Lichtenstein: 20 Things New York Sports Fans Can Be Thankful For
By Steve Lichtenstein
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This gets harder to write every year.
How do you find highlights in a year that will be remembered more for its goodbye celebrations than for victory parades? Of all the metropolitan-area teams, only the Rangers -- the one New York team I despise -- and the Red Bulls, who I have not watched for more than a few minutes at a time because it's soccer, made significant postseason runs.
Our baseball season was over by August and football never even got off the ground. As for our winter teams, the Islanders are the sole team in the area currently sporting a winning record.
Forget championship DVDs; 2014 was mostly a year to burn the game films.
However, the holiday season calls for optimism. The great thing about sports is that there's always another game. A new season is just around the corner. Between drafts and free agency, new blood can transform teams almost overnight.
For that we can be thankful that we live in a market where our teams (even the Mets) have the resources to invest in athletes that can potentially make our voyeurism more enjoyable.
And, if you look hard, there were some moments and players from 2014 that made us thankful that we are who we are: loyal Big Apple sports fans to the core. So without further ado, I give you my third annual list of those items:
20. A year free of labor strife. All of the action came on the playing fields, rinks and courts; not the courtrooms. Enjoy it while you can.
19. GM wake-up calls. First, Garth Snow brought in goalie Jaroslav Halak and Cup-winning defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy to shore up the Islanders' long-standing weaknesses on the back end.
18. Then, even John Idzik -- though it was too little and too late -- eventually got the hint, spending some of the Jets' excess cap money to acquire wide receiver Percy Harvin. Now all the Jets need is a quarterback, two cornerbacks and some offensive linemen.
17. And it never hurts for the Mets to add a professional-hitting outfielder like Michael Cuddyer to the lineup. They don't grow too many of them on their farm.
16. Masahiro Tanaka's three-month run before his elbow injury. Though it was short-lived, it had been a long time since Yankees fans had seen pitching that dominant.
15. The glut of promising young defensemen on the Devils. If only they could bring the average age of their forwards down below 39.
14. Odell Beckham Jr.'s hands. Good god.
13. The Knicks owning their 2015 first-round draft pick.
12. The Mets' young arms. The franchise's past successes were built on the backs of such pitching.
11. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had a year to remember. He won silver for Team Sweden at the Winter Olympics in February and then backstopped the Rangers to the NHL equivalent -- as the Stanley Cup runner-up -- in June. And don't forget that contract extension which will keep him here for another seven years.
10. Jason Kidd's exit out of Brooklyn. Led to the year's greatest quote, from Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov: "Don't let the doorknob hit you where the good Lord split you." Kidd never should have been hired in the first place. Though currently struggling, at least Lionel Hollins is a real coach.
9. Even though it's been another difficult season for Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, the Giants still embody class. No soap opera to see here. As opposed to…
8. The Jets hitting rock bottom. Those past 8-8 seasons did nothing but obscure their true standing. After eight straight defeats and then an abomination on Monday night, no one can deem that these Jets are just a few players away from contention.
7. Phil Jackson, who may have no front-office experience, but at least has the gravitas to keep owner James Dolan from meddling with the Knicks.
6. The entire Brooklyn Nets broadcast team. Great listens on TV and radio and, more importantly, great people. Worthy of a better product on the court.
5. One last run at the old barn for the Islanders, who appear to be primed to bring back some of that old 1980s magic before they move out of Nassau Coliseum for good in favor of Barclays Center.
4. Martin Brodeur, the best goaltender of all time, saying farewell to the Devils' faithful the only way he knew how -- by winning.
3. And you thought the Mariano Rivera send-off couldn't be topped. Perhaps the greatest moment in sports this year (OK, I'm biased) was Derek Jeter's final at-bat at Yankee Stadium. Maybe only Ted Williams' home run can compare to how Jeter closed out his iconic career, with a game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.
2. The legions of New York sports fans, like you, who are so devoted to their teams that they can't get enough content on outlets like WFAN.com and CBSNewYork.com.
And, as always...
1. My wonderful family, with extra thanks to my put-upon wife who indulges me in my illogical passions for my favorite teams. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. May 2015 literally be a banner year in New York.
For a FAN's perspective of the Nets, Jets and the NHL, follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLichtenst1.
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