Latest / The Rand Report: Sports / Judge Progress, Villain Locked, Race On

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Judge Progress, Villain Locked, Race On · The Rand Report: Sports

• 0:00
  The rib is still broken, but the scans finally
• 0:02
  moved. Aaron Judge walked onto the field at Yankee
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  Stadium in full gear, stretching, jogging, resistance
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  bands, light activity only, no swings yet, and
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  the three -time MVP looked straight at the cameras
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  and said the only thing that mattered. I'll be
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  back this season. I don't know why I wouldn't
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  be. Welcome to The Rand Report. I'm Jim Rand.
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  This is the day the Yankees got a real update
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  instead of another holding pattern. Judge has
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  been on the shelf since May 31st with a stress
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  fracture in that right rib, moved to the 60 -day
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  list in July, weeks of lower body work only.
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  Sharp pain turning into dull pain, then Tuesday's
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  scan, enough healing to open the next door. Boone
• 0:43
  is still careful. Running, upper body resistance,
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  weight room, nothing that loads the rib the way
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  a swing does. Judge knows the math. 52, 53 games
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  left. He's not waiting for perfect. He's waiting
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  for functional. That's the difference between
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  a star and a guy who just wants the narrative.
• 1:00
  Judge is not performing recovery for the cameras.
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  He's tracking the days and the healing. Meanwhile,
• 1:06
  in Phoenix, Dylan Brooks just got paid, 3 years,
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  73 million, fully guaranteed, through 2029 -30,
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  and the first thing out of his mouth? Villain
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  is here to stay. Championship is all on my mind.
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  Love it. Brooks came over in the Durant deal
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  and delivered a career -high 20 .2 points. Defense
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  that still gets under people's skin, a culture
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  shift the Suns actually needed. Owner Matt Ishpia
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  already shut down the trade rumors months ago.
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  Now the paper matches the talk. This is not a
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  soft extension for a role player who plays nice.
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  This is the son saying they want the edge. The
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  guy who talks, the guy who bumps, the guy who
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  doesn't apologize for it. In a league that sometimes
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  pretends toughness is optional, Brooks just got
• 1:51
  a long -term vote of confidence for being exactly
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  who he is. And while we're talking impact players,
• 1:58
  the NL MVP race just got louder. Pete Crow Armstrong
• 2:01
  and Shohei Otani are trading haymakers. Crow
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  Armstrong with the multi -homer knights and the
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  aggressive base running that changes innings.
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  Otani still doing the two -way thing at a level
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  that shouldn't be normal. It's not settled. It's
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  better than settled. It's competitive. Meanwhile,
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  the AL East has the rays sitting on top. Yankee
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  still in the hunt, but missing their captain.
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  Brewers rolling in the central like they plan
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  on staying there. August is when the standings
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  start telling the truth. Injuries, extensions,
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  and MVP races all collide in the same week. Judge
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  is not back yet, but the path is open. Brooks
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  is locked in and leaning into the role, and the
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  best players in the National League are forcing
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  each other to raise the bar. That's the board
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  right now. No soft takes, no waiting for the
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  perfect narrative. This has been The Rand Report.
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  I'm Jim Rand. Remember, less hype, more truth.
• 2:54
  Until next time, keep competing.