us open + nba finals game 5 = the perfect father's day

There are a million degrees of sports fans.

Some people follow a single team or small handful of sports. These fans might...

...harbor a family pride they pass down to their children, find inspiration in an individual athlete who provided a connection that hit home and others live vicariously through the sport they grew up playing.

Another type of fan, like myself, appreciates the world of sports. Whether you follow Domestic vs foreign, major vs niche, individual vs team, national vs league, amateur vs professional or anticipate the Olympics...the options are endless. Listen if you are not a sport person, find joy otherwise, but if you do love sport, open up to it all! Going out of your way to create your own personal collage as a fan, recognizing the term "athlete" is more than ESPN's top ten and discovering the appeal of a sport you never participated in can become amazingly satisfying.

If you know my father, you know he loves playing golf. He started playing at 30-years old (shortly after I was born) and after nearly as many years learning, studying and completely falling in love with the game my father not only can hold his own on the course, but he actively follows the game. He knows who the long hitters are, who best controls iron shots, he can name the top wedge wizards on tour and strives to parallel his game after the premiere putters in the world. Who are his favorite players? He has always respected the game, etiquette and mentality of Fred Couples and Paul Azinger. He will never say it, but he sees himself in these two true professionals.

 However, golf has never been the only sport he cared about. My pops instilled the New York Knicks into my childhood long before any other team. When I was only eight, the Houston Rockets beat the Knicks in the 1994 NBA Finals. I still claim watching John Starks' three pointer get blocked by Hakeem Olajuwon as time expired (which if made won the title) in game 6 became my earliest sport fan memory. He loved the knicks, taught me about the team and planted a seed that continues to blossom. Dad explained how Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason were everything the Knicks embodied. It was the players, the make up of a real team and how a fan connected with his/her chosen team. I consider the NBA my favorite sport today, largely because of my father's passion two decades ago and how he ultimately utilized his love to his son to initiate my love to a sport.

This Sunday is father's day and I will be spending quality time with my mother who does not get to visit NYC often. We'll have brunch, walk around Brooklyn, talk about life and connect. Mother and son love will be in full effect. Meanwhile, pops will have played 18 holes at McCann National (and likely won money from his Sunday foursome), already marinated a large strip steak to be grilled for dinner and watch the conclusion of the 113th US Open. Later, he will pick up mom from the train station and have on the way to the station consumed an ice coffee so he can watch game 5 of the NBA Finals. After returning home, possibly missing the conclusion of the Open he has watched all weekend, he will chat with mom about her getaway in the big city. After all that, he will focus any remaining energy toward rooting on the San Antonio Spurs beating the Miami Heat in a massively important game. True Knick fan never supports Miami.

This is for my pops, who I have taken so much from (sports and life). He loves playing golf and watching it, he has always loved the Knicks and supported the Yankees. Although never enjoying watching hockey (despite his father being an above average talent on the ice) he finds ways to get NY Rangers tickets so his 90-year old father, my grandfather, can see his favorite sport in person. My dad embraces sport, and despite a career working away from home, continues to create bonds with his family throughout the world of sport. His dad gets hockey tickets, he purchases over-priced boxing matches to spend time with his younger bro, annually buys me NBA tickets as a holiday gift and absolutely loved watching his daughter swim and play softball at a high level.

I cannot overlook how, although never volunteering as my little league coach, he was always the first dad to volunteer to assist. As a former college baseball player and great dad, he came to the first practice every season and offered his services as Coach Glen. From Take Five Deli to Irish Club, he must have thrown a million pitches to my teammates and I. I remember Jamaar Murphy hitting a homer at Beal Field into the drivers side door of my pops car. Jamaar felt awful. My dad laughed, clapped, and hugged my teammate. My dad was and is the best. However, to this day, all those pitches at Spratt Park has permanently hurt his shoulder for me. It hurts him every day and makes sleeping comfortably difficult.

He did that for me and I just want to say,

Thank you.

I'm a Knick fan.

A big one.

They are the one team in professional sports that always captivated me growing up, despite year after year of mind-numbing mediocrity. The Yankees, meanwhile, winning four championships in five years dominated baseball. Don't get me wrong, it was a great run and I loved rooting for the pin stripes, but looking back it spoiled me. I expected 90+ wins, winning the division and a long run into October. It was too easy.

Being a Knick fan was the opposite. Known for the raw toughness and grit, during the 90's they always came too play. A true reflection of the people of New York City. Never having a superstar leader, instead a true understanding of each players individual role, the Knicks were a legit squad. They could never beat the Bulls, found ways to choke against the Pacers and the Rockets and Spurs were too much in the finals.

Something changed over the next decade. Countless poor decisions by the front office inevitably spread though the entire franchise like a cancer. Those in charge, led by the dynamic duo of GM/coach Isiah Thomas and owner James Dolan, made more bad decisions than Lindsey Lohan. Draft picks traded or wasted, ridiculous long term contracts handcuffed any offseason flexibility and team chemistry completely non-existent. A rotating door of the leagues leftovers or past their prime big names stunk up Madison Square Garden.

To name a few: Eddy Curry, Tracy McGrady, Steve Fransis, Allan Houston's contract, young Zach Randolph, Jerome James, Penny Hardaway.

The coulda woulda shoulda draft disasters: 2005 Channing Frye over Danny Granger; 2006 Ronaldo Balkman over Rajon Rondo; 2007 Wilson Chandler over Marc Gasol (that's an in hignsight note); 2008 Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings.

Owners of professional sports teams often earn their wealth from business prior to purchasing a franchise, which means they don't have the same instict toward their new team as their previous successful ventures. Like the doctor that retires and opens his or her dream restaurant; it doesn't always work out as imagined. The knicks owner is the son of Cable Vision founder Charles Dolan, whose company is one the major televison providers throughout all of the five bouroughs. He understands numbers, money, and the "now" factor Manhattan pumps out. Not X's and O's. Simply put, James Dolan between 2001-2011, ruined the knicks.

In feburary of 2011 the Knicks made a move that changed the direction of the franchise. Dolan always looked for the show stopper and he got what he wanted via the 11-player trade that exchanged a crop of young talent for the services of Carmelo Anthony. He made sure this move happened. He wanted it. So much so that he went over the head of then coach Mike D'antoni (who made clear he was against the blockbuster trade). D'antoni, the offensive guru, wanted young, hungry players ready to play as a unit. Tthe boss craved a star to become the face of his team. 

The new knicks were born. 

Melo came in, he faced the NYC media, hype and fan criticism only to struggle in his new kingdom. Fans expected immediate results, especially in Gothem, but despite the headlines, the Knicks couldn't click. Knick nation watched the Denver Nuggets excel and Anthony chuck up wild shots and shake up the locker room. Ask Amar'e how the team gelled. It did not start the way it was supposed to.

But that was then, this is now.

Melo found it in him to adapt, adjust and most importantly LEAD a team of guys who had been waiting for him to harbor change within himself. He was traded to be the face of NYC, this aint the Denver Nuggets, he needed to learn that for himself. 

He led his team to the playoffs for the first time in XXXX years in 2012. Did they get rocked be the Miami Heat in 5 games, yes. No loyal fan will say otherwise, but we made it, we took a step forward. Finally. 2013 Continued on the same path.