John Chandler

Voting line wraps around @barclayscenter in Brooklyn at 2:30pm on a Saturday. Those at the front told me they’d been waiting for 2 hours. #vote #Election2020

In a normal world, Rick Pitino would've been introduced as Iona head basketball coach at the obligatory press conference months ago. But, well, covid. Tonight Pitino finally had the chance to get in front of a (zoom) camera and discuss why he wanted to coach the Iona Gaels at age 68, after a long, distinguished and, ultimately controversial career. He was mostly candid, though he didn't mention Louisville and the scandal that ultimately led to his firing there. He only note...d that he "hired the wrong people" late in his career before noting he has hired assistant coaches with strong moral character. Pitino closes by saying this is not about revenge. He sees building Iona into something like Gonzaga. He sounds energized, engaged (ran down the scouting report of almost every last player on his roster) and there is no question this will be one of the most intriguing storylines of college basketball.

It's Public Question 1 on New Jersey ballots in 2020. And recent polling shows most favor legalized marijuana for adults in this state. If it passes, New Jersey would become the first Mid-Atlantic state to legalize recreational pot, likely setting in motion an industry that is projected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the state. Opponents argue, on top of health and safety concerns, that doing this by constitutional amendment rather than legislation... risks not having the proper regulations and safeguards in place. I took a dive into this topic for the NBC New York I-Team Election project.

The Tampa Bay Rays eliminated the Yankees from the 2020 Postseason by taking the decisive Game 5 of the ALDS 2-1. As win-or-go-home games go, this was one stress-inducing. An Aaron Judge home run wasn't enough, despite 9 strikeouts in 5.1 innings from ace Gerrit Cole on short rest. ... The Rays won on a blast of revenge for Mike Brosseau against Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman in the 8th. Manager Aaron Boone bristled at the question when asked afterwards if this season was a failure. https://youtu.be/dVNrqvtg7QY

We're saying goodbye to far too many of baseball's all-time greats lately. Tom Seaver. Bob Gibson. Now Whitey Ford, the greatest pitcher in Yankees history. He was a true New Yorker. Born in Manhattan, raised in Queens, and played all 16 of his Hall of Fame seasons in the Bronx. "Do this for Whitey," said Aaron Boone at the start of the TBS broadcast just moments before the start of Game 5 - the kind of game Whitey Ford would've surely relished pitching. ... Remembering the "Chairman of the Board" this evening.

The injury-depleted San Francisco 49'ers smothered the New York Giants 36-9. Quarterback Daniel Jones struggled noticeably. The Giants lack of talent was pretty glaring against an opponent missing almost a dozen key players. Pat Leonard of The Daily News discussed the future of Daniel Jones, General Manager Dave Gettleman and the Giants on Sports Final this Sunday.

The Yankees turn on a dime to again look like a powerhouse going into the playoffs with an 11-4 win over the Marlins. DJ LeMahieu locked up the AL Batting Title and Luke Voit hit his MLB leading 22nd home run. The Mets were eliminated after dropping both games of a double header to the Nationals. The Dallas Stars forced Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Final by outlasting the Tampa Bay Lightning in two overtimes.

He’s a steady anchor, sharp journalist, model family man, master of dad jokes & Harry Caray impersonations and all-around excellent human being. Chicago’s win is our loss. What a fun ride to work with you, Stefan Holt!

Any time I get to step inside Grand Central, I try to take the time to just look up. #grandcentral #grandcentralstation #mta #nyc @ Grand Central Terminal

Pinch hitting on Today in New York this morning. Good news: my alarm clock works. Bad news: a new covid cluster to report on. ... City officials and the health department are very worried about a group of neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens that now holds 20% of positive coronavirus cases in NYC. Two common concerning factors: large indoor gatherings and lack of mask wearing.

The Giants have lost running back Saquon Barkley for the season. Monday's evaluation of his injured knee included an MRI that was essentially a medical Hail Mary. The team had hoped it would reveal a different, less serious diagnosis than the one feared on Sunday. But if you've watched and covered enough sports over the years, you know the look of an ACL injury when you see it. ... The timing couldn't be worse. Just awful news for the terrific young star, who was in line for a big contract extension after this season. Now who knows. It's fair to assume the Giants will need to see if Saquon returns anywhere near his old form before paying him multi-millions. Not that you give up on the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, but this really injury raises questions about his future with Big Blue.

Maybe you were skeptical when Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said last month that postponing the 2020 fall sports season was a decision that wouldn’t be revisited. You were right. In fact, the Big Ten has essentially now caved to overwhelming pressure to reverse course and play football in 2020. Great, as long as they can actually do this safely. The conference sure hasn’t handled things transparently. ... At Rutgers, head coach Greg Schiano sounded understandably excited by this news. Honestly we found tempered enthusiasm from the scarce number of students on a campus. As one business owner points out, gameday still isn’t gameday because fans won’t be permitted inside SHI Stadium. So they won’t be buying up food and merchandise. But it’s at least better than no season, it seems, after spending the day on campus at Rutgers. Anyways, here’s our 5pm story.