I love the way autumn welcomes cool breezes, a harvest of foliage and sweater season. I love how people cook and dress different. I love how the air feels. Most importantly, I love what autumn is.

For a sport fans, this time of year also means a traffic jam of competition across the board. Major league Baseball is deep into the post season's champion series rounds. Baseball junkies have been blessed with a truly memorable October. The National Football League is six weeks through its schedule and team's true colors are starting to show. The biggest headlines thus far have included poor starts from 2011 playoff teams, RGIII's immediate success, the referee lockout & return, and of course Tim Tebow. College football is full steam ahead with every week carrying make or break pressure. Notre Dame has started the season undefeated and was ranked fifth in the BCS's first poll of year. The SEC still holds multiple top-5 teams, but there are a handful of worthy opponents across the country. In two weeks, just after the completion of the World Series, the National Basketball Association kicks of its campaign. The Lakers have made significant moves acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. Oklahoma City with its ever improving young core will be nipping at their heals all season out west. In the east, the Miami Heat will look to defend last year's title with another conference crown. With so much of the landscape changing in the east, I expect a very competitive playoff race. Often over looked is the beginning of European soccer. Sure it is a rapidly growing, undeniably niche sport still in the states, but for those who that have always appreciated it or have recently started to take the time to witness the beauty of professional soccer, it is an art. Oh yea, NASCAR is in its final stages of the cup chase. Although I don't follow racing, millions of people take it really, really season.

Being a sport fan this time of year is what you live for. Getting friends together on the couch Sunday to root on your team, cheering on your alma matr, and sweating out baseball's post season is what fans look forward to. I do too. But as I uphold my fan hood, I can't help but equally enjoy this time of year.
Autumn to me means cozy living, warm colors, and nature's transition. It all works so well together.

Happy fall sports fans.

2012 Early season NBA top-3 plays

I literally sat down and searched three specifics plays from the young season. There have been a ton of great moments by those "lob-city" L.A. Clippers, passes by young Ricky Rubio and dunks from dudes across the league. However, these are the top three plays thus far in my opinion. Enjoy! NUMBER 3!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfHVsSGm8Hk As a Knicks fan, I had already watched my team beat the Celtics on Christmas Day, but the 2011 MVP hitting a game winner in Los Angeles was the icing on my holiday cake. I hate L.A. Thankfully, Derrick Rose is a killer, strives to be a great teammate and has emerged as one of the most humble guys in the L. He reminded us all on opening day why he was named the youngest MVP in league history. I'm not going to lie, I love watching him dominate! NUMBER 2!!!!!! http://www.slamonline.com/online/media/slam-tv/2012/01/video-kenneth-faried-catches-no-look-over-the-head-oop/ By no means is Kenneth Faried a household name, but the man has proven to be a force since his days at Morehead State University. He is a high flyer and defensive force, which is the perfect subsitute for Nene in Denver. Oh, and this clip is no fluke, it isn't the first time Faried has been on the receiving end of a mind-blowing ally-oop. Check it! BONUS CLIP ---->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7BspB6R--A NUMBER 1!!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHqKkp26Tb8 The league has been transformed since the 2003 draft with an influx of young, uber-athletic players that have revitalized the game. No player (including the ringless LeBron James) has been more responsible for the league's rejuvenation than Kevin Durant. Yes, he could use more muscle and a Jordan-esque focus towards defense, but this kid bleeds basketball. He sweats ballin', being a team leader at 23-years old, competing every night and MOST IMPORTANTLY winning games. He is an offensive beast. He trusts his touch, his instincts and his game. Especially in the 4th quarter...can we say that about James? He has improved aspects of his game every year since being drafted in 2007 and like Rose, he plays the game with an amazingly modest mindset. The continued media prying of the Durant v. Russell Westbrook (btw, Russ, play the Robin card, you are blessed to be teamed with the ultimate Batman) on-court chemistry issues seem to only push him further. He is what the NBA needed. Purity, passion n swag. Keep rockin' that backpack during post-game interviews, keep smiling and keep being you. Durant is the man and the above video backs it. WHY IS THIS THE BEST PLAY SO FAR? Everyone knew where the ball was going. This isn't Miami, there is not controversy regarding who should take the last shot. It's Durant's team. KD is a killer, he is cold-blooded and somehow he doesn't seem to be phased by the pressure associated with taking the final shot. His game is raw, but refined. His J has no limit, but remains pure and consistent. He loves basketball. All he needs is to do is fall as much in love with defense, as he has with O.

Top-3 Plays of NBA Season

2012 Early season NBA top-3 plays I literally sat down and searched three specifics plays from the young season. There have been a ton of great moments by those "lob-city" L.A. Clippers, passes by young Ricky Rubio and dunks from dudes across the league. However, these are the top three plays thus far in my opinion. Enjoy! NUMBER 3!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfHVsSGm8Hk As a Knicks fan, I had already watched my team beat the Celtics on Christmas Day, but the 2011 MVP hitting a game winner in Los Angeles was the icing on my holiday cake. I hate L.A. Thankfully, Derrick Rose is a killer, strives to be a great teammate and has emerged as one of the most humble guys in the L. He reminded us all on opening day why he was named the youngest MVP in league history. I'm not going to lie, I love watching him dominate! NUMBER 2!!!!!! http://www.slamonline.com/online/media/slam-tv/2012/01/video-kenneth-faried-catches-no-look-over-the-head-oop/ By no means is Kenneth Faried a household name, but the man has proven to be a force since his days at Morehead State University. He is a high flyer and defensive force, which is the perfect subsitute for Nene in Denver. Oh, and this clip is no fluke, it isn't the first time Faried has been on the receiving end of a mind-blowing ally-oop. Check it!BONUS CLIP ---->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7BspB6R--A NUMBER 1!!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHqKkp26Tb8 The league has been transformed since the 2003 draft with an influx of young, uber-athletic players that have revitalized the game. No player (including the ringless LeBron James) has been more responsible for the league's rejuvenation than Kevin Durant. Yes, he could use more muscle and a Jordan-esque focus towards defense, but this kid bleeds basketball. He sweats ballin', being a team leader at 23-years old, competing every night and MOST IMPORTANTLY winning games. He is an offensive beast. He trusts his touch, his instincts and his game. Especially in the 4th quarter...can we say that about James? He has improved aspects of his game every year since being drafted in 2007 and like Rose, he plays the game with an amazingly modest mindset. The continued media prying of the Durant v. Russell Westbrook (btw, Russ, play the Robin card, you are blessed to be teamed with the ultimate Batman) on-court chemistry issues seem to only push him further. He is what the NBA needed. Purity, passion n swag. Keep rockin' that backpack during post-game interviews, keep smiling and keep being you. Durant is the man and the above video backs it. WHY IS THIS THE BEST PLAY SO FAR? Everyone knew where the ball was going. This isn't Miami, there is not controversy regarding who should take the last shot. It's Durant's team. KD is a killer, he is cold-blooded and somehow he doesn't seem to be phased by the pressure associated with taking the final shot. His game is raw, but refined. His J has no limit, but remains pure and consistent. He loves basketball. All he needs is to do is fall as much in love with defense, as he has with O.

pff

I remember being 12-years old in my bed in Poughkeepsie listening to the New York Yankees play ALCS games over the radio because my folks wanted me tucked in by 10 pm. I remember, despite not being able to watch my favorite team play on television, a pre-pubescent passion for those Yankees. I loved listening to those games on the radio. I felt like my grandfather listening to the Brooklyn Dodgers, pushing the radio as close to his ear as possible, trying to pick-up any broken signal the broadcasters could get across. I wanted to hear every aspect of the game, because at the time, that was all I had. When I was 12, all I needed were those results. I needed to know who won, how things fell into place and what proved to be the deciding factor.

My imagination took over. It had to. I was young, fun and full of life. Tricky in-field grounders, bat-breaking doubles or clutch late-inning homers all painted their own respective picture in my adolescent perception. Listening to the sounds of the radio made my heart beat in a way it never had. I grew up passionate about those Yankees. Those were perfect days. But, today, with MSG cutting off my Knicks... I have no desire to listen to Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire or Tyson Chandler play the 2012 season over radio, NBA TV or ESPN. It's only about money. This is not the same. It isn't romantic, inspiring or nostalgic. These Knicks cannot compare to those Yankees. I wish, with all my heart, that I had the same enthusiasm, but no matter how hard I try, I can't make the two teams parallel.

I love NY sports, but the fact that fans have waited over a decade for a respectable Knicks team to represent MSG, only to not be allowed to watch this team play, is criminal.