the knicks. WHY??

once, way back when i was a loyal NY Knicks basketball fan. I knew a lot about the team, and cared deeply about the future of the team. Every year the season would begin with hope anew...would the new rookies workout? would the trades mesh with the team...would the new coach help? would, would, would i now care if i could?

I grew up a stones throw from Madison Sq Garden, and used to go to many Knicks games as a kid. I would sneak in, bogue tickets from people with xtras, and sometimes i'd pay a scalper after the game started and get the tix for $5 each. We would sit in the nosebleed seats and move down to within the first 10 rows. and NOBODY made as much noise screaming and whistling as much as my friends and i did! i even hung out after the game as a young teen to get autographs! man i loved those days! Ray Williams, Toby Knight, Bill Cartwright and Sugar Ray Richardson.

So what the F##K happened to my beloved knicks? Well it's not a simple thing that led to the demise of this storied club which hasn't won a NBA championship in 35 years despite having the highest salary of any team for years and years!!!! and if you really want to know, you could start with the ownership of the team Jim Dolan. and then you could read any article you want to find on the internet and you'll find a trail of reasons starting with the point guard Stephan Marbury (the self dubbed "starbury"), and going back to Isiah Thomas (former losing coach and convicted sexual harasser) to overpaid players & overpaid players who don't even play (injuries), and on and on till you're blue in the face. Remember Patrick Ewing? The heart of the team, the team leader. remember the disgraceful treatment he got??? maybe that was the beginning of the end? Anyway a losing culture and a hang-dog, slumped shoulder lack of confidence has been following this team around game after game stinking up the arenas they play in for years now. Always losing close games, always losing a lead with a few minutes left until i couldn't hurt anymore. and i stopped caring.

so now a new season begins, with a new coach, and what do i care? the soap opera of this team begins before a single regular season game begins with hooplah around "starbury" and his not accepting a buyout of his final year contract...sure he wants the full money he's owed (spites's a good enuf reason at this point) and it's even tho neither he or the team wants him to stay in NY anymore. great way to start off the season.

the whole team will be lookin down at the floor, their sneakers, the anything down below eye level where your eyes belong when you know the shame of being a NY Knick.