If you live in the United States and have played, watched or even just mentioned soccer, you've heard the lament that soccer is boring.
It's not true, of course, but it's understandable when the alternative is the made-for-TV National Football League. Unlike football, there's a significant gap between understanding soccer and truly appreciating it. Goals are infrequent, scoring chances are squandered more often than not, and a well-executed counter-attack isn't exactly stimulating to the uninitiated viewer.
Walker is the antidote to the common complaint that "things" don't happen in soccer. Get him near the ball, and something will surely happen. The question is whether that something will propel Tottenham to victory or leave fans cringing.
Take the Spurs' Dec. 1 match against Manchester United: Walker snuck an 18th-minute free kick under United's wall and past diving keeper David De Gea to give them an early lead. That was a good thing.
Minutes later, Walker misplayed an opposing player's cross into the box, leaving Wayne Rooney with the ball and a clear path to the back of the net. That was a bad thing.
Fourteen minutes, two goals, and still all you can say about Kyle Walker is that he makes things happen.
That's just how it works so far in his brief career. A former PFA Player of the Year, Walker is equally brilliant and reckless. In that same match against United, Walker would race Nemanja Vidic for a 50-50 ball with the Spurs up 2-1. Vidic just barely beat him and sent Walker flying. Seconds later the ball was downfield and Hugo Lloris was bringing down Danny Welbeck in the box. The ensuing penalty kick made it 2-2.
The next weekend, against Sunderland, Walker would put together a spectacular performance. He picked his spots to join the attack and showed why he could be one of the best all-around fullbacks. Most importantly, he was lethal in defense, sticking close to physical striker Jozy Altidore and essentially hectoring him into giving up.
It's a polarity that fans will have to learn to put up with, at least for the time being. The backlash from his particularly poor performance in a 4-2 defeat to Chelsea last year forced Walker to temporarily take down his Twitter account. But even as he's prone to stringing together several stupid mistakes, his raw talent is unmistakable.
Last year was my first season following Tottenham closely, and so it's no surprise I was immediately infatuated with Gareth Bale. He was a one-man wrecking crew, an amazing talent just removed from his 23rd birthday. Like all great players, it seemed everything he touched turned to gold.
Kyle Walker won't fill those shoes. But there's no doubt that, for better or worse, he's fashioning his own path, and it's wholly, entertainingly unpredictable.
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Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in ‘96. He is attempting to turn himself into a European football fan.
I have had the misfortune of missing the best moments in Mets franchise history.
The bottom line is that I completely missed those players. Their time in Flushing might have been short or ended in disgrace, but generations of fans can bask in the memories that those guys created. Mine, meanwhile, revolve around a World Series loss, two epic collapses and a future Hall-of-Famer who is forever remembered for the time he didn't swing. Oh, and Matt Harvey.
I’d be lying if I said that news of Harvey’s season-ending injury took me by surprise. The Summer of Harvey always felt like borrowed time; like I had already swallowed the poison and was just waiting for it to hit my blood stream. The Mets don’t fall ass-backwards into one of the best young pitchers in the game. They go running, arms outstretched, to guys like Paul Wilson, Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen.
The Mets don’t have a pitcher who starts his career in historic fashion. They don’t have a guy with a career ERA of 2.39 or an ERA+ of 153. They don’t have a guy who strikes out, on average, 10 batters per every nine innings. The Mets don’t have a guy who starts the All-Star Game. And they certainly don’t have a guy who can do this:
But this time, they did. The beauty of Matt Harvey was that, for once, something the Mets touched actually turned to gold. He’d been drafted by the Angels in 2007, only to spurn them for college. Then six teams bypassed him when he re-entered the draft in 2010, placing him directly in New York's lap. And even then, we didn't know just exactly what the Mets had. Harvey's future was, at best as a career number two starter, or at worst a pitcher with a live fastball but no consistency.
You don’t have to squint very hard to see that Donnie Darko, alternate reality version. In one of the best drafts in the last 10 years, the Mets miss out on Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, and pass on Chris Sale and Christian Yelich to take Matt Harvey. He soon becomes the latest first-round bust, joining the likes of Billy Traber, Aaron Heilman, Phil Humber and Mike Pelfrey as modern-day Mets pitchers who never fulfilled their potential. Within five years, he's the answer to some obscure trivia question that you're ashamed you actually know.
Instead, without even really trying, the Mets got ahold of one of the most precious commodities in baseball.
It's important to note here that the Mets are not to blame for anything other than being, you know, the Mets. Unlike the guy who owns the Ferrari but keeps it locked in his garage, the Mets have to turn their prospects loose at some point. These things happen for no other reason than that throwing a baseball is a stressful and unnatural action for the human body to endure time after time. It's not overuse, and it's not poor training. The Mets' only mistake is that they had the audacity to try and win some baseball games.
And Harvey is not dead, nor is he even a lock for Tommy John surgery. The rational fan would say that there's a chance he never has to go under the knife, a chance that 2014 begins with the eternal hope that spring brings to all baseball teams. But Mets fans know better. These things are never that easy.
When I sat down to write this, I turned off the TV, flipped open my laptop and turned on the most emo music still left in my iTunes library. It seemed like the appropriately melodramatic thing to do.
Yet after a song, I switched it off. I wasn't really that upset, I realized. I had been mentally preparing for this moment all summer. I didn't need emo music. I needed an exorcism.
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Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in ‘96.
This is week two of a new series examining the 2013 All-Star Ballot. The first piece can be found here. Remember this is not about predicting who will make the All-Star team.
After the first week, there are four changes to the lineups, all in the American League. That's not a huge amount, but I was still surprised to see so many changes. I didn't expect for numbers to fluctuate so much but its still early so even a few good games can really influence averages and such. Second base in the AL looks like the toughest spot to call, and could conceivably change every week from here on out.
American League:
Catcher: Joe Mauer
Right off the bat we get a change. A solid week helped Mauer climb just over Carlos Santana. His average is up to .351 and his OBP jumped more than 30 points this week to .431. Mauer's a better defender than Santana, but has no where near the power. For now, though, its Mauer.
First Base: Chris Davis
Davis continues to hit the ball hard. He added two more home runs (12 total now) and continues to lead the league. Nick Swisher is in the mix and as the Indians heat up he could conceivably go with them.
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia
This continues to be one of the hardest positions to choose. Ian Kinsler had a tough week and just went on the DL, so he is out of the mix for now. In his place, we have Dustin Pedroia just barely edging out Robinson Cano. Cano hit three homers this week, but Pedroia's .341 average and .433 on-base percentage make up for his lack of slugging. He's also playing better defense and has done more damage on the basepaths.
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta
This change is mostly a result of Jed Lowrie's recent struggles. Though Peralta's .317/.380/.455 line is strong, Lowrie's offense dropped big time across the board this past week. That on top of his poor defense gives Peralta the nod for now.
Third base: Miguel Cabrera
No change here. Cabrera is the best hitter on the planet and may be putting up better numbers than last year's MVP season. In fact he just hit his ninth and 10th home runs of the season as I sit here writing. Cabrera is just too good right now, despite tough competition from Evan Longoria and Manny Machado
Outfield: Mike Trout, Alex Gordon, Vernon Wells
Trout maintained his pace, but Crisp has officially fallen out of the race since getting back from a hamstring injury. He failed to get a hit during his first four games back last week.
Alex Gordon has seen his average and slugging spike this week so he stays in as well.
The newcomer is one of the season's biggest surprises, Vernon Wells. He has 10 homers, played solid defense and has been a big part of the Yankees' early-season success. However, it's not clear how much regular playing time he'll get once Curtis Granderson comes back from his injury.
Designated Hitter: Mark Reynolds
Reynolds is paid to do one thing, and that's hit for power. He continues to do just that, and is leading the AL in homers at 12. Edwin Encarnacion is heating up this year and could get into the mix for this spot sometime soon.
National League:
Catcher: Buster Posey
Posey's power makes him the top catcher in the league. Yadier Molina has the high average and the strong defense, but the reigning NL MVP deserves the starting spot right now. A.J. Ellis has gotten himself into the conversation, but it's hard to imagine him catching up to the NL's two premier talents in Posey and Molina.
First Base: Joey Votto
The fact that Paul Goldschmidt is a legitimate contender to Joey Votto is a testament to how good of a year Goldschmidt is having. But Votto is nevertheless too complete of a ball player. He strikes out less, walks more, hits for a higher average and plays better defense. Goldschmidt does have him beat in the power department, with 12 homers and the NL's highest slugging percentage. But that's not enough to edge Votto.
Second base: Matt Carpenter
Carpenter continues to hold off Chase Utley. Utley hits for more power than him, but Carpenter has a higher average and OBP. He is also a better defender than the aging Utley.
Shortstop: Jean Segura
Troy Tulowitzki has narrowed the gap, but it is still Segura, who added to his numbers this week. He now is hitting .364/.406/.580 with seven homers and 14 steals. Tulo bests Segura in both OBP and slugging, but Segura's gaudy average and damage on the basepaths tops the Rockies shortstop.
Third base: David Wright
It's been a rough start to the year for the Mets, but not for their third baseman. He is putting up his usual strong offensive numbers and has stolen 10 bags. His defense hasn't been great and has always been his achilles heel, but no other NL third baseman is doing much this year.
Outfield: Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez, Shin Soo Choo
Not much change here. Justin Upton still leads the majors in home runs. Carlos Gomez has cooled off a bit, but his numbers are still very strong and he is easily among the three best outfielders in the National League.
Choo keeps his spot as well, and is having a really fantastic year so far. His OBP is the second best in the majors (behind teammate Joey Votto), and his nine home runs give the Reds a serious power threat at the top of the lineup. Choo's not as bad a defender as the numbers say because he is willingly playing out of position. He's not a good defender just not -8.5 runs bad.
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Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96
It took longer than anyone wanted, but eventually, they played some golf at Augusta National on Saturday.
The day traditionally known as “moving day” started off as anything but that, with initial frontrunners Jason Day, Freddy Couples and Marc Leishman leaving it wide open for others to play their way into contention. Now, with a host of golfers within four or five shots of the lead, we could be setting up for a dramatic finish to the tournament.
Brandt Snedeker (-7): Snedeker is one of the best putters on tour, and at Augusta, putting is key. He's a good major championship player with multiple top-10s under his belt, and so far, Snedker has done an excellent job avoiding bogeys. Whether he can turn all those pars into birdies during the next round will determine where he finishes.
Angel Cabrera (-7): El Pato gets much less credit than he should for what has been a very good career. He has won two majors, including one at Augusta in 2009. His major advantage on this course is that he can bomb the golf ball, making the par fives at holes eight, 13 and 15 even better scoring opportunities. That didn't happen today, with Cabrera playing them at a collective +1. But if he can improve on that in the final round, he could very well slip on another green jacket.
Adam Scott (-6): There seems to be a natural progression to most major champions. As young players, they make a good run at a victory before their their lack of experience catches up. At some point after that, they come very close, but again fall short.
Then, they win. Thanks to a heartbreaking loss at last year's Open Championship, Scott is ready for that third victorious step. With three top-10 finishes already at the Masters, he's the sentimental favorite to finally take the championship.
Marc Leishman (-5): Of all the golfers at the top of the leaderboard, you have to like Leishman’s chances the least. That's not knock on him as much as it is a testament to the talent that surrounds him. But it doesn't mean he's doomed. Two years ago, no one knew anything about Charl Schwartzel before he won the Masters.
Leishman will have to play the back nine much better than he has over to become the latest out-of-nowhere champion. Bogeys at 11, 14 and 17 would kill his chances.
Jason Day (-5): Standing in the middle of the 15th fairway and atop the leaderboard, it appeared that Day could seize the lead all on his own. But he flew the green and had to save par, starting a stumble back to the clubhouse. Day would miss par putts on both 17 and 18, mistakes that leave him looking up at the 54-hole leaders. With a game perfectly suited for Augusta, though, he is the best candidate to make a big move on Sunday.
Matt Kuchar (-4): Once labeled a bust, Kuchar has turned himself into one of the most dependable picks in golf. In last year’s Masters, Kuchar sat in a similar position going into the final round, eventually shooting a 68 and landing two shots out of the playoff. A 68 this year could leave him unable to make up his three-shot difference and out of the hunt once again. He's a long shot, but a 65 is not inconceivable.
Tiger Woods (-3): If Tiger does not win tomorrow, and it's likely that he won’t, this tournament will go down as one of the great “what-ifs” in golf history. What if, standing on the 15th fairway, Tiger’s picture perfect pitch shot didn’t carom off the flagstick and into the water? What if he made birdie and went on to seize the 36-hole lead? We'll never know, but if Tiger doesn’t it get it together tomorrow, his 15th major will have to wait until June.
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Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.
The Masters, day one: 4 big names that could miss the cut
By Joe Schackman
Whenever Tiger Woods is within striking distance of the lead after the first day of a major, it evokes the old saying: You can't win a golf tournament on the first day, but you certainly can lose it. There's still plenty in store this weekend, and especially with Woods on the prowl, Marc Leishman and Sergio Garcia will face a nasty fight to stay on top.
Hunter Mahan: Mahan should have a major by now. He's talented, has won before on the PGA Tour and seems to hang around the top of the leaderboard during big tournaments. But that's all somewhat of an illusion. Mahan has missed the cut in two of his six Masters, and has only finished as high as eighth. In all other majors, Mahan has just two top-10 finishes. At +4 after the first day, he'll have a lot of work to do to add to that relatively thin resume.
Kevin Streelman: Far from a household name, Streelman is nevertheless off to a strong start this year, making the cut in seven of his first nine events and notching the first win of his career last month. He was the leading under-the-radar candidate to make some noise at the Masters, but also sits at 4+ and couldn't seem to figure out how to attack holes 11 through 15.
Bubba Watson: The guy won the whole freaking thing last year, and yet few picked him to win again. For good reason: The 2012 Masters was the last time he actually played well. Since then, Watson's welcomed a child into the world, and golf has fallen a bit by the wayside. There's a good chance he gets to spend time with that kid while watching the tournament this weekend, rather than playing in it.
Tom Watson: Just three years ago, Watson sat one shot off the lead going into the second round. No such luck this year for the 63-year-old. Maybe the British Open will be more his speed.
All four will need some help to get back into the mix, but the Masters' limited field gives them a better chance than normal. If they can get within 10 shots of the leaders and make the weekend, all bets are off. It's a long shot, but luckily for them (and us) they don't have to pack their bags quite yet.
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Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.
By Joe Schackman
Robinson Cano will be a free agent in 2014. So how big is that contract going to be?
Robinson Cano is in new territory. There have been 42 $100+ million contracts in MLB history, and excluding relief pitchers, they’ve covered every position on the diamond. Except second base. Seventeen to infielders, 12 to outfielders and 10 to starting pitchers. A distinguished list that doesn’t include any second basemen.
The closest so far was Ian Kinsler and his $75 million deal. But that will all change with Robinson Cano. Whether the Yankee star breaks the nine-digit mark isn’t a question. He almost certainly will, and could even become the fifth player to reach $200 million. But a negotiation for that much money is never simple, and even as the highest-paid second baseman ever, there could still remain a large gap between what Cano is worth and what he ends up earning.
Cano is, at the most basic level, an elite ballplayer. He’s a good fielder and more than capable hitter, slugging more 25 home runs in four of his six full major league seasons and peaking last year with a career-high 33. The rare power hitter with a great ability to make consistent contact, Cano finished in the American League’s top 10 in hits nearly every year since 2007 and ranked sixth in on-base percentege in ‘10 and ‘12. He’s got one of those smooth, sweeping left-handed swings tailor-made for Yankee Stadium’s short porch, but away from home is just as effective at targeting the outfield gaps. And on defense, Cano’s athleticism often makes up for any deficiencies. Though some advanced stats are not kind (a career -30.6 UZR from Fangraphs, mostly coming from his first 132 games as a major leaguer), he possesses the necessary range and arm for the right side of the infield. But what stands out the most is his sheer gracefulness; Cano seems to glide to every ball, the kind of casual speed normally reserved for outfielders.
All of that adds up to a player who, statistically, was one of the league’s best over the last few years. Cano’s 29.5 fWAR since 2007 is the ninth-best in the MLB and third among second baseman. Over the last three seasons, only Miguel Cabrera and Joey Votto compare with him on an fWAR basis, putting Cano in line for a major payday.
But then the question is, how big can that payday get? To get an idea, we should first start with what his past play tells us about Cano’s future value. Fangraphs projects a 5.3 WAR season in 2013 for the second baseman. Using Tom Tango’s philosophy on aging and play quality, we can assume that Cano will lose about 0.5 WAR per year in his 30s. The last element to consider is the market rate for a win, which is currently about $5.5 million. Putting those together, that means a 5.3 WAR season for Cano would be worth nearly $28 million to the Yankees, far more than the $15 million they’ve already agreed to pay him for this upcoming season.
So before we try to predict the future, let’s throw in one more assumption: a 6% inflation annual rate on that $5.5 million worth of a win. With all that, here’s how Cano’s next nine years project:
Length
Year
Age
WAR
$/W
Salary
Total Value
1
2014
31
4.8
$ 5,830,000
$ 27,984,000
$ 27,984,000
2
2015
32
4.3
$ 6,179,800
$ 26,573,140
$ 54,557,140
3
2016
33
3.6
$ 6,550,588
$ 23,582,117
$ 78,139,257
4
2017
34
2.9
$ 6,943,623
$ 20,136,508
$ 98,275,764
5
2018
35
2.2
$ 7,360,241
$ 16,192,529
$ 114,468,294
6
2019
36
1.5
$ 7,801,855
$ 11,702,783
$ 126,171,076
7
2020
37
0.8
$ 8,269,966
$ 6,615,973
$ 132,787,050
8
2021
38
0.1
$ 8,766,164
$ 876,616
$ 133,663,666
That’s just over $130 million in total value. Which is funny, because all signs point to him seeking nothing less than $200 million over that same period. It’s pretty obvious which side will end up getting the better deal here. But that’s the price of doing business in the modern market. Teams are becoming smarter about locking up premier players before they hit free agency, and the clear message is that if you want the best, you’re going to have to pony up. Despite the statistical evidence, Cano’s closest benchmark is likely the 10-year, $214-million megacontract given to Prince Fielder last year. That deal factors in a $24 million annual average value, and applying that to Cano would put him right around $200 million over eight years.
It will now be the Yankees’ job to negotiate that down as far as they can without losing him for good. New York is in an uncharacteristically frugal era, trying to keep their annual payroll under $189 million so as to avoid luxury tax penalties that could cost the team as much as $70 million. That goal is within striking distance, especially with just three players under contract through 2014 (CC Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira). Adding Cano to that roster would take up a chunk of space, but is nevertheless doable. And while this might not be the win-at-all-costs Steinbrenner team of the ‘90s and 2000s, his sons have been upfront about wanting to franchise their star infielder. The odds are that the Yankees end up retaining Cano, though nothing is guaranteed until the contract is signed. Well, one thing is. Robinson Cano is going to get paid.
Joe Schackman is a co-founder of Began in '96.
By Joe Schackman
Why is Michael Bourn still sitting at home? It has something to do with his agent.
Scott Boras is likely the first person that comes to mind when you think of a sports agent. And with good reason; he’s built his reputation on helping the some best baseball players in the world ink some of the biggest contracts in history. Of the four $200 million deals ever signed in Major League Baseball, Boras had a hand in three of them. He’s a super agent.
But even a super agent fails sometimes, and Michael Bourn is in the middle of finding that out.
Any conversation about Bourn’s lengthy free agency has to include Boras, because Boras is the main reason that the former Atlanta Braves outfielder is still sitting at home. It’s clear that Bourn still has the kind of talent coveted by big-league teams. He was ranked among the top three defenders by both Baseball Reference and Fangraphs at a premium position, and is a potent leadoff hitter at the plate. What he lacks in power (a career-high nine in 2012), he makes up for with a decent walk rate and excellent speed on the basepaths. As an overall offensive package, he’s a solid addition to any lineup. Couple that with his best-in-show defense, and you have a player consistently putting up 4+ WAR seasons. The stats all say the same thing: Michael Bourn is a very good baseball player.
So in a market that shelled out $125 million for Josh Hamilton and $75 million for B.J. Upton, why is the best player available still without a home?
Part of the answer is that teams are worried about investing in a player whose talents might not age so well. As Dave Cameron detailed a few weeks ago at Fangraphs, players who excel defensively from from ages 18 to 29 tend to drop off significantly after they hit 30. Andruw Jones, Carl Crawford and Aaron Rowand are each recent cautionary tales. With so much of Bourn’s value wrapped in outfield range that could quickly diminish, there could be some hesitation in giving him a lengthy and potentially bloated contract.
Then, of course, there’s the Boras factor. He’s notorious for extracting big-money contracts for players that at times haven’t panned out as expected, and as a result teams have learned to think twice before jumping into bed with him. With Bourn, he’s used his traditional method of dangling his client on the open market far longer than any other top player. The advantage is that there is no disputing that Bourn is the best one available. But in the meantime, the demand for him has shrunk. The Nationals, A’s, Braves, Red Sox and Angels all addressed their needs with other players through free agency or a trade while Boras was driving a hard bargain.
Bourn will play somewhere next year, though, even if it takes him longer than he’d like. The Mets would make the most sense given their current outfield personnel, which is the worst in the league. Lucas Duda is a horrible defender, center field is a platoon between Kirk Nieuwenhuis and newcomer Colin Cowgill, and Mike Baxter and Andrew Brown are battling it out in right field. Bourn would give them one legitimate everyday outfielder, and help them cover Citi Field’s cavernous confines. But there are some major obstacles. New York is still mired in its messy financial situation, and signing Type-A free agent Bourn would mean forfeiting their top draft pick. Though the Mets were the 10th-worst team in the league last year, they’re picking 11th because the Pirates couldn’t sign their first rounder from last year. That means the typical protections for top-10 picks don’t apply to New York, unless the MLB grants them an exception. Should Bud Selig rule in their favor, they could be a good bet to end up with Bourn. Without that, though, it seems unlikely.
If not the Mets, the Mariners and Rangers are the top contenders. Seattle has flirted with outfielders this entire offseason, from their Josh Hamilton pipe dream to a legitimate courtship of Nick Swisher that ended when he signed with Cleveland. Adding Bourn would instantly infuse them with much-needed talent. But like the Mets, it would mean giving up a relatively high first-round pick (No. 12). They’ve also been burned in the past by a poorly aging defensive wonder. After watching Chone Figgins and his four-year, $36 million deal flame out, they might not be too eager to pony up the cash again.
Texas also has a hole at center field after Hamilton’s departure, and has also missed on just about every free agent and trade prospect so far this offseason. Bourn would mitigate that issue, especially with Nelson Cruz facing a 50-game suspension. But in the Rangers’ hitter-friendly ballpark, his defensive value would also be somewhat limited. They might instead opt to give homegrown Leonys Martin a shot at the job, rather than commit to a long-term contract.
Outside of those three, it looks bleak for the last remaining big talent. Though Prince Fielder played a similar role of odd man out last year and got a nine-year, $214 million deal, that only came after Victor Martinez tore his ACL and the Tigers found themselves with an unexpected hole to fill. And don’t forget, Fielder signed his contract on Jan. 26. We’re now into early February.
If all else fails, Bourn could always take a one-year deal and reset his market next year. That would bring a lot of teams back into the mix, including the Yankees and Phillies. It’s always a risk though, especially after coming off a career year. As hard as it might be to believe, Bourn’s value might never be higher than it is now, and the super agent Boras might have overplayed his hand.
Joe Schackman is a co-founder of Began in '96
The year that Jeremy Lin captivated a nation and brought one lapsed Knicks fan back into the fold. Part of a short series on the best moments of 2012.
2012 A.D. taught me one important lesson. I’m a shitty Knicks fan.
During the most recent dark age of the storied New York franchise, I was nowhere to be found. Isiah Thomas was busy stuffing his roster with the likes of Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Zach Randolph, and I was busy doing... well... other things. The Knicks were lifeless, rudderless and couldn’t get out of their own way. I was in no mood to go along for that ride. Sorry, New York, but things were complicated. It was me, not you.
Yet lo and behold, the orange and blue eventually found their way back into my life. First Amar’e came to town, and that piqued my interest. Then the excitement grew when Melo arrived home. But the one who finally convinced me to give it another go was not one of the Knicks’ superstars. It was a slightly awkward, couch-dwelling kid named Jeremy Lin.
At least half the adjectives in the English language have been slapped onto Linsanity, but none have stuck. It’s still a hard concept to express in words. I mean, really think about what happened. A 23-year-old Asian American, Ivy League grad, who even the biggest basketball diehards had never heard of, suddenly finds himself at the epicenter of the sports world. Look at his resume and you’d think he had a better chance of owning an NBA team than running its offense. And yet here he was.
And there I was, in at the ground level, having casually turned on the February Knicks-Nets game that would put Lin on the map. He carried the team, scoring 25 en route to a win. Then in his first professional start he scored 28 against the Jazz. He was must-see TV, and I was giving a crap again. Rushing home to watch games. Yelling about how Lin defied all of sports’ truisms. He was a throwback to the time when some anonymous young kid could stumble off the farm with a 95-mile-per-hour fastball and a ticket to the Majors. Lin was the kind of out-of-nowhere star that you simply don’t see anymore, and because of that, I cared whether the Knicks won or lost for the first time in a long time.
The hyperbole surrounding Lin’s play was intense, of course. Everyone knew that what he was doing was unsustainable. But at the same time, his success wasn’t all smoke and mirrors. You don’t fall ass backwards into 38 points against Kobe and the Lakers. You don’t hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating shot against the Raptors. Not if you don’t have some serious chops. Lin played the best ball of his life, yes, but he did it long enough to prove he belonged.
Then came the injury, the early playoff exit and then the off-season move to the Rockets. I was crushed. I’d grown attached to the Lin-led Knicks, and it didn’t matter what it took to keep that going. I could justify the cap hits and wish away Jim Dolan’s money like it was nothing. The men in charge saw it differently. Soon Lin was packing his bags.
As 2012 turned to 2013, the Knicks showed that they are better than ever. Their play is still infectious, but without Lin it hasn’t been the same for me. Maybe it never will. Maybe I’ll always look back at 2012 as the year that set the bar too high, that haunts my fandom.
Or maybe I’ll just stop caring about the Knicks again. It worked the first time.
Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.
