March 11, 2025 - Brooklyn Downtown Star

A 2025 Yankees Spring Training Nightmare

BQE Admin on March 11, 2025

By John Jastremski

After a picturesque March day, the feeling of Spring and the Baseball season is most certainly in the air.

The feeling of optimism that is usually shared this team of the year has been turned to downright rotten, justified negativity in Yankees land.

It’s impossible to have a worse Spring Training than the 2025 New York Yankees.

The official feeling of rock bottom spring culminated with the sobering news regarding ace pitcher Gerrit Cole.

Leaving dinner on Friday night, I had a knot in my stomach reading the report that Cole was undergoing tests after feeling significant elbow pain.

The worst fears of Cole and Yankees fans was officially acknowledged on Monday; season ending Tommy John Surgery.

When you read the tea leaves of last season. The news shouldnít be totally shocking. Remember, Cole missed the first three months of last year with elbow discomfort.

He was not given the same leeway in starts including the postseason to go as deep into games as he normally would. The warning signs were there.

That said, the 2025 Yankees plan for great success was centered around run prevention. Run prevention without one of the best pitchers in baseball is a tall task.

In addition to not having Cole for the season, the AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gill is going to miss at least the first two months of the year with a lat strain.

You think that’s bad? What about the lineup… Remember, this is a Yankees lineup that lost one of the best hitters in baseball Juan Soto this past offseason.

There are plenty of questions as to how the team will go about replacing Soto’s production.

Well, you can add the production of Giancarlo Stanton as well for the foreseeable future. Stanton’s status for the 2025 Yankees is unknown. He is out for the next few months with major elbow issues in both elbows.

Stanton’s brilliance in October can never be questioned. His durability is a much different conversation.

So, here we are. A few weeks before the start of the season.

Juan Soto is a Met. Giancarlo Stanton has major elbow issues and won’t be in the lineup anytime soon. Oh and your rotation is without Luis Gill for multiple months and Gerrit Cole for the season.

Time to alter your 2025 expectations for the reigning AL Champs. There can still be October in the Bronx, but getting there will be anything but easy.

You can listen to my podcast New York, New York on the Ringer Podcast Network on Spotify/Apple Podcasts every Sunday & Thursday. You can watch me nightly on Honda Sports Nite at 11 PM on SNY.

St. John’s Beats Marquette in OT for 18th Conference Win

BQE Admin on March 11, 2025

Red Storm await Friars or Bulldogs in BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals

By Noah Zimmerman

It was another must-watch game between the #6 St. John’s Red Storm and the #20 Marquette Golden Eagles over the weekend.

An overtime thriller ended in buzzer-beater fashion as the Johnnies picked up their 18th BIG EAST win, the most ever recorded in program history.

Despite clinching the BIG EAST Regular Season title outright the previous weekend, the Red Storm fought hard against a Marquette team hungry for a top-3 seed in the conference tournament.

It was a razor-thin margin at the half, with St. John’s up 36-35 but it was level at 75 after the second frame. The largest Golden Eagle lead was 8 and the largest for St. John’s 6.

With 26 seconds left in OT, a Kam Jones layup tied the game once more at 84. Jones led all scorers with 32 for the Golden Eagles on his Senior Day.

RJ Luis Jr. brought the ball back down the floor for the Red Storm, looking for a game-winning three. His miss was rebounded by Marquette’s Chase Ross, but a clutch steal by Kadary Richmond and quick pass by Simeon Wilcher set up Zuby Ejiofor for his second buzzer-beating layup of the year.

Ejiofor finished with another double-double (17p, 12r). Luis Jr. added 28, with Richmond recording the first Red Storm triple-double since Ron Artest in 1999.

St. John’s open the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday at 12pm, where they’ll play the winner of Wednesday’s game between 8th seed Providence and 9th seed Butler. All games will be held at MSG.

Red Storm’s Zuby Ejiofor, RJ Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond win annual BIG EAST Honors

To add on to his game winner on Saturday, Zuby Ejiofor was named BIG EAST Most Improved Player on Monday morning. In his second year at St. John’s, the Junior averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and nearly 2.5 combined blocks and steals per game.

He and RJ Luis Jr. were named to the BIG EAST 1st Team, with Kadary Richmond named to the 2nd Team.

RJ Luis Jr. was also a favorite to win BIG EAST Player of the Year, with Rick Pitino favored for Coach of the Year at the annual BIG EAST awards ceremony Wednesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

Jonny Shore Gets First MLS Start in NYC’s Home Opener Win vs Orlando

BQE Admin on March 11, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

17-year-old Jonny Shore got his first start for New York City FC’s senior team against Orlando City SC on Saturday.

The former academy standout made his senior debut two weeks prior in NYC’s season opener in Miami. Shore came on as a substitute at the half in what would be a 2-2 draw to last year’s Supporter’s Shield winners. He was kept on the bench in their Week 2 loss to LAFC.

25,846 fans braved the chilly Bronx night and were rewarded with an emphatic victory in New York’s home opener. In their first of two matchups against their fellow 2015 expansion team.

The New York City native was tremendous in his first appearance in front of the home crowd. Shore played the full 90 minutes as a central midfielder. He completed 78% of his passes and made some strong defensive plays, especially vital after NYC were sent down to 10 men in the 86th minute.

The Boys in Blue held on to a 2-1 lead for their first win of the season. It’s also new manager Pascal Jansen’s first career MLS win.

New York City FC are back in action at Yankee Stadium this Saturday at 7:30 against New England.

By John Jastremski

Red Storm await Friars or Bulldogs in BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals

By Noah Zimmerman

Red Storm’s Zuby Ejiofor, RJ Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond win annual BIG EAST Honors

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