Long-suffering Metro area sports fans are due for something BIG.
In 2023, we celebrated all of our winter sports teams making the playoffs, the first time that had happened since 1994. That’s right, nearly three decades ago. It was the biggest sports achievement in the tri-state area since the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2012. But making the playoffs is one thing. Advancing is another, and only the Knicks and Devils got farther than the first round, both losing in round two.
2015 was the last time we had something to really cheer about. That’s when the Mets had a great run, sweeping the Cubs in the NLCS, before losing to the Royals in Game 5 of the World Series.
We desperately need to experience that kind of run again. But thinking and talking big isn’t enough. To get to the sports promised land, things have to change in executive offices and on the playing field: in some cases, not a lot, and in other cases, quite a lot.
So, be it resolved….
New York Sports Radio
To quote former Mets manager Buck Showalter, “Do better!” No one on WFAN is worth listening to outside of Alvin Cintron and Joe Benigno. The station has dumbed down to stupidity with hot takes that do not make sense and hosts talking down to the callers. I have settled for podcasts instead of listening to sports radio. It’s a shame we don’t have a sports radio station we can be proud of. So, make it so!
Pro Basketball
Knicks: Make an Eastern Conference Finals playoff run. Knicks fans were way too pumped for getting past the first round. It’s understandable after decades of poor basketball, but that can’t be the bar. Instead, the bar for this proud franchise should be to go to the Eastern Conference Finals, the NBA Finals, and, ultimately, finish with an NBA championship–something that hasn’t happened in 50 years.
How about making a run to win the Atlantic Division? Wouldn’t that be something? At least it would be some thing.
Nets: Put a competent product on the floor. Unfortunately, that’s not happening–not after losing five straight and ten of their last 12, with the most recent loss coming Wednesday night to the Houston Rockets. The Nets have been terrible since beating the woebegone Detroit Pistons last week. If things don’t improve soon, we’ll be talking about a new Nets head coach.
Liberty: Win the WNBA Championship! Period. By winning it, the city would wonder if the Liberty should be celebrated at the Canyon of Heroes parade or Borough Hall. They went to the WNBA Finals this past season with the superteam of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Courtney Vandersloot. Now, they have to finish the job by winning a championship.
MLB
Yankees: Get to the World Series. It’s something the Yankees haven’t done since winning the championship in 2009. For such a proud franchise not to be there is simply unacceptable. But let’s face it: the franchise run by Hal Steinbrenner is not what it used to be. It has become more like a stale country club. George Steinbrenner must be rolling in his grave because this team has devolved since its glory days under his leadership.
Mets: Field a team that can win. Outside of signing Luis Severino as a free agent and acquiring Adam Houser from the Milwaukee Brewers, first-year Mets general manager David Stearns has been stealing money from Mets owner Steve Cohen to pay his hefty salary.
Strearns should be on the phone trying to entice J.D. Martinez, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Justin Turner, and Tim Anderson to play for the Mets.
NFL
Giants: Return to greatness. Start that journey by beating your nemeses, the Eagles and Cowboys. That hasn’t happened. The Giants have lost 12 of 13 games against the Cowboys and 26 of 32 games against the Eagles, including five in a row.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll and Giants general manager Joe Schoen have yet to celebrate a win against either rival. That tells you something.
Jets: Make a playoff appearance. It’s been 13 years since the last one. There was hope this year, which crumpled to the ground (with Aaron Rodgers’s injury) with only four snaps in the season-opening game against the Bills. It would also have been nice if Rodgers had played the entire season so he could be known for his performance on the field rather than accusing Jimmy Kimmel of being associated with Jeffrey Epstein, as he did this week on the Pat McAfee Show.
NHL
Islanders: Please win a playoff series. That would be progress for an aging franchise. NYI won’t win the Stanley Cup with an aging team struggling to play defense. But, despite collecting points from overtime losses, I am unsure if they’ll make the playoffs with their current trajectory.
Rangers: Win the Stanley Cup. 1940 and 1994 are the years that define this team — the years they won the Cup. It’s about time they hoisted the Cup after having “cute” playoff runs that were forgettable.
The Rangers’ 29-year Cup drought is as bad as the Knicks’ 50-year championship drought, the Mets’ 37-year championship drought, the Jets’ 54-year Super Bowl championship drought, the Yankees’ 14-year World Series title drought, and the Giant’s 12-year Lombardi trophy drought.
Devils: Make a Stanley Cup playoff run. This franchise made progress by making the playoffs and winning a round. They need to validate last season by going on a playoff run this year. A run would mean this franchise is finally back.
Men’s College Basketball
St. John’s: Make an NCAA playoff appearance and win a game. This should be doable under first-year coach Rick Pitino, known for transforming mediocre/bad teams into good ones. The Red Storm are 10-4 overall so far, and that’s hopeful.
Rutgers: Qualify for an NCAA playoff appearance. Hopefully, that will be enough to keep incoming freshmen duo Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey from having second thoughts about playing in Piscataway.
Seton Hall: Continue making progress. It’s Year 2 under Shaheen Holloway, and I like what I see.
The Pirates are 9-5 for the season with wins against Missouri, #5 UConn, and (last night) at #23 Providence.
College Football
Rutgers: Continue the climb (which may be a tall order). The Scarlet Knights made strides in Year 4 of Greg Schiano’s second act as head coach. Thank the defense for that outcome. The team finished 7-6, capping off the year by beating Miami (FL) in the Pinstripe Bowl.
But Rutgers needs to do better than that in the rugged Big Ten, and Schiano knows it. Better play begins at quarterback, and until this team has a QB who can make plays, I’m hard-pressed to see RU as more than a .500 club.
