Thankful For A Year Of Excitement From Our Favorite NY-Area Teams
Technically, the nearly 10-year New York City-area title drought among our pro sports teams was broken when NYCFC captured the MLS Cup last December. There was a parade to City Hall and everything.
Sorry folks, but soccer is off my radar, except when it comes to major international tournaments, and even then I fell asleep watching the U.S. tie Wales in Monday’s World Cup opener. So congrats to the team and its fans, but this will be the extent of the sport’s mentions in this annual Thanksgiving post.
However, in a welcome break from the avalanche of one desolate season after another for most of this past decade, many of our favorite teams and players in the metropolitan area provided joy in 2022, giving me plenty of non-soccer options to choose from when compiling this list. I can’t recall another year in this period where so many clubs had their fans brimming with excitement. Even perennial losers like the Jets and the Devils are flirting with success.
Obviously, it’s always disappointing when our teams fall short of the ultimate goal—the Yankees, Mets, and Nets all flamed out a bit earlier than their fans expected in their respective postseasons while the Rangers fell two games short of reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the first time 2014. Still, this is the city which coined the battle cry, “Wait til next year!”, and we should appreciate that so many of our teams are in positions where such hope isn’t illusory.
So, with that rare note of positivity from me, I give you my 11th annual list of players and moments for which New York sports fans give thanks:
20. The savviness of National League Manager of the Year Buck Showalter in piloting the Mets to their first 100-win season since 1988.
19. Russian goalies: The Rangers Igor Shesterkin earned Vezina Trophy honors while Ilya Sorokin just might match him one day with his outstanding play in net for the Islanders. So long as, you know, we can avoid World War III.
18. The incredible depth in the Nets’ broadcasting booths—nationally renowned announcers in every role on TV and radio. And all wonderful people to boot.
17. The 4-year, $104 million free agent contract to guard Jalen Brunson, the type of signing that, contrary to popular opinion, allows the Knicks to remain in the market for that elusive star. Meanwhile, Brunson’s high-IQ game has helped New York stay competitive in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
16. Speaking of new contracts, the Islanders signing of All-Star center Mat Barzal for eight more years removed a giant potential headache. No need to worry about another John Tavares fiasco. The gaping hole that is an established scoring winger to play with the magician Barzal? That’s another story.
15. Smooth Saquon Barkley’s cuts that yield explosive plays for the Giants.
14. The Legend of Nasty Nestor Cortes, who rose from near oblivion to become a Yankees All-Star through the lost art of pitching.
13. The Jets’ 2022 Draft class, helping to erase the epic failures of GM Joe Douglas’ previous two attempts.
12. The edge work of the Devils two young stars Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Artistry on ice.
11. The Cleveland Miracle engineered by Jets backup quarterback Joe Flacco. NFL teams up by two touchdowns in the last two minutes had won the previous 2,229 games since 2001 while the Jets were on a league-tying 13-game losing streak in September contests. The outcome boggled the minds of every probability expert.
10. The Giants re-start, poaching the Bills to hire Joe Schoen to replace the abominable Dave Gettleman as General Manager, who then tabbed offensive guru Brian Daboll as Head Coach. A grand slam.
9. The Devils, who have qualified for the postseason just once in the last 10 years, embarking on a 13-game winning streak, tied for the longest in franchise history. An influx of veterans with extensive playoff experience like defenseman John Marino and goalie Vitek Vanecek has been the perfect complement to a speedy young core.
8. No tanks: The Jets and Giants are both on a path to play meaningful games down the stretch.
7. Nets superstar Kevin Durant rescinding his trade request after a summer of speculation that the team would blow it all up. Who knows what will happen with this mess of a franchise going forward, with Kyrie Irving seemingly making it his mission to sabotage every season, so enjoy No. 7 while you can. I can assure you that his brilliance on the basketball court is worth watching whether or not you’re a Nets fan.
6. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge homering in the first two innings to springboard the Yankees past Cleveland in a do-or-die Game 5 of the American League Division series at Yankee Stadium, 5-1. Unfortunately, the euphoria over the victory was doused by the ensuing four-game sweep at the hands of the Astros in the AL Championship Series.
5. Timmy Trumpet performing the entrance music to Mets reliever Edwin Diaz live during a game against the Dodgers. Even as someone who hates the Mets, I had to admit that I thought that was pretty cool.
4. The Rangers run to the Eastern Conference Finals, featuring two Game 7 victories, including Artemi Panarin’s OT winner against Pittsburgh in the first round. Like the Islanders the previous two years, the Blueshirts just couldn’t hold off Tampa Bay, but that did not diminish their rapid ascension into the NHL’s contender class.
3. Even with all these wonderful accomplishments above, the New York Sports “Moment” of 2022 wasn’t a close call. It has to be Judge hitting his 62nd home run of the season with a bomb into the Texas night, eclipsing Roger Maris for the most in American League history. It ended the greatest contract run of all time in all sports since, as of this writing, the Yankees whiffed in not extending him before the season when they had the chance. The perfect holiday gift for New York sports fans would be for the Yankees to bring him back and then honor him with the captaincy.
2. The legions of New York sports fans, like you, who are so devoted to their teams and have continued to support my content in my second year using 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 2023 literally be a banner year and, more importantly, a safe one, in New York.