Rick Pitino Tells Yankees Be More Like Knicks

St. John's men's basketball head coach name-dropped the New York Knicks in an unexpected pep talk for the Bronx Bombers.

Rick Pitino, St. John’s University basketball coach and father of New Mexico's head coach Richard Pitino, watches during the first round game between Clemson University and University of New Mexico in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, March 22, 2024. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA

He has ways to go to catch Mariano Rivera, but former New York Knicks boss Rick Pitino might earn a save with a reference to his former employers.

Pitino, now overseeing the men's basketball program at St. John's University, took in the Yankees' return from the MLB All-Star break on Friday night at Yankee Stadium. Clad in the Yankees' traditional pinstriped home uniform and bemoaning a two-game losing streak when he was in attendance, Pitino posted a video to his social media channels where he attempted to inspire the meandering Bronx Bombers.

One of his tactics included invoking the Knicks.

Apr 23, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Former New York Knicks guard John Starks (l) and St. John s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino interact during game four of the 2023 NBA playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

"We need to catch the (Baltimore) Orioles, it's time," Pitino said before he left for The Bronx. "The Knicks really represented this city well. You've got all the ingredients the same way the Knicks did. We've got to catch the Orioles. We're going to hang another banner this year. We're going to be world champions."

View Pitino's full message here.

In pursuit of their 28th World Series win ... and first since 2009 ... the Yankees got off to a 50-22 start this season but went 8-18 in their final 26 before the break, one of the worst marks in Major League Baseball in that span. New York lost the lead in the American League East division to the aforementioned Orioles and the first half of the season with a heartbreaking 6-5 loss at Oriole Park at Camden Yards last weekend.

The Knicks' offseason is perhaps keeping the middle of the Manhattan-Bronx Venn diagram sane.

Following an inspiring 50-win season that landed the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, the Knicks have kept busy by signing both OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson to big-ticket contract extensions and adding former Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges to their fold.

Pitino, the Knicks' head coach for two seasons (1987-89) would be well-versed in such antics considering St. John's continues to sublet Madison Square Garden's hardwood. His debut with the Red Storm after coming over from Iona proved rewarding despite a lack of postseason recognition, as the program earned its first 20-win season for the first time since 2018-19 and reached the semifinal round of MSG's Big East Men's Basketball Tournament.

Jul 19, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts after retiring the side in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

The Red Storm opens its 2024-25 season on Nov. 4 against Fordham in Queens, with its first MSG date scheduled for Nov. 17 when New Mexico visits.

Pitino's pep talk and invocation of the Knicks has paid immediate, if not indirect, dividends: behind a dominant showing from top pitcher Gerrit Cole, the Yankees took the first game of a four-part set with the division rival Tampa Bay Rays by a 6-1 final.

Time will tell if Pitino's pump-up proves lasting: the series against the Rays continues on Saturday afternoon with Nestor Cortest taking the hill (1:05 p.m. ET, YES/MLB Network).

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