Sports
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Yankees remain kings of New York
Jets and Giants stuck in mediocrity, Rangers and Isles on the rise, Knicks and Nets trending in right direction
Zach
Gewelb
While the Yankees are still
looking for ways to improve
their team and overtake the
Boston Red Sox as the class of
the American League, they
have proven to be the only high
profile New York City sports
team worth watching in 2018.
The Mets may be the runnerup
in New York sports, which is
saying something, considering
their 77-85 season. But they
fared better than New York’s
other sports teams.
In the NFL, the New York
Jets played to a 4-12 season and
fired their head coach, while the
Giants finished at 5-11. In the
NBA, the Knicks aare a putrid
9-29 record, while the Nets
currently sit in the No. 9 seed
in the Eastern Conference with
a 17-21 mark. On the ice, the
Islanders have compiled a at 21-
13-4 record, while the Rangers
have played to 17-14-7 record.
The Yankees were the
only New York City-based
sports team in the “big four”
major leagues (MLB, NFL,
NBA, NHL) to make the
playoffs in 2017 and 2018 and
have set the standard for
success in the market.
The troubling thing is, none
of the other teams seem close
to reaching the same level as
success as the Bronx Bombers.
The Jets are breaking in a
rookie quarterback and will be
bringing in a new coach to lead
the team, while the Giants must
find a successor to longtime QB
Eli Manning.
The Knicks and Nets are
still trying to build up their
talent base and while both
squads have young players with
potential to improve, neither is
ready to become even a playoff
contender, though the Nets
have been better than expected
this season.
The Rangers are amidst a
total revamp and the Islanders
are starting one of their own as
they look to replace franchise
icon John Tavares, who fled to
Toronto in free agency.
Meanwhile, the Yankees
have done what few pro teams
have been able to accomplish:
rebuild the team on the fly
while still competing. The
Yankees traded off key pieces
during the 2016 season, selling
off key veterans to replenish
their farm system. General
Manager Brian Cashman did
this while keeping the ballpark
packed and the big league club
above .500.
Now, the Yankees have one
of the most exciting teams in
The Yankees have been the only New York team to recently celebrate their postseason success with a
champagne shower. AP Photo
baseball, boasting a roster
filled with young stars —
Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez,
Luis Severino, Miguel Andujar,
Gleyber Torres — and veteran
leaders like Brett Gardner and
CC Sabathia.
All New York teams should
strive to be more like the
Yankees. These days, every
front office across all major
sports is smart. And while not
every team has the resources
like the Yankees have, every
New York team except the
Mets has a salary cap that
keeps spending across their
respective leagues in line.
With a cap on how much
to spend, there’s no reason
why New York teams should
not allocate their cap space
to field competitive teams.
Free agency and trades aren’t
the only answer, though.
Those two avenues should
be the second plan of action
— a means to support strong
player development systems.
That is where the Yankees
have their advantage.
The Bronx Bombers
have one of the best player
development systems in all of
baseball. And while there are
no minor leagues in football,
the NHL and NBA both have
developmental leagues that the
New York teams should take
full advantage of.
The state of New York
City’s major sports teams is
abysmal. Only one team in
the “big four” leagues is close
to winning a title. It’s time
for that to change. New York
sports teams must do a better
job representing the place we
call home. Enough is enough.
Reach reporter Zach
Gewelb by e-mail at zgewelb@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4539.
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