SNY's The Warm-up: Mets sale update — 1996 Jets — NBA start date

Get Today’s New York Sports Here Tweet of the Day --------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning. Hope you're ready for some Knicks and Nets basketball. --------------------------------------------------------------- This weekend's sports schedule... Friday - No New York sports today. Saturday - Rutgers at No. 3 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. 🏈 Sunday - Giants at Football Team, 1 p.m. 🏈 - Fire at NYCFC, 3:30 p.m. ⚽ - Red Bulls at Toronto FC, 3:30 p.m. ⚽ Word count: 774 words (about seven minutes) --------------------------------------------------------------- SNY originals... Jets Game Plan - [The crew previews Monday night's matchup between the Jets and Patriots]( Baseball Night in New York - [SNY's Andy Martino provides an update on what to expect after Steve Cohen's purchase of the Mets is finalized]( The Tailgate - [Lessons in NFL Zooming]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. MARTINO: Steve Cohen's purchase could close as soon as today SNY graphic The current ownership of the Mets and the soon-t0-be owner, Steve Cohen, are moving toward a smooth transfer, SNY's Andy Martino reported yesterday. - What that (could) mean: The deal will soon close and Cohen could be in control today. From Martino: - "The closing itself could happen as soon as Friday. At that point, ownership of the Mets will change hands and Sandy Alderson will become team president. Until then, the current leadership is still in charge." For more on what will follow, click [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2. The last time the Jets were 0-8, they broke through with a win [SW561]( The Jets will enter their Monday night matchup with the Patriots at 0-8 for the second time in franchise history. - The first such time, Week 9 was good to the Jets. Let's take a trip to 1996. GIF'd above: A 34-yard flea-flicker pass from (current Colts coach) Frank Reich to Keyshawn Johnson, which set the tone for a 31-21 win over the 3-5 Cardinals. The Jets' top performers that day: - Adrian Murrell, who rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown. - Keyshawn Johnson, who had seven catches, 94 yards and a TD. - Lonnie Young, who picked off Cardinals QB Kent Graham. Also: The Jets were 4.5-point underdogs; they were coached by soon-to-be-fired Rich Kotite; the 31 points were the most New York scored all season. Most importantly: The win did not spur an inspired stretch of football. The Jets would finish 1-15 -- and they didn't even have a draft pick -- they traded the No. 1 selection to the Rams, who picked future Hall-of-Famer Orlando Pace. --------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY TRIVIA Who is the longest-tenured head coach in Jets history? 3. The NBA is officially returning on Dec. 22 Vincent Carchietta/USA Today The NBA officially has a return date for the 2020-21 season: Dec. 22, also known as -- 46 days away. Details, [per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski]( - It was made official by a Thursday night conference call, in which the National Basketball Players Association voted to approve the start date. - The season will run 72 games and finish before the summer Olympics, which were postponed to 2021. Also: Training camp will begin on Dec. 1, a welcome sight for the non-bubble teams, and a fast-approaching date for teams like the Lakers, Heat, Celtics and Nuggets. On the super bright side ... we'll have Knicks basketball, plus Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's debut as a duo, in only 46 days. --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. MLB trade and free agency buzz David Richard/USA Today 1. A 26-year-old superstar is on the market. And not just sort of on the market -- Cleveland plans to trade Francisco Lindor by 2021 Opening Day, [SNY's Andy Martino reported](. - Lindor is a year away from free agency, and will likely receive a megadeal. - In 2021, he'll earn about $21 million via arbitration, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Lindor is one of the many exciting possibilities for the Mets this offseason. Martino [broke down yesterday]( what either the Yankees or Mets might have to give up to get him. Here was his estimation for the Mets: - "Lindor would probably force the Mets to part with Andres Gimenez or Amed Rosario at a minimum. The question is if the Mets would have to include Dom Smith or Pete Alonso, which other teams consider likely." Here was his estimation for the Yankees: - Could the Yankees have DJ LeMahieu and Lindor? That invites a question about Gleyber Torres’ future with the team. Perhaps the Yanks could package Torres with Adam Ottavino’s contract, and trade for Lindor with the intention of extending him. Ottavino could replace Brad Hand in the back end of the Indians’ bullpen. 2. Free agent Marcus Stroman is "leaning toward" rejecting the Mets' qualifying offer of $18.9 million, [according]( to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Stroman, who was offered the one-year QO on Sunday, would become a free agent for the first time in his career if he turns down the Mets' offer. --------------------------------------------------------------- 5. By the numbers Vincent Carchietta/USA Today +3,000 If you are feeling optimistic, or have mastered the art of miracle-conjuring, Rutgers is a +3,000 underdog against Ohio State on Saturday. ($100 would win you $3,000) 9-7 The Doosan Bears beat the LG Twins yesterday, 9-7, to advance to the semifinals of the KBO League playoffs. That means the Bears, who employ former Met Chris Flexen, are a three-game series against the KT Wiz from playing the NC Dinos, who have former Met Aaron Altherr, in the Korean Series. Game 1 of Bears-Wiz is on Monday at 4:30 a.m. EST. +2.5 The Giants are 2.5-point underdogs against the Football Team on Sunday. If you're up for some unsolicited betting advice: Listen up, because ... 3-0 ... Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is only 4-16 as a starter, but he's 3-0 against the artists currently known as the Football team. His [only NFL game without a turnover]( also came against Washington in a 41-35 win on Dec. 22, 2019. --------------------------------------------------------------- 6. The New York Minute - [READ]( The Rangers avoided arbitration with Ryan Strome, giving the forward a two-year deal. - [WATCH]( Mekhi Becton explains how he's developing and learning the pro game. - [READ]( DJ LeMahieu took home his second-straight AL Silver Slugger Award yesterday. - [READ]( Andrew Thomas isn't content after his solid Week 8 performance. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trivia answer: Weeb Ewbank That's the buzzer, folks. Stay safe and enjoy your weekend This email was sent by: SportsNet New York (SNY) 150 Greenwich st 50th floor New York, NY 10007 US [Unsubscribe]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Facebook](