2012: The Year in New York Sports

Who would have thought on January 1st that the team closest to a championship on December 31st would be the Knicks? 2012 was a crazy up and down year for our local teams, including a Super Bowl win, two overnight superstars who rose and fell in the Big Apple, a New York Cy Young winner, and a $30 million superstar riding the pine in the playoffs.

MLB

Yankees: The Yanks got business done again in the regular season, winning their 17th Division Title. This was the first time in 16 years though that they did it without future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera, who missed almost the entire season with an ACL tear. Andy Pettitte was having a good comeback season before injuring his leg on a comebacker. However, once October came around the Bronx Bombers' bats went silent. After squeaking out of the ALDS in 5-games against the Orioles (with some heroic late-game homers from Raul Ibanez), the Tigers swept us in the ALCS. Derek Jeter was injured in the first game of the ALCS, and adding insult to injury, A-Rod was benched in the playoffs after he hit on some female fans when he was in the dugout. 

Mets: The Mets had the best bad season a team has maybe ever had. Despite the continued financial troubles from the Wilpons stemming from the Bernie Madoff scandal, Citi Field was jumping for the first half of the season. The high point for the Mets season occurred on June 1st when Johan Santana, coming back from a serious shoulder injury, pitched the first No-Hitter in Mets history. The knuckleballer, RA Dickey had a season for the ages as well. The Dickster went 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA with 230 strikeouts and won the Cy Young Award, becoming the first Met since Dwight Gooden (1985) to win the award. The Mets locked up David Wright through the 2020 season, ending 2012 on a good note.

NY MVP: RA Dickey

Breakout Star: RA Dickey

Biggest Disappointment: Alex Rodriguez

Predictions: The Yankees will always be playoff team, but don't have the talent to be considered serious World Series contenders anymore (especially with the Angels and Blue Jays stocking up). The Mets are in a rebuilding mode, and will be playing small-market ball in the Big Apple. Mets fans have to hope for meaningful games late in the season 

NBA

Knicks: Perhaps no team in any sport had as much of a roller coaster year as the New York Knicks. After starting off the year poorly, including a 1-9 stretch, the Blue and Orange gave a point guard out of Stanford a chance. Jeremy Lin took the NBA by storm winning eight-games in a row and scoring over 20 points a game. After things went south, the Knickerbockers fired Coach Mike D'Antoni, and promoted Mike Woodson on March 14. The team finished the season with an 18-6 record, and a date with the Heat in the first round of the Playoffs, where they were defeated in five games. After a 3 month Cinderella run, the Knicks made the unpopular decision to let Jeremy Lin leave and go to the Rockets (replacing him with a combination of future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd and the former Knick Raymond Felton). The decision hasn't hurt them so far, as they have started the 2012-2013 season on 

fire, and currently have the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference.

Nets: On April 23rd the Nets played their last game in New Jersey. Between then and November 3rd, their first game in Brooklyn, the team made a lot of changes. Owner Mikhail Pokhorov emptied out his pockets to re-sign Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Gerald Wallace, as well as acquiring Joe Johnson from the Hawks. Aside from changing cities, he team also changed their color scheme to black and white and moved into a new arena, the Barclays Center. Despite an early-season win against the Knicks, the team has been on a downfall, leading to the firing this week of head coach Avery Johnson. 

NY MVP: Carmelo Anthony

Breakout Star: Jeremy Lin/Brook Lopez

Biggest Disappointment: Amare Stoudemire

Predictions: Both local teams should make the playoffs. The Knicks at the very least have to make it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000 or the season would be considered a huge disappointment. I see them making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Nets are going to try and bring in a high-profile head coach, and will likely be around a 6 seed. How much fun would a Brooklyn vs New York playoff series be? 

NFL

Giants: The Giants started 2012 with a must-win game against the Cowboys for the rights to be called NFC East Champions. After beating Dallas in the Meadowlands, the G-Men caught fire beating the Falcons, Packers, and 49ers to earn another chance to beat the Patriots at Super Bowl 46. Being known for their 4th quarter comebacks, the Giants scored the last 9 points of the game, including a 6-yard scamper by Ahmad Bradshaw with 2:49 left to give them the lead and their 4th Lombardi Trophy. After starting off this season 6-2, the team has collapsed, losing 5 of their last 7, and are hanging on to slim playoff hopes going into the final week of the season. 

Jets: The Jets hands down have had the strangest year of any sports franchise. After a on and off field collapse ended their 2011 season on New Years Day, the franchise made a headline-stealing move by trading for Broncos QB Tim Tebow. Despite Rex's continued boasts, the franchise is now one of the worst in the sport. Our big money franchise quarterback Mark Sanchez has had a nightmare season with 25 turnovers, including the infamous butt-fumble on Thanksgiving. Rex Ryan has refused to use Tim Tebow, opting to bench Mark Sanchez for 3rd string quarterback Greg McElroy last weekend. Now it has come out that McElroy has a concussion, and Mark Sanchez is back in as starting QB for the season finale against Buffalo. I'll have a lot more to say about this in next week's post. 

NY MVP: Eli Manning

Breakout Star: Victor Cruz

Biggest Disappointment: Tim Tebow/Mark Sanchez

Predictions: Both New York football teams will be coming into the 2013 season significantly different.  I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Sparano, Kevin Gilbride, and Perry Fewell are looking for new jobs. The Jets are in a complete rebuild, but the Giants just need to tinker a couple things to compete for a title again in 2013. 

NHL

I'm not much of a fan of hockey, but I got into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Devils and Rangers met in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1994, with the Devils getting the upper hand. The run ended with the Devils losing to the LA Kings in the Finals. A lockout is threatening to cancel the entire 2012-2013 season.

I started this blog in February and wasn't sure if I would keep up with it, but I have a lot of fun writing every week. I like to wish all of you a happy and healthy new year. I'll see you back here bigger and better in 2013.