In Honor Of Chanukah, 8 New York Sports Miracles Of 2015
By Daniel Friedman
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It's Chanukah, which means your Jewish coworkers and friends will be droning on about lighting candles, eating potato pancakes and those adorable gifts they bought for their nieces and nephews. If you're lucky, they might even explain what the significance of the holiday actually is, but in case they don't, I've got you covered.
Chanukah is all about celebrating miracles, both past and present (no pun intended), and we've had quite a few of those on the NY sports scene in 2015. Of those miraculous events, here are the eight most remarkable – one for each night of the holiday:
1) The Jets Are In Playoff Contention
Ryan Fitzpatrick has put on a Judah the Maccabee-esque performance this season, leading a ragtag group of football players against, well, other ragtag groups of football players. Gang Green hasn't been able to overcome the elites just yet.
2. The Mets Went To The World Series
I'm still having trouble believing this happened, and I was at Game 4.
3. The Knicks Are Watchable Again
Porzingis. You just say that name and you immediately feel better. It works, I'm telling you. He's been lighting up the court like a menorah.
4. We Talked A Lot Less About How Much We Hate Alex Rodriguez…
…and then liked him as a TV baseball analyst!
5. The Islanders Convinced The NHL's Top Impending Free-Agent Defenseman To Re-Sign
The fans have been slow to embrace the team's move to Brooklyn, but the Isles gave Johnny Boychuk 42 million reasons to cheer up about that annoying LIRR commute to Atlantic Terminal.
6. The Devils Are Competitive
They're playing well, and leading scorer Mike Cammalleri's 30-point season has been quite the Chanukah present to himself (yes, he's Jewish) and his teammates.
7. Jack Capuano And Tom Coughlin Still Have Coaching Jobs
Both coaches should've been out by now, but they've been able to burn for the past two seasons. It's like the miracle of Chanukah, only far less meaningful and far more frustrating.
8. This Writer Got Married
Now, before you say "that's not a sports miracle," I'll have you know that my wife and I dated through three NHL playoffs and only broke up once. Score one for the guys and girls who've been told nobody will want to marry them if they're too obsessed with sports.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
