David Waldstein

New York

Metro Reporter at The New York Times

Metro reporter for The NY Times, concentrating on sports. Last name pronounced like Frankenstein. 🧟‍♂️

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Articles

In the Bronx, a Battle Over the Future of Jennifer Lopez's Alma Mater

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

The religious order that owns Preston High School says it can no longer operate it. Supporters are appealing to the New York attorney general for help. When Preston High School in the Bronx announced in February that it was closing, it seemed to many that it was just another in a long list of urban Catholic schools that lacked the money and enrollment to survive.
Their Catholic School Went Broke. They Found Another. It Went Broke Too.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

Mr. Brenes and his brothers - like him, All Hallows alums - worked as janitors in the mornings before school to help defray costs. After graduating, he taught there for 18 years before becoming admissions director. For Mr. Brenes, the worst moment after the closure was when a group from a charter school toured the building unannounced and took measurements. "The body isn't even cold," he said. There are currently 325 students at All Hallows.
Is Boogie Fland the Next Legendary New York City Point Guard?

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

In some ways, the prodigy now starring for Arkansas in the N.C.A.A. tournament is an urban basketball archetype. But this is not the same old story. The 5-year-old boy was a fixture on that New York City playground basketball court. Almost every day, he and his father would go to the Booker T. Washington schoolyard on West 108th Street.
In the Ring, It Doesn't Matter How Much Money Sean O'Bradaigh's Parents Have

1 month ago | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

Even for hard-core boxing fans, it is difficult to see how Sean O'Bradaigh emerged as a fearsome light heavyweight. His somewhat posh background, with private schooling and vacations in St. Tropez and Greece, is about as far as can be from those of Mike Tyson or Jake LaMotta. O'Bradaigh's father is a private wealth manager from Ireland, and his mother is a Belgian film and theater producer.
The Parking Lot Frisbee Game That Started in 1968 Is Still Going Strong

2 months ago | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

On hallowed ground in Maplewood, N.J., a small group of impassioned athletes braved the January cold to fling a disc. Some had gray hair beneath wool caps. Some were in street clothes. One wore shorts and a beard to rival Father Time's. They can be found there most Thursday nights, even in the bleakest midwinter, their sneakers slapping out a staccato beat that echoes the invention of their sport, almost 60 years ago, on the same spot: the parking lot of Columbia High School.
At 94, She Had One of Her Best Years (and Made Sure Her Friend Did, Too)

Dec 24, 2024 | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

In the 1990s Ms. Gordon took over the Stoned Crow, a dive bar on Washington Place in Greenwich Village, where she dressed in low-cut blouses and ran the pool table with iron-fisted resolve. The bar closed in 2010, and Ms. Gordon fell into ill health. Hospitalized several times in the last two years with congestive heart failure, she sold jewelry to pay for basic needs. But her friend, the illustrator Ian Spence, was doing even worse.
The Mets stole Juan Soto from the Yankees. Who’s the big spender now?

Dec 11, 2024 | sanjuandailystar.com | David Waldstein

By David WaldsteinDid you feel the ground shake Sunday night? Did New York suddenly tilt from the Bronx down to Queens? For decades, Yankees fans scoffed at Mets fans, mocking them just for loving their little team in Flushing. The big, corporate Yankees sucked up most of the oxygen in New York, and if there was any left over, only then were the scrappy Mets allowed to breathe in the exhaust.
The Mets Stole Juan Soto From the Yankees. Who's the Big Spender Now?

Dec 9, 2024 | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

"I thought it would be too obnoxious to do that today," he said. "But I'm very excited. After all these years of losing players to the Yankees, it's nice to see the shoe on the other foot."Asked if it meant the Mets were now the dominant team in New York, Minetti was cautious. "Not yet," he said. "But the pendulum is swinging our way."It's hard to convey to the non-baseball fan just how unnatural this feels.
Have New York's Football Teams Finally Hit Rock Bottom?

Nov 23, 2024 | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

Misery and gloom are haunting the Giants yet again this football season. But there is one consolation: At least they aren't the Jets. It is not even Thanksgiving, and it already feels like football season is over in New York. Neither team has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but the Jets are 3-8 and the Giants are 2-8. Jets and Giants fans who had reserved Sunday afternoons for football are now free to head to brunch.
New York's Soccer Clubs Meet in a Playoff, and the Loathing Is Mutual

Nov 21, 2024 | nytimes.com | David Waldstein

It does not produce the passions stirred by Barcelona versus Madrid. It does not make New York stop dead like Buenos Aires does when River Plate plays Boca Juniors. It does not even match the historical enmity of Islanders-Rangers hockey at Madison Square Garden. But the New York City Football Club and the New York Red Bulls will meet in a playoff match for the first time on Saturday, and their fans - and Major League Soccer - can dream.