SNY's The Warm-Up: 162 MLB games in 2021? — Jets & Giants buzz — Knicks vs. Nets

Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 · Get Today’s New York Sports Here The Tweet of the Day --------------------------------------------------------------- 🌅 Good morning. Hockey folk: You've made it. The wait is over. The season starts tonight. --------------------------------------------------------------- 📅 Today's sports schedule - Knicks vs. Nets, 7:30 p.m. 🏀 --------------------------------------------------------------- 📺 SNY originals - [What are the odds]( Is Doug Pederson the favorite to become the next head coach of the Jets? - [BNNY]( Carlos Carrasco describes how excited he is to still have Francisco Lindor with him Today's word count: 787 words Both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium will become COVID-19 vaccination sites Brad Penner/USA Today New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio [announced]( yesterday that Citi Field is set to become a COVID-19 vaccination site for all New Yorkers. - Vaccinations at the stadium are set to begin the week of Jan. 25, with 5,000-7,000 patients expected per day, [said]( De Blasio on Twitter. "(Yankees fans included)," he added. "THIS is a game-changer for our city." Mets owner Steve Cohen was part of the mayor's announcement, and had this to say: "Any way the organization could help support this effort, we were going to do it. We talked about being involved in our communities and I can’t think of any way that’s more important than what this hub is going to do.” Later in the day, NJ Advance Media [reported]( that the Yankees are finalizing a plan to turn Yankee Stadium into a vaccination site, too. - ([Added]( one sharp-humored Twitter user: "Little brother always following the big brothers in queens smh") Trivia time Name the last player to make the NBA All-Star Game with both the Nets and Knicks. Hint: Not recent. Answer at the bottom. Tuesday's Jets and Giants headlines Troy Taormina/USA Today 1. The trade rumors surrounding Deshaun Watson were doused in more gasoline on Tuesday, when franchise great Andre Johnson [tweeted]( his distaste for the Texans' front office, urging Watson to "stand (his) ground." (DeAndre Hopkins [endorsed]( Johnson's tweet.) - There's been no formal indication that the Texans are actively interested in trading their franchise QB, but the Jets, with the second overall pick and Sam Darnold, could have a seat at the table if it does come to that. (It's also worth noting that Watson has a no-trade clause). Yesterday on SNY.tv, SNY's Ralph Vacchiano broke down the (un)likelihood of a Watson-Jets [trade](. 2. During an appearance on WFAN's Boomer and Gio yesterday, Giants head coach Joe Judge gave Daniel Jones a [glowing endorsement]( "There’s a lot of things that kinda go unnoticed by the naked eye or things you’re not privy to seeing in a daily day of meetings and practice, but there’s a lot of things he’s just done repeatedly where I can look at him with confidence and say this guy gives our team a chance to be successful.” 3. Notes from yesterday on the Jets' ongoing head coach search: - 49ers DC Robert Saleh flew into New York yesterday to have his second interview with the Jets. "Normally, bringing a candidate in for a second interview would be a strong indication that he was about to be offered the job," [wrote]( Vacchiano yesterday. "But things have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic with all the initial interviews being conducted virtually." - [Someone else]( to keep in mind, second interview for Saleh or not, is Bills OC Brian Daboll. On SNY.tv: - [Pros and cons: Should the Jets hire Doug Pederson?]( - [Why the Jets should strongly consider drafting DeVonta Smith]( MLB's "game of chicken" and Mets notes SNY graphic 1. Here's how a source of SNY's Andy Martino's described MLB's impending commitment to a full spring training and a 162-game season: "Looks like we’re actually about to drive off the cliff together." Well then. Read Martino's well-reported look at MLB's "game of chicken" [here](. 2. Speaking on yesterday's Big Time Baseball podcast, Mets president Sandy Alderson explained how the James McCann signing might have opened the door for the Francisco Lindor trade: "Let’s say, hypothetically, that we had signed (J.T.) Realmuto instead of McCann. Would we still have been actively engaged with Lindor and (Carlos) Carrasco? I don’t know." Read his comments in full [here]( and read what he had to say about the Mets' pursuit of George Springer [here](. 3. Carlos Carrasco was officially introduced yesterday as a Met. [Here]( are some takeaways from his news conference. Taking NYC basketball's temperature heading into Knicks-Nets pt. 1 @YESNetwork/Twitter: Kevin Durant's dagger against the Nuggets last night The Knicks and Nets play their only game of the first half of the NBA schedule tonight in Manhattan. It'll be a rare chance to watch the Knicks (5-6) on ESPN, and a shot for the Nets (6-6) to bury their (allegedly) inferior crosstown rival. Biggest storyline so far: - Nets: Kyrie Irving is semi MIA, and the organization appears to be frustrated with him after a video [surfaced]( of him on Monday at a maskless party, which may [further delay]( his return. - Knicks: It was their 5-3 start, which has since dissolved into a three-game losing streak. Now it's probably Julius Randle's All-Star [start](. One stat: - Nets: Though only 6-6, their net rating is plus-5.2 (IE: Their average outcome through 12 games is a 5.2-point win), good for third in the league. In other words, their record is underperforming their net rating. - Knicks: Their offensive rating of 103.3 (they score 103.3 points per 100 possessions) is third-worst in the NBA and their pace (97.09) is dead last. If it seems like they spend stretches crawling up the court, they essentially do. One more thing: - Kevin Durant will play tonight, despite it being a back-to-back. He's gone for 25-plus in every game but the opener this season. He's so, so back. - RJ Barrett has had a miserable shooting season so far: 36.5 percent overall, 18 percent from deep, and 68.6 percent from the line. His [true shooting percentage]( (.433) is fifth-worst in the league. On SNY.tv: - BEGLEY: [RJ Barrett's shooting woes continue, but Tom Thibodeau isn't worried just yet]( - [Takeaways from the Nets' Tuesday night win over Denver]( The New York Minute - [READ]( Former MLB reliever Carter Capps is set to join the Mets as a minor league pitching coach. - [READ]( The UConn women's basketball games against Seton Hall and Villanova this week have been postponed. - [READ]( RJ Barrett is excited to face off with his godfather Steve Nash tonight. TRIVIA ANSWER: Micheal Ray Richardson (Knicks: '80-82; Nets: '85) That's the buzzer. Enjoy your Wednesday. (Have feedback for The Warm-Up? Click [here](mailto:%20SNYfeedback@gmail.com?subject=)). Copyright © 2021 SNY- Sportsnet, All rights reserved. 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