A BUCK IS GREAT GIFT FOR METS, JUDGE SHOULDN’T BE THIS COMFORTABLE & AARON IS THE MVP, AGAIN ...

It is funny how narratives, whether they are tethered to reality or not, can become wildfires in sports.

So it was, in the run-up to Buck Showalter being hired, and then as soon as he was hired, that even people in outer space knew about the narrative of Buck being anti-analytics.

You heard it in the line of questioning when Buck was introduced the other day.

It isn’t true, of course. Never been true if you know him, or anything about him. It just became an easy story. And doesn’t change the fact that this is the best Mets fans have felt about their whole general situation for a long time.

How in the world, before the Giants are anywhere near hiring a new general manager, can Joe Judge be this comfortable about returning next season?

Here is his entire resume, to go along with his 10-20 record: Ownership likes him.

And he hasn’t “lost” the locker room.

Good to know.

The Giants are about to talk themselves into something about their coach, and about their quarterback.

You keep hearing that two years isn’t enough to properly evaluate the head coach.

How many years did Pat Shurmur get?

You know, back when the Giants used to score touchdowns.

There is something else worth remembering about the Giants, while we’re on the subject:

Mike Glennon didn’t give himself the job of backup quarterback to Daniel Jones.

My friend Jeff Greenfield wondered the other day how different things would be, really, for the Jets, if they only lined up nine players.

Jimmy Garoppolo reminded everybody on Thursday night why the 49ers felt the need to draft Trey Lance.

Aaron Rodgers is the MVP this season, same as he was last season.

By the way?

Over the past two seasons, Rodgers has thrown 78 touchdown passes against just nine picks.

Can’t Zach Wilson just give us something over the next few games?

It will be quite interesting to see how much of NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics will deal with the situation of a Chinese tennis player, Peng Shuai, who still looks for all the world like just one more political prisoner in that country.

For the last time, “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie.

My guy Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine continue to kill it with their NBA show on satellite radio.

Mike Tannenbaum is convinced that the Jaguars will be a great job for someone who actually knows how to coach in the National Football League.

Louis Riddick is really good talking about pro football on television.

And Dan Orlovsky ought to be working with him on Monday Night Football. Finally today:

Merry Christmas to the people who continue to put out the New York Daily News, swimming against the tide.

And particularly the inside people in the sports department, who are among some of the toughest pros I know, in a very tough business.

They just keep coming. And make me proud to still be fighting alongside them. Yeah.

Merry Christmas to them.