Christmas is almost here! On Tuesday and Wednesday many in the New York Metro area will exchange gifts and with my holiday shopping done, I thought it was time to see what was on the wishlist for our many sports teams. Unfortunately, almost all the teams have been on the naughty list this year, but that’s par for the course around here. Fear not though, Old Saint Nick has made a list, checked it twice, and even has some thoughts on a sports icon gone far too soon, as well as the holiday season. Let’s dive in ya filthy animals!

The Knicks

Wish: Depth

We start with the team who will in fact be in action on Christmas Day against the Spurs. The Knicks are 19-10, their stars are clicking and the vibes are good. But to really contend for a title they’ll need added depth. Leon Rose and Thibs need to sort out who belongs and who doesn’t, and what they need at the trade deadline. Some improved health for Mitchell Robinson would go a long way here too. If they can improve the bench, the Sky could be the limit.

The Nets

Wish: Relevance

Let’s stay on the hardwood. This year the Nets are hoping to find the gift of someone in this town actually caring about them…just like every other year. The Nets are just coasting along in their usual place, 11-19 with no one paying them much mind at all. No one really follows this team outside of Evan Roberts and it’s hard to see that changing as they’ll likely deal Cam Johnson next and really fall off from there. Maybe some draft luck can help.

The Giants

Wish: The First Overall Pick

Let’s go to the gridiron, and start with the obvious one. The Giants and their ghastly 2-13 record are in line for the number one pick in the draft, which is the good news. In a ten year span full of low points, this season is probably rock bottom. No home wins, complete dysfunction, and horrendous losses week after week. But don’t start winning now! If the Giants can lose out, the tank will be complete and they can draft a quarterback who might be able to save them. For those concerned with “the ethics of tanking,” see the Commanders. Wouldn’t Jayden Daniels look better in Giants blue? Now Giants fans just have to hope they don’t find a win in their stocking.

The Jets

Wish: Everyone to Just Go Away

I’m not exaggerating, I mean EVERYONE. Aaron Rodgers, Gardner, the coaching staff, and Woody Johnson. The only people I left out is the front office, who is already gone. This whole Rodgers era became one big mess, with absolutely nothing working out at all. The team has had a miserable season, there has been endless drama off the field and nothing seems to get better. They will have a new GM, and that’s a good place to start, as from there whoever is in charge, will hopefully gut this team. Nothing associated with this chapter should be back next year.

The Rangers

Wish: A Full Retooling of the Roster

The New York Rangers have become a flat-out disaster. After starting the season well, they have collapsed and hit the Christmas pause at 16-17-1. Perhaps their wish should be finding rock bottom as they continue to embarrass themselves seemingly nightly with blowout losses to the Devils and Kings. Trouba is gone, Kakko is gone, and it feels like more and more will be on their way out, and frankly they should be. Unfortunately, Ranger fans there won’t be a Cup under the tree this year.

The Islanders

Wish: An Identity

The Islanders are currently falling out of the picture too, following an absolute beat down by the Sabres, they are 13-16-7. They can’t hold lead because of goaltending, defense or both on a nightly basis. For a team that once prided itself on how hard it competed against just about every other squad in the NHL. But in the last few years they have gotten away from that “tough to play against identity” and now they just don’t play with much of one at all. Sure, Barzal and Horvat are good players, but this team just doesn’t feel like it fits together and they’re going to need work to undo some of the problems with this roster.

The Yankees

Wish: A Thirdbaseman

On one hand the Yankees probably felt like they got a lump of coal in their stocking when they found out that Juan Soto was heading across town to the Mets. But then Brian Cashman went shopping and came away with quite the haul for everyone. This Christmas morning Yankee fans are waking up to a wide array of treasures, like lefty ace Max Fried, outfielder Cody Bellinger, closer Devin Williams and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. The Yankees began the offseason with a lot of holes, and they have filled just about all of them, but they will need to fill third base. It sounds like something is in the works so let’s see where the front office goes from here.

The Mets

Wish: Bullpen Arms

Well, the Mets are the winner of the baseball offseason in many people’s books. While that ultimately has to prove out on the field, they certainly gave their fans one hell of a gift when they signed Juan Soto. Soto’s record-breaking contract to switch boroughs wasn’t the only thing the Metropolitans did this winter, as they returned lefty Sean Manaea, picked up former Yankee reliever turned starter Clay Holmes and added former Angels righty Griffin Canning. They could still use some help in the bullpen though to backup Edwin Diaz and company. Neglecting this could make for an Achillies heal this season so I would get busy if I was David Stearns.

A Tribute to the Man of Steal

With some of the fun and games in the rearview, I want to take a somber moment, to pay tribute to a sports icon we lost this past weekend. The game of baseball has always been defined by its legendary talents and unique characters, and Rickey Henderson checked both of those boxes on and off the field. Sadly, “The Man of Steal” passed away Saturday at the age of 65, and America’s pastime lost one of its true titans in that moment.

If Lou Brock magnified the value of the stolen base, Henderson made it go Supernova as he put up absolutely unbelievable totals on the bases. He was a two-time World Series Champion, Ten Time All Star, the AL MVP, Gold Glove winner, and a three-time Silver Slugger. He scored over 100 runs in a season times, an astounding 146 with the Yankees in 85, while also hitting 297 career homers, 1,115 RBI’s, over three thousand hits and a major league record of 1,406 stolen bases. His 25 big league seasons were spent with nine different teams including the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Angels, Padres, Mariners, Dodgers, Athletics, and of course our Mets and Yankees.

But above all the counting stats and crazy numbers, Henderson was a once in a lifetime character. He was a walking soundbite, often referring to himself in the third person, as in “Rickey thought that pitch was outside.” Or he would utter a gem to a reporter like “They kept that (expletive) a secret from me. I wish they had told me. My God, could you imagine Rickey on ‘roids? Oh, baby, look out!” when asked about steroid use in baseball. His style and personality made one heck of an impression on a number of players over the years, a sign of his lasting cultural impact.

He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 and went right on being an eccentric personality. His memorable speech was a continuation of years great personality moments that have come to define him over the years. They often said, “if you want to know how good Rickey is, just ask him, he’ll tell you, “And this was never truer than on May 1st, 1991, when he broke the stolen base record, proclaiming himself the greatest of all time in front of Lou Brock, who previously held the steals record.

I have to say players that behave like Henderson haven’t always been my cup of tea, but there was just something so honest and charming about him off the field and electrifying on it that I have always been drawn to him. He will forever be a legend of the game! The starting nine upstairs just gained one hell of a leadoff hitter.

Have a Holly Jolly

I wanted to close out this post with some holiday thoughts, much like I did around Thanksgiving. I won’t drone on forever here, as I’d really only be echoing the sentiments of my Thanksgiving thoughts from a month ago. As you already know if you read that blog, I love Christmas. The songs, the movies, the gift exchanging, the two-day nature of it, the food and most of all the time with family which I hold so dear. At the end of the day that is what the holidays are really all about, as the warmth and joy of sharing them with those you love truly fulfilling. The memories you make over the years last forever and the prospect of making new ones is all the more exciting. Something best exemplified in the classic Christmas Vacation, the number one Christmas movie in my opinion.

So, whatever you may be celebrating, and wherever your holiday travels take you, enjoy it with the people around you. It’s the little things in life and the people you do them with that makes it all worth living. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

On Twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon!