LeBron James is talking about playing for the Knicks in two years and the Mets and Yankees just broke the bank for three pitchers… That means it’s time to review the history of NY sports teams bringing in a super-mega-huge-boffo stars via free agency … they are always “the last piece of the puzzle to give them a championship” …
Mets: Dave Kingman put the over the top in the late ’70s, just like signing George Foster put them over the top in the early ’80s. The trade for Mike Piazza worked out OK, they got to the World Series though didn’t win, but Pedro Martinez never took them all the way.
Giants: trading for Fran Tarkenton and signing Larry Csonkaafter the demise of the WFL ensured the G-Men a place in history with all those Super Bowl appearances in the ’70s … heck even getting Y.A. Tittle ensured they’d be in every NFL Championship game in the early ’60s…. I think Chuck Bednarik took care of that for them…. to say nothing of the following saviors: Norm Snead, Craig Morton and Kurt Warner.
Jets: Well they signed Favre and may get to the playoffs. Just like expensive free agent QBs Neil O’Donnell, Vinnie Testaverde and Boomer Esiason won them all those Super Bowls. …
Soccer: The New York Cosmos brought in the best soccer players in the world to make the world’s game America’s game… so Pele, Giorgio Chinaglia, Shep Messing and Franz Beckenbauer all become household names…
Knicks: They brought in an aging Jerry Lucasand won in ‘73… but also had Reed, Frazier, Bradley, DeBusschere and Earl the Pearl Monroe… Lucas was 6th man… the Knickerbockers did go the finals vs. SanAnton with free agent Latrell Spreewell, and we know how well all that worked out in the long run …
Rangers: Brought in The Great One for three years and made it to one Eastern Conference final … they did sign Mark Messier when others thought he was spent and he played for a few years actually winning the Cup in ‘94. then retired … (side note… you know something is wrong with a “winter” sportwhen this sums up your title game: (from Wikipedia) “CBC Hockey Night in Canadaannouncer Bob Cole provided the most memorable call to the Rangers 1994 win, and called it at the final faceoff, with 1.6 seconds to go “” the New York Rangers have done it here ON A HOT JUNE NIGHT IN NEW YORK”") …
Yanks: They signed Reggie, named a candy bar after him, and won two World Series… They also fielded a team with Catfish, Munson, Nettles, Chambliss, Lyle, Gossage, Guidry, a young Mickey Klutts, and of course Bucky Dent… too loaded too lose.. During the early ’80s, Ed Whitson brought them so much greatness he couldn’t pith in home games. Later in the ’80s, Dave Winfieldled them to title after title… So, best of luck Messers Sabiatha and Burnett. You’ll have at least two starts before the bricks begin crashing down on you.
1 Comment
December 14, 2008 at 3:53 am
philmike
LeBron can keep on talking all he wants. But unless he does it on the court and prove that he’s a winner. He’ll be merely thought of as nothing more than immensely talented athlete whose main claim to fame was that he was on an Olympic gold medal winning team.
But then again it’s LeBron’s wish to become a global icon and billionaire. Hell he’ll probably achieve that before the Knicks’ll ever become successful in terms of winning an NBA title.
Here’s my piece on the Oakland Raiders. Just click on the text below to view.
http://abritishman.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/do-you-want-to-know-how-easy-it-is-to-look-bad-then-look-no-further-than-the-oakland-raiders/
abritishman aka tophatal ……………