Thursday, December 6, 2012

Top Twenty Moments of the Year in New York Sports

The count down continues of the top moments from 2012...

Here are moments 15-11

15. Eli Manning passes Phill Simms as the Giants All-Time leader in touchdown passes. 

Eli Manning has been criticized, praised, criticized again, and praised again during his career with the Giants. On November 25, 2012 against the Green Bay Packers,  Manning passed Giants great Phil Simms for the most touchdown passes in franchise history, and maybe the greatest Giants quarterback. Manning hit Hakeem Nicks inside the Packer ten yard line, and Nicks did the rest just barely breaking the plane of the end zone for the score. It was Manning's third TD pass of the night and the 200th of his career.

14. McElroy leads game-winning touchdown drive after replacing Sanchez. 

It happened less than a week ago, but Jet fans have been calling for Mark Sanchez's benching for a month. It has been a dreadful year for Sanchez, and after his three picks and no point performance through the first two and a half quarters, Rex Ryan decided to put in McElroy. The change electrified the crowd and the team, and McElroy stepped up and led the Jets down the field for the eventual game winning score. McElroy  hit tight end Jeff Cumberland for a one yard score, and his first career touchdown pass. Can McElroy take the Jets over the .500 mark this season? You will have wait until Sanchez gets benched against Jacksonville because Sanchez is the starter.

13. Rangers clinch first place in the Eastern Conference. 

When was the last time Ranger fans could say they had their team was the one seed going into the playoffs? It was the 1993-1994 season, and the Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup. Stats like this gave Ranger fans hope that their team would make it back to the promised land. Well that and having the Vezina Trophy winner between the pipes. Unfortunately the Rangers could not get by their Hudson River rivals, the New Jersey Devils in the Conference Finals. Great to see the Rangers take the top spot in the East last year, now it's time for them to bring the cup back to New York (if there's a season this year).

12. Jeter fractures ankle in Game 1 of the ALCS.

The Yankees had tied Game 1 of the ALCS three innings earlier and seemed to have some momentum on their side. But in the 12th inning Derek Jeter ranged to his left to field a routine ground ball. Jeter landed awkwardly on the ground and did not get up. X-rays revealed a fractured ankle for Jeter, who's Yankees ended up losing Game 1 6-4 in twelve innings. Jeter's injury seemed to have sucked the life out of the Yankees fans and players. Jeter missed the rest of the series, and the Yankees were swept by the Tigers in four games.

11. Kreider delivers for Rangers against Ottawa. 

The Rangers were on the brink of exiting the playoffs, and it was only the first round. They say the playoffs is a brand new season and anything can happen, but the Rangers could not afford to get bounced this early after the season they had. The Rangers called up Chris Kreider, who was fresh off a National Championship victory with Boston College, to replace a concussed Brian Boyle. In just his fourth career NHL game, all in the playoffs, Kreider delivered for the Blueshirts. After trailing the Senators 1-0, Derek Stepan tied the game nine minutes into the second period. Brad Richards gave the Rangers the lead with a power play goal late in the period. With under a minute left in the period the Ottawa defense broke down and Stepan hit Kreider who slipped behind the defense, and Kreider buried his first career goal. Ottawa would score with under a minute to go in the game, but that was all. The Rangers won the game 3-2, Kreider had his first game winner, and the series moved back to the Garden for a Game 7 the Rangers would win 2-1.

Up Next: We start the Top Ten Moments from 2012.

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