On the eve of the 2003-04 season, the NBA announces its upcoming realignment (the upshot is six divisions, with New Orleans relocated to the West to make room for the Charlotte Bobcats.) To my mind, the NBA can’t start soon enough…especially after Thursday’s baseball misery. Count me among the vast majority of Americans who (a) thinks Grady Little is an idiot (b) prefers this early Post editorial to all other ALCS post-mortems, and (c) will not be watching a Yankees-Marlins series.
Category: Sports
A Plea for Beantown.
My friend (and inveterate Boston fan) Seth Stevenson makes the case for the Sox over the Cubs in the battle of underdogs.
Mutombo to MSG?
The Sixers appear to pass on Mutombo, meaning he’s probably Knicks-bound as rumored. Well, since the Post thinks this will actually facilitate the Van Exel trade, I’m all for it. Update: It’s official…Deke’s a Knick.
October Surprise.
Congrats to the Red Sox on their comeback win over the Chokeland A’s last night (and to the Cubs for breaking their 95-year losing streak the night previously.) As y’all know, I don’t normally talk baseball in this space, but Sox-Yankees is one of the classic rivalries in sports. And just in case anyone got the wrong idea from my love for the Knicks, I think Yankee fans are Laker fans are 90’s Cowboys fans are Jordan-era Bulls fans are Man. U fans…i.e, some of the most aggravating, bandwagon-jumping, fair-weather-only hordes in all of sportsdom. Go BoSox all the way. Update: Speaking of the Lake Show, Phil Jackson hints at signing Jordan to replace Kobe for the duration of his trial. Ugh…how bad would that be?
Seeking Deke.
With their earlier designs on Nick Van Exel apparently stalled, the Knicks plan (once again) to try for Dikembe Mutombo. Hmm. I guess having Mutombo around would help the height-challenged Knicks…but if we were looking for a 40-something center, why’d we ever trade Patrick Ewing in the first place?
Take a pass, Rush.
See, this is why you don’t hire right-wing throwbacks to cover football games…Rush Limbaugh invokes the “black quarterback” canard during an Eagles game, claiming that Donovan McNabb has been overhyped because “the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” I presume he also thinks the media was behind the respective successes of Randall Cunningham, Kordell Stewart, Steve McNair, and Michael Vick (currently the most exciting QB in the game.) In keeping with his jackass nature, Rush is naturally standing by his comments. (For their part, Clark, Dean, and Sharpton have also weighed in.) ESPN should do the right thing and let Limbaugh dangle, but I doubt that’s going to happen…even with whatever dirt the Enquirer‘s drudged up on him. After all, as this story notes, “Limbaugh once said he felt guilty about telling an African-American caller to ‘take that bone out of your nose and call me back.’ He still uses the mock dialect ‘ax’ instead of ‘ask’ when discussing black leaders on his syndicated radio show and often plays the theme song ‘Movin’ On Up’ from ‘The Jeffersons’ when referring to Carol Moseley Braun.” Does this racist buffoon have any business covering the world of sports? Update: Well, that’s then…Rush resigned. Smart of him to try to nip this Lott-sized bud now before everyone starts taking a closer look at his long history of questionable racial remarks.
Own Goal.
In a sad day for soccer fans across the nation, the WUSA goes under. I’m a bit annoyed with myself about this – Every time I saw an ad for the WUSA, I thought about going to a match (even if it meant getting off the island), and I never did. I’d have much preferred it if the WNBA had folded and the WUSA – where the level of play was much more comparable, if not superior, to that of MLS – had continued. One forgets how tenuous the beautiful game’s hold is here Stateside.
Knick the Quick.
Word is from Frank Isola that the Knicks are Warriors are discussing a trade that would bring Nick Van Exel to NY. As y’all know, I’ve been really down on this incarnation of the Knickerbockers, particularly with Spree gone for (ugh) Van Horn. But this proposed trade – Van Exel for Thomas and Ward – might turn me around right quick. To my mind, Nick Van Exel is the clutchest guy in the league. There’s nobody – nobody – I’d rather have shooting a last-second fadeaway 3 to win the game. Look at the playoffs last year – he single-handedly willed the Mavs past Portland and Sacramento. Dallas were idiots to trade him…At any rate, I very much hope this goes through – it sounds like such a great trade for NY that I have my doubts.
Lighting the Lampe.
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to witness some decent ball at the Garden. With Spree’s departure marking the lowlight in another sorry Knicks off-season, NY fans pin their longshot hopes on Maciej Lampe. Hey, you can’t teach height.
(U.S.) Rubber Matches.
Jeremy Derfner, a consummate baseball fan and one of my good friends and colleagues in the Columbia program, offers an historical overview of Little League, Inc for Slate. And, to paraphrase Billy Joel, it appears we didn’t start the sellout.