Knicks, Mets, Yanks and All Things Sports
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
Yes, it’s baseball season, and we are right smack dab in the middle of a pair of potentially promising campaigns by our beloved Yankees and Mets. But many of us New Yorkers are jacked for a forthcoming Knicks’ 2024-25 NBA season, maybe the likes of which we’ve not seen since the Frazier, Reed, Monroe, Bradley and DeBusschere Knicks of the wee ‘70s.
Knicks brass Leon Rose and World Wide Wes have made all the right moves since bungling their initial act – acquiring a one-dimensional Evan Fournier and a washed Kemba Walker – before eventually pushing all the right buttons, including the likes of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein, Donte DiVincenzo and the most recent acquisition of two-way former Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges, another perfect fit #IMO. Throw in a healthy Julius Randle, an underrated all-star, plus rim-protecting C Mitchell Robinson and this roster is as deep as we’ve seen since the early 1970s. I kid you not.
So, yeah, Knicks fans are totally jacked to see how Bridges, Brunson, Hart, Devo’ and these ‘Nova Knicks get after the reigning champion Celtics in what should/could be the finest rendition of the NY Knicks since their last championship some 51 years ago. This is a drought that needs to end, an insufficiency of championship celebration that has caused considerable hardship on a city and fan base that fancies itself as the central nervous system of James Naismith’s great game…
The Yankees have gone from the best team in baseball to a team that might be flatlining in less than three weeks, going 5-11 since June 13 while failing to win a single series, even against the struggling Toronto Blue Jays, with whom they split four games last weekend. We said a week ago that the panic button was not an issue yet, but we’re getting closer and closer to slamming a precautionary hand on it after seeing this Yankee team struggle to salvage a split with the host Jays, who could not solve ace Gerrit Cole (5 IP, 3 hits 1 run, 6K) in Sunday’s 8-1 win #ColeNeedsToBeCole. Smart money says the Yankees figure it out, but the fact that many of my diehard Yankee friends on Facebook (and real life) – Bobby Newman, Chris Bellantoni, Eddie Lent, et. al – are quiet as church mice, that is a sure sign of recent panic…
#AndSengaNeedsToBeSenga if the Mets are going to make a realistic run at an NL wild card venture this fall. Mets P Luis Severino (5-2, 3.43 ERA), much to the chagrin of Yankee fans, has been a steadying force in the Mets’ rotation, but once all-star P Kodai Senga returns after the break the Mets have dudes who can do damage at the top of the rotation if things pan out accordingly.
The Mets’ lineup has been atop the charts in the month of June, shockingly, so it’s seemingly a matter of Senga and some much-needed bullpen additions that will keep this club in wild card contention. If Uncle Stevey Cohen and company don’t address their beleaguered bullpen, though, the Mets are toast. Otherwise, despite losing two of three in gut-wrenching fashion to the surging Houston Astros, they can challenge in an otherwise flimsy National League…
Monday, July 1 was the official start of the 2024-25 school year. Are you ready to improve as athletes and students alongside your teammates and coaches? The off-season is no longer a period of rest any more. The off-season is the time for you to improve, so have at it, gang! Can’t wait to see what the fall brings.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
