NEW YORK, NY — A report that caused a storm across the Tri-state area last week was St. John’s and head coach Rick Pitino coming to terms on a contract extension, making him the second-highest paid coach in the Big East Conference behind UConn’s Dan Hurley.
Although there were no rumblings that he’d be leaving his position as the head coach of the Red Storm men’s basketball team, Johnnie fans had to feel relieved when news broke last week that Pitino had signed a new three-year contract extension to stay on Union Turnpike.
After all, the Red Storm had their best season so far in the 21st century as they reached the “Sweet 16″ in the NCAA Tournament before exiting after a tough loss to the Duke Blue Devils. For most of the seasons between the last time they got that far in March Madness in 1999, to this past March, the Red Storm rarely qualified for “the big dance.”
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Job No. 1 for Pitino for the 2026-2027 season is finding a big man to replace the Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor. His understudy, Ruben Prey, is best suited to stay in his current role.
Pitino has proven to be a master recruiter as well as being a brilliant coach who knows how to get the most from his talent during games. Of course, in today’s world of major collegiate sports, players are looking for compensation in addition to tuition scholarships.
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The Red Storm’s top booster, Vitaminwater and Bodyarmor founder, Middle Village native Mike Repole has pledged to spend $5 million to provide NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) money to procure talent for next year’s team.
J.D. Martinez to serve as special advisor to Mets’ President of Baseball Operations David Stearns
The Mets last week announced that J.D. Martinez would be rejoining the ball club as a special advisor to President of Baseball Operations, David Stearns. Don’t let the fancy title fool you.
Martinez, who was a very productive hitter during his MLB career and was a key member of the 2024 Mets team which went to the National League Championship Series, is being brought in to serve as a de facto hitting coach.
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Neither Mets manager Carlos Mendoza, nor any members of his coaching staff, played in the majors. Fair or not, big league players tend to heed the advice of those who played the game at the highest level and succeeded, over those who haven’t. The Mets are hoping Martinez will be able to function as a hitting whisperer to Mark Vientos who had a great 2024 season when J.D. was a teammate. 2025, as Mets fans glumly know, was not a good season for Vientos, and this past spring training was even worse.
“This Week in Baseball” returning to MLB and X (Twitter)
Major League Baseball is reviving “This Week in Baseball” highlights show. Baseball podcaster Kait Maniscalco takes over the narrator role made famous by Hall of Fame broadcaster Mel Allen. The show will not air on television, but rather on the MLB platform on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Check out “Mets Clubhouse Pass” hosted by Andy Martino
Former Daily News and SNY reporter Andy Martino hosts a new podcast, “Mets Clubhouse Pass.” Martino interviews personnel from across the organization. The team sponsors the podcasts.
ESPN to televise Mets-Dodgers on Jackie Robinson Day (Tuesday, April 15th)
ESPN will be televising the Tuesday, April 15 game between the Mets and Dodgers in Los Angeles which honors the memory of Jackie Robinson. Joe Buck will call the play-by-play. Ron Darling and Orel Hershiser will join him.
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Buck was Fox Sports’ main baseball voice for years. When ESPN lured Buck away from FOX, “the Worldwide Leader in Sports” wanted him to concentrate on “Monday Night Football” and playoff games to which they had the broadcast rights. Buck has told me he relishes any opportunity to get back in the baseball broadcast booth.
Darling, when he is not doing Mets games on SNY, is part of TBS’s Major League Baseball telecasts. It was classy on the part of TBS to give him permission to be part of ESPN’s Jackie Robinson game.
New eats at Yankee Stadium that are a must try for each and every fan out there
Citi Field may be the perennial winner of USA Today’s readers’ poll of best ballpark food, but that does not mean the Yankees are waving the white flag when it comes to in-game cuisine.
Streetbird, the kiosk run by Harlem-based celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, has expanded its chicken offerings. King’s Hawaiian, best known for its rolls and buns, is introducing a lobster roll with a Japanese spice, togarashi, to give it a little kick, which King’s is calling “the angry lobster roll.”
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Yankees fans can debate which French fries are better, the loaded pastrami fries from Lobel’s, the crab fries from Philadelphia sports dining restaurant Chickie’s & Pete’s, or the waffle fries from Fuku. Likewise, sushi fans at the Stadium can argue over Benihana vs. Bondi’s as both will have concessions there.
For those with an insatiable sweet tooth, and that means most of us, the Magnolia Bakery will be offering its blondies and brownies, while Treat House is selling its Rice Krispies marshmallow confections. And yes, Mister Softee and Sweet P Bakery are back for another season.
Larry David and Michael Kay team up in YES Network commercial
Kudos to the YES Network for hiring Larry David to reprise his cranky “Curb Your Enthusiasm” persona for a commercial with Michael Kay who shows surprisingly good acting chops. The ad captures David’s frustration at trying to find where the Yankee game is being shown on television in a world of countless cable and streaming options.
Whereas David is a passionate Yankees fan, his close friend, Queens College alum Jerome “Jerry” Seinfeld, is a well-known devotee of the team in Flushing. Jerry was a regular caller for years to Steve Somers’ WFAN shows. During spring training, Seinfeld invited SNY’s Sal Licata to sit with him at a Mets game in Port. St. Lucie. Two weeks ago, he called into Tommy Lugauer’s show on “The FAN.”
ESPN and CBS: Your Go-To Networks for The Masters
I have a feeling just as many viewers will be watching the world’s most storied golf tournament, the Masters, to see how ESPN and CBS tackle Tiger Woods’ driving (and not the kind you do on a fairway) woes as much as to see who will get to wear the green jacket on Sunday.
“The Masters Wait” out now on Prime Video
To coincide with the Masters, Prime Video is running a new documentary on golfer Rory McIlroy. Just as Diane Warren has never won an Academy Award as a composer in the Best Song category despite being nominated 19 times, McIlroy was having a similar streak in Augusta until he finally won it last year, hence the documentary title, “The Masters Wait.”“The Masters Wait” achingly shows McIlroy’s epic collapse in the 2011’s final round.
Masters, which took a toll on his psyche. McIlroy also admits to feeling the wait of the hopes of his native Northern Ireland on his shoulders all the years he played, and lost, at Augusta.
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While McIlroy is refreshingly candid, the documentary tends to drag as it easily could have chopped off at least thirty minutes. McIlroy had previously won the PGA Championship, the US Open, and the British Open, yet those accomplishments are barely touched upon.
A Successful Turnout for 2026 New York International Auto Show at the Javits Center
The New York International Auto Show runs through Sunday at Javits Center. In a distressing trend, the number of car brands exhibiting continues to diminish. Honda, Mazda, Buick, Volvo, and Cadillac are just some of the big names who are missing.
Ford made sure to let attendees know they are now the official vehicle of Major League Baseball as they supplanted Chevrolet. Chevy was so strongly associated with the nation’s pastimes that its ad tagline for years was “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet!”
Toyota showed off its endorsement deals with a trio of our local sports teams, as they displayed cars with Mets, Yankees, and Red Bulls logos on the Javits Center floor.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
