The Sorry State of New York (And New Jersey) Pro Sports

Unwatchable is a good word to describe the play of teams like the Knicks.
Now that the focus has shifted from the Yankees championship run, New York metropolitan area sports fans have had a rude awakening.
The veil has been lifted, and what we’re left with is mediocrity at best, and far beyond awful at worst.
So far [...]

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 [...]

Leetch A Hall of Famer, On And Off The Ice

Brian Leetch, here scoring in Game Seven of the 1994 Stanley cup finals, showed true class and character in helping children who lost parents on 9/11.
Hockey fans in general, and New York Ranger fans in particular, know all about newly-inducted Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch and his on-ice exploits.
Leetch, the Rangers second all-time leading [...]

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 [...]

Gretzky Was The Great One, But Orr Was The Greatest

Bobby Orr soars after overtime goal gives Bruins the 1970 Stanley Cup.
On September 18, 1975, publishing heiress turned urban guerilla Patty Hearst,  victim of a bizarre kidnap by the Symbionese Liberation Party, was found by federal US agents following one of the most extensive manhunts in history.
That same afternoon, a cub reporter from the Fitchburg [...]

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 [...]

When Sunday Nights Meant New York Rangers Hockey

Back in the day, Sunday nights were reserved for New York Rangers hockey.
At least in my attic growing up. In the 60s, the Rangers played the vast majority of their home games on Sunday and Wednesday night.s There was no such thing as cable TV in those days, and home games were blacked out.
So my [...]

New York State of Mind: Top 10 Sports Moments in 2008

The SportsLifer couldn’t get through the year without one more top 10 list.
So here they are, the top 10 moments in New York sports, 2008.
1. Catch XLII: Sparked by the unbelievable Eli Manning to David Tyree pass play, the Giants rally to defeat the previously unbeaten Patriots in the Super Bowl.
2. Yankee Money: Failing to [...]

2008 Champions Have History on Their Side

Years from now, when sports historians look back on 2008, they’ll note that the four major championships were won by teams that have been around for awhile….a long, long while.
In October, the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been a National League member since 1883, won the second World Series in their history, the first since 1980.
The [...]

Minny Is Skinny on Rings

Philly Phinally Sheds Loser Label

The Minnesota Twins celebrate seventh game win over the Atlanta Braves, 1991.
When the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, they broke a string of 25 years without a champion for the brotherly city of Philadelphia, the longest in North American sports. During that span, the Phils, Eagles, 76ers and Flyers [...]