EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday. Since you’re all dying to know, I follow every pro sports team in NY. There. Now you can exhale. This includes the non-major sports of soccer and rugby. I prefer non-major to calling them minor. So today I will give updates on two that are in their offseason and four that are in their season. With that, here is today’s slate: NY Sports Teams Whip-Around: Six Sports, Six Teams.
NY Mets
The NY Mets are pretty much set in all positions except LF, 3B and maybe catcher. The front 3 slots of the rotation are set, so is the closer. The back-end of the rotation has 3 guys fighting for 2 spots and middle relief will be figured out. The concern the Mets have is at DH and depth. The season is long and the Mets are really only one or two injures away from a collapse. This is true for loads of teams but this is my team. If their top prospects at SS and 3B, who had great seasons last year and could make the bigs or be left in the minors (to play rather than sit), they may be able to overcome any challenge.
NY Jets
We are all tired of the will he/won’t he with Aaron Rodgers. I don’t think they will get him. NY is not the right fit for this weird dude. I think the Jets should look at the next tier down. I would look at a Matthew Stafford or Baker Mayfield. These guys aren’t great but NY doesn’t need great. They need competent and I think these guys can turn those 4 losses that should have been wins last year into wins this year. I especially like Stafford, as he has won the Super Bowl and been on a bad team, so he will be able to lead with knowledge of the difference between winning and losing.
NY Knicks
The Knicks will only go as far as the point guard play takes them. I know Jalen Brunson has missed 4 of the last 5 games, and even in that one game he left early. The Knicks have only won 2 of tthose 5. The key is in those 2 wins, Immanuel Quickly, Immanuel Quickley, has played fantastically. Thom Thibadeau’s Tom Thibodeau’s system requires a scoring PG, not an assistant man. That makes me wonder why Derrick Rose is still out the rotation and McBride is getting minutes! Anyway… getting the 4th seed and going anywhere in the playoffs will be down to the play of Brunson and Quickley. I appreciate the way Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are developing as 2nd and 3rd threats, but it all starts at the point. You can see it in their last two games, a loss to the Clippers and a win over the Lakers.
NY Rangers
After beating Buffalo in overtime, they just lost to Pittsburgh in overtime. The two big hired guns of Tarashenko Tarasenko and Kane still seem to be struggling. Part of it is line-mates, but to me it is about two guys who had written off their previous teams and now have to go up a gear in their new destination. I hope they can add the scoring and clutch attitude needed to get the Rangers over the top in a bruising Eastern Conference. The defense needs to also improve, as I keep seeing guys left open and miscommunications that are just unacceptable this late in the season.
NY Red Bulls
I support Red Bull New York – even though they are technically the NJ team with the NY Moniker. This is because they are the first soccer team for NY in the MLS. NYCFC is partly owned by the Yankees, so I couldn’t support them. The Red Bulls have scored one goal through 3 games and as you would expect, have lost won and drawn two. The lack of scoring is what hurt them in playoffs last year. The went out bought a big -ime Belgium player but he has yet to really take the field and make his presence felt.
NY Ironworkers
If you are wondering who these guys are, they are NY’s professional rugby team. So far this season, they are 2-2. Their two wins came at home in Mt. Vernon’s Memorial Stadium. Their two losses came on the road. Duh. What makes me uncomfortable about all of that is that the differentials. The wins were dominant performances, while in the losses they got dominated. That is a big difference, and I understand playing in the US in pro sports means more travel miles than any league in the world but you have to be better than winning 35-7 then losing 33-5. That speaks to something else and they need to get their head right, ASAP.
Thanks for reading and feel free to comment below. Check out Ben Whitney, who will share his thoughts why he could careless about 4 of my 6 teams.
