Watch CBS News

3 Up And 3 Down: Who's Hot And Who's Not In New York Sports

By Daniel Friedman
» More Columns

Taking a look at who's hot and who's not on the local sports landscape:

THREE UP:


1. Red-Hot Yankees

Greg Bird
Yankees first baseman Greg Bird hits a two-run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning on Aug. 19, 2015, at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Facing significant pressure from the upstart Toronto Blue Jays, the Bronx Bombers have found a way to reclaim first place in the AL East, albeit by the slightest of margins. They've been dominant. They completed a sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.

2. Curtis Granderson

Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson #3 of the New York Mets celebrates with teammates after hitting a home run in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 18, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

The Grandy Man indeed can. He's been hitting homers left and right, and has reached the 20-HR mark for the second consecutive year. (He now has 22 blasts.)

3. Jacob deGrom

Jacob DeGrom
Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

He hasn't lost since July 2, and is a surefire Cy Young candidate right now. There's no question in my mind who the best pitcher on the Mets is -- it's deGrom.

THREE DOWN:


1. Bobby Parnell 

Bobby Parnell
Bobby Parnell reacts as he is pulled in the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 16, 2015 at Citi Field. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

He hasn't pitched well since the Civil War era, and now he's back on the DL with what the Mets are calling right shoulder tendinitis. No need to rush him back into the bullpen, that's for darn sure.

2. Geno Smith

Jets QB Geno Smith
Jets quarterback Geno Smith (Photo by Ron Antonelli/Getty Images)

It's been several days since the locker-room incident that resulted in him breaking his jaw, but there's still a cloud hanging over Jets training camp. There have been questions about which players in that locker room support Geno and which don't, and there have been questions about his future with the franchise. It's just not something you want to have to deal with.

3. Eli Manning

Eli Manning
Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants watches the action against the Cincinnati Bengals during a preseason game at Paul Brown Stadium on August 14, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Reports surfaced that he wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL -- reports that Manning has since denied. I don't necessarily believe Eli, especially since the initial report came from the NFL Network, an outlet that is certainly very careful about what news or inside information it spits out related to the league's teams and/or players. Whatever the case, he should worry about playing football.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.