AROUND NYC BASEBALL
In the month of April, Juan Soto hit 2 HRs with 10 RBIs, while batting .232 in 27 games. In the month of May, the New York Mets outfielder improved to 6 HRs with 15 RBIs in 26 games — but batted only .219. Soto didn’t make the All-Star Game in July, or the playoffs in October, but by the end of the season he was delivering exactly as the Mets envisioned when they gave him his $765m deal. He finished with 43 HRs, 105 RBIs, .263 average and a career-high 38 stolen bases. On November 7, he was rewarded with his sixth Silver Slugger Award (in just nine seasons). Tomorrow (November 13), he is expected to finish third in the National League MVP voting.
On Thursday, November 13, we will find out who is the American League MVP. Will it be Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who set the MLB record for home runs by a switch-hitter and a catcher, or will it be New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge? I have been known to wear pinstripe-colored eyeglasses, but it is with total objectivity that I state that Judge deserves to win his third MVP Award. Please “judge” for yourself:
JUDGE | RALEIGH | |
At Bats | 541 | 596 |
Hits | 179 | 147 |
Doubles | 30 | 24 |
Triples | 2 | 0 |
Homers | 53 | 60 |
RBIs | 114 | 125 |
Walks | 124 | 97 |
Steals | 12 | 14 |
Batting Ave | .331 | .247 |
On-Base % | .457 | .359 |
Slugging % | .688 | .589 |
OPS | 1.144 | .948 |
WAR (bWAR) | 9.7 | 7.4 |
ICYMI “Aaron Judge Reminds Yankees Fans Who He Is”
AROUND NYC BASKETBALL
After making a record five first-round draft picks in 2025, the Brooklyn Nets have only one scheduled selection in the 2026 NBA Draft. Considering they’ve started the season with a 1-10 record, the good news is they have their own pick. The expectation is that the Nets will look to trade Michael Porter Jr and Cam Thomas closer to the trade deadline. That should open up more playing time for the historic draft class. Here are the rookie’s current stats:
NAME | DRAFT | GAMES | PTS | REB | AST |
Egor Demin | 8th | 10 | 7.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
Nolan Traore | 19th | 3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 |
Drake Powell | 22nd | 5 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
Ben Saraf | 26th | 7 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
Danny Wolf | 27th | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
In 2024-25, the New York Knicks finished 13th in the NBA with a +0.8-rebounding differential. Through the first 10 games this season, they are currently ranked fourth with a +7.1-rebounding differential, despite Mitchell Robinson only playing four of the first 10 games.
The New York Liberty surprisingly fired head coach Sandy Brondello on September 23. According to the New York Post’s Madeline Kenney, GM Jonathan Kolb is getting closer to making the franchise’s biggest offseason decision. According to Kenney, Phoenix Mercury associate head coach Kristi Toliver, former Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Will Weaver, and an unnamed NBA Eastern Conference assistant coach are among the finalists.
ICYMI “4 Things Knicks: New Coach, New Season, Same Goal”
AROUND NYC FOOTBALL
John Mara is a God in this town compared to Woody Johnson, but he’s had two consecutive horrendous offseasons. First, he allowed GM Joe Schoen to save a few million dollars while letting Saquon Barkley escape to Philadelphia. Then, rather than extending or firing Brian Daboll and Schoen, he let his lame-duck executives select and develop the New York Giants franchise QB. Now, when Jaxon Dart recuperates from his concussion, he’ll be playing for an interim head coach. More than likely, he’ll spend his offseason learning a new offense. Two very avoidable mistakes.
The jury is still out on OC Tanner Engstrand and DC Steve Wilkes, but kudos must be given to the New York Jets for giving 35-year-old Chris Banjo the Special Teams Coordinator job. Banjo ended his playing days just three years ago, yet his special teams have been the most consistent phase in the Jets’ weekly operation. In addition to scoring touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday, Isaiah Williams is averaging 14.9 yards per punt return (fifth in the NFL), and Kene Nwangwu is averaging 39.8 yards per kickoff return (first in the NFL). Rookie punter Austin McNamara is averaging 44.1-yard net (fifth in the NFL) and veteran kicker Nick Folk is perfect in both field goals (19 for 19) and extra points (12 for 12).
ICYMI: “4 Things Jets: They Won the NFL Trade Deadline — Now What?”
AROUND NYC HOCKEY
One would expect Jack Hughes (18 points) and Jesper Bratt (16 points) to be leading the way for the New Jersey Devils after 16 games. But the surprise is Dawson Mercer currently ranks third with 15 points. The 24-year-old got off to a great start in his NHL career with 42 points as a rookie in 2021-22, and 56 points as a sophomore in 2022-23. However, he’s regressed the last two years with 33 and 36 points respectively. The fact that he’s currently on pace for 77 points is a big reason why the Devils are first in the Eastern Conference.
Matthew Schaefer is already a star on Long Island, but the New York Islanders defenseman is just one of a large class of rookie defenders off to good starts in the NHL.
NAME | AGE | GP | G | A | PTS | SOG | BLKS | HITS |
Matthew Schaefer | 18 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 47 | 18 | 6 |
Artyom Levshunov | 20 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 16 |
Zeev Buium | 19 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 22 | 8 | 4 |
Alexander Nikishin | 24 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 21 | 43 |
The return of Vincent Trocheck, and the callup of Gabe Perreault suddenly elongate the New York Rangers lineup. The third line now consists of Will Cuylle (career-high 20 goals in 2024-25), Taylor Raddysh (career-high 20 goals with Chicago in 2022-23), and rookie Noah Laba. Plus, with Cuylle playing net-front on PP1, Alexis Lafreniere and Trocheck are now on PP2. Being deeper should lead to more consistent scoring.
ICYMI: “4 Things Rangers: Mounting Frustration Over Power Play Outage”