HOLBROOK, NY – Happy Holidays to all! We’re all busy and half paying attention, so let’s get into today’s topics: NFL MVP, Knicks ECF Struggles, Mets Doing Diddly
MVP Race
It has been an extremely odd year for the NFL, one that has seen a plethora of star QBs get injured. We’ve also seen many teams that are just mediocre. This confluence of events leaves the MVP race as wide open as ever. In terms of betting odds, the favorite heading into this Sunday is 49ers QB Brock Purdy. The former “Mr Irrelevant” has been incredible this season, leading the league in Passer Rating. The only thing preventing Purdy from running away with the award is the belief by many that he’s a product of his supporting cast. The naysayers point to him being part of the league’s best offense, and being quided by the league’s best offensive-minded coach. Kyle Shanahan. If I had a vote it would certainly be for Purdy. Following Purdy in the odds is Lamar Jackson. L-Jack has led the Ravens to the #1 seed so far. Lamar hasn’t had the typical statistical season we’re accustomed to seeing from him, but he’s certainly worthy of consideration for the MVP.
Knicks Eastern Conference Struggles.
The Knicks lost to the Bucks Saturday afternoon 130-111. That’s the bad news. Indeed, they are 0-6 combined against the Bucks and Celtics. The good news is they’re 16-6 against the rest of the league. The Knicks have been one of the best teams in the NBA – aside from against the best of the East. While it is encouraging to see them playing well as a whole this season, the Eastern Conference likely runs through Milwaukee and/or Boston. The Knickerbockers are a tier below those teams IMHO, especially with the season-ending injury to Mitchell Robinson. However, I think this team can make a deep run with the right acquisition.
Mets Doing Diddly
It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the orange and blue. They’ve made a handful of smaller moves to this point, but no headline acquisitions – like many of us hoped for. They missed out on Yamamoto to the Dodgers and never really had a shot at Ohtani. Moreover, we watched the crosstown rival Yanks get Juan Soto.
Significantly, the Amazins have a lot of roster holes and without a big signing or trade coming, this team has mediocrity written all over it. Maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world after splurging the last several seasons on Scherzer, Verlander and others. Maybe this team just needs a season to reset and be ready to compete again in 2025.
