Gary Phillips

Gary Phillips


Gary Phillips is a contributor at The Athletic, Forbes and Sporting News and the Managing Editor of USA Today Sports' Jets Wire. Phillips has previous experience with Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, The Bergen Record, CNBC, NBC News, NJ.com, the Locked On Network, The Journal Inquirer and The Journal News. A journalism graduate of Seton Hall, he was Editor-in-Chief of The Setonian, the university's award-winning student newspaper. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com or 845-825-7030.

Expanded Roster •

Blake Snell’s Rise Began when the Rays Demoted Him

It’s rare that a major leaguer is “excited” to get sent down, but that’s exactly how Blake Snell described his May 2017 demotion. The Rays southpaw was coming off a notable rookie season, but Snell’s sophomore campaign began with a concerning eight-start stretch. With his command out of whack, his mind elsewhere and his ERA trending toward 5.00, Tampa Bay determined some minor league maintenance was required.
lohud.com •

A-Rod’s drug scandal eclipses stellar MLB career

A 20-year career. 654 home runs. 2,939 hits. 1,969 runs batted in. A World Series champion. A 14-time All-Star. A winner of three Most Valuable Player awards. It was not long ago that Alex Rodriguez was regarded as and destined to become the greatest hitter the game of baseball had ever seen. He was expected to break all of the major records, especially the home run record. Yet, as he currently sits in fifth place for all-time dingers, it is a far less prestigious record that Rodriguez holds; t
lohud.com •

View: Growing up a student of Derek Jeter's

My grandpa used to tell me stories about Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson. My uncle saw Thurman Munson play, and then Don Mattingly. One day, I am going to tell the next generation that I had the privilege of watching and learning from Derek Jeter. Long before I ever got into writing, like so many kids I had the crazy notion that I was going to play Major League Baseball. I really go into the sport at age 9. My dad, who was a die-hard Mets fan at the time, wanted me to have a role model to watc
lohud.com •

View: Sayreville allegations have nothing to do with 'hazing'

Sayreville players are accused of criminal acts. If any of this had happened outside of a locker room there would be no mention of hazing. I was told to get a mohawk my junior year. Everyone on the Golden Knights, Nanuet High School's varsity baseball team, was supposed to. Senior year, I told juniors to get one. We all met at a teammate's house. He provided the buzzer. The team sat around and watched as one after the other had their hair fall to the floor. Some kids were more reluctant to do