On a day for which we count our blessings, we, the people of the Big Apple are thankful for these five things in New York City Sports.
By Robby Sabo
Go to any Big Apple game. Appreciation is one hell of a sentiment. Actually, it smacks you in the face.
One example comes at Madison Square Garden. Every time Mats Zuccarello touches the puck, the fan-base goes nuts with the chant of “Zuuuuuuc.” He’s such a blue-collar, hard-working athlete, that New Yorkers go nuts with appreciation.
That’s the key: hard-working. Once the athlete starts showcasing that city-like attitude, the love affair begins.
At the same time, under-appreciation always runs rampant as well.
The boo-birds have been known to be plentiful if the crown sniffs a fake. The primadonna-like player will suffer big time if he’s not putting up the production in New York City.
Today, on the most thankful of all days, Thanksgiving, we count down the top five things we’re most thankful for in New York City sports.
5. Brooklyn
Hey, it’s not Madison Square Garden. The Barclays Center isn’t the mecca, like MSG. And Brooklyn isn’t Manhattan.
The New York Islanders and Brooklyn Nets aren’t the New York Rangers and New York Knicks. It’s just that simple.
Still though, let’s all be thankful for Brooklyn, for if not for this tough-minded New York borough, our Islanders could be off in Kansas City somewhere.
4. Aces Of The Mets
Although we’ve wound down from the excitement of October already, nobody will forget about the aces of the New York Mets.
Be thankful for Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz, beacuse they makeup for the nastiest young baseball rotation in many decades.
3. Henrik Lundqvist
Save for the disastrous 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens a night ago, is there any star in New York City more glamorous than New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist?
Aside for a Stanley Cup, The King has achieved just about everything in the game of hockey. With a 9.39 save percentage and a 1.94 goals against average (which both lead the NHL), Hank is off to the best start of any season in his entire career.
2. Eli Manning
Simply put, there’s no New York City athlete more under-appreciated than New York Giants legend Eli Manning.
Sure, he forces fans to pull out their hair at times, but he’s also a two-time champion who thrives under the most extreme amount of pressure.
1. Kristaps Porzingis
Of course, the number one thing to be thankful for today is Kristaps Porzingis.
KP6 – as his nickname should be – has arrived onto the NBA scene only a handful of games into what should turn out to be a stellar career. And at 20-years old, Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks look to now have a cornerstone player for years to come.