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 [...]

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 [...]

1958: One Golden Year

Fifty years ago, two events changed the landscape of professional sports in America forever.
In 1958, the Dodgers and the Giants left New York behind, kicking off baseball’s presence on the West Coast and ushering in an era of expansion in baseball and eventually other sports. Shock waves were felt from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and [...]

Matty And The Jinx

My friend Matty and I have known one another since the ’60s. We’ve gone to some great sports events together, including the Super Bowl, World Series and the Olympics.
For the most part , we cheer for the same New York teams. We’ve seen a few wins, but more often than not, we’ve seen the ugly [...]

Lords Of The Ringless: Hoops Edition

They’re great players, Hall of Famers almost to a man, half of them named to the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players list in 1997. Some were MVP and scoring leaders, Rookies of the Year, rebounding kingpins, assist champions.
And they have something else in common. They’re the Lords Of The Ringless: Hoops Edition, the best players never [...]

The SportsLifer Top 50 Countdown

The old Madison Square Garden on 8th Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, scene of many NBA doubleheaders in the 1950s and 60s.
The SportsLifer is a lucky man. Throughout his life, he’s been to World Series, Super Bowls, Stanley Cup playoffs and Final Fours. He’s seen the Olympics, Triple Crown horse racing, major golf tournaments, [...]

Believe It: No Celtic Has Ever Led The NBA in Scoring

Incredibly, no Boston Celtic has ever won the NBA scoring title
The Celtics, along with the New York Knicks, are the only original NBA teams dating back to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) which began in 1946. The Philadelphia Warriors, who moved to California to become the Golden State Warriors in 1962, were also part [...]

The Ring-Leaders: Champions of Championships

Do the math. The Boston Celtics have won 16 NBA titles, the Los Angeles (nee Minneapolis) Lakers 14. When the 62nd NBA Finals are completed in a few weeks, the Celtics and the Lakers will have combined for 31 titles, exactly half of the 62 championships. This is their 11th meeting in the finals, another [...]

Celtics-Lakers Would Be Historic NBA Final

Bill Russell and Red Auerbach combined to win eight NBA Finals against the Lakers.
They’re the Lennon and McCartney of basketball, the Rogers and Astaire of hoops, the Batman and Robin of the hardwood.
They’re the Celtics and the Lakers. These two trademark NBA fantasies have combined for 30 championships, 16 by the Celtics.
They’ve clashed 10 times [...]