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2019 can be defined as a year of superstars coming and going in New York sports. It also saw the careers launched for potentially two faces of our city’s franchises. And while the Big Apple failed to place a team in a championship event, a couple of playoff teams had particularly intriguing story lines.
Here is a look at the 10 biggest local stories of the year — well, technically, 11 (we had a tie) -- as voted on by the WFAN staff.
USA TODAY Images 10 (tie). Jets Fire Maccagnan, Hire DouglasOn May 15, the Jets fired general manager Mike Maccagnan. It was shocking move because Maccagnan was retained after the 2018 season and led the front office through the draft and the heart of free agency, which included running back Le’Veon Bell and linebacker C.J. Mosley being signed to big-money contracts.
Instantly, there was speculation that Maccagnan lost a power struggle with new head coach Adam Gase, although Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson denied that was the case.
Justin Berl/Getty Images 10 (tie). Islanders Sweep Way To 2nd Round Of Playoffs
No John Tavares, no problem.
The Islanders took a surprising step forward in the 2018-19 season despite losing their biggest star, Tavares, in free agency the summer before. In Barry Trotz’s first year behind their bench, the Isles went 48-27-7 (103 points), their best regular season since 1983-84, and then swept the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. (The Islanders were then swept themselves, by the Carolina Hurricanes, in the second round.)
USA TODAY Images 9. Jacob DeGrom Wins 2nd Straight Cy Young
Jacob deGrom didn’t quite match his historic 2018 season, but he was still good enough to be awarded again as the National League’s best pitcher this year.
The Mets right-hander won his second consecutive Cy Young Award after going 11-8 with a 2.43 ERA and an NL-leading 255 strikeouts.
USA TODAY Images 8. Knicks Trade Kristaps Porzingis To Mavericks
Jan. 31 was a strange day in Knicks land. It began with most fans believing Kristaps Porzingis was the centerpiece of the team’s rebuild, and it ended with the 23-year-old big man as a Dallas Maverick.
Just hours after Porzingis, who did not play last season as he recovered from a torn ACL, met with the Knicks’ brass to vent about the direction of the franchise, he, along with guards Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke, was shipped off to Dallas. The Knicks acquired point guard Dennis Smith Jr., two future first-round picks and the expiring contracts of center DeAndre Jordan and swingman Wesley Matthews in the deal. But perhaps even more important -- or so we were told at the time -- was that the Knicks freed up the salary cap space needed to sign two max contract free agents.
David Kohl/USA TODAY Images 7. Jets Hire Adam Gase
On Jan. 9, the Jets hired as their new head coach Adam Gase, who had gone 23-25 and reached the playoffs once in his three seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Is Adam Gase being held hostage? pic.twitter.com/qGXw0lTOGk
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) January 14, 2019Gase’s Jets stumbled out to a poor start but are now 6-9 and have won five of their last seven.
USA TODAY Images 6. Giants Draft Daniel Jones
The Giants began to turn the page on the Eli Manning era in April when they selected Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
The Jones pick was greeted with much criticism. Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins, ranked higher by most draft analysts, was still available, and few had Jones pegged as a top-six pick.
But Jones enjoyed a strong preseason and then, after the Giants started 0-2, he replaced Manning in the starting lineup. The rookie has gone just 3-8 as a starter, but he has set team rookie passing records for yardage and touchdowns. On Sunday at Washington, he became just the third rookie in NFL history to toss four or more TD passes in three different games.
Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Images 5. Yankees Overcome Onslaught Of Injuries, Reach ALCS
All the injuries the Yankees suffered should have derailed them.
The Yankees set an MLB record for the number of players placed on the injured list in one season (39 stints). Among those who were sidelined for extended periods: Luis Severino, Miguel Andujar, Luke Voit, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Dellin Betances.
Danielle Parhizkaran/USA TODAY Images 4. Yankees Sign Gerrit Cole
Earlier this month, the Yankees landed three-time All-Star pitcher Gerrit Cole on a record nine-year, $324 million contract in what could be the move that puts them over the World Series hump.
Starting pitching had been the Yankees’ biggest weakness in recent years, and Cole, 29, is a bona fide ace, coming off a dominant season with the Astros in which he went 20-5 with an AL-best 2.50 ERA and MLB-leading 326 strikeouts.
At his introductory news conference, Cole, who grew up a Yankees fan, scored points with the team’s fans when he brought out the sign he was photographed holding as an 11-year-old at the 2001 World Series. The sign read: "YANKEE FAN TODAY TOMORROW FOREVER."
Brad Penner/USA TODAY Images 3. Pete Alonso Enjoys Historic Rookie Season
Mets slugger Pete Alonso made a boisterous entrance to the major leagues this season. The first baseman led the majors with 53 homers, broke the MLB rookie home run record and set franchise single-season records for homers, total bases and extra-base hits.
Alonso had a .260 batting average, a .941 OPS, 120 RBIs and 102 runs. He was an All-Star, Home Run Derby champ and runaway winner for National League Rookie of the Year.
USA TODAY Images 2. Giants Trade Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s roller-coaster, five-year tenure with the Giants ended in March, when the team traded their superstar wide receiver to the Cleveland Browns for first- and third-round draft picks and safety Jabrill Peppers.
Beckham was a special talent, but he was also a headache for the organization, as his behavior both on and off the field often made the wrong kind of headlines. And in a 2018 ESPN interview, he criticized quarterback Eli Manning and couldn't answer a question about whether he was happy in New York, despite having signed a five-year, $90 million contract just a couple of months before.
Getty Images/USA TODAY Images 1. Durant And Irving Pick Nets
The Nets became the envy of the NBA on June 30 when they landed two of free agency’s biggest prizes: Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Durant came over on a sign-and-trade with the Warriors. The 10-time All-Star and former league MVP signed a four-year, $164.2 million contract, but a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the NBA Finals is expected to sideline him this entire season.
Irving, a six-time All-Star point guard, signed a four-year, $136.5 million deal.
Irving has been limited to just 11 games this season due to a shoulder injury, but the additions of the two superstars has Nets fans realistically dreaming of a championship in the coming years.
Meanwhile, Durant and Irving choosing Brooklyn was also a bitter dose of reality for the Knicks and their fans, who had hoped one or both of the superstars would be drawn to the allure of Madison Square Garden.