Useless DiPietro Got Us Thinking…Who are NY’s Most Disappointing Athletes?

News out of Islanders camp is that goalie Rick DiPietro will likely sit out the rest of the season with an injured EVERYTHING. On the bright side, Ricky’s absence will fast track the Isles towards the worst record in the NHL and the #1 pick in the draft (where they will probably bungle that decision, too).

Given the Isles decade-and-a-half commitment to DiPietro and the stunning lack of productivity they’ve gotten from their investment, we got to thinking; who are some OTHER tremendously disappointing New York athletes of recent memory.

The following list is hardly comprehensive and merely scratches the surface of New York crap-dom. So check it out, and feel free to add to it as you see fit.

Carl Pavano, Yankees - $40 million bought the Yanks 26 starts, nine wins, and 1,000 headaches. Pavano was injured nearly his entire tenure in the Bronx, hated by fans and clashed with teammates. He signed with Cleveland a few weeks ago – now he’s their problem.

(Dis-Honorable Yankees Mentions: Roger Clemens – That whole steroids thing. Kevin Brown – That whole huge contract and stinking thing).

Victor Zambrano, Mets – The Mets acquired the supposedly hard-throwing Zambrano in 2004 as part “help-us-now”/part “long-term project.” He turned out to be neither. Zambo played one full season in Flushing and parts of two others, winning 10 games. And, oh yeah, the Mets gave up Scott Kazmir for him.

(Dis-Honorable Mets Mention: Luis Castillo).

Steve Francis, Knicks – I’m going unconventional on this one. While the first chumps to come to mind are obviously Isiah and Starbury, Francis holds a dubious place in my heart. I’ll admit I was excited when the Knicks dealt for “Franchise” in 2006. But Steve’s run in New York was marred by knee troubles, causing him to slip from 18 points per game to 11. A star in Houston and Orlando, Francis was a dud in New York. And to add insult to injury, the Knicks traded Trevor Ariza in the original deal that brought Francis to MSG.

Plaxico Burress, Giants – This was an easy one. The moment Plax capped himself in the leg, the Giants were doomed in ’08. You know the deal…without a big-time receiver, Big Blue’s offense becomes one-dimensional. His stupidity is singularly responsible for the Giants early playoff exit.

Vernon Gholston, Jets – It’s still VERY early in the linebacker’s career, but for the #6 overall pick to make as little an impact as VG did this season has to be classified as disappointing. Gholston made 13 tackles in 13 games, playing sparingly on defense and special teams. Again, he’s a rookie, I get that. But it’s not uncommon for rookies to contribute immediately from the linebacker spot, especially a guy with a body as NFL-ready as anyone in the draft. By the way, guys taken after Gholston: Jerod Mayo, LB (10th), Joe Flacco, QB (18th), Chris Johnson, RB (24th), Matt Forte, RB (44th). Still early.

(Dis-Honorable Jets Mention: Brett Favre, anyone?)

2003-2004 Rangers – Messier, Lindros, Jagr, Leetch, Holik, Kovalev, Barnaby, and Nedved good for 69 points and a 4th place finish? Not to mention the boatload of cash spent on that roster of has-beens. The definition of “New York Disappointment.”

Aright, I’m tapped out…compiling this list was depressing. But I’m sure there are still plenty of local failures worthy of a mention. Chime in, let me know what you got.

Matt Estreich for The Huddle