Category: Sports

  • Ah, man… The Knicks

    All things must come to an end.

    And the Knicks were eliminated from the playoffs last night by Atlanta.

    I shouldn’t pick on them. The Knicks did a lot better than so many people thought, including myself. It was fun to have faith, and some hope, in a group of people you want to see succeed. I kept hoping they would find a way to break out of the first round. Just a little faith was needed so that they would find a way.

    See, my family is from Illinois, just south of Chicago. We have been Cubs fans since pretty much the beginning of the team. Following a team that has no real chance is how I was raised. I’m suspicious of teams, and people for that matter, who succeed all the time. (I never was a fan of the Bulls for that reason.) There was an indescribable joy I experienced when the Cubs won IT in 2016.

    And, being that they haven’t been back, sort of makes me think the Universe has returned to normal.

    To me, no team is on top forever, and to a certain degree, neither is a person.

    That sounds a bit darker than I wanted…

    I guess what I am trying to say is that I enjoyed the Knicks’ struggle this year, I enjoyed them making the playoffs, and winning a playoff game. I hope they can do better next year, and maybe the will.

    Not that I’m becoming a Knicks fan.

  • The Knicks Won!

    I don’t know if you know this, but last night, the New York Knicks won a playoff game! It is the first playoff win for the Knicks since 2013. After the game, a crowd formed in the street outside of Madison Square Garden to chant, jump on cars, be unruly New Yorkers, you know…

    Sure, the Knicks haven’t won the series, and the odds are still against them, but hey, they got a win in the playoffs…

    Not unlike when the Cleveland Browns won a game in 2018, after their 0-16 2017 season. It’s on that level of fan excitement.

    The other thing to remember about the game from last night was that the Knicks had a crowd to play for, and I think it helped. Especially after halftime when Rose and Gibson started in the lineup. People cheering, yelling, getting excited. The home crowd being rowdy when their team plays well. You know, normal stuff.

    I’m not a Knicks fan, but if I start saying that I am, then clearly I’m jumping on the bandwagon. I should be called out on that.

  • Behind the Scenes Drama of the Super League

    Here is the New York Times story about how the Super League died. Stories of greed and hubris are as old as Greek drama.

    www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/sports/soccer/super-league-soccer.html

  • Super League Falling Apart

    The New York Times is now reporting that the Super League is coming apart. Looks like fans and politicians in the UK aren’t having it. Story link below…

    www.nytimes.com/2021/04/20/sports/soccer/super-league-collapse.html

  • Europe’s Super League is a Mistake

    I have been following the Premier League for the past couple of years, and specifically supporting Tottenham Hotspur for the past three. I have watched them change mangers twice, get to the finals of the Champions League, got really annoyed when they didn’t re-sign Eriksen, got totally confused as to why Dele isn’t playing, and got really happy with the Kane/Son duo on the pitch. I even paid for Peacock so I could watch matches, and have tried to read up on the history of the team, so I at least have a bit of a knowledge to build off of.

    So, when the Super League was announced on Sunday, I had a resigned disappointment. Here is an explainer from the New York Times. Long story short, 12 of the biggest football clubs in Europe are forming a new league, and outside of these 12 teams making a whole lot of money, there really isn’t much benefit for anyone else. The Super League will kill off smaller clubs, actually eliminates competition, and just reeks of greed.

    And as an American, I just want to say, “Your welcome, European football fans!” Yup, we are great at greed and capitalism when it comes to ruining sports. I love baseball, but there is no mystery to that sport; whoever spends the most wins. Why don’t baseball clubs just announce how much they are planning on spending, and then the top 16 teams just play each other for the championship? It would cut out the pesky middle man, which is that boring summer season. There is no real competition during the baseball season, the playoffs is where all the action is, and money determines it.

    Which is what the Super League is. They have decided that their home leagues are meaningless, and having to deal with competition from smaller clubs is just getting in the way. The difference is in America, we still perpetrate the lie, while Europe is coming around to the truth; this isn’t about sports, it’s about making money.

    Again, you’re welcome Europe!