Posted in Other on March 30, 2010 by EAST SIDE RYNO
Can someone please tell me why this tournament is on ESPN, let alone even televised? I can’t believe this was actually on national television PRIME TIME last night. Who wants to watch basketball where the players can’t even dunk?!?!?! I can name so many other sports that would be better than this horsesh*t. Give me the NCAA hockey tournament or even high school basketball for that matter. This is probably the worst play I have ever seen that results in a buzzer beater. First of all, after Xavier misses two layups, they decide not to play ANY defense on the final play. Second, I love how the Stanford player puts up the softest lay-up known to man in the final second. Nothing like a lucky lay-up to march into the final four! Get the f*ck off my television and give me a real sport to watch!
By the way, I love how it’s the elite eight and there’s like 800 fans at the game. hahahahaha!
Spike Lee. I saw him speak last Friday and I just watched his film “Do The Right Thing.” This dude is true New Yorker. I dig his attire everytime I see him courtside at the Knicks game. Back in the 90’s he looked baller when he wore his Jackie Robinson and John Starks jerseys. When he came here on Friday, he gave us a great speach about his story of becoming a filmmaker. The guy has also directed some of my favorite films (“He Got Game” and “25th Hour”). Now with that, I leave you with some his top scenes.
If you look back to moment #12, you can read about the excitement of the first round of the 1999 playoffs for the Knicks. After defeating the heavily favored Miami Heat, the Knicks went on to take the Atlanta Hawks. Even though the Hawks were favored in the series, the Knicks swept Atlanta and forced a showdown against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. After splitting the first two games in Indiana, the Knicks headed home for Game 3, but without their star center. In Game 2, Patrick Ewing suffered an injury to his achilles heel and would miss the rest of the postseason. Throughout Game 3, it seemed as if the Pacers were going to run away with the game, and ultimately the series. But the Knicks fought back and made it 91-88 with 12 seconds to go. Charlie Ward imbounded the ball to Larry Johnson. After waiting four seconds, LJ put up the three. During the shot, the whistle was blown. Everyone in the Garden knew if the shot went in, Johnson would have a chance for a four point play. As soon as the ball went through the hoop, the Garden, all at once, erupted. While watching the game uptown, I could hear people screaming from the streets. The city, as one unit, was rejoicing the improbable play. After settling down, Johnson made the clutch foul shot to put the Knicks up by one. The shot gave the Knicks a 2-1 lead in the series. The Knicks would eventually win the series in six games and become the first #8 seed to reach the finals in NBA history.
Here is a video about the 1999 New York Knicks. The story of the four-point play begins at 4:35.
Posted in Other on March 25, 2010 by EAST SIDE RYNO
What’s great about this fight is that no one broke it up. Gotta love two fans gettin’ after it but this was seriously a beat down. Too bad Charlie Conway or the Bash Brothers weren’t there to help out this Ducks fan. (Look sideways while watching video)
Even though the Yankees didn’t come out on top in the 2001 season, this was by far the most exciting World Series I have ever seen. Now in New York, this was a special Series, given the fact that 9/11 was only a little under months before the 2001 playoffs. To this city, the Yankees were the one thing that brought people back to a state of normalcy. Paranoia still filled the streets of New York during the time of the World Series and New Yorkers needed something to cheer about.
The beginning of the Yankees postseason magic began in the 2001 Division Series against the Oakland Athletics. Down 2-0 in the series and on the verge of elimination, the Yanks pulled through in Oakland. Up 1-0 in the 5th inning, Derek Jeter made one of the greatest plays I have ever seen. With Jeremy Giambi on first, Oakland outfielder Terrance Long roped the ball down the right field line past a diving Tino Martinez. Giambi was waved around third and headed home. Spencer’s throw from the outfield sailed over Tino’s head and was headed in between home and first. Clearly, the ball wasn’t going to make it in time to get Giambi out. Then out of nowhere, Jeter came sprinting in from shortstop and was able to backhand the ball and shuffle the ball to Posada to get Giambi out in time. The play gave the Yanks momentum throughout the Division Series and right into the ALCS against the favored Seattle Mariners.
In the ALCS, the Yankees showed the Seattle Mariners that the regular season was in the past. (Seattle won an American League record 116 wins) The Yanks took the first two games of the series at Safeco. With game 3 won by Seattle, the Yanks bounced back in the 4th game with an Alfonso Soriano walk-off home run. In Game 5, the Yanks cruised to an easy victory to seal their fourth straight American League title.
In the first two games of the World Series, it couldn’t have gone worse for the Yankees. With Diamondback aces Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson pitching two absolute gems, the Yanks quickly fell behind 2-0 in the series. The series then headed to the Bronx. Before Game 3, it was said that President Bush was going to throw out the first pitch. Given the circumstances and the lingering paranoia still around the city, it took almost an hour to get into the stadium. Security was having every fan go through a metal detector. I was in the middle of this absolute madness before Game 3, but I gotta tell you, it was worth it. As soon as I walked into the stadium, I could feel the aura of the ballpark. This was different than any other Yankee game I had ever been to, including game 4 of the ’99 World Series. It seemed that everyone in the park was pulling together as one unit. When President Bush came out to throw the first pitch, the stadium erupted. When he threw a strike, the stadium got even louder. This set the stage for an ultimate Yankee series comeback. With phenomenal pitching by Roger Clemens, the Yanks were back in the series.
On a cold and clear Halloween night, the Yanks were looking to tie the series at two games apiece. Yankee starter, El Duque, had some trouble in the first, but was able to battle out of the inning with no damage done. Curt Schilling answered all his critics by absolutely shoving on three days rest. With the exception of a Shane Spencer home run in the third, Schillng was unhittable. The Diamondbacks managed to get three run off the Yankee pitchers and had a 3-1 lead heading into the eighth inning. In that inning, Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly had a decision to make- let Schilling pitch the 8th or bring in their closer, Byung-Hyun Kim to get a six out save. Brenly chose Kim. The D’backs closer struck out the side in the 8th, but in the 9th Kim got in a little trouble. O’Neill manage to hit a one-out bloop single and forced the tying run to come up the plate. However, Kim managed to strike out Bernie Williams. Arizona was one out away from going ahead 3-1 in the series. But up came Tino Martinez…
The game was sent to extra innings. In the 11th inning, the clock struck 12 midnight, meaning that this was the first World Series game ever to be played in November. This first batter of the new month…Derek Jeter. With a 2-2 count, Jeter drove the pitch to opposite way and cleared the right field wall for a walk-off home run. The series was tied and baseball had a “Mr. November.”
After Game 4, it was hard to ask for another historic ballgame. Little did we know it was going to be even better. Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina had a strong outing with the exception of two solo shots by Arizona. D’backs starter Miguel Bautista was magnificent going 7 2/3 giving up no runs. But in the 9th inning, Bob Brenly called on Kim once again. Jorge Posada led the inning off with a double. After a fly out and a strike out, the stage was set for Scott Brosius to come through with 2 outs. Down 0-2 in the count, Brosius knocked Kim’s hanging slider out of the park. It had happened again…
Down 2 runs in the 9th with 2 outs, the Yanks were able to bounce back. In the 12th, the miracle was complete after Soriano’s walk off single. The Yankees would lose the next two games in Arizona and lose the series, but no one will ever forget the magical three games at Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series.
The greatest season in baseball history…period. The 1998 New York Yankees finished their miraculous season with an incredible 114 wins. (125 wins if you count the postseason) After coming off a disappointing 1997 season, the Yanks were determined to reach their ultimate goal and win a 24th championship. New acquistions, such as quality infielders Chuck Knoblauch and Scott Brosius, put the Yanks in a position to cruise through the American League. The season, however, began with a rough patch. The Yankees lost four of their first five games. Steinbrenner considered firing Torre, but the Yanks were able to get out of their funk. After winning a close game in Seattle, the Yankees would never look back.
During the season, there were some moments that would go down as the some of the greatest in Yankees history. Here are some of these fantastic moments:
– David Wells pitches a perfect game
– Darryl Strawberry’s two game-winning pinch-hit home runs (one being a grand slam)
– Bernie Williams’ walk off HR against Texas
– Shane Spencer’s ten home runs in September
With 114 victories, the Yankees won the AL East Division and finished with the best record in baseball. After cruising past the Texas Rangers in the Division Series, the Yanks were set to play the hated Cleveland Indians. In ’97, Cleveland knocked the Yankees out in the first round of the playoffs and the Bombers were looking for revenge. The first game of the series went to the Yankees after a 5-run first inning lead over Indians pitcher Jaret Wright. Game 2 went to the Indians after an extra inning blunder by Chuck Knoblauch. After the Indians took Game 3 at Jacobs Field, the Yanks had their backs against the wall. But in Game 4, Cuban refugee Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez came through and provided a crucial win to tie the series. David Wells and Chile Davis gave the Yanks another victory in Game 5 and sent the series back to New York with the Yanks up 3-2 in the series. In Game 6, the Yankees wouldn’t disappoint. With an easy victory, the Yanks found themselves back in the World Series.
Game 1 of the 1998 World Series will always go down as one of the greatest games in World Series history. With the Yanks down 5-2 in the 7th inning, the Bombers’ bats exploded. Knoblauch redeemed himself with a game-tying three-run home run. Four batters later, first baseman Tino Martinez knocked a grand-slam into the right field upper deck to put the Yankees up for good. After a Game 2 blowout, the Yanks headed to San Diego up 2-0 in the series. In Game 3, more Yankee magic came to life in the late innings. Down 3-0 in the 7th, Scott Brosius led the inning off with a solo shot. One inning later, Brosius officially became a Yankee legend. With two runners on with the Yanks down by one, the Padres put in their “unhittable” closer Trevor Hoffman. With Brosius up to the plate, the Yankees were looking for some more magic. With a 2-2 count, Brosius hit Hoffman’s fastball over the centerfield wall to put the Yanks up 5-3. The Yankees would win the game and take a 3-0 series lead. Looking for a sweep, the Yankees finally broke a scoreless tie with a run in the 6th in Game 4. After adding two more runs in the 8th, the stage was set for Mariano Rivera. It was definitely appropriate that the final out of the series was a groundball to World Series MVP, my man Scott Brosius. The Yankees found themselves back on top and were well on their way to becoming a dynasty.
Posted in Giants on March 22, 2010 by EAST SIDE RYNO
The top 20 countdown of the top 5BS moments took a little spring break for the past couple of weeks, but the countdown will return tomorrow. Only five moments left dudes!!! Given the fact that this countdown is only from 1990-present, I wasn’t able to put some of my top moments from the 1980s, take the 1986 Super Bowl. But who gives a f*ck. This is my blog and I can write whatever the hell I want. Last night, I was watching “America’s Game: The story of 1986 Giants” and I gotta say, this dvd gives me chills. Phil Simms was simply unstoppable. Here is an except from the final seven minutes of the film talking about Phil Simms and his legendary Super Bowl performance.
EAST SIDE RYNO
kfaris89
Matthew Werblin
New York Nick
sammywestside
5 BOROUGH SPORTS 