Comments on: Season Effective Disorder

By: jorgie juiced one

jorgie juiced one — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 14:19:22 +0000

What a baffling comment – New York is a basketball town (when talking about fan interest) – especially when supported by practically no evidence and in the face of substantial countervailing evidence. That is not to say the Knicks are not significant. They are one of the core sports teams in the city. BTW, I’m a Knicks fan and held season tickets during the mid 90s. Should the Knicks contend for a title, it’ll be a big deal.

That having been said, it is almost axiomatic that New York is a baseball town.

Will, you mention 1994. But I think that was an anomalous year in many respects. You had not only the Knicks but the Rangers, as well as the season-ending strike hanging over the entire baseball season.

More recently, what about 1999, when the Knicks made the finals, or 2000, when they made the Eastern Conference finals? Certainly there was no absence or even drop off of interest in the Yankees or baseball during those times.

What about the intense responses to the Clemens and ARod (yes, they’re both more significant baseballl players than Anthony is as a basketball player) trades during the height of basketball season? Conversely, did the non-stop coverage of the Jets’ acquistion of Favre a few years ago mean New York was a Jets and football town all along?

Then there’s polling numbers invariably showing the Yankees comfortably first in the city among all teams, with the Mets often second. These are of course unscientific, but the consistency of outcomes is at least telling. And what about merchandising, interest online, etc.?

By: RIYank

RIYank — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:32:20 +0000

[9] [10] Will, those were my formative years. I’m not quite old enough for the Mantle Yankees, but the Miracle Mets and then the Knicks, wow. (The Jets’ Superbowl meant almost nothing to me.)
I do think New York was Hoopsville in those days. Clyde and Willis, they were the icons. All the boys I knew read DeBuscherre’s book. It was the birth of “dee-FENSE!”, and when my parents had parties people would ask if it was okay to turn on the Knicks.
In my limited NY experience, as a kid, it was a basketball town then.

By: Dimelo

Dimelo — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 04:29:05 +0000

As far as Joba is concerned, I don’t think he can be repaired. It’s hard to repair a 2006 Toyota Camry, whose accelerator got stuck and hit a wall. I’m convinced Joba is just not that good, he peaked and now he’s flamed out.

By: williamnyy23

williamnyy23 — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 03:45:55 +0000

New York is a good pro-basketball town when the Knicks are good, but it is and always has been first and foremost a baseball town. At their highest level, the Knicks don’t approach the Yankees or Mets in level of interest.

By: Chyll Will

Chyll Will — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 02:21:37 +0000

This was a little before I was born, but I imagine the Knicks were the talk of the town when Willis Reed limped onto the court and willed his team to the championship; something they still talk incessantly about to this day. I was also too young for the halcyon days of Clyde & Pearl and the second championship. Meanwhile our Yanks were rotting under the afterthought of CBS Network until George & Co. bought the team and, well, we know the rest…

Then again, I never abandoned the Yanks when they went through their own recession of 89-92 or the annoying lead-up to it, so it just might have been sort of the same back then.

By: Will Weiss

Will Weiss — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:47:08 +0000

[1] And Alex, Murray Chass is grumpy. … I’m just bored. There’s a difference.

By: Will Weiss

Will Weiss — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:46:01 +0000

[5] My note on Joba was not to present an argument. I believe he’s done as a Yankee. I thought it last summer. I was stunned he made it past the trade deadline.

But you’re right. I can do better.

How’s this: Not to repeat Michael Kay’s argument from last week on his show, but where does he fit into the mix? They’ve already committed to not moving him to the Starting Rotation, and with a backlog of people the 7th and 8th innings, where does he fit into the mix? Joba thrived when he had a defined role. Now, he’s back to being in limbo, unless he and Soriano are to the Yankees this season what Soriano and Benoit were to the Rays last season.

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:34:13 +0000

3) I hear ya Mick, but NY was definitely a Knicks town in 94, and during the Ewing years.Jordan and the Bulls, and the resurrgence of the Celts and Lakers, and the decline of the Knicks, and rise of the Yankees moved hoops to the back burner. But the hoops passion here is always simmering, even wheni it’s not boiling.

By: monkeypants

monkeypants — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:26:55 +0000

Not to toot my own horn, but I’m tooting. This was predicted four years ago, when they caught lightning in a bottle with him. Not recognizing his rightful ascension to replace Mariano Rivera at that time effectively ruined his career as a Yankee. Perhaps another team can repair him.

What a strange, poorly thought-out (or at least poorly articulated) argument. C’mon Will, you can do better than this!

By: Sliced Bread

Sliced Bread — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:20:23 +0000

I don’t know why I still believe in AJ and Joba, but going into this season, I have a faith in them that goes beyond just rooting for them. We know the talent is still in there. Why not believe they can find it again, and groove for a few months? That’s where I’m at with those two. Expecting consistency from non-aces, and pitchers not named Mo is an exercise in futility. But that doesn’t mean we can’t expect greatness from pitchers who have shown it before, and are too young, and healthy to be in decline.

By: The Mick536

The Mick536 — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:13:23 +0000

NY is not a hoops town. It may have been in the early 50′s, but the scandal ruined it. Kenny Sears. Carl Braun. Willie Nauls. They used to train at Stamford Catholic High School. They went to the showers, you could shoot some balls. No one cared about pro basketball until….

I won’t put myself on the line. Someone with more background knowledge educate these peeps.

By: Bronx Boy in NC

Bronx Boy in NC — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:59:00 +0000

The beauty of the baseball season is that every night, I get to watch my favorite movie again without knowing how it ends.

That’s why the most prosaic game story (dateline May whatever, Yanks outlast Royals 5-3) is more satisfying than any spring training angle.

In terms of news value, if the midwinter void (two or three stories a week, mostly about contracts) rates a “1,” and the back pages of October rate a “10,” then spring training maybe cracks a “3.”

By: Alex Belth

Alex Belth — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:23:44 +0000

Jeez Will you are grumpy! And the Knicks had better beat the Yanks for the backpage during spring training!. NYC is a hoops town but the Yanks still rule it.

I hear you on the spring training stories but isn’t that what writers get paid to do?