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.