Before Santa Claus makes his way down chimneys around New York City this Christmas, we here at amNewYork wanted to help him out with his list, just in case he was unable to check it twice.
Here are who we think was naughty and nice in 2024:
The Nice List
The New York Liberty: There’s no doubt that the Liberty earned themselves a spot on the nice list this year after winning their first-ever WNBA championship in October. The Liberty had a remarkable season, finishing with the best record in the league going 32-8.
Former two-time MVP Breanna Stewart led the way for New York this year, averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. The entire roster deserves to be on the nice list for their contributions towards that finals run, between guard Sabrina Ionescu, Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, rookie Leonie Fiebich, forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and more.
Karl-Anthony Towns: Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns falls on the nice list for his first Christmas as a Knick. Towns has already surpassed the expectations of Knicks fans just halfway through his first season. He’s averaging 25.1 points and a career-high 13.3 rebounds. Towns has been pivotal for New York’s success this season, as he’s the team’s second-leading scorer behind guard Jalen Brunson. His ability to do it all has impressed fans, whether he’s attacking the basket or drilling a three, it’s been a while since the Knicks have had a center this versatile.
Giancarlo Stanton: He really is the nice guy of the Yankees. In a postseason where Aaron Judge struggled, it was Stanton who stepped up. In 14 playoff games, Stanton hit a franchise-postseason-record seven home runs with 16 RBI, a .273 average, and a 1.048 OPS. Stanton was awarded
ALCS MVP for his successes, and without him, it’s hard to believe that the Yankees even made the World Series. Even after all of his successes, Stanton traveled to Puerto Rico, where he helped run a baseball camp, even telling a fan “not to worry” about the loss of Juan Soto. If that doesn’t scream nice, I don’t know what does. There might be a new bat under Stanton’s tree this year.
Francisco Lindor: When the Mets were at their lowest, Francisco Lindor brought sunshine to their cloudy day. In a season where they went from 0-5 to OMG, it was Lindor who was the Mets MVP.
In perhaps his best season with the team, Lindor finished the regular season with a .273 average, .344 OBP, .500 slugging for an OPS of .844. Lindor hit 33 home runs, drove in 91, stole 29 bases, and finished second only to Shohei Ohtani in MVP voting.
It was his flair for the dramatic that tells the whole story, though. Big home runs, including game-winning round-trippers against the Braves to send the Mets to the playoffs and a grand slam to send the Mets to the NLCS is a big reason as to why Lindor lands on Santa’s nice list this Christmas season. He was given a new bat behind him in the form of Juan Soto.
Anders Lee: In a year where many of his teammates have been naughty, it’s been Anders Lee who has been on the top of the Islanders’ nice list. Through 34 games so far this season, Lee has 13 goals and 14 assists, totaling 27 points. In 81 games in 2023-24, Lee totaled only 20 goals and 17 assists.
The Islanders captain is on pace to double his goal, assist, and point totals this season. Lee’s gift this holiday season was the gift of many of his injured teammates returning, as Adam Pelech, Mat Barzal, and Anthony Duclair have all returned from long-term injuries to provide the Isles captain with some much-needed backup.
Matthew Freese: Since taking over from Luis Barraza as New York City FC’s starting goalkeeper back in August of 2023, Matty “Ice” Freese has shown MLS that he deserves to be in the conversation for one of the best American ‘keepers right now.
Playing all 34 matches this season and keeping six clean sheets may not be a great record, but his performances on the pitch have singlehandedly kept
City in matches — he made three big saves against Inter Miami to keep the score 1-0 before James Sands nodded in the equalizer in the last minute.
His penalty heroics in Game 3 of NYCFC’s first-round playoff tie against FC Cincinnati will not be forgotten soon by fans, where he kept out three Cincinnati attempts to help his team advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. He had the fourth-highest save percentage (75.2%) in the league this season. Teammate Mitja Ilenič said he was surprised that Freese didn’t make the top three MLS Goalkeepers of the Year list, but it won’t be long before he does and whispers of a European move are already on the horizon.
The Naughty List
The New York Jets: I mean, what didn’t go wrong for the Jets?
In a season where they were set to soar toward the playoffs, the plane barely got off the ground. While the Jets did start promising, starting the season 2-1, they stalled and proceeded to nosedive, dropping eight of their next nine games. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they fired their GM and head coach, and Aaron Rodgers might not even come back next season, and the cycle of Jets football could start over again very soon.
This Christmas, Jets fans will just be hoping that this suffering ends soon and that they one day get back to the playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers: Rodgers has turned into that toxic ex that you can’t really get out of your head. When you first started dating in April last year, you must have thought, “Holy cow, how have I done this?” You do everything for them and do everything to make them comfortable — hiring two coaches to make them feel comfortable, acquiring old buddies like Davante Adams — but they don’t reciprocate that attention until you get it into your head that this might not be working out.
They show you glimpses of what could be just to keep you on the line and fill your head with playoff dreams. Before the Jets’ 32-26 loss to the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago, it looked like Rodgers project would end this season. However, his 27-for-39 339-yard game in Miami offered a glimmer of hope that he’s still got it.
He followed it up with another 289-yard strong performance in a 32-25 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15, but question marks still remain on whether to keep the 41-year-old around after building the team around him. For his inconsistent and, at times, lackluster showings for a veteran QB with his resume, it’s the naughty list for him.
Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll: They chose not to pay Saquon Barkley, instead giving that money to Daniel Jones. They then allowed him to walk to the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles, and now he is putting up an MVP-caliber season.
That is the most prominent whiff of the ridiculous era of Schoen and Daboll — the two Buffalo Bills masterminds who have failed to make it work in New York City. The brain trust has built the worst team in the NFL, made Daniel Jones the scapegoat, and dragged him through the wringer. Basically, everything they have touched has grown rotten. The only question that remains is if they will be back next year to draft the franchise’s next quarterback.
Matt Rempe: Of course, he’s on the naughty list! Where else would he be?
Since becoming the first NHL player to make his debut in an outdoor game in last year’s Stadium Series, Rempe has done more harm than good for his team. Rempe had played 22 games for the Rangers and has been suspended for 12, recently being handed an eight-game suspension for a hit on Miro
Heiskanen. Rempe has 95 career penalty minutes and has played only 126 minutes in total. Being that he is currently on the NHL’s naughty list, hopefully, Rempe will have a better and nicer year in 2025.
Ben Simmons: From a glance, this has actually been Simmons’ best season as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. He has already played nearly double the number of games he played last season, and he is averaging the most assists he has in any of his three seasons with Brooklyn.
However, the problem with Simmons lies in the amount of money he’s making. Simmons is currently being paid $40 million a year. And for being paid that much every year, he should be averaging more than six points per game.
While he does provide playmaking and strong defense, and, at times, the spark the Nets need, his hefty contract and lack of scoring land him back on the naughty list.
