Block's Corner

On the eve of Chanukah 2024, the New York Yankees are building a roster for the impending 2025 season, and for the first time in a long time, some of the major pieces are jewish. Pitcher Max Fried and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt — both acquired this offseason — join a Yankees club heavily reliant on them in pursuit of championship number 28. Fried and Goldschmidt add to a presence of jewish her...

I remember being in the throws of my Yankee fandom in the late ‘90s, so the name Bellinger is familiar. In 1999 it was Clay Bellinger, a 30-year-old Yankee rookie, who at first mention back then elicited reactions of, “Clay who?” And “what position does he play?” That Bellinger — who spent the first 10 years of professional baseball as a full-time minor leaguer — would end up helping the Yankees w...

Juan Soto is officially a New York Met. The contract signed by Soto and his handlers late Sunday evening was for $765 million over 15 years. The contract offer from the incumbent Yankees that he spurned was for $760 million over 16 years. The Red Sox offer came in around $700 million over 15 years, and the Dodgers made their offer in the $600 million neighborhood. What Soto’s decision says to me i...

I don’t know Jon Heyman personally, but I became a fan of his Friday evening. It was about 8:30pm on the east coast. He was about ten minutes into a radio guest spot with WFAN host Keith McPherson when Heyman had enough. “To say I’m getting a cut because I have a relationship with an agent [Scott Boras], it’s outrageous,” Heyman lectured the radio host. McPherson a few minutes earlier — trying to...

As the US Open forges on with the second week of the year’s final major, men’s quarterfinal matches beginning Tuesday include two Americans. With that, comes the annual reminder that an American man has not won the US Open since Andy Roddick last did so in 2003. So for the 20 years that have come and gone, every loss and every win by an American has carried a lot of weight. However, the hope and e...

Whoever is in charge of scheduling the tennis players that get to play at night in Arthur Ashe stadium at this year’s US Open sure has their finger on the pulse. If the pulse was 2017/18, and their finger was a nub maybe. First, fans were forced to watch Sloane Stephens play the first night on Ashe, where she lulled people to sleep with a lack of urgency and passion. Superior talent without those...

Late August in New York City usually means one last dose of sticky heat, droves of tourists filling the boroughs, Manhattanites fleeing for the shores of Long Island and New Jersey, or the mountains of the Adirondacks, as Labor Day fast approaches. This time of year also means that the US Open is about to begin and have its two-week stranglehold over New York. While the official tournament starts...

Ahead of his first professional fight inside Madison Square Garden, I remember speaking with then-20-year-old boxer Shakur Stevenson. The fresh-faced pugilist had a smile plastered across his face that never contracted, even during sparring sessions. Thanks for reading Block's Corner! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. He was immediately memorable. Representing for Newark...

In 2013 Jordan Burroughs was the guy for USA wrestling. It wasn’t until April of 2021 at the Olympic Trials that his reign was disrupted. Longtime rival and fellow American Kyle Drake defeated Burroughs, denying him a spot on Team USA at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Burroughs may be a non-competing spectator, logging some experience as an in-studio analyst for these Summer Games, but a crestfallen a...

Three years ago hall of fame thoroughbred trainer Bob Baffert told me, “Horse trainers need to stick to training horses and stay out of politics.” He severed eye contact with me as his answer trailed off. Surveying the room over my left shoulder. Then over my right shoulder. “Why is this reporter not asking me about Justify?” he probably thought to himself. It was days out from the 2018 Belmont St...

Don’t tell the New York Yankees that time heals all wounds. Not in recent memory has a mid-week, three-game affair in May meant so much to a Yankees team. Roughly 18 months after the Houston Astros cheated them out of an earnest run at the 2019 World Series, the Yankees this week were finally afforded the opportunity to rehab that memory.  And they took it.  The Yankees won the first two of three...

Do you prefer the term “sell papers” or “get clicks?” It doesn’t matter. Regardless of the era you grew up in, a sports writer’s objective remains unchanged, and that is to garner eyeballs. A mint example of this came from The New York Post’s Joel Sherman, who served up a masterclass in this over the weekend. In his Saturday column Sherman manufactured a rationale for trading Gleyber Torres to the...

As the Yankees open up the 2021 baseball season Thursday at home with a 1:05pm ET start versus the Toronto Blue Jays, remember this fans: “There is no contingency plan for your best players.” These words first entered my mind on a brisk Autumn Sunday in 2018. Such a succinctly powerless theory, I remember thinking. It was WFAN Yankees beat reporter, Sweeny Murti who introduced this line to me. Our...

As horse racing broadcaster Kenny Rice readies himself to host a virtual edition of the Eclipse Awards, he stopped by Block's Corner to chat about 2020 and the year that was. Kenny's love of sports stretches beyond the track as we discuss basketball, baseball and a moment in football history that helped shape him, and one that he'll never forget. If you like the episode, please SUBSCRIBE and leave...

As a member of the ownership group of the 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, Starlight Racing's Jack Wolf joins me to talk about his 2020 Horse of the Year candidate. Jack also shares some memories about how he got into owning horses and some thoughts about the future of the sport of kings! Please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and leave a review! This is a public episode. If you would like to discu...

Five-time winner of the New York Golden Gloves, 1984 Olympic gold medalist and two-time welterweight champion of the world Mark Breland joins me to talk about his recent departure as trainer for heavyweight prizefighter Deontay Wilder. Breland doesn't hold back about what he thinks of Wilder and the rest of the current boxing landscape.  Please don't forget to SUBSCRIBE and leave a review! This is...

About a year ago I secured an exclusive interview (for Playboy) with British-Pakistani prizefighter Amir Khan hours before he would go on to challenge WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford at Madison Square Garden. Our conversation was intended to be about the upcoming fight, but it shifted toward what Khan confessed is a much bigger fight outside of the ring. **IF YOU WISH TO READ THE ARTICL...

About four years ago I secured an exclusive interview (for VICE) with Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo of the now defunct Mike and the Mad Dog radio program on WFAN in New York. For your listening pleasure, I have gone back and recorded myself reading the article, along with soundbites from everyone I interviewed for the piece.   **IF YOU WISH TO READ THE ARTICLE**  Click here . Happy...

Appearing in the April 2020 issue of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's magazine, Memories and Dreams, is a featured article that I wrote commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the Negro National League. In telling this unique and historically important story, I was aided by filmmaker Ken Burns, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Bob Kendrick and baseball radio hos...

Former New York Yankee and two-time World Series champion and postseason legend Jim Leyritz joined me to evaluate the acquisition of Gerrit Cole and the rest of the Yankees offseason moves, as well as share stories about his playing days, perseverance and what he’s up to now. It's truly an inspirational conversation and one that I hope you enjoy.  Please also SUBSCRIBE and leave a review! This is...

ESPN’s Coley Harvey, who is in his second season as beat writer for the New York Yankees, joined me from spring training in Tampa, Florida to breakdown the new-look Yankees of 2019. I hope you enjoy the conversation and please SUBSCRIBE and leave a review!  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blockscorner.substac...

CompuBox co-creator and President Bob Canobbio joined me to talk about how his love of boxing and pursuit of a career in sports manifested in the birth of the punch tracker fight fans have come to know at CompuBox. It’s a conversation full of great stories and a must-listen for any boxing fan. I hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or g...

WFAN personality Ed Randall joined me to talk about his lifelong love of baseball, sharing some incredible must-hear stories, and also talked about his purpose in life, which is to spread awareness about preventing prostate cancer. I hope you enjoy our conversation! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blockscorne...

Former heavyweight champion of the world James "Buster" Douglas joined me to relive his incredible upset over Mike Tyson in 1990, talk about his life growing up, and promote his ESPN 30 for 30 documentary. Emmy award winning filmmakers Jeremy Schaap and Ben Houser also came on to discuss their interest in Douglas and shared passion for finally telling his story. This is a public episode. If you wo...

Rich joined me Friday on the eve of the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight championship fight to talk boxing, but not before discussing everything Mets and Yankees as the two New York ball clubs approach the baseball winter meetings. It's an interesting and entertaining conversation that I hope you enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...