Only time will tell if they stand the test of time.

It's amazing how much time baseball fans spend talking about the past and the future.

The Yankees need to add Gerrit Cole in July so they can make the World Series. The 2017 World Series, in case you were wondering.

It's Mike Trout's trip to Flushing.

"When Magic Johnson was still playing for the Lakers, and the Lakers would make their one trip to New York City and to Madison Square Garden to play the Knicks, he always described it the same way.

'My one night a year on Broadway,' Magic said.

...

But now, because of Interleague Play, Trout gets another trip to New York this weekend, when the Angels play the Mets. It is a very big deal, because of Trout's big talent for baseball. The city receives a most honored baseball guest."

If I can make it at Laguardia Airpot / I can make it anywhere / It's up to you / Flushing, Queens / Flushing, Queens


"It is an occasion because of a Jersey kid named Mike Trout, who comes to the East Coast and gets to show everybody that he does things on a baseball field that Mickey Mantle did when he was the age that Trout is now, which means 25."

"... he does things on a baseball field that Mickey Mantle did when he was the age that Trout is now, which means 25."

This man is paid to construct sentences such as the sentence you just read.

"Certainly there is so much baseball to be played. So much can happen across the last three-quarters of the season, with the Astros and everybody else. For now, manager Mike Scioscia continues to have a front-row seat to the kid's genius or magic, none of which are ever lost on him. He never takes the kid for granted. You worry sometimes that everybody else does.

'It looks like he's doing things easier,,' Scioscia said the other day.

Then Trout hit another one against the White Sox before heading for the airport and heading East. At least the kid gets to play close to home this weekend. At least the new Mantle gets an extra weekend in New York this season."

I am sure at least 15,000 fans will bring the buzz at CitiField tonight.

Starlin Castro is not going to win the batting title.

I'd gladly sign up right now for top 20 or anything above .295.

But may as well enjoy it while it lasts.

Houston has the right stuff.

Lupica at the top of his national game with a reference to a 34-year-old movie.

Alex Rodriguez is neither articulate nor intelligent.

There is no reason to think he'll be a useful guest judge on Shark Tank or a worthwhile color commentator.

He is well-known, so maybe his presence will increase viewership. That's not my gripe.

My gripe is that he's still on the Yankee payroll. So consult or something. When you're not consulting, maybe you can do something useful for your $21 million, like alphabetize the helmets in the locker room. For the players on the field who get paid to play baseball.

I noticed the players on the other team would swing at the pitches and then the ball would travel very far.

Yeah, it's early, but here's the problem ...

... The Four Horseman of Queens when the Mets have the worst starting ERA in all of MLB. Now they just look like four bloated idiots who need to put down the forks and pick up an electric razor:

"The Mets currently are without their best hitter, their best starting pitcher, and now their closer, and I’m just wondering what other team in baseball has encountered anything like that this season."

I don't want to use injuries as an excuse.


"So the Mets came into Saturday two games under .500."

And left Sunday four games under .500 ... ha cha cha.


"The Cubs, champions of the world, destiny’s darlings, with pretty much all of their main guys?

They were one game over .500."

Yes, the Cubs are disappointing as, errr ... "destiny's darlings" ... so the Mets are therefore playing well? Because the Cubs are also playing poorly?

Also, the Cubs are the World Champs. The current World Champs. Mission: Accomplished.

So I don't see the point.

Most disappointing teams so far are the Giants, Blue Jays, Cubs, Mets ... maybe the Mariners and Pirates, too?

The season isn't over. Is that the point?

Or are the Mets supposed to keep their chins up by comparing themselves to the under-performing Cubs?

Or are you just a sad cheerleader for the Mets?
 



"Matt Harvey is now a lifetime .500 pitcher, 31-31, at the age of 28.

Ron Darling never had Harvey’s talent, at least the talent Harvey once showed at Citi Field.

He certainly didn’t have Harvey’s fastball.

But by the time Darling was 28, his record in the big leagues was 73-41.


And Darling won 14 more games, more than Harvey’s ever won in a single season, the year he turned 29."

Yes, Matt Harvey is mostly hype, though still kind of young, so maybe he'll turn it around.

Can you think of any NY Daily News columnist who has largely fed the Harvey hype?

Not to mention Josh Satin hype.

In fact, I beg Mike Lupica to never say anything positive about the 2017 Yankees. Don't jinx it.

1-for-4 with an RBI (on catcher's interference).

With two outs in the ninth, as the tying run, a single and a stolen base:

"The much-maligned 33-year-old Ellsbury needs a mulligan after his blunder-filled performance against the AL West-leading Houston Astros on Thursday evening.

It all began in the bottom of the first inning, as the Bleacher Creatures were still going through roll call. ‘Stros No. 2 hitter, Josh Reddick hit a dying quail headed for shallow center — Didi Gregorius did what all good shortstops do, and started for the ball.

Turning his back to the infield, Gregorius sprinted onto the outfield grass, hoping that the center fielder would take charge and call him off. Problem is, Ellsbury never did.

Perhaps the $153 million man didn’t get a good read on the ball off the bat, or maybe he thought Gregorius had a better angle to the popup than he — whatever the reason, Ellsbury never went full speed, and the ball fell in for a single.

Two batters later, Carlos Correa slammed a game-changing two-run homer."

One blunder.

Ellsbury didn't give up the freaking HR.


"Offensively, Ellsbury wasn’t much better, as he struck out in his first at-bat, and then weakly grounded into a double play in the third inning."

Dallas Keuchel has an ERA of about 0.00.


"However, in the fifth inning, he did drive in the Yankees’ first run, by doing something he’s done 28 times before — draw catcher’s interference.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Ellsbury’s backswing made contact with former teammate Brian McCann‘s glove to erase starter Dallas Kuechel’s shutout.

Unfortunately, the rally soon came to a halt when Gary Sanchez bounced out to third."

Gary Sanchez blunder.

For a blunder-filled evening, I only count one Ellsbury blunder.


"Fast forward to the final frame. With runners on second and third and two outs, Sanchez slapped a single to left field. Running on contact, Ellsbury was wheeling around third base, but Jake Marisnick, who came into the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning, gunned down the fleet-footed Ellsbury at home to put the game to rest."

 Not a blunder.

Almost tied the game in the ninth.

Clutch.

Matt Harvey at career crossroads.

Seems like a long time ago that a subpar NY sportswriter was inexplicably hyping a mediocre early season start.

It was a whole month ago.

Garbage

Matt Harvey

5.14 ERA this season.

31-30 career record.

Attendance.

"What surely is bothersome and concerning to Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner is Monday's small crowd wasn't a one-time thing.

On April 17, also a Monday, the Yankees had their second sub-30,000 crowd of the season and fourth overall at new Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009. That night, 28,181 turned out for a 7-4 win over the Chicago White Sox that was the club's eighth victory in a row.

And the crowds the following two nights were just 30,075 and 30,014 for Yankees-White Sox games."