Gamma Squad has collected some of the nerdiest, awesomest protest signs from the rallies against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to quash unions in hopes bringing down the Berlin Wall.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Friday, February 25, 2011
WWOD? Non Sequitir
Revolution in Wisconsin Edition
Gamma Squad has collected some of the nerdiest, awesomest protest signs from the rallies against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to quash unions in hopes bringing down the Berlin Wall.
Gamma Squad has collected some of the nerdiest, awesomest protest signs from the rallies against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to quash unions in hopes bringing down the Berlin Wall.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I Checked Your Local Listings
While doing your best to ignore meaningless exit polls for the next few hours, you should head over to NBA TV (which you should have for free this week) and check out as meaningful a meaningless early November hoops game as you can find: Celtics versus Rockets. It's the title-bearing Big Three versus the Yao, McGrady & Artest trio from Houston.
Oakely would*....
Vote for Barack Obama Because...
Part 1 of 44 Reasons Oakley Would Choose Obama as the 44th President
Former New York Knickerbocker, NBA Hall of Famer, former Rhodes Scholar, former U.S. Senator and one-time Presidential Candidate, Bill Bradley supports him.
Part 2 of 44 Reasons Oakley Would Choose Obama as the 44th President
While being interviewed by ESPN's Chris Berman for a segment to be aired during last night's Monday Night Football game, Obama said, when asked what he would change about sports, that:
Part 3 of 44 Reasons Oakley Would Choose Obama as the 44th President
Barack Obama has been endorsed by NJ-native and longtime bard of working-class America Bruce Springsteen,
while John McCain has been endorsed by Ted Nugent, who runs canned hunts on a ranch he owns.
In spite of his current endorsement of McCain, the Nuge once said "John McCain seem[s] to be catering to a growing segment of soulless Americans who could care less what they can do for their country, but whine louder and louder about what their country must do for them. That is both un-American and pathetic." But now they're like BFF.
READ MORE....
*The views of this post, and this entire blog, are not actually the views of Knickerbocker legend Charles Oakley. FYI. In fact, if Oakley has saved up enough money from his playing days then he might side with the other rich folks out there and vote Republican.
Part 1 of 44 Reasons Oakley Would Choose Obama as the 44th President
Former New York Knickerbocker, NBA Hall of Famer, former Rhodes Scholar, former U.S. Senator and one-time Presidential Candidate, Bill Bradley supports him.
Part 2 of 44 Reasons Oakley Would Choose Obama as the 44th President
While being interviewed by ESPN's Chris Berman for a segment to be aired during last night's Monday Night Football game, Obama said, when asked what he would change about sports, that:
"I think it is about time that we had playoffs in college football. You know, I am fed up with these computer rankings, and this and that and the other. Get eight teams. The top eight teams right at the end. You've got a playoff. Decide on a national champion."This is change that I can believe in. Yes we can have a playoff!
Part 3 of 44 Reasons Oakley Would Choose Obama as the 44th President
Barack Obama has been endorsed by NJ-native and longtime bard of working-class America Bruce Springsteen,
while John McCain has been endorsed by Ted Nugent, who runs canned hunts on a ranch he owns.
In spite of his current endorsement of McCain, the Nuge once said "John McCain seem[s] to be catering to a growing segment of soulless Americans who could care less what they can do for their country, but whine louder and louder about what their country must do for them. That is both un-American and pathetic." But now they're like BFF.
READ MORE....
*The views of this post, and this entire blog, are not actually the views of Knickerbocker legend Charles Oakley. FYI. In fact, if Oakley has saved up enough money from his playing days then he might side with the other rich folks out there and vote Republican.
Pennsylvania Will Give Obama the White House
The Steelers and the Phillies Won Election for Dems
It's true that I haven't even voted yet. Yet. It's not even lunchtime on Election Day but the race is over. Because the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series last week and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football last night. It's done and done. Obama can stop kissing babies in swing states. McCain can stop scaring babies in swing states.
You see, when a National League team, like the Phillies of the NL East, wins the World Series in an election year then the Democratic candidate wins the presidency. Or at least, this was true from 1952 to 1976. It's been a little screwy as of late, although both W "wins" were accompanied by American League wins in the Fall Classic.
And, when the Washington Redskins lose their final home game before a presidential election then the incumbent party goes on to lose the popular vote and, except in one glaring case, the election. This has held true since the Redskins arrived in DC and has accurately predicted 17 out 17 election results. The one glaring asterisk is the Kerry/Bush face off from 2004. The Skins lost the home game just before the election to the Packers, 28-14, which should have meant a Bush loss as well. With the help of some nefarious doings in Ohio and other places, Bush managed to hold onto the highest office in the land. But, he didn't win the popular vote. Kerry did. Just like the Redskins game predicted.
It's no wonder that Obama was hanging out with Steelers legends earlier in the campaign. He knew that a Pittsburgh win in Washington on Monday Night Football was the key to this whole thing.
It's true that I haven't even voted yet. Yet. It's not even lunchtime on Election Day but the race is over. Because the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series last week and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football last night. It's done and done. Obama can stop kissing babies in swing states. McCain can stop scaring babies in swing states.
You see, when a National League team, like the Phillies of the NL East, wins the World Series in an election year then the Democratic candidate wins the presidency. Or at least, this was true from 1952 to 1976. It's been a little screwy as of late, although both W "wins" were accompanied by American League wins in the Fall Classic. And, when the Washington Redskins lose their final home game before a presidential election then the incumbent party goes on to lose the popular vote and, except in one glaring case, the election. This has held true since the Redskins arrived in DC and has accurately predicted 17 out 17 election results. The one glaring asterisk is the Kerry/Bush face off from 2004. The Skins lost the home game just before the election to the Packers, 28-14, which should have meant a Bush loss as well. With the help of some nefarious doings in Ohio and other places, Bush managed to hold onto the highest office in the land. But, he didn't win the popular vote. Kerry did. Just like the Redskins game predicted.
It's no wonder that Obama was hanging out with Steelers legends earlier in the campaign. He knew that a Pittsburgh win in Washington on Monday Night Football was the key to this whole thing.
Oakley says, "Go Vote"
Because today is Election DayWe've been talking about it for two years, dreading/anticipating it for too long. Now go vote. It'll all be over in the morning. Or, it won't. It'll be even worse. Either way, go vote for president and every other office on the ballot. Each vote does matter. Even if you think you know how your state is going to turn out. And, even if you're voting for the old guy who may have actually killed somebody in a car-wreck in 1964.
FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
"Mission Accomplished" Redux
The One-Year Anniverary of "Evident Progress"
It was 366 (thanks to that pesky Leap Year Day) days ago today that James L. Dolan, son of media mogul and Madison Square Garden impresario Charles Dolan, landed his limousine or chauffered town car on the metaphorical deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Standing in the for the podium on the 4.5 acre deck of the Navy's air craft carrier - which was returning from a the 290-day deployment in the Middle East - was a podium in a conference room at a training center in Westchester County, New York. The doughy and manicured Dolan was out of his element at the suburban practice facility just as President Bush II was comically out of place in a flight-suit or aboard the deck of an active air craft carrier off the coast of Southern California.
And, though there was no "Mission Accomplished" Banner draped across the room in which Dolan spoke one year ago today there might as well have been one when he said that "I believe we have clearly seen significant and evident progress."
He was speaking about the New York Knickerbockers when he uttered those words and in hindsight this statement was every bit as ridiculously rose-tinted, full of jingoism and purposefully misleading as President Jr. Bush's telling the servicemen and servicewomen aboard the Lincoln and the countless masses watching his orchestrated speech on live television that "Major combat operations in Iraq had ended."
While the ramifications of these two falsehoods are different in every conceivable way (after all, one is about a well-paid team playing a game invented by a school teacher in Massachusetts and the other is about death, havoc and destruction across the globe that knows no distinction between school teacher and scoundrel), the nature of the two statements and the natures of the two men who uttered them are not so different. Dolan and Bush II: Two sons forced upon us by circumstance and lineage, brought to us by hard-working, accomplished fathers and the last vestiges of royalism on these shores. Though both are buoyed by a willful disregard for criticism, compromise and the effects that their actions have in any minute past the one in which they are made, these two men are still most defined by their sense of entitlement. This sense of entitlement combined with their respective thirsts for success in the arenas which their fathers once tread led them each to see a mirage of victory and competence in a desert of failure, peril and squandered opportunity. In one case the proverbial desert was very real. It was Iraq. Thankfully, in the other case it was not. Thankfully only basketball games and not lives are lost when Dolan makes a mistake in judgement or in all-informed unilateral move. Thankfully, his father had not been a politician.
No, Charles Dolan, lil' Jimmy's father, was no politician. He was the founder of HBO and the man responsible for the world of premium cable television that we know and love today. He also owns Cablevision, the nation's fifth largest cable provider and owner of Madison Square Garden and the professional sports teams who make the building their home. It is this piece of the empire that his son was dealing with one year ago today and that he has most publicly ruined.
On March 12, 2007 Jimmy Dolan told an assemblage of reporters that he was extending the contract of head coach and team president Isiah Thomas because “we’re a much better team. ... I think we have a great future. I think we’ve clearly improved, even from the beginning of this year. I also think that Isiah has done a good job since he’s taken over as G.M. in 2003.” He would go on to say that he felt so strongly about the job that Isiah Thomas had done in compiling a 29-34 record to that point in the season that he “needs to be recognized now.”
And, by “recognized now” he meant give him a contract extension for many years and many dollars in spite of the fact that he had repeatedly said he would make all decisions on such matters after the season had concluded. That impatience and rush to see present success where only the possibility for future success (mixed with equal possibility for failure) existed has gotten us to where we are today.
One year to the day after Dolan had his very own “Mission Accomplished” moment the Knicks are a nationwide joke and one of the least competitive teams in a league that is enjoying a renaissance entirely without us. Let’s take a look back at the year since Isiah received that contract extension:
March 23, 2007
Less than two weeks after Dolan surprisingly extends Isiah Thomas's contract, the Knicks sign Kentucky center Randolph Morris fresh off the NCAA Tournament. This move was touted by the club as the extra 2007 lottery pick that would make up for the one we were about to surrender to Chicago as part of the Eddy Curry trade. With Curry seemingly a success on the floor and another promising young big man in the fold people in New York were starting to buy into Thomas's vision.
Of course, hindsight being another form of vision, we now know that Curry would regress to his middle school days and Morris was inexplicably buried on the bench for most of this season.
March/April 2007 Perhaps inspired by Dolan’s timely recognition of their head coach, the Knicks surge to a 4-15 finish to the 2006-2007 season, for an overall record of 33-49. Not only do they surrender the 8th spot in the standings almost immediately after Thomas recieves his extension but they manage to finish seven games out of that final spot with three other teams between them and the eighth seeded Orlando Magic.
June 28, 2007
It's draft day and the Chicago Bulls use the Knicks #9 draft pick to acquire Joakim Noah. Meanwhile, the Knicks draft 6-9 swing man Wilson Chandler out of Depaul with the 23rd pick. However, the real news of the draft is that the Knicks acquire Zach Randolph, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. There is immediate suspicion as to how Randolph can co-exist with the emergent Curry, but Isiah assuages such plans with talk about his vision for a dominant front-court.
Randolph's gaudy numbers (23/10) also go a long way in helping sell this deal to a skeptical press corps and fan base. The Knicks also acquire Demetrius Nichols from Portland in exchange for a 2008 second-round pick. Nichols will be waived before the season begins and that draft pick remains in Portland in the able hands of their GM, Kevin Pritchard.
Though the Nichols aspect of this trade was a bust almost immediately it would take longer to sort through the rest of the deal. In fact, we're still sorting. Without Randolph dominating the offense the Blazers emerged as one of the surprise successes of the first half of this season. And, though the Zach-hole continued to get his numbers in NY there was much talk that he was at least partially responsible for Curry's regression and the team's struggles. Based on results alone, this trade was a slam-dunk for the Blazers and (at very best) a toss-up for the Knicks. Of course, one of the (many) reasons it couldn't be a slam-dunk for the Knicks is because Zach Randolph is not actually capable of jumping high enough to slam dunk. As the trading dealine approaches eight months after the trade, Randolph's is reportedly shopped aggressively by the Knicks. There are no takers. This probably tells you all you need to know about the deal.
July and August 2007
New Yorkers are freed from the Knicks in order to worry about the fact that the Yankees look like they're going to miss the playoffs.
August and September 2007
New Yorkers are freed from the Knicks in order to worry about the fact the Mets are in the midst of a historic collapse that will result in them missing the playoffs.
September 11, 2007
The Anucha Browne Sanders Trial gets under way. Sanders had formerly been the Knicks' vice president of marketing. In short, she accused Isiah Thomas of sexual harassment and James Dolan and Madison Square Garden of wrongful termination. Her day in court has finally come, reportedly, because Dolan and MSG refused to reach a settlement to avoid a public trial.
In a very, very public trial, Thomas and the entire Garden are hammered by Sanders and her legal team. A portion of Thomas' video-taped deposition shown during the trial offered up such gems as:
1. Thomas trying to explain the difference between a white man and a black man calling a black woman "bitch."
2. The not-too-surprising revelation that Isiah doesn't care about us ticket holders was revealed classily when Isiah allegedly told Sanders, "Bitch, I don't give a f--k about these white people."
September 12, 2007
Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury, forced to be a witness at the trial, testifies that he did have sex with an MSG intern. In his truck. The two were outside of a Mount Vernon strip joint at the time, and the sex was consensual. How romantic. The intern will later testify and corroborate Steph's version of events. She will also later receive a promotion. Nice. Marbury's naive and embarrassing honesty on the witness stand may have been the beginning of the end of his relationship with his coach.
October 2, 2007
A federal jury returns a verdict in favor of former Knick employee Anucha Browne Sanders. She is awarded $11.6 million in damages.
October 30, 2007
When asked about the sorry state of one of his league's flagship franchises NBA Commissioner (and New Yorker) David Stern said: "It demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management. There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue."
November 12, 2007
In perhaps the worst motivational ploy since a Bucks assistant coach told Vin Baker that whiskey with a beer chaser would improve his low-post game, Isiah Thomas has young, gullible Eddy Curry inform team-captain Stephon Marbury that he will likely lose his starting spot in the team's next game in Phoenix. An enraged Marbury almost comes to blows with his head coach aboard the chartered flight. Because, of course, Isiah decided to have a younger teammate give this news to Steph aboard a plane. That makes far more sense than breaking the news himself while standing on solid ground and looking his best player in the eyes. The newspapers report that Steph has gone AWOL from the team the next day when he is absent from the next morning's shoot around. Eventually we all find out in the Post that Steph has returned to New York. He misses the game against the Suns, which the Knicks lose. He returns to the team while they're in Los Angeles to play the Clippers. His teammates vote that he should be benched for the game due to his actions yet Isiah plays him 34 minutes in the game, which the Knicks lose. The team is fractured and the point guard and coach are barely masking their disdain for one another.
It will later be said, by Steph, that he had permission to leave the team and was not just missing as was widely reported and intimated by his coach. This will not be the first time that Steph takes a hit in the media for an absence that may have been suggested or even mandated by his coach.
November 20, 2007
After returning home from their winless and locker-room-splintering road trip the Knicks put forth a listless effort against the immensely exciting and entertaining Golden State Warriors. Isiah and Steph are booed lustily during the team introductions and Steph is booed every time he touches the ball in the first quarter. The large crowd is as fired up as a UNC crowd with JJ Reddick in the building. Meanwhile, Baron Davis is amazing and Stephen Jackson shows he has a better feel for the big moments in a game than anyone on the Knicks roster. The "Fire Isiah" chants begin in earnest in the fourth quarter. The chants are easily audible on television and the feeling in the crowd was that we could make a difference.
November 29, 2007
We were all reminded that we could NOT actually make a difference just nine days later. In a nationally televised game on TNT the Knicks are thrashed in historic fashion by the Boston Celtics. They lose the Boston Massacre 104-59. Kenny Smith, one of the commentators for TNT admits that "I've never even seen someone get beat at darts this bad." The lack of effort on defense in the early stages of this loss is unforgivable and inexcusable. The game validates the previous day's statement by esteemed Knick-killer Reggie Miller. In an interview he had said, "Right now, [the Knicks] are a league-wide joke. It's sad because they are an historic and iconic franchise. But people think they are late night comedy jokes." And, this is what he thought BEFORE the game.
December 2, 2007
The Knicks are playing the Phoenix Suns at the Garden. The game is surprisingly close heading into the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the 'Bockers ultimately fall short as the Suns pull away down the stretch. Moments after leaving the hardwood Stephon Marbury is informed that his father had passed away. His father had been in attendance at the Garden that night and had been rushed to the hospital via ambulance during the second half while experiencing chest pain. He died shortly thereafter. This all happened during the game and neither Isiah Thomas nor anyone on his staff passed along any of this news to the player until after the game had finished.
December 10, 2007
Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas reach a settlement with Anucha Browne Sanders in her sexual harassment case. Terms of the settlement of not disclosed but it has got to be a whole lot of money. And, much more than the $6 million she would have settled for before the case ever went to trial or the $10 million she had been asking for in the original lawsuit.
December 17th, 2007
A 23-year old Knicks fan is ejected from a game against the Indiana Pacers for holding up a hand-written sign reading "Fire Isiah." Several similar things will occur in the coming weeks.
January 12, 2008
It is reported that Stephon Marbury will likely undergo season-ending surgery on his ankle. He has missed a lot of basketball in the aftermath of his father's death and his relationship with his coach is clearly past the point of no return. Many around the League wonder if Steph has played his last game in a Knicks uniform.
January 24, 2008
In perhaps the most revealing statement about how far the Knicks have fallen in the eyes of those around the NBA, Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy cites the Knicks as something that he won't let his ballclub and franchise become:
"I would only make deals to help our future - anything else is suicide. Anything else and you become the New York Knicks. If you want to take on big contracts and long-term deals . . . that's not the direction I would go."
For years the Clippers were the fool's-gold-standard for sports franchise ineptitude. Not anymore. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Isiah Thomas. Or, is it Jim Dolan?
February 14, 2008
Not exactly filled with the spirit of St. Valentine's Day Isiah Thomas throws Eddy Curry under the bus, claiming that the popular brand of small-ball taking the league by tiny storm makes a big man like Curry obsolete. Less than a year ago Curry was the "franchise" player around whom Isiah's team would be built. He was the focal part of his vision. Today, he is useless to Isiah. Sometimes it can be hard to maintain the passion in any relationship. Even on Valentine's Day.
February 20, 2008:
For my money this 84 - 124 loss to Philly is actually the worst loss of the "Mission Accomplished" Year. The Knicks are routed by the Sixers who are in many ways the exact opposite of this year's Knicks. They are under-talented and over-achieving. The game, not being nationally televised goes mostly unnoticed save for the fact that "Fire Isiah" chants have traveled down the turnpike and can be heard from the mouths of Philly fans. And, you thought they were heartless?
February 26, 2008
Hall of Fame Knick Earl Monroe chimes in on the gap between the team’s talent and performance: "I still think they got a tremendous amount of talent on this team. It's really baffling to me the team's not performing the way I thought they would perform."
March 3, 2008
MVP candidate Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are in town to face the Knicks. Though the Garden is surprisingly near capacity I struggled to find someone to attend this game with, eventually convincing one of my brothers to come with me for the ticket price of two beers. Even at this price it's a tough sell, just like venerable Daily News cartoonist Bill Gallo depicted.
Once in our seats we saw the Knicks find ever more creative ways to lose basketball games. The game was close in the early minutes of the fourth quarter yet Isiah decided this was the opportune time to feature the wrong end of the bench. Little used Randolph Morris, Malik Rose, Mardy Collins and Wilson Chandler all find themselves getting into the game. Together. It becomes transparent that Isiah is either throwing the game or looking to get himself fired when he removes Nate Robinson from the game in the waning moments. The Knicks need a bucket and a stop and Isiah removed the team's leading scorer that night and the only player who had shown any ability to stay in front of Chris Paul. With Nate off the floor Paul ices the game for New Orleans.
March 5, 2008
For the second night in a week the Garden is packed because of who the Knicks are playing. The Lebronaliers are in town. Once again, the Knicks hang tight with a better team until the late stages when poise, practice and coaching take the day. Actually, on this day Lebron James was the one who did most of the taking. He scored 50 points, with many of them coming in the late stages. The Garden crowd, hungry for watchable basketball and likeable players, applauds LBJ and serenades him with chants of "MVP."
March 9, 2008
It is made public that beleaguered and B-level center Eddy Curry likely needs surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.
March 10, 2008
In what may rank in the Top-5 worst losses of the season the Knicks are steamrolled in Dallas. Isiah Thomas sends rookie small forward Wilson Chandler out to contest the opening tip-off. This level of seriousness pervades the Knicks performance and their are down 28 in the second quarter. This is their seventh loss in a row, giving them their 3rd straight seven-game losing streak. The Knicks have lost 28 games by ten points or more and 9 games by 20 points or more.
March 12, 2008
We all celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Isiah Thomas's contract extension by beginning plans on a massive walk-out during the team's last home game on Monday April 14th versus the Boston Celtics. You in?
It was 366 (thanks to that pesky Leap Year Day) days ago today that James L. Dolan, son of media mogul and Madison Square Garden impresario Charles Dolan, landed his limousine or chauffered town car on the metaphorical deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln. Standing in the for the podium on the 4.5 acre deck of the Navy's air craft carrier - which was returning from a the 290-day deployment in the Middle East - was a podium in a conference room at a training center in Westchester County, New York. The doughy and manicured Dolan was out of his element at the suburban practice facility just as President Bush II was comically out of place in a flight-suit or aboard the deck of an active air craft carrier off the coast of Southern California.
And, though there was no "Mission Accomplished" Banner draped across the room in which Dolan spoke one year ago today there might as well have been one when he said that "I believe we have clearly seen significant and evident progress."
He was speaking about the New York Knickerbockers when he uttered those words and in hindsight this statement was every bit as ridiculously rose-tinted, full of jingoism and purposefully misleading as President Jr. Bush's telling the servicemen and servicewomen aboard the Lincoln and the countless masses watching his orchestrated speech on live television that "Major combat operations in Iraq had ended."While the ramifications of these two falsehoods are different in every conceivable way (after all, one is about a well-paid team playing a game invented by a school teacher in Massachusetts and the other is about death, havoc and destruction across the globe that knows no distinction between school teacher and scoundrel), the nature of the two statements and the natures of the two men who uttered them are not so different. Dolan and Bush II: Two sons forced upon us by circumstance and lineage, brought to us by hard-working, accomplished fathers and the last vestiges of royalism on these shores. Though both are buoyed by a willful disregard for criticism, compromise and the effects that their actions have in any minute past the one in which they are made, these two men are still most defined by their sense of entitlement. This sense of entitlement combined with their respective thirsts for success in the arenas which their fathers once tread led them each to see a mirage of victory and competence in a desert of failure, peril and squandered opportunity. In one case the proverbial desert was very real. It was Iraq. Thankfully, in the other case it was not. Thankfully only basketball games and not lives are lost when Dolan makes a mistake in judgement or in all-informed unilateral move. Thankfully, his father had not been a politician.
No, Charles Dolan, lil' Jimmy's father, was no politician. He was the founder of HBO and the man responsible for the world of premium cable television that we know and love today. He also owns Cablevision, the nation's fifth largest cable provider and owner of Madison Square Garden and the professional sports teams who make the building their home. It is this piece of the empire that his son was dealing with one year ago today and that he has most publicly ruined. On March 12, 2007 Jimmy Dolan told an assemblage of reporters that he was extending the contract of head coach and team president Isiah Thomas because “we’re a much better team. ... I think we have a great future. I think we’ve clearly improved, even from the beginning of this year. I also think that Isiah has done a good job since he’s taken over as G.M. in 2003.” He would go on to say that he felt so strongly about the job that Isiah Thomas had done in compiling a 29-34 record to that point in the season that he “needs to be recognized now.”
And, by “recognized now” he meant give him a contract extension for many years and many dollars in spite of the fact that he had repeatedly said he would make all decisions on such matters after the season had concluded. That impatience and rush to see present success where only the possibility for future success (mixed with equal possibility for failure) existed has gotten us to where we are today.
One year to the day after Dolan had his very own “Mission Accomplished” moment the Knicks are a nationwide joke and one of the least competitive teams in a league that is enjoying a renaissance entirely without us. Let’s take a look back at the year since Isiah received that contract extension:
March 23, 2007
Less than two weeks after Dolan surprisingly extends Isiah Thomas's contract, the Knicks sign Kentucky center Randolph Morris fresh off the NCAA Tournament. This move was touted by the club as the extra 2007 lottery pick that would make up for the one we were about to surrender to Chicago as part of the Eddy Curry trade. With Curry seemingly a success on the floor and another promising young big man in the fold people in New York were starting to buy into Thomas's vision.
Of course, hindsight being another form of vision, we now know that Curry would regress to his middle school days and Morris was inexplicably buried on the bench for most of this season. March/April 2007 Perhaps inspired by Dolan’s timely recognition of their head coach, the Knicks surge to a 4-15 finish to the 2006-2007 season, for an overall record of 33-49. Not only do they surrender the 8th spot in the standings almost immediately after Thomas recieves his extension but they manage to finish seven games out of that final spot with three other teams between them and the eighth seeded Orlando Magic.
June 28, 2007
It's draft day and the Chicago Bulls use the Knicks #9 draft pick to acquire Joakim Noah. Meanwhile, the Knicks draft 6-9 swing man Wilson Chandler out of Depaul with the 23rd pick. However, the real news of the draft is that the Knicks acquire Zach Randolph, Fred Jones and Dan Dickau from the Portland Trailblazers in exchange for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. There is immediate suspicion as to how Randolph can co-exist with the emergent Curry, but Isiah assuages such plans with talk about his vision for a dominant front-court.
Randolph's gaudy numbers (23/10) also go a long way in helping sell this deal to a skeptical press corps and fan base. The Knicks also acquire Demetrius Nichols from Portland in exchange for a 2008 second-round pick. Nichols will be waived before the season begins and that draft pick remains in Portland in the able hands of their GM, Kevin Pritchard.
Though the Nichols aspect of this trade was a bust almost immediately it would take longer to sort through the rest of the deal. In fact, we're still sorting. Without Randolph dominating the offense the Blazers emerged as one of the surprise successes of the first half of this season. And, though the Zach-hole continued to get his numbers in NY there was much talk that he was at least partially responsible for Curry's regression and the team's struggles. Based on results alone, this trade was a slam-dunk for the Blazers and (at very best) a toss-up for the Knicks. Of course, one of the (many) reasons it couldn't be a slam-dunk for the Knicks is because Zach Randolph is not actually capable of jumping high enough to slam dunk. As the trading dealine approaches eight months after the trade, Randolph's is reportedly shopped aggressively by the Knicks. There are no takers. This probably tells you all you need to know about the deal.
July and August 2007
New Yorkers are freed from the Knicks in order to worry about the fact that the Yankees look like they're going to miss the playoffs.
August and September 2007
New Yorkers are freed from the Knicks in order to worry about the fact the Mets are in the midst of a historic collapse that will result in them missing the playoffs.
September 11, 2007
The Anucha Browne Sanders Trial gets under way. Sanders had formerly been the Knicks' vice president of marketing. In short, she accused Isiah Thomas of sexual harassment and James Dolan and Madison Square Garden of wrongful termination. Her day in court has finally come, reportedly, because Dolan and MSG refused to reach a settlement to avoid a public trial.
In a very, very public trial, Thomas and the entire Garden are hammered by Sanders and her legal team. A portion of Thomas' video-taped deposition shown during the trial offered up such gems as:1. Thomas trying to explain the difference between a white man and a black man calling a black woman "bitch."
2. The not-too-surprising revelation that Isiah doesn't care about us ticket holders was revealed classily when Isiah allegedly told Sanders, "Bitch, I don't give a f--k about these white people."
September 12, 2007
Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury, forced to be a witness at the trial, testifies that he did have sex with an MSG intern. In his truck. The two were outside of a Mount Vernon strip joint at the time, and the sex was consensual. How romantic. The intern will later testify and corroborate Steph's version of events. She will also later receive a promotion. Nice. Marbury's naive and embarrassing honesty on the witness stand may have been the beginning of the end of his relationship with his coach.
October 2, 2007
A federal jury returns a verdict in favor of former Knick employee Anucha Browne Sanders. She is awarded $11.6 million in damages.
October 30, 2007
When asked about the sorry state of one of his league's flagship franchises NBA Commissioner (and New Yorker) David Stern said: "It demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management. There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue."
November 12, 2007
In perhaps the worst motivational ploy since a Bucks assistant coach told Vin Baker that whiskey with a beer chaser would improve his low-post game, Isiah Thomas has young, gullible Eddy Curry inform team-captain Stephon Marbury that he will likely lose his starting spot in the team's next game in Phoenix. An enraged Marbury almost comes to blows with his head coach aboard the chartered flight. Because, of course, Isiah decided to have a younger teammate give this news to Steph aboard a plane. That makes far more sense than breaking the news himself while standing on solid ground and looking his best player in the eyes. The newspapers report that Steph has gone AWOL from the team the next day when he is absent from the next morning's shoot around. Eventually we all find out in the Post that Steph has returned to New York. He misses the game against the Suns, which the Knicks lose. He returns to the team while they're in Los Angeles to play the Clippers. His teammates vote that he should be benched for the game due to his actions yet Isiah plays him 34 minutes in the game, which the Knicks lose. The team is fractured and the point guard and coach are barely masking their disdain for one another.
It will later be said, by Steph, that he had permission to leave the team and was not just missing as was widely reported and intimated by his coach. This will not be the first time that Steph takes a hit in the media for an absence that may have been suggested or even mandated by his coach.
November 20, 2007
After returning home from their winless and locker-room-splintering road trip the Knicks put forth a listless effort against the immensely exciting and entertaining Golden State Warriors. Isiah and Steph are booed lustily during the team introductions and Steph is booed every time he touches the ball in the first quarter. The large crowd is as fired up as a UNC crowd with JJ Reddick in the building. Meanwhile, Baron Davis is amazing and Stephen Jackson shows he has a better feel for the big moments in a game than anyone on the Knicks roster. The "Fire Isiah" chants begin in earnest in the fourth quarter. The chants are easily audible on television and the feeling in the crowd was that we could make a difference. November 29, 2007
We were all reminded that we could NOT actually make a difference just nine days later. In a nationally televised game on TNT the Knicks are thrashed in historic fashion by the Boston Celtics. They lose the Boston Massacre 104-59. Kenny Smith, one of the commentators for TNT admits that "I've never even seen someone get beat at darts this bad." The lack of effort on defense in the early stages of this loss is unforgivable and inexcusable. The game validates the previous day's statement by esteemed Knick-killer Reggie Miller. In an interview he had said, "Right now, [the Knicks] are a league-wide joke. It's sad because they are an historic and iconic franchise. But people think they are late night comedy jokes." And, this is what he thought BEFORE the game. December 2, 2007
The Knicks are playing the Phoenix Suns at the Garden. The game is surprisingly close heading into the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the 'Bockers ultimately fall short as the Suns pull away down the stretch. Moments after leaving the hardwood Stephon Marbury is informed that his father had passed away. His father had been in attendance at the Garden that night and had been rushed to the hospital via ambulance during the second half while experiencing chest pain. He died shortly thereafter. This all happened during the game and neither Isiah Thomas nor anyone on his staff passed along any of this news to the player until after the game had finished.
December 10, 2007
Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas reach a settlement with Anucha Browne Sanders in her sexual harassment case. Terms of the settlement of not disclosed but it has got to be a whole lot of money. And, much more than the $6 million she would have settled for before the case ever went to trial or the $10 million she had been asking for in the original lawsuit.
December 17th, 2007
A 23-year old Knicks fan is ejected from a game against the Indiana Pacers for holding up a hand-written sign reading "Fire Isiah." Several similar things will occur in the coming weeks.
January 12, 2008
It is reported that Stephon Marbury will likely undergo season-ending surgery on his ankle. He has missed a lot of basketball in the aftermath of his father's death and his relationship with his coach is clearly past the point of no return. Many around the League wonder if Steph has played his last game in a Knicks uniform.
January 24, 2008
In perhaps the most revealing statement about how far the Knicks have fallen in the eyes of those around the NBA, Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy cites the Knicks as something that he won't let his ballclub and franchise become:
"I would only make deals to help our future - anything else is suicide. Anything else and you become the New York Knicks. If you want to take on big contracts and long-term deals . . . that's not the direction I would go."
For years the Clippers were the fool's-gold-standard for sports franchise ineptitude. Not anymore. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Isiah Thomas. Or, is it Jim Dolan?
February 14, 2008
Not exactly filled with the spirit of St. Valentine's Day Isiah Thomas throws Eddy Curry under the bus, claiming that the popular brand of small-ball taking the league by tiny storm makes a big man like Curry obsolete. Less than a year ago Curry was the "franchise" player around whom Isiah's team would be built. He was the focal part of his vision. Today, he is useless to Isiah. Sometimes it can be hard to maintain the passion in any relationship. Even on Valentine's Day.
February 20, 2008:
For my money this 84 - 124 loss to Philly is actually the worst loss of the "Mission Accomplished" Year. The Knicks are routed by the Sixers who are in many ways the exact opposite of this year's Knicks. They are under-talented and over-achieving. The game, not being nationally televised goes mostly unnoticed save for the fact that "Fire Isiah" chants have traveled down the turnpike and can be heard from the mouths of Philly fans. And, you thought they were heartless?
February 26, 2008
Hall of Fame Knick Earl Monroe chimes in on the gap between the team’s talent and performance: "I still think they got a tremendous amount of talent on this team. It's really baffling to me the team's not performing the way I thought they would perform."
March 3, 2008
MVP candidate Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are in town to face the Knicks. Though the Garden is surprisingly near capacity I struggled to find someone to attend this game with, eventually convincing one of my brothers to come with me for the ticket price of two beers. Even at this price it's a tough sell, just like venerable Daily News cartoonist Bill Gallo depicted.
Once in our seats we saw the Knicks find ever more creative ways to lose basketball games. The game was close in the early minutes of the fourth quarter yet Isiah decided this was the opportune time to feature the wrong end of the bench. Little used Randolph Morris, Malik Rose, Mardy Collins and Wilson Chandler all find themselves getting into the game. Together. It becomes transparent that Isiah is either throwing the game or looking to get himself fired when he removes Nate Robinson from the game in the waning moments. The Knicks need a bucket and a stop and Isiah removed the team's leading scorer that night and the only player who had shown any ability to stay in front of Chris Paul. With Nate off the floor Paul ices the game for New Orleans. March 5, 2008
For the second night in a week the Garden is packed because of who the Knicks are playing. The Lebronaliers are in town. Once again, the Knicks hang tight with a better team until the late stages when poise, practice and coaching take the day. Actually, on this day Lebron James was the one who did most of the taking. He scored 50 points, with many of them coming in the late stages. The Garden crowd, hungry for watchable basketball and likeable players, applauds LBJ and serenades him with chants of "MVP."
March 9, 2008
It is made public that beleaguered and B-level center Eddy Curry likely needs surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.
March 10, 2008
In what may rank in the Top-5 worst losses of the season the Knicks are steamrolled in Dallas. Isiah Thomas sends rookie small forward Wilson Chandler out to contest the opening tip-off. This level of seriousness pervades the Knicks performance and their are down 28 in the second quarter. This is their seventh loss in a row, giving them their 3rd straight seven-game losing streak. The Knicks have lost 28 games by ten points or more and 9 games by 20 points or more.
March 12, 2008
We all celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Isiah Thomas's contract extension by beginning plans on a massive walk-out during the team's last home game on Monday April 14th versus the Boston Celtics. You in?
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Wednesday's Starting Five
1. Aaron Rodgers. This tackle was undoubtedly easier to escape than his spot on the Packers depth chart. Drafted in 2005 out of Cal, Rodgers went from stellar college QB (posting a 154.35 rating in '04), to the clipboard holder voted least likely to play by his peers. He has thrown a total of 59 pass attempts at the pro level. Brett Favre threw 535 last season.
2. Tim Duncan. The Big Bank Shot had 29 and 12 against the NJ Nets as the Spurs rolled to their 10th straight victory. It should come as no surprise that they are in first place in the West. The Lakers will have to go through San Antonio if they want the title.
3. Baron Davis. Led by Davis's 35 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds, the league's highest scoring team hung 135 points on the Hawks last night. Atlanta is both a must-win for the Warriors (since it is a lower echelon Eastern team) but still a tough-out because of the lengthy trip and the fact that the recent acquisition of Bibby has them playing well above their record.
4. Cesc Fabregas. 11 times teams from England have tread the pitch at the San Siro to challenge the giants of AC Milan in the European Champions League. 11 times teams from England left Italy without a victory to their credit. Until last night. Arsenal's nubile central midfielder Cesc Fabregas broke a scoreless tie in the game's 84th minute with an incisive moment of individual ambition and knocked last year's champions from the tournament. And, more than that, this victory should propel the Gunners back into the Premiership title race which they seemed to be falling out of (although they're actually still in first place by a point) after the gruesome injury to striker Eduardo almost a fortnight* ago.
5. Hillary Clinton. She's Alive! After taking the two must-win (for her) primaries in Texas and Ohio she is back in the race and free of any nagging pressure to concede the nomination to Obama. Now is the time that the Democrats either let the process sort through these two able and well-intentioned candidates Or now is the time that Hillary and Barack do the GOPs dirty work by tearing each other to shreds between now and the convention.
Benched. Brett Favre's Retirement. I'll believe this when Rodges actually takes that first snap in that first game. Until then, we'll just enjoy the 4,5209 different photos of the gunslinger that have graced ESPN.com's home page in the past 24 hours.
*When writing about soccer it is encouraged to use the word "fortnight" whenever possible.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Around the Internets
Politics Edition
In a move smacking of honesty, enthusiasm and an engagement (rather than disdain) for the world around him, Greg Oden went out of his way to let people know he is supporting Barack Obama's bid for the presidency. Oden wrote about a phone call with Senator Obama and he comes off like an innocent and eminently likable kid:
Once professional athletes were at the forefront of American social and civic life. Those who were so inclined used their status as a pulpit for progress and change. That was a good thing. People listen to their heroes. Just look at the sneakers you're wearing. Now, I'm not saying that we need a league full of outspoken Jim Brown clones but I'd rather run that risk then end up with a bunch of corporate shills who are afraid to speak their mind.
Meanwhile, elsewhere people are just trying to figure out who really is my new bicycle. Is it Hillary or is it Barack?
And, that leaves Bill Simmons out there. He's campaigning for himself.
Postscript: That shirt pictured above is actually for sale, along with similiar ones using your favorite team's logo.
In a move smacking of honesty, enthusiasm and an engagement (rather than disdain) for the world around him, Greg Oden went out of his way to let people know he is supporting Barack Obama's bid for the presidency. Oden wrote about a phone call with Senator Obama and he comes off like an innocent and eminently likable kid:"This will be my first presidential election to participate in as a voter and I hope that you younger voters will get involved. I think that our votes can really influence the outcome so go out, register and vote for who you think is the best candidate to be the best leader for this country and make sure you and your family will feel good about the new president that is elected in November." -Greg OdenI'm totally thrilled to see a rich, ambitious young athlete reveling in his selfhood rather than going the soul-less Jordan and Tiger rout of trying to be all things to all people. And, he's still getting some endorsements to boot. With guys like Oden and Gil Arenas really being themselves perhaps we could be returning to a time when ballplayers where known for their personalities and not just their sponsor.
Once professional athletes were at the forefront of American social and civic life. Those who were so inclined used their status as a pulpit for progress and change. That was a good thing. People listen to their heroes. Just look at the sneakers you're wearing. Now, I'm not saying that we need a league full of outspoken Jim Brown clones but I'd rather run that risk then end up with a bunch of corporate shills who are afraid to speak their mind.
Meanwhile, elsewhere people are just trying to figure out who really is my new bicycle. Is it Hillary or is it Barack?
And, that leaves Bill Simmons out there. He's campaigning for himself.
Postscript: That shirt pictured above is actually for sale, along with similiar ones using your favorite team's logo.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What Does Super Sunday Say About Super Tuesday?
Or, Do I Really Want Eli Manning to Be My President?
Walking to the PATH station this morning the streets were as electric as I've ever seen so early on a Tuesday morning. There were business men in grey flannel suits filing down Newark Street toward the train, volunteers in wind-breakers and jeans handing out flyers for their candidates, they were young children bundled up ambling to bus stops, they were older children with open coats, darting eyes and cigarettes and they were dozens of blue-shirted Giants fans who were skipping out on work to go see the victory parade downtown.
Being bound for work (as well as a Jets fan) I couldn't help but be a little jealous of those, like one of my roommates, heading down to the Canyon of Heroes. But, I'm not going to one of those parades until it's my turn. Whenever that is. Regardless, this was as bustling a Tuesday as the Big Apple is likely to see in some time. Not only is it a victory-parade Tuesday following on the heels of a memorable Super Sunday, but it is Super Tuesday when 24 states are holding primaries or caucuses to determine who be will be each party's nominee for President. In other words, it's kind of a big day in the City, especially with NY's very own second-term senator Hillary Clinton being one of the candidates on the block today.
Walking past the already drinking Giants fans I was wondering if the parade was a good thing or a bad thing for local voter turnout. Would people vote because they were out of the house and had called out of work? Or would they not vote because they usually vote on the way home from work and had been drinking all day long? I figured I would let someone smarter and with some numbers at their disposal figure out those answers. Instead, I am focusing on what, if anything, Super Sunday may reveal to us about Super Tuesday, what the players' performances may tell us about the candidates and what the postseason may have in common with the campaign trail.
For example, is Eli Manning football’s version Hillary Clinton? Hmmm....Both “New Yorkers” have been vying for the affection of the Empire State for several years now with mixed results. Hillary has gained vociferous supporters and attracted virulent enemies while Eli has sold a lot of jerseys since he scorned the Chargers although he has never been embraced on anything other than a monthly, pay-as-you-go basis. They have both had doors opened for them by their last names and both have looked like they may be undone by their last names at times as well. Their blessing is their burden as they look to form their own identities in the world.
Eli will never be Peyton and Hillary will never be Bill. Yet, at this point, both still have the chance to be just as successful in their chosen fields. Of course, no one seems to give either a chance of actually being better. Nevertheless, their more famous family members provide visible support. This is alternately a source of strength and a weakness. Peyton Manning could be seen (on television) pounding his fists and aggressively rooting for his kid brother during the Super Bowl and I don’t doubt that CNN has been full of images all day of Bill doing the same for his wife.
Both Hillary and Eli find succor in our collective inclination towards that with which we are already familiar, towards that which is dynastic and proven. Of course, both these two have seemed determined, at various points in their careers, to find out just how much leeway such a fondness for familiarity and a name-brand would get them. They have tested our limits and our patience but never outstayed their welcome.
So, if Eli is like Hillary does that make Tom Brady like Barack Obama? At first, it seems strange to equate the super-model dating, Hollywood-baby-daddying Golden Boy with the underdog senator from Illinois who in the span of two decades could go from teaching law to leading the free world. After all, Brady is the establishment at this point in his career whereas, no matter how far we think we’ve come as a country, Barack’s candidacy still hinges on whether or not white America will vote for a black man. Without reserves of political capital built up over years in the public eye, Obama is definitely not from the same establishment that Brady is. Brady is the Man while Barack would be wise to have a staffer keep an eye out so that The Man doesn’t sabotage his candidacy.
However, the two of them may have more in common than meets the eye. Both rose to prominence suddenly and without the obvious posturing and pomp of their peers. Eli and Hillary, I’m looking at you two. Brady was forced into duty after Jets linebacker Mo Lewis sheered a blood vessel in Drew Bledsoe’s chest during a week 2 tilt in the 2001 season while Obama took the Democratic Party by storm with his rousing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Both exude confidence and engender belief with seemingly each professionally act. They have also each been paid that highest of (liberal, non Catholic-hating) American compliments, they have been compared to a Kennedy: Obama to JFK and Brady to JFK, Jr.
Brady and Obama were able to seize their respective moments (the ’04 DNC and the ’01 injury to Bledsoe) because they have that special something about them that makes the teenybopper and the pollster in all of us swoon. Maybe it’s the well-defined cheekbones. Maybe it’s the charisma. Maybe it’s the pedigree: Brady is one of the few to ever quarterback the Michigan Wolverines while Obama is the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. Or, maybe it’s just the way they look in those finely tailored suits. I’m note sure, but both are uber-composed, smooth and seemingly at ease in every situation. Well, except, in Brady’s case, when Justin Tuck is charging him down. Meanwhile, Eli and Hillary can seem frantic, like they’re trying too hard. Maybe Obama is politics’ version of Brady, after all.
But, really, if you think about it, shouldn’t Hillary be the Patriots since she is the candidate who seems to inspire the most angst amongst detractors? Deserved or not, both Hillary and the Patriots are polarizing amongst neutral fans and undecided voters. People can’t deny their experience but can’t help but question how they achieved it. Was it spying? Or was it favors and nepotism? These doubts are likely based more on gut-reactions to each, something about a pantsuit or ripped sweatshirt, rather than any informed look at the bodies of work.
But actually, now that I really sit down and think about it, Mitt Romney should probably be represented by the Patriots in this matching game. Right? He could be Washington’s version of Bob Craft, since those two both feign All-American aw-shuckishness while actually being gazillionaire industrialists in the Mr. Burns mold. Both are also from Massachusetts but not actually of Massachusetts.
So, if Romney’s Mormon money train rides the same rails as that Coors Light train that so famously pulled through Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in that commercial then his challenger, John McCain, would be like Tom Coughlin of the New York football Giants. You can’t help but respect these two ornery old guys, even if you wouldn’t want them coaching your own team. Both are battle-tested veterans (one of them literally) with a wealth of experience. Their careers have had ups-and-downs and they’ve had to bounce back from failures that seemed like they were going to get the best of them right up until the moment when they prevailed. They’re not warm and fuzzy when you see them on television. In fact, they look like they would tell you to get a haircut and complain about the muzak in the elevator being too loud.
Speaking of seeing people on television, maybe Tiki Barber could be best described as football’s Howard Dean, currently figurehead of the Democratic Party, cautionary tale on YouTube and noticeably irrelevant person. There was a time, not too long ago, when you felt that both would be the man to take their team/party to the Promised Land. Dean was at the vanguard of the Internet revolution in campaigning and Tiki was the League’s most well-rounded player coming out of the backfield. It’s seems like yesterday that they were “young” and vital and at the top of their games but each liked the spotlight too much and couldn’t keep their mouths shut if you gave them a platform. Dean had too many states to conquer and Tiki too many morning talk shows to visit. Oh, well.
But, then thinking about Dean makes me remember how fickle the great mo’ (mentum) can be on the campaign trail. And, thinking about momentum, I can’t help but think that the easiest way to lose it in a football game is to have your quarterback throw a pick-six, which Eli did three times in a single-game this season en route to leading all quarterbacks in interceptions with 20 in the regular season. And, it is all those interceptions that makes me remember who Eli Manning really was all season long and who he has been during his entire career. I wonder, how did he beat Tom Brady and the Patriots? I don’t know, but he sure did it. We all saw it. It definitely happened. And, it was awesome.
But does that mean that he is a better quarterback than Tom Brady? Or that the Giants were a better football team in 2007 than the New England Patriots were during that same time span?
I don’t think that the result in the Super Bowl really changes what already happened, at all. It just means that the Giants won the Super Bowl and that winning the biggest game of the year isn’t necessarily the same as being the best during the course of that year. The NLF isn’t like the EPL where the final record is all that matters. This is America and we have playoffs. Well, except in college football, where we don’t.
Eli Manning was better on Super Sunday, but Tom Brady has been better overall. The Patriots lost on Sunday but they were the best overall. That’s why they were 18-1. Baseball fans have accepted this principle, that regular season is only a means of getting to the postseason and being the best is not a pre-requisite for winning the postseason tournament. In football too many people were prematurely crowning the Pats without realizing that.
Now what does this mean for Super Tuesday? Does that mean that the best candidates will receive their party’s nomination? Or that whomever travels to the most states today will? Does that mean that the best candidate will win the general election in November? Or will the one who plays flawlessly during the playoffs?
I don’t think I want Eli Manning to be my president. Even if I’m so glad that he won the Super Bowl.
Thankfully, today is also Fat Tuesday. That means that it’s Mardi Gras and that I can have drink to calm my nerves about the presidency and to toast 18-1 and the Giants. Well, after I stop off and vote. Of course. And, then tomorrow, once Lent begins, I can give up convoluted comparisons between sports and politics. I’ll give that up, for sure. That, and junk food. And, maybe the Knicks.
Walking to the PATH station this morning the streets were as electric as I've ever seen so early on a Tuesday morning. There were business men in grey flannel suits filing down Newark Street toward the train, volunteers in wind-breakers and jeans handing out flyers for their candidates, they were young children bundled up ambling to bus stops, they were older children with open coats, darting eyes and cigarettes and they were dozens of blue-shirted Giants fans who were skipping out on work to go see the victory parade downtown.
Being bound for work (as well as a Jets fan) I couldn't help but be a little jealous of those, like one of my roommates, heading down to the Canyon of Heroes. But, I'm not going to one of those parades until it's my turn. Whenever that is. Regardless, this was as bustling a Tuesday as the Big Apple is likely to see in some time. Not only is it a victory-parade Tuesday following on the heels of a memorable Super Sunday, but it is Super Tuesday when 24 states are holding primaries or caucuses to determine who be will be each party's nominee for President. In other words, it's kind of a big day in the City, especially with NY's very own second-term senator Hillary Clinton being one of the candidates on the block today.
Walking past the already drinking Giants fans I was wondering if the parade was a good thing or a bad thing for local voter turnout. Would people vote because they were out of the house and had called out of work? Or would they not vote because they usually vote on the way home from work and had been drinking all day long? I figured I would let someone smarter and with some numbers at their disposal figure out those answers. Instead, I am focusing on what, if anything, Super Sunday may reveal to us about Super Tuesday, what the players' performances may tell us about the candidates and what the postseason may have in common with the campaign trail.
For example, is Eli Manning football’s version Hillary Clinton? Hmmm....Both “New Yorkers” have been vying for the affection of the Empire State for several years now with mixed results. Hillary has gained vociferous supporters and attracted virulent enemies while Eli has sold a lot of jerseys since he scorned the Chargers although he has never been embraced on anything other than a monthly, pay-as-you-go basis. They have both had doors opened for them by their last names and both have looked like they may be undone by their last names at times as well. Their blessing is their burden as they look to form their own identities in the world.
Eli will never be Peyton and Hillary will never be Bill. Yet, at this point, both still have the chance to be just as successful in their chosen fields. Of course, no one seems to give either a chance of actually being better. Nevertheless, their more famous family members provide visible support. This is alternately a source of strength and a weakness. Peyton Manning could be seen (on television) pounding his fists and aggressively rooting for his kid brother during the Super Bowl and I don’t doubt that CNN has been full of images all day of Bill doing the same for his wife.
Both Hillary and Eli find succor in our collective inclination towards that with which we are already familiar, towards that which is dynastic and proven. Of course, both these two have seemed determined, at various points in their careers, to find out just how much leeway such a fondness for familiarity and a name-brand would get them. They have tested our limits and our patience but never outstayed their welcome.
So, if Eli is like Hillary does that make Tom Brady like Barack Obama? At first, it seems strange to equate the super-model dating, Hollywood-baby-daddying Golden Boy with the underdog senator from Illinois who in the span of two decades could go from teaching law to leading the free world. After all, Brady is the establishment at this point in his career whereas, no matter how far we think we’ve come as a country, Barack’s candidacy still hinges on whether or not white America will vote for a black man. Without reserves of political capital built up over years in the public eye, Obama is definitely not from the same establishment that Brady is. Brady is the Man while Barack would be wise to have a staffer keep an eye out so that The Man doesn’t sabotage his candidacy.
However, the two of them may have more in common than meets the eye. Both rose to prominence suddenly and without the obvious posturing and pomp of their peers. Eli and Hillary, I’m looking at you two. Brady was forced into duty after Jets linebacker Mo Lewis sheered a blood vessel in Drew Bledsoe’s chest during a week 2 tilt in the 2001 season while Obama took the Democratic Party by storm with his rousing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Both exude confidence and engender belief with seemingly each professionally act. They have also each been paid that highest of (liberal, non Catholic-hating) American compliments, they have been compared to a Kennedy: Obama to JFK and Brady to JFK, Jr.
Brady and Obama were able to seize their respective moments (the ’04 DNC and the ’01 injury to Bledsoe) because they have that special something about them that makes the teenybopper and the pollster in all of us swoon. Maybe it’s the well-defined cheekbones. Maybe it’s the charisma. Maybe it’s the pedigree: Brady is one of the few to ever quarterback the Michigan Wolverines while Obama is the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. Or, maybe it’s just the way they look in those finely tailored suits. I’m note sure, but both are uber-composed, smooth and seemingly at ease in every situation. Well, except, in Brady’s case, when Justin Tuck is charging him down. Meanwhile, Eli and Hillary can seem frantic, like they’re trying too hard. Maybe Obama is politics’ version of Brady, after all.
But, really, if you think about it, shouldn’t Hillary be the Patriots since she is the candidate who seems to inspire the most angst amongst detractors? Deserved or not, both Hillary and the Patriots are polarizing amongst neutral fans and undecided voters. People can’t deny their experience but can’t help but question how they achieved it. Was it spying? Or was it favors and nepotism? These doubts are likely based more on gut-reactions to each, something about a pantsuit or ripped sweatshirt, rather than any informed look at the bodies of work.
But actually, now that I really sit down and think about it, Mitt Romney should probably be represented by the Patriots in this matching game. Right? He could be Washington’s version of Bob Craft, since those two both feign All-American aw-shuckishness while actually being gazillionaire industrialists in the Mr. Burns mold. Both are also from Massachusetts but not actually of Massachusetts.
So, if Romney’s Mormon money train rides the same rails as that Coors Light train that so famously pulled through Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in that commercial then his challenger, John McCain, would be like Tom Coughlin of the New York football Giants. You can’t help but respect these two ornery old guys, even if you wouldn’t want them coaching your own team. Both are battle-tested veterans (one of them literally) with a wealth of experience. Their careers have had ups-and-downs and they’ve had to bounce back from failures that seemed like they were going to get the best of them right up until the moment when they prevailed. They’re not warm and fuzzy when you see them on television. In fact, they look like they would tell you to get a haircut and complain about the muzak in the elevator being too loud.
Speaking of seeing people on television, maybe Tiki Barber could be best described as football’s Howard Dean, currently figurehead of the Democratic Party, cautionary tale on YouTube and noticeably irrelevant person. There was a time, not too long ago, when you felt that both would be the man to take their team/party to the Promised Land. Dean was at the vanguard of the Internet revolution in campaigning and Tiki was the League’s most well-rounded player coming out of the backfield. It’s seems like yesterday that they were “young” and vital and at the top of their games but each liked the spotlight too much and couldn’t keep their mouths shut if you gave them a platform. Dean had too many states to conquer and Tiki too many morning talk shows to visit. Oh, well.
But, then thinking about Dean makes me remember how fickle the great mo’ (mentum) can be on the campaign trail. And, thinking about momentum, I can’t help but think that the easiest way to lose it in a football game is to have your quarterback throw a pick-six, which Eli did three times in a single-game this season en route to leading all quarterbacks in interceptions with 20 in the regular season. And, it is all those interceptions that makes me remember who Eli Manning really was all season long and who he has been during his entire career. I wonder, how did he beat Tom Brady and the Patriots? I don’t know, but he sure did it. We all saw it. It definitely happened. And, it was awesome.
But does that mean that he is a better quarterback than Tom Brady? Or that the Giants were a better football team in 2007 than the New England Patriots were during that same time span?
I don’t think that the result in the Super Bowl really changes what already happened, at all. It just means that the Giants won the Super Bowl and that winning the biggest game of the year isn’t necessarily the same as being the best during the course of that year. The NLF isn’t like the EPL where the final record is all that matters. This is America and we have playoffs. Well, except in college football, where we don’t.
Eli Manning was better on Super Sunday, but Tom Brady has been better overall. The Patriots lost on Sunday but they were the best overall. That’s why they were 18-1. Baseball fans have accepted this principle, that regular season is only a means of getting to the postseason and being the best is not a pre-requisite for winning the postseason tournament. In football too many people were prematurely crowning the Pats without realizing that.
Now what does this mean for Super Tuesday? Does that mean that the best candidates will receive their party’s nomination? Or that whomever travels to the most states today will? Does that mean that the best candidate will win the general election in November? Or will the one who plays flawlessly during the playoffs?
I don’t think I want Eli Manning to be my president. Even if I’m so glad that he won the Super Bowl.
Thankfully, today is also Fat Tuesday. That means that it’s Mardi Gras and that I can have drink to calm my nerves about the presidency and to toast 18-1 and the Giants. Well, after I stop off and vote. Of course. And, then tomorrow, once Lent begins, I can give up convoluted comparisons between sports and politics. I’ll give that up, for sure. That, and junk food. And, maybe the Knicks.
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