The Most Beloved athlete in New York is ... Jeremy Lin. He beat Derek Jeter in our Final Four and then rocked the vote over Mariano Rivera in the Finals.
Colleague Mike Mazzeo has a full recap here. Mazzeo writes:
The Linsanity craze may have come to an end, but in the eyes of New York sports fans, Jeremy Lin is still No. 1.
The New York Knicks point guard captured 70 percent of the vote and upset New York Yankees future Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera in the Finals to take home the title of the Big Apple’s Most Beloved.
The No. 4 seed in a 16-man bracket, Lin easily ousted the top seed, Yankees captain Derek Jeter, in the Semis to reach the Finals. Rivera, the No. 2 seed, dispatched the No. 3 seed, New York Giants Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning, to take on Lin.
Now, it up to the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Carl Pavano and A.J. Burnett to restore Yankee Pride as we present the "Public Enemy No. 1 Poll." A-Rod, a 12-seed, faces Isiah Thomas, a five seed. I don't see how Al b. Al beats Zeke, but you never know.
In an 8-9 matchup, Pavano and Burnett go head-to-head. And Yankee fans' new favorite enemy, Bobby Valentine is on the other side of the bracket as a 10-seed. Valentine faces No. 7 Kris Humphries.