New York Sports: At Least It Can't Get Any Worse
In the Clutch With Artem Altman
Artem Altman
Issue date: 5/1/09 Section: Sports
Philosopher George Santayana said that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Hoping that the future, in the same fashion, would not repeat itself, I would like to go over the late history of some of the New York area's sports teams.
It has been a rocky ride for both the area's sports teams and the fans of those teams. The Knicks did not make the playoffs… again. And that makes it the sixth year in a row. So the quest continues on in the hopes that Mike D'Antoni will be able to guide Knicks to the promised land of hoops glory. I just hope that he will take a little less time than the forty years that it took for Moses to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.
The Giants did not repeat as champions and that was the only glimmer of hope that metropolitans (No, not the Mets, but the people who live in the area. For Mets see below.) had this year. Plaxico Burress was waived for reasons stemming from the night-club-shot-self-in-the-leg-with-an-unregistered-gun debacle. Who will replace him?
How did it come about that the naming rights to the new Mets stadium, CitiField, were bought by a company that is on the brink of financial ruin? And all for just $400 million. Didn't anyone sane at Citi think that it might be better to spend the $400 million… yes, $400 million… on helping the company recover, thereby helping the people who have invested in the company?
The Jets, ah, the Jets. With Favre in retirement, the Gang Green are once again doomed to spend the foreseeable future rebuilding. Wouldn't every Jets fan be happy to take back Chad Pennington right about now? No take backs!
The Yankees are off to a dreadful start in the House that Ruth… wait, who built this house? A-Rod? Jeter? Anyone? Definitely not Ruth and for sure not the Steinbrenners.
The Rangers. What New Yorkers have to look for now is the Rangers run to the Stanley Cup. One of the more storied franchises in all of sports is actually the last team that won a championship within the New York City limits. (I'm pretty tired of the Jets and Giants claiming to be from New York, since both are now located in New Jersey).
With a mid-season coaching change and unsteady performance, getting out of the first round could be considered an accomplishment. Aren't you Rangers fans glad now that Sean Avery is back?
The Nets. Why, you ask? Since you people consider the Giants and the Jets to be New York teams, that means that I have a right to pretend that the Nets never left New York either. Sports history buffs might remember that they were once the New York Nets. And yes, I'm giddy over the prospect that they might end up in Brooklyn… I can't wait.
Although this might be painful for some people to read, I hope that everyone can get something positive from all of this. Things couldn't possibly get any worse-or could they? And even if things don't change and everything remains the same, there is no need to get upset.
V.S. Pritchett once said that "the secret of happiness is to find a congenial monotony." This simply means that even if Fortuna won't smile upon the Knicks, Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, or Rangers, we will still be able to find happiness. Right? Wait, this is New York. Who am I kidding?
It has been a rocky ride for both the area's sports teams and the fans of those teams. The Knicks did not make the playoffs… again. And that makes it the sixth year in a row. So the quest continues on in the hopes that Mike D'Antoni will be able to guide Knicks to the promised land of hoops glory. I just hope that he will take a little less time than the forty years that it took for Moses to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.
The Giants did not repeat as champions and that was the only glimmer of hope that metropolitans (No, not the Mets, but the people who live in the area. For Mets see below.) had this year. Plaxico Burress was waived for reasons stemming from the night-club-shot-self-in-the-leg-with-an-unregistered-gun debacle. Who will replace him?
How did it come about that the naming rights to the new Mets stadium, CitiField, were bought by a company that is on the brink of financial ruin? And all for just $400 million. Didn't anyone sane at Citi think that it might be better to spend the $400 million… yes, $400 million… on helping the company recover, thereby helping the people who have invested in the company?
The Jets, ah, the Jets. With Favre in retirement, the Gang Green are once again doomed to spend the foreseeable future rebuilding. Wouldn't every Jets fan be happy to take back Chad Pennington right about now? No take backs!
The Yankees are off to a dreadful start in the House that Ruth… wait, who built this house? A-Rod? Jeter? Anyone? Definitely not Ruth and for sure not the Steinbrenners.
The Rangers. What New Yorkers have to look for now is the Rangers run to the Stanley Cup. One of the more storied franchises in all of sports is actually the last team that won a championship within the New York City limits. (I'm pretty tired of the Jets and Giants claiming to be from New York, since both are now located in New Jersey).
With a mid-season coaching change and unsteady performance, getting out of the first round could be considered an accomplishment. Aren't you Rangers fans glad now that Sean Avery is back?
The Nets. Why, you ask? Since you people consider the Giants and the Jets to be New York teams, that means that I have a right to pretend that the Nets never left New York either. Sports history buffs might remember that they were once the New York Nets. And yes, I'm giddy over the prospect that they might end up in Brooklyn… I can't wait.
Although this might be painful for some people to read, I hope that everyone can get something positive from all of this. Things couldn't possibly get any worse-or could they? And even if things don't change and everything remains the same, there is no need to get upset.
V.S. Pritchett once said that "the secret of happiness is to find a congenial monotony." This simply means that even if Fortuna won't smile upon the Knicks, Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets, or Rangers, we will still be able to find happiness. Right? Wait, this is New York. Who am I kidding?
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