The Drubbing

Yep, it’s time for a little straight-talk on the New York Knickerbockers. Last Spring Jeff Coplon wrote a piece for New York Magazine where he called the Knicks Absolutely, Positively the Worst Team in the History of Professional Sports. I wasn’t convinced at first glance. What about the 0-14 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their heinous orange uniforms? That’s gotta count for something right? I later realized that Coplon was dead on. Being a terrible team isn’t just about Ws & Ls. It’s also about value. And the Knicks have a Dollar Tree team on a Harrods budget.
Continue reading “The Worst Sports Team of All Time” →

Biggest sports scandals in American history. The 1919 Black Sox with Shoeless Joe and Buck Weaver. Roy Jones Jr. robbed in 1988 of a gold medal in Seoul Olympics. Pete Rose betting on baseball. Jim Thorpe being stripped of his gold medals. And the point-shaving and game fixing scandals that have spotted the history of college sports. All of these incidents share the common thread of a single or few, rogue individuals putting their interests above the integrity and fairness of sports. But none of these can quite reach the level of corruption that a Taiwanese baseball league has been plagued by.
Continue reading “When team owners gamble, lie and cheat” →

On October 18th, 2008 LSU played South Carolina in a battle of SEC foes.  LSU came a way the victor, 24-17 in a closely fought battle.  LSU won a game that was closer than some expected.  The bigger news however, happened during the game. You can see it here –LSU vs USC Ref hit .  Officially, the SEC and even South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier, upon reviewing the film, have acknowledged that the hit by Referee Wilbur Hackett Jr. was not intentional and he was doing his job when QB Stephen Garcia cut back, Hackett had no where to go, and was protecting himself.
Continue reading “What Really Happened in the LSU vs South Carolina Football game” →

In the latest edition of ESPN The Magazine, a great Boston sports hero wrote about a specialized fantasy basketball league that pays homage to an even greater Boston sports hero.

After being struck by the simplicity and elegance of a league focused on Points, Rebounds and Assists, I decided to run the numbers to see if it would be filled with the usual suspects, or if there would be some surprises.
Continue reading “The Larry Bird Fantasy Basketball League” →

Let me first state the obvious. In the past 25 years there has not been a single major professional sports championship celebrated in the city of brotherly love. However, if you believe the Philadelphia Soul – winner of ArenaBowl XXII – broke that streak this past July I ask you to stop reading now. Jump on the same train that Bon Jovi and Ron Jaworski are riding. Take that train and ride it as far as it’ll take you. Ride it away from Philly and away from me, because if that victory quenches your thirst for a real championship I don’t want you rooting for my team in this most recent edition of the fall classic.

Continue reading “Third Time’s a Charm…maybe” →