SNY's The Warm-Up: Monday's MLB bombshell

Plus: A two-way contract explainer Get Today’s New York Sports Here Tweet of the Day --------------------------------------------------------------- Happy Tuesday! 👋 and welcome to The Warm-Up. Here's hoping there's some actual competition for the Yankees in the American League next season ... --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's viewing guide... - Knicks at Bucks, 8 p.m. 🏀 - Jazz at Nets, 7:30 p.m. 🏀 - Women's college basketball: No. 4 UConn at Memphis, 8 p.m. 🏀 Today's word count: 708 words (about six minutes) --------------------------------------------------------------- The New York Minute - The Yankees [will benefit from the fallout]( of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. - Carlos Beltran [will not be suspended]( as part of Houston's scheme. - [Here's]( the blueprint to a successful offseason for the Giants, who [filled two more coaching positions]( yesterday. - Neither Dennis Smith Jr. or Marcus Morris [will play]( Tuesday against the Bucks. - [Here's]( Kyrie Irving's case for the Nets retiring Vince Carter's number. 1. Hinch and Luhnow are out. Is Alex Cora next? Unless you count the Yankees' biggest rival over the last three years having their general manager and manager [suspended]( for a season because of proven tech-driven sign-stealing, then fired by the team's owner, with the Yankees' other rival, the Red Sox, soon to receive a similar punishment for their own manager a big deal, it was a slow Monday in the world of baseball. You do? Fair enough. To recap: - At 1:56 p.m., ESPN's Jeff Passan dropped [this bomb]( "Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch have been suspended for one year after an MLB investigation found the team used technology to cheat during its World Series-winning 2017 season." - Shortly after, Astros owner Jim Crane announced the firing of those two. - In the investigation, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred described the Astros' culture as "[very problematic]( - Players will not be disciplined in the scandal, which means Mets manager Carlos Beltran, with the Astros as a player in 2017, is effectively in the clear. SNY's Andy Martino discussed this [yesterday](. - The MLB hasn't announced any punishment for Alex Cora, who was a bench coach with Houston in 2017 and [a bigger part of the scandal]( than Hinch, but a decision is [looming](. In short: By the 2020 postseason, the Yankees might be the team embodiment of [the Vincent Vega meme](. On SNY.tv: [Yankees victims of Astros historic sign-stealing scandal, but will benefit from fallout]( | [Beltran named in report, but not suspended]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Two-way contracts, explained [With the vultures circling]( the Knicks on Monday cleared a two-way roster spot by waiving Ivan Rabb in order to sign Westchester Knicks player Kenny Wooten as his replacement. Wooten, 21, a two-year player at Oregon, has been a defensive juggernaut in 23 G-League games this season, [averaging 3.3 blocks]( in 24 minutes. (Plus, [his mixtape]( is wildly entertaining). The two-way contract, originated in 2017, is a rule made to incentivize NBA teams to interact more with their G-League affiliates, and means: - A team can hold 15 full roster spots, plus two two-way contracts - A two-way player can spend up to 45 days with their respective NBA team during the regular season Quinn Cook, who turned his two-way with the Warriors into a fully guaranteed NBA contract last year, is one of the early success stories. Other two-way Knicks players... 2017-18 - Isaiah Hicks, 18 games played - Luke Kornet, 20 games 2018-19 - Isaiah Hicks, 3 games - Kadeem Allen, 19 games 2019-20 - Kadeem Allen, 7 games - Ivan Rabb, no games - Kenny Wooten --------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY TRIVIA In 2006, four teams left which other basketball minor league to join the NBA G-League? 3. Pirates are back, UConn women slide in AP Top 25 (UConn's Crystal Dangerfield during last Thursday's loss to Baylor.) The latest AP Top 25 men's basketball poll was released on Monday. [Here's the full]( top 25, which has Gonzaga, Baylor, Duke, Auburn and Butler as the top-five, in that order. The local notes: - Seton Hall (No. 18) is back in the rankings for the first time since Week 6. The Pirates are on a six-game winning streak, and have a mega matchup looming against No. 5 Butler on Wednesday. - Rutgers(!) Yes, Rutgers, who almost beat No. 24 Illinois over the weekend, received eight Top 25 votes. Should the Scarlet Knights breach the Top 25 this season, it'll be the first time since [the 1978-79 season](. In the womens' AP Top 25, UConn fell to No. 4 after losing to now-No. 2 Baylor, while South Carolina took over the No. 1 spot. [Here's]( the full Top 25. --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. By the numbers 60 touchdowns LSU beat Clemson last night, 42-25, to finish off a 15-0 title season. Joe Burrow, with five touchdowns, broke the all-time record for TD passes in a season, finishing with 60. $339,000 This week, the 2020 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions (the world squash championships), held at Grand Central Terminal, will pay out an equal split of $339,000 between the best men's and women's squash players in the world. [Learn more here](. (H/T to [Axios Sports]( 22 points Artemi Panarin, with two goals and three assists last night in the Rangers' 6-2 win over the Islanders, now has 22 points in his last nine games. He's the first Ranger to record six three-point games in a nine-game span, according [to the team's]( stats and info Twitter account. Four titles Yesterday's On this day segment had us thinking: From 1969 to 1973, the Jets, Mets and Knicks combined for four titles. Since, just one: the 1986 Mets. No. 8, No. 9, No. 10 MLB Network [released its list]( of top 10 center fielders over the weekend. Aaron Hicks was listed at No. 8, [Brandon Nimmo was at No. 9]( and Brett Gardner was No. 10. --------------------------------------------------------------- TRIVIA ANSWER The Continental Basketball Association; the four teams: The Dakota Wizards, Colorado 14ers, Idaho Stampede, and Sioux Falls Skyforce. --------------------------------------------------------------- That's the buzzer, folks. Enjoy your Tuesday! [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( This email was sent by: SportsNet New York (SNY) 150 Greenwich st 50th floor New York, NY 10007 US [Unsubscribe](