Since the start of this altered season, he has delivered on that unspoken threat, time and time again. “I really think he's on a mission," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “There's just been an intensity level to his work, an energy level to the work that he's been able to do. He's just a great player that's feeling really good.” Judge felt pretty good on Sunday, and the Yankees shared that sentiment after a duo of dingers, including a 468-foot monster shot in the eighth, proved telling in a 9-7 comeback that completed a three-game sweep in baseball’s most storied rivalry. Judge is ridiculous, currently. The last day he didn’t hit a home run? Last Tuesday. [STORY IMAGE 2] He started the streak off with a homer in each of the Yankees’ victories over the Baltimore Orioles, then utterly tormented the Red Sox. The Yankees have won six in a row and own baseball’s best record, with Judge leading the charge, firing cannons into the empty bleachers apparently at will. Of course, the Bronx Bombers are the team beloved by one group of fans only and envied and detested by everyone else. And yet, a feat of human excellence, albeit a small sample size to this point, may be just the kind of unifying boost that baseball needs as it gets underway once more. It is a challenge, this campaign, a veritable logistical nightmare in a time that doesn’t lend itself to easily playing baseball across multiple cities dotted around the country. But the sport is going, and even without fans, it is eminently enjoyable. This becomes more and more evident when one of baseball’s shining lights hits a rare and gifted streak of form, coupled with highlight reel moments. [STORY IMAGE 3] “The only downside?” [asked Bob Klapisch of the Newark Star-Ledger](. “The Stadium has been empty, the place feels abandoned. The Yankees all miss the primal noise-level when the Sox are in town. Sunday’s come-from-behind victory would’ve lifted the ballpark off its hinges. Judge himself mentioned to Boston catcher Christian Vazquez how “weird” it was for this century-old war to play out in silence.” I’m not going to sit here and say that Judge is the right guy for this kind of explosion. The right guy for a feat of excellence is whoever has the skills, poise and nerve to do it. Yes, Judge is built like a superhero, but baseball is a game hewn on facts, not aesthetics. Yet the most important point is that he has the capacity to play like a Marvel character. Such things, of course, do not automatically equate to the type of glory that the team and its followers have their eye on. Baseball is not a sprint, even in a season that is positioned as one. Over a 162-game season, Judge would be on course for around 120 home runs. So yes, a slowdown in this golden spell will eventually and inevitably come. For the Yankees, delighted as they are with his form, there is an underlying knowledge that home run dependent squads have a historically flaky record in the postseason. [STORY IMAGE 4] For now, the Yankees are just enjoying the ride and reveling in Judge doing the sort of things beyond even the weighty expectations that have always trailed him. “For sure, it was nearly impossible to miss the Yankees’ star in the making,” [wrote Deadspin’s Rob Parker](. “But injuries the last two seasons derailed his career and pushed him and his stardom to the back-burner. Hence, fans looked elsewhere at better all-around players to ooh and ahh about. But not now. Enter 2020. And so far, the verdict is obvious. Judge is the face of baseball and MLB should be thrilled.” In truth, baseball doesn’t work that way. Think the Red Sox are thrilled? Think the Philadelphia Phillies or the Tampa Bay Rays, next on the schedule, are full of anticipatory glee? Think the Atlanta Braves can’t wait until next week? But for everyone who is not a Yankees fan, you don’t have to love it to marvel at it. The performances of Aaron Judge at this moment in time, are truly something worthy of our awe. And hey, who knows what comes next? Imagine what he might do once he’s actually locked in. Here’s what others have said ... Luke Voit, New York Yankees first baseman: "He's healthy, man. He's a stud. There’s a reason he almost won the MVP. He's in a groove right now, and I’m excited to see what he can do in 60 games this year with how he’s raking right now. It's a guy that you don't want to take your eyes off when he's hitting.'' Joel Sherman, New York Post: "There is so much to hate about the 2020 campaign. So much to be concerned with on a daily — sometimes hourly basis. But Judge swinging a bat is none of them. As we search for the familiar amid the abnormal, we had something that looked like a Red Sox-Yankees game Sunday night. Lots of pitchers. Lots of pitches. Lots of home runs. Lots of runs. Judge, all 6-foot-7 of him, towered above it all." Michael Baumann, The Ringer: "If you had to pick any active player to go yard in five straight games, it would probably be Judge, who has more power than anyone else in the league. In fact, any home run binge from Judge is exciting because it offers the possibility that we could see the return of the Judge most fans remember." [IN OTHER WORDS] - Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown give the Boston Celtics a bright future beyond the Orlando bubble. [Bleacher Report’s Sean Highkin explains]( why Tatum and Brown have the making of the NBA’s next superstar duo. - A group including actor and former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has agreed to purchase the XFL for approximately $15 million. [ESPN Staff Writer Kevin Seifert has the story](. - Amid a chaotic 2020, will any NFL team take a chance on Antonio Brown? [Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports details]( why if any team does take a flyer on the talented wide receiver, it’s a testament to his prodigious talent and a team's commitment to doing whatever it takes to win games. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( It’s safe to say that hockey is certainly in the Ovechkin family genes. Take a look at this video, which shows Alex Ovechkin’s son, Sergei, showing off his hockey skills at home. After lining up nine pucks in a row, little Sergei starts off slow with his first two shots, and then proceeds to fire the next seven at a rapid pace. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that Sergei isn’t even two years old yet, as his birthday falls later this month. And to answer the Capitals' question in this tweet ... yes, the kid is very serious! In fact, we’re going to go ahead and declare him a future NHL star. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans (ESPN, 6:30 p.m. ET) Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies take on Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans in a Western Conference matchup. New York Mets at Atlanta Braves (FS1, 7 p.m. ET) Jacob deGrom will take the mound for the New York Mets, who travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves. WWE Monday Night Raw (USA, 8 p.m. ET) Asuka will be out for redemption, while WWE Champion Drew McIntyre responds to Randy Orton’s attack. Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET) LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers go up against Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( NCAAF: ACC Winner Clemson: -400 Notre Dame: +550 Miami (FL): +1200 North Carolina: +1400 All ACC schools will play 10 league games plus one nonconference matchup this season. This decision features the inclusion of national powerhouse Notre Dame as a member of the conference, which alters the journey to the ACC Championship Game. The Fighting Irish are listed at +550 to win the conference, which ranks second behind only Clemson (-400). It’s tough not to side with the Tigers, who have won five straight conference titles and own a 38-2 mark in ACC play over the past half-decade. However, if there is anyone that could challenge Clemson and put an end to that dominant run, Notre Dame would be a favorable pick. At 5.5-to-1, a futures wager on the Fighting Irish might seem pretty intriguing. 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