Is it any wonder.......

Hello to everyone.


Is it any wonder that the NY Knicks are in the shape that they are in? OK, if you haven't heard this one before, I beg you to stop reading for a few minutes, take a few deep breaths, sit down, and maybe have a glass of water handy. OK, now that you've done all that, go ahead and read on. By now, everyone knows about the whole Larry Brown issue. He was hired away from the Pistons to coach a team that needs to be completely torn down more than it needs a title-winning coach. But, unfortunately for Knicks fans, their management doesn't recognize that. The Knicks think they have a team that can compete and win now, and that's just plain unrealistic. Let's take a look at the Knicks, shall we? They have two guys who are notorious "me first" players in Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis. They have Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry, whom the Bulls are STILL laughing about unloading them on the Knicks. Jalen Rose.....career malcontent. Quentin Richardson......yet another guard, so where do you play him? I like Channing Frye, but I don't think a young center can get a fair shake in NY, due to the comparisons to Patrick Ewing. These items are not news. Everyone knows that the Knicks are not wisely put together. But, when you have some of these players going to the media and complaining about Brown's coaching style....come on! What have these guys done to earn the right to complain about a coach that has championships at both the college and pro levels. Here are the quotes from some of the NY players in a recent summer league game. From guard Nate Robinson "Coach Brown is so old-school. He wants things done just like this...not getting the crowd involved. isiah just wants to have fun. Coach Brown was trying to take my joy away. At the same time, I have people in my corner saying not to change." From forward David Lee "Torward the end of the season, it was so up and down, I just told myself to get on the floor and make the most of my opportunity, because I didn't really understand what was going on." OK, let me just say this" Number one, if you are a five foot nine inch player, and you have a job in the NBA, keep your trap shut, Nate Robinson! And, what is this about taking away your joy? Yeah, I'm quite sure your joy was taken away every two weeks when you backed up to that pay window, and robbed the Knicks of good money. You'd better be glad I'm not the GM in NY right now. Talk about taking away your joy....I'd take away your job, unless, of course, you wanted to sell hot dogs in the upper levels of Madison Square Garden. What is going on in sports right now that the players run the show, and not the coach? I don't get that. I appreciate a good pro game, in any sport, but situations like this are why I like the college game more. "He took away my joy...." GIVE ME A BREAK! What's next, are we going to have a suport group for NBA players from Portland, New York, Toronto and Orlando? I can see it now. Some therapist somewhere is dreaming this up right now. What? You play on a team that has NO chance to win in the NBA? It's OK. You just ignore your coach. Just play your game. Don't follow the "team" concept. There's a league for guys like that. It's called the And 1 Streetball Tour!


If anyone is a true NASCAR fan out there, you'll understand what I'm about to say. I was watching NASCAR when guys like Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, and other tough SOB's were driving. That was back when it was not a sport for sugarplums. I used to joke, although it wasn't that much of a joke as it was a reality, that, in order to pass from grade to grade in school back in South Carolina, we had to be able to identify what driver drove what car, who his sponsor was, and what make of car he drove. But, as it is with all things, change occurs. NASCAR went corporate, got away from its package with Bob Jenkins and ESPN, and went mainstream. Guys like Jeff Gordon walked right into multi-million dollar set-ups, rather than earning their stripes by driving sub-par cars for a few years to gain experience. And I bring up Gordon for last Sunday's example. Did he have the faster car at the end of the race? Sure, he did. He closed a huge gap on then-leader Matt Kenseth. When it seemed like Gordon would make a clean pass, what does he do? He intentionally spins Kenseth out exiting Turn 2 in Chicago, goes on to win the race, and NASCAR does nothing to its Golden Boy. If anyone else had done that to Gordon, they'd be either fined, suspended, or placed on probation. Kenseth and Gordon actually had a dust-up at Bristol earlier this season, and Kenseth went over to Gordon to apologize after the race. What does Gordon do? He takes a shot at Kenseth! Now, it should be noted here that Gordon took the shot while still wearing his helmet. Hey Jeff, you're such a tough guy, take that helmet off, and then take that shot. See what happens to that pretty-boy face of yours! As you can probably tell, I'm not a fan of Gordon's. Now, after Sunday, I'm much less of a NASCAR fan than I used to be. I'll still watch some of the races from time to time, but it seems now that NASCAR has its own agenda, and they intend on pushing it down our throats. I had a debate a few years ago with a friend that has stopped watching NASCAR. He said then that it was all becoming fixed, and that the fans don't know the difference. I'm now beginning to believe that friend of mine.


The All-Star Game is upon us, and I couldn't care less. That's pretty sad, coming from a baseball fan. But, when the fan vote takes center stage, it's time to devalue the game. I strongly disagree with the fan vote, because all it turns into is a popularity contest. Worthy guys are left off the roster (Liriano, MIN). I know he got added, but that was a last-minute thing. The home field advantage issue is a ploy thought up by Bud Selig to take the heat off of him for declaring the All-Star Game a tie when it was in his house in Milwaukee. Can't we just skip the All-Star Game, and keep the regular season games going? Again, that's a sad statement. Nothing will top the All-Star Game where they brought Ted Williams out in Fenway, and all the players surrounded him when he got to the mound. Butr, since then, the game has become a shell of its former self. I'm just waiting for Thursday, where real games begin again.


Football is right around the corner. Before long, we'll all hear the familiar sound of shoulder pads hitting each other, as they go through two-a-day practices. I'm really liking the early season schedule in college football, too. Ohio State at Texas will be a classic match-up. More games in the early season are starting to mean something. We're not getting something like Southern Cal versus Northwest South Dakota Tech. College football looks to be wide open, too, as both USC and Texas have lost their mega-stars, but they re-loaded in recruiting. How will they perform under pressure? Give it about a month or so, and we'll all find out.

Till next time.......


Patrick