Walkway Over the Hudson: Bridging the Ages

The  southern view from Walkway Over the Hudson shows the Mid-Hudson Bridge.
Way back in 1889, the Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge opened,  spanning the Hudson River and linking New York and New England to an extensive railway network for both passengers and freight.
The bridge was considered an engineering marvel of the day, and at one time [...]

Hometown Heroes: The Best Athletes from White Plains

Former Washington Redskin and Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Art Monk is the best athlete ever to come out of White Plains.
I was born and raised in White Plains, New York, 27 miles north of midtown Manhattan, the county seat of Westchester, famous for a Revolutionary War skirmish against the British in 1776. [...]

Strange And Unusual Sports Facts That May Interest Only Me

Joe Pepitone and John Lennon had something in common – they were both born on October 9, 1940, Pepitone in Brooklyn and Lennon in Liverpool, England.
Ten strange and unusual sports factoids that may interest only me:

Former New York Yankee first baseman Joe Pepitone was born on October 9, 1940, the same birthdate as late [...]

Sorry T.S., April Is The Best Month for Sports

T.S. Eliot knew how to write, but sports wasn’t his strong suit.
“April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain. “
– T.S Eliot, The Waste Land, 1922
Thomas Stearns (T.S.) Eliot, the American-British poet, playwright and critic, may have been a member of the Literature Hall [...]

The Top 10 Championship Games in Final Four History

North Carolina’s Michael Jordan shoots down Georgetown for 1982 NCAA title.
Since the NCAA basketball tournament began in 1939, there have been great dynasties like UCLA, which won 10 titles in 12 years beginning in 1964. There have been great players like Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West, Lew Alcindor and Bill [...]

CRASH!!! Going Zero for the Final Four

CRASH!!!
That sound you heard was brackets breaking.
Been hearing it all weekend.
CRASH!!!
Things started out so well. Coming into the regional finals had three of four teams still alive.
Cookin’ with gal. Ready to rumble. Pedal to the metal.
Then it all came unraveled.
UConn’s win over Mizzou, no big deal. Had Memphis in this bracket, losing in the national [...]

The Best of The SportsLifer: Top 10 Most Read Blogs

1. Woodstock: Better Late Than Never
“The thing the sixties did was show us the possibilities and the responsibility that we all had. It wasn’t the answer. It just gave us a glimpse of the possibility.”
– John Lennon
Well, I finally made it to Woodstock, 39 years too late.
2. Empty Seats at Yankee Stadium
As the [...]

Cardinals Rule: Louisville Picked to Win NCAA Tournament

It says here, sometime around midnight on Monday night, April 6, Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals will be celebrating a win over the Oklahoma Sooners and cutting down the nets in the Motor City.
Pitino is due to join a select group of coaches whose teams have won at least two NCAA championships. And if Louisville wins, [...]

Once Upon a Time, Holy Cross Was King of Hoops

The Last Amateurs, John Feinstein’s highly acclaimed chronicle of a season in the Patriot League, talks about playing for glory and honor in Division One basketball — but not for NCAA basketball championships. That’s left to the big guys, the elite.
In fact, for the vast majority of the 342 Division One combatants — the small [...]

Madison Square Garden: House of Horrors for Locals

Madison Square Garden. It’s called the world’s most famous arena, but for its two prime tenants, the Knicks and the Rangers, it’s been a house of horrors.
For the most part, it’s the visitors who shine brightest at the Garden — from Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and the like on the hardwood, to Bobby [...]