Dolan Continues To Destroy Knicks’ Tradition

by Eddie Mayrose

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…

Remember when we thought that failing to sign LeBron James was the worst that could happen to the Knicks this summer?  Now come whispers from Madison Square Garden that owner James Dolan has taken under consideration the rehiring of Isiah Thomas, perhaps the most incompetent employee the Knicks have ever seen.  Fans can only hope the rumor is a test balloon being floated by Little Jimmy to gauge public reaction.  Prayers might be more appropriate.

Thomas’ bumbling as President and coach was epic.  So much so, that, burying the Knicks in a salary cap mess that required the sacrifice of two full seasons to undo was not even close to his greatest failure.  Nor was the trading away of  so many draft picks that the roster was barren of any players that might have James consider coming to the Big Apple.  Rather, it was his sexual harassment of team exec Anucha Brown Sanders that resulted in a settlement of $11 million and a blight on one of the league’s most storied franchises that is Isiah’s legacy.

So, if Dolan is actually mulling Thomas’ rehiring, if he continues to act like the little rich boy born on third yet thought he hit a triple, if he refuses to acknowledge that New Yorkers paying the league’s highest ticket prices deserve more than one playoff appearance per decade, why should any player, fan or league executive take him seriously? Continue reading »

Does The Boss Belong in the Hall?

by Eddie Mayrose

As talk of George Steinbrenner’s possible induction into the Hall of Fame swirled around Old Timer’s day at  Yankee Stadium, I was asked by Cheap Seater Jim Case if the late Steinbrenner had been good for baseball.  A difficult question to answer, no matter how you felt about The Boss during his reign in the Bronx.  While most Yankeee fans  are sure to point to the many championships won since Steinbrenner bought the franchise in 1973, his detractors make note of the mockery he made of the pinstripes with his endless firings of managers and pitching coaches as well as two suspensions that resulted from a felony conviction and an extortion attempt.  However, almost all will use the phrase, “George just wants to win.”

The thing I always found interesting about the “just wants to win” theory is that the Yankees never, EVER, won a title when the impetuous Boss had the final say about the roster.  His first championships were won under the watchful eye of GM Gabe Paul, who threatened to quit whenever Steinbrenner insisted on a ridiculous player move. When Paul had had enough, he resigned, leaving the reins in George’s hands and the fans with a drought that would last eighteen years. Continue reading »

New York Knicks Seem Unlikely Choice for James
by Eddie Mayrose

Now that they’re finally here, after sacrificing two full seasons, the New York Knicks‘ chances to win the LeBron James sweepstakes seem as slim as their hopes to win an NBA title at any point since 1999.  While President Donnie Walsh has done a miraculous job to clear the salary cap room required to pursue two premier free agents, he’s only had two years to repair what Lil’Jimmy Dolan has had a decade to destroy.

No matter how convincing the pitch to the king might have been yesterday, the Knicks have nothing to offer but Manhattan. Sure, it’s the greatest city in the world, but not so much when you’re losing every night and getting killed on the back page.  If only the Knicks had paid even a little attention to the NBA draft instead of annually whiffing on productive players, James might have a different view of the team’s existing roster.  Ironically, David Lee, the only good pick New York has made since the Lincoln administration, is now being completely disregarded by management, as if guys who get twenty points and twelve rebounds every night are a dime a dozen. Continue reading »

by Eddie Mayrose

NBA Finals Dilemma

It seemed like such a simple choice.  As the NBA Finals began, I stood firmly behind the Boston Celtics as two of my favorite players, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett led Doc Rivers’ squad into another Finals matchup with the Lakers.  That Los Angeles features both Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant, a pair of NBA figures for whom I’ve never had any tolerance, made the decision to back the boys from Beantown all the easier.  Until I realized, however, that Nate Robinson, longtime headcase acquired in mid-season from the Knicks, would garner a championship ring should the Celtics triumph. Ouch. Now I’m left to pull for the impossible during tonight’s Game 7.  Can both teams lose? Continue reading »

Cheerleading’s Not a Sport, Is It?

by Eddie Mayrose

In his book, Hate Mail from Cheerleaders, former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly recalls the incendiary comments he made about cheerleaders that sparked the mountain of protest letters he received. “Cheerleading is not a sport!”, wrote Reilly.  “There are ten or twelve sports for girls at every high school.  If you want to play a sport, get in between the lines and play a real sport.  But, wearing a circle skirt and a tight sweater and facing away from the field going, ‘2-4-6-8′ is not a sport!”

Now, I must admit, there was a time I’d have screamed, “Amen” to all of that.  I had three boys playing different sports throughout the entire year and a daughter doing the same.  So, when she came to her mom as a fifth grader to ask for help in petitioning me to allow her to join the cheerleading team, I was not happy.  I had an extremely dim view of everything about the activity (certainly not a sport); from the over-the-top parents to the considerable expense.  “What’s wrong with basketball, track and softball?”, I asked.  “Heck, if you’d like, I’ll even teach you to play golf.”  But, she was not to be swayed so, much to my chagrin, I became a “cheerleader parent”. Continue reading »