HOLBROOK, NY – What a time to be a New York sports fan! The Knicks and Rangers move on and the Mets tease with their roller-coaster ride. Let’s have a look.
Rangers Move On
The New York Rangers may be the closest team to a championship we have in NY today. With outstanding goaltending from Igor Shesterkin and a fantastic special teams unit, the Rangers will take on the Canes from Carolina. This series has all the makings of an instant classic. These two teams do not care for one another as it is; now adding another layer will make this a must-see TV.
Mets Roller-Coaster Ride
The Mets lost 1-0 to the Cubs on Wednesday night in a wacky 9th inning that saw Pete Alonso get thrown at the plate to end the game. Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya was blocking the plate and did not have the ball while doing so. This new rule was implemented when Buster Posey broke his leg many years ago in a game similar to this one. Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza explained after the game that all 30 MLB teams received a memo that states a catcher cannot have his foot on home plate without the baseball. Amaya did not have the ball when he was doing so. Would the Mets have won? Maybe not, but there has to be more consistency in these calls. On Thursday afternoon, it looked as if the blown call from the night before stuck with the Metros, and they found themselves in a 4-0 hole. But the Mets kept fighting back and ultimately a flu-ridden Fransico Lindor played hero for the Orange & Blue to beat the Cubs 7-6. After the game, it was announced that top pitching prospect Christian Scott would be called up to pitch in Saturday’s game in Tampa. Scott, 24, is a top-100 prospect in all of baseball and gives Mets fans a lot to look forward to.
Knicks, Move On!
What a freaking game! The New York Knicks exercised some demons for their New York brethren on Thursday night by ending the 76ers season in Philadelphia, no less. Led by the “Nova Knicks,” Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, the Knicks jumped out to an early 20-point lead only to have it erased by halftime. These Knicks showed some incredible guts by responding after getting hit back in the mouth. The dagger was a shot from Josh Hart with just over 20 seconds left to put the Knicks up by three and ultimately win the game. The Knicks will face an old foe in the next round as they square off with the Indiana Pacers. The last time the Knicks got to the second round in the playoffs, they played these Pacers and ultimately lost in 6. This time will be a bit different! Give me the Knicks in 5. The toughest team the Knicks had to face was in the first round. I think this team can go bell to bell with anyone anytime.
