Jared Max: Spring Ahead -- And When The Time Is Right, Our Teams Will Win
By Jared Max
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I woke up Friday morning to a sun-drenched field of snow outside in my yard and wondered if I should shoot one photo of the same scene every day. Thankfully, YouTube satisfied my curiosity.
I watched several time-lapse videos. One kid photographed himself every day seated at his kitchen table for three years. I watched months of facial hair growth as one man produced a ZZ Top beard in less than one minute.
The most insightful videos, however, were nature landscapes. The first I watched — "One year in 2 minutes" in Oslo, Norway — inspired an appropriate sports theme.
Whether we learned from videos on YouTube, Ecclesiastes in the Bible or Roger McGuinn in The Byrds, to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose.
A TIME TO BE BORN AND A TIME TO DIE
Like any hospital with a nursery and a morgue, our metropolitan area sports arena is filled with vibrancy and malaise.
Most Mets fans are feeling better than they have in a decade, while many Yankees fans are negotiating with a March pessimism, unknown.
Knicks fans are sending thank you notes for condolence cards they have received since last fall. Nets fans are eerie, watching outside their windows to see their skinny, wavering tree succumb to the next large windstorm.
If not for the Rangers and Islanders acting as our region's sole breadwinners, we would have starved this winter. Their success has shielded attention from the Devils reverting to their post-Colorado Rockies era. For the first time since their first five years in New Jersey, the Devils will fail to make the playoffs for a third straight season.
Two months from the NFL Draft and six months shy of Week 1, Jets fans can dream about a rebirth, while Giants fans envision a revival to greatness.
Oh, and we are going to be adding a baby. The sports cycle of life has brought us a new soccer team. NYCFC is not only our second local MLS squad and an instant rival for the Red Bulls, it appears in position to create a bigger buzz in the Bronx this year than the baseball team whose name graces its home pitch.
For those born into pinstripe fandom after 1990, silver spoons have been replaced by plastic utensils. There is no choice but to accept this adjustment. Yankees fans are not starving. The team won four World Series from 1996 to 2000. Another championship in 2009. In time, they will check out of their current roadside motel and relocate to a five-star resort.
A TIME TO TEAR DOWN AND A TIME TO REBUILD
No nation has maintained an empire throughout its existence. Not even Yankee Nation. Rome was not built in a day. Nor did it fall overnight. The Yankees have been in decline for a few years. While they still cling to their rich past, the Yankees are moving forward. Time will tell if this Yankee clipper is rudderless or on path.
In between championship runs, the Yankees have had two lengthy stretches of mediocrity. From 1965-75, the Yankees were a non-playoff team. After they lost the 1981 World Series to the Dodgers, the Yankees were absent from the postseason until 1995. While the latter drought was infused by George Steinbrenner's ineffective spending sprees on washed-up free agents, Yankees fans should be hopeful that the Boss' son, Hal, is taking a different route.
A TIME TO SEARCH AND A TIME TO GIVE UP
If I were a Knicks fan, I would give up.
This team has been searching without success since the Yankees began their mid-1990s dynasty. There is no end in sight.
James Dolan is a proven loser as an NBA team owner. While he has fleeced the Knicks' roster several times, he has replaced nearly every part under the hood without addressing the hot rod engine that is incompatible with most parts. When he recognized that he did have the tools to build a winner on his own, he called Phil Jackson. With all due respect to the Zen master and 11-time NBA champion, I think of a line from a barbershop scene in "Coming to America."
"Joe Louis had come out of retirement to fight Rocky Marciano. The man was 76 years old!"
It does not matter where the Knicks draft. If smart veterans like Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire were unable to bleach the murkiness, why would I believe that a rookie or two can change the culture? The Knicks were gifted an honest identity with Linsanity. But, Dolan trashed that. As I see it, unless LeBron James were to become a Knick and inspire Carmelo Anthony, Dolan will keep searching -- blinded from the back of his basketball card that suggests he should give up.
A TIME TO KEEP AND A TIME TO THROW AWAY
While the Knicks chose to gut their house (except for the asbestos), the Jets appear to have made surgical decisions to improve themselves.
Rex Ryan and John Idzik are gone. Todd Bowles and Mike Maccagnan have arrived. Former pro bowl receiver Brandon Marshall is coming, too.
While Marshall seems a great catch, one has to wonder why his price was so low. Since announcing his diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in July, 2012, Marshall has not been arrested. But, his production dropped exponentially last year. He produced his lowest totals for receptions, yards and first downs since his rookie season. As well, Marshall called out Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and kicker Rob Gould.
Re-signing David Harris was expensive, yes, but it shows a sign of wisdom.
Giants fans know what they have to keep and who is worthy to throw away. As long as Eli Manning, Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz remain healthy, the Giants will be a playoff team. Arguably the smartest with the dollar among our local teams, the Giants parted ways with fan, coach and locker room favorite Mathias Kiwanuka to create almost $5 million in cap space. If Antrel Rolle becomes a free agent, the Giants will be free of his sizable salary. Throwing away his trash talk would be positive, too .
A TIME TO BE SILENT AND A TIME TO SPEAK
Mets fans have been told "Wait til next year" so many times, facing a forgotten optimism, they have to restrain themselves from springing their clocks ahead several hours today. My best advice is to heed Larry David's words. Curb it. I know that you are busting at the red seams to watch your team play in October. This is a time to be silent, not to speak.
Mets fans should feel invigorated and be inspired to mirror the team's approach with Matt Harvey. By holding him back from starting the season opener or the Mets' first game at Citi Field, the team is showing sensible maturity. Harvey has not started a game in a year and a half. Grounding exuberance may seem like a buzzkill, but to an organization that leads our local standings in creating false hope, I see guarded optimism. The time for the Mets to speak will be in October.
For now, it is time to spring ahead.
Mets fans, be excited. Yankees fans, be content with the Rangers or Islanders playoff runs. Knicks fans, take a vacation. Nets fans, stay the course. Jets fans, root for a new quarterback. Giants fans, root for health on offense and smart spending on free agents. Soccer fans, stay stoked. Your sport is finally rising.
To everything there is a season, a time to every purpose. Today may not be your team's time. But, there is a reason.
Follow Jared on Twitter at @Jared_Max
