Continuing A Tradition, Thanks To The Memorable NY-Area Teams & Athletes In Another Year Without A Championship Parade
Nine years ago, my first at WFAN, I initiated an annual column where I gave thanks to deserving players and teams from the New York City area. Given that 2012 was the last time a local team (Giants) won a championship, it’s fair to question whether I jinxed something.
Despite the pains from constant defeats, through the years (some a lot harder than others) I always found enough positive moments that could made fans look back without disgust.
Granted, some of the professional sports franchises we cherish (Giants) are still a long way away from title contention, but we can also take solace that most are moving in the right direction, with a few on the cusp of playing for the ultimate glory.
Just in the nick of time, too, since fans have been welcomed back into stadiums and arenas after the COVID-19 pandemic rendered the seats vacant for the latter three-quarters of 2020. There’s plenty to look forward to in 2022, including the opportunity to compare the sounds at the Islanders new UBS Arena against the old barn Nassau Coliseum come NHL playoff time.
So, with that brief note of positivity, I give you my 10th annual list of players and moments for which New York sports fans give thanks:
20. Let’s start with the aforementioned grand opening of a new venue in the city. Not even a COVID-19 outbreak that cost the Islanders about a half dozen of their key players or the ensuing 5-2 defeat to Calgary could dampen the enthusiasm of the faithful, who no longer have to look over their shoulders in fear of another town poaching their team with the promise of a major league facility.
19. Top pair defensemen don’t often reach the free agent market, and when they do, the Devils normally aren’t high on their preferred destination list. That’s why Dougie Hamilton was a once-in-a-generation signing for this nearly decade-long rebuilding project, and he’s already paying significant dividends (5-5-10 in 13 games) for a surprisingly competitive team. Once ascending star center Jack Hughes recovers from his dislocated shoulder, the Devils will be one of the more watchable teams in the league.
18. Whatever or whoever (Mike White?) jogged offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s brain in advance of the Jets’ Week 8 game versus Cincinnati to adjust the game plan to one that now bears more of a resemblance to the rest of the NFL.
17. Rutgers one win away from being Bowl eligible. I know a .500 season is a low bar, but considering the mess this program was when Greg Schiano took back the coaching reins before last season, a third Big 10 victory next week in the regular season finale would signify immense progress.
16. If at first (or second, or third, etc.) you don’t succeed…hire another General Manager. Hopefully for Mets fans, Billy Eppler will be the guy.
15. Igor Shesterkin stepping seamlessly into Henrik Lundqvist’s oversized shoes in the Rangers’ net.
14. Xavier McKinney’s two-minute drill interception in the end zone of Dallas quarterback Andy Dalton that briefly stayed the Giants’ execution in the 2021 NFL playoff race. In reality, though, the Giants probably were better off that Washington ended up clinching the NFC East later that evening so they could gain eight slots in the ensuing NFL Draft.
13. Tom Thibodeau, player development guru. For those who criticized the Knicks head coaching choice, does Julius Randle’s Most Improved Player Award count as one of his development project success stories to go along with Jimmy Butler?
12. In an up-and-down Yankees season, Corey Kluber’s no-hitter, the 12th in the esteemed franchise’s history, on May 19 against Texas ranks as one of a few feel-good moments.
11. The inspired Rangers hire of Gerard Gallant, the coach I was hoping the Devils would secure last year.
10. And speaking of coaches, let’s once again salute the puppet mastery of the Islanders Barry Trotz, who has a habit of getting his teams to play better than the sum of their parts. Dismiss the team’s slow start this season at your peril.
9. Since the present is always tortuous for Jets fans, let’s relive the promise of a better future when the organization selected Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
8. Three months of Jacob DeGrom pitching. Injuries limited the Mets ace’s pitch count and eventually cut short his season in July, but boy was he dominant almost every time he threw.
7. The Nets trading for James Harden in a four-team blockbuster to form a Big Three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The best laid plans don’t always pan out, but you have to admire General Manager Sean Marks’ all-in gumption.
6. Is Giancarlo Stanton a real Yankee now, folks? What a season, even rising to the occasion in New York’s Wild Card loss to Boston.
5. The electric vibe returning to Madison Square Garden at Knicks games. They may have underperformed in their first playoff series in eight years against Atlanta, but there’s no denying that they made this town come alive over the course of the season.
4. The Old Barn sendoff, with Anthony Beauvillier’s overtime goal forcing a Game 7 in the Islanders Eastern Conference Finals series against Tampa Bay in the very last game that counts (we think) at Nassau Coliseum. What delirium, only bested by…
3. For the New York Sports “Moment” of 2021, I’m going with the otherworldly performance from Durant at the tail end of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals versus eventual champion Milwaukee. With Irving felled in Game 4 and Harden playing on one leg, KD willed Brooklyn to a Game 5 victory with 49 points and then poured in 48 points in the deciding Game 7, coming within a toenail of ousting the Bucks with a ridiculous jumper at the fourth-quarter buzzer. That Milwaukee ended up prevailing in overtime did not diminish Durant’s greatness one iota. We should all thank our lucky stars that the best basketball player on the planet works within the city limits.
2. The legions of New York sports fans, like you, who are so devoted to their teams and have continued to support my content as I transitioned from WFAN to this forum.
And, as always,
1. My wonderful family--with extra thanks to my put-upon wife--who indulge me in my illogical passions for my favorite teams. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. May 2022 literally be a banner year and, more importantly, a safe one, in New York.