#KNICKSRAPED, The Chevy Guy, AROID & The World Series

More like #KNICKSRAPED

Thank you for joining me for another column here on DOInow.com. Please make sure to check out my column on the No Balance Alliance, the NBA, located in the archives. As talked about in that article, the NBA in any given year, only has four teams that really have a shot at winning it all. The rest is just garbage time games going through the motions. One of those teams is the New York Knicks.

Knick fans can be a delusional bunch. Many fans, whether it be on twitter, facebook or on websites, think this is a team that can compete. To quote the great Ralphie Cifaretto, from the Sopranos, when a  hooker is talking about having a family with him, "WHAT ARE YA, FUCKING NUTS?"

The Knicks have been a mismanaged shit-show of a mess ever since Patrick Ewing donned a Seattle Supersonic jersey. The Isiah Thomas Era may have been the darkest era in the history of the franchise. The Knicks are still rebounding and reconstructing their championship, as the Thomas Era left ruins all over.

The Knicks have gone out and hired Phil Jackson. Why Phil Jackson would take this job at his age is beyond me, especially since his significant other is running the Lakers and Phil is more at home in LA. There is no quick fix with the Knicks. As mentioned in my other NBA article, to win in this league, you need premier top superstar talent. The Knicks don't have that at all. You have the malcontent Carmelo Anthony, who has already gone on record as saying he doesn't want to do much,  a bunch of washed-up guys and rookies with upside, but not superstar upside.

Before the Knicks/Bulls game tipped off last night, I predicted a 109-84 Bulls win. I wasn't that far off. I expect alot of blowouts this year. You might as well call Cleveland police right now, because the Cavs will murder the Knicks tonight.

The Knicks made so many horrible moves this off-season and I don't see how they can even grab a playoff spot this year. Phil Jackson is a name. He is not coaching this team. Even when Jackson did coach, he picked is spots.  Look at his squads. In the 90's, he had the best player of all time, Michael Jordan. Jordan had the best sidekick in all of the NBA, Scottie Pippen with him. Rounding out the first three-peat squad were guys like Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, BJ Armstrong and John Paxon. After Jordan's suspension time away for baseball, Jordan/Pippen/Jackson reunited with a team that boasted Toni Kukoc, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper & Steve Kerr. These are legendary teams!

After his Bulls years, Jackson coached the Lakers. Jackson had the second coming of Jordan in Kobe Bryant. Jackson also had one of the most dominant players to ever play the game, Shaquille O'Neal on his team. Rounding out those Laker teams were guys like Ron Harper, Derek Fisher, Rick Fox and Big Shot Robert Horry. Later on, Jackson would win with Kobe, Bynum and Gasol. 

THERE IS NO ONE ON THE KNICKS THAT IS KOBE BRYANT OR MICHAEL JORDAN. Forget having an elite number two like a Pippen or Shaq. I know many people love Carmelo, but Carmelo is not a winner. He cries about everything. He is not a team player. His interviews and body language is horrendous. He is a good pure shooter, but plays no defense nor knows how to dish the ball like his contemporaries.  Even the great Lebron James passes the ball and plays D. Why can't Melo?

The Much Heralded  LOL Triangle Offense

With Jackson under tow, the first thing Jackson did was seek a coach. He was spurned by Steve Kerr! Steve Kerr, a guy who has never coached a game before, told the Knicks no! Kerr in no way, shape or form wanted his name attached to this mess! With his first option telling Phil to get the fuck away, Phil hurriedly signed Derek Fisher, another guy with no coaching experience! How does this happen? 

Listen, I get it, point guards are supposed to make good coaches. Isn't this the same Derek Fisher who had to run away from the Utah Jazz to go back to LA, where the better doctors were,  because he has a sick son? How can he dedicate his time to the Knicks if he has to worry about his son's health all day long? I'm not trying to be cruel here, but to be a coach in any sport, you have to be married to the job.

The Knicks, in salary cap hell, then gave Melo a max contract! Why? Melo is not a winner! Melo has ran Linsanity out of NY, ran Mike D'Antoni out of here and Tyson Chandler couldn't wait to go back to the Mavericks. Just because you are a pure scorer, doesn't make you a basketball god. The Knicks should get away from this delusional idea that Melo can carry them to a championship and see what the Spurs are doing in San Antonio. It's about team play. There is no team play with the Knicks.

After hiring a rookie coach and giving a guy on the decline of his career a max deal, the Knicks started talking about using the vaulted triangle offense. Spike Lee even made a movie about it for MSG Networks! Are you effing kidding me??? For starters, who announces what their game plan is? NFL coaches don't talk about how they are going to blitz all day or run the ball. Similar here, who hands out their game plan?

Furthermore, the Knicks don't have the personnel to run the triangle offense. Growing up in New York, we had WGN, Chicago's regional station on Cablevision. This was also during the time the Bulls were really good and were always on TNT or TBS as well. I saw almost every Bulls game in the 1990's. There is not one player on the Knicks that could hang with those guys. The triangle offense is about team ball, quick passes, precision cuts and setting up jumpers. Yea, that offense totally screams AMARE STOUDEMIRE! Get lawst!

Listen, I want to see the Knicks do well, but Knick fans need to take off their Knick blinders if they think this team has a chance. As long as Lebron James is playing in the East, there is no way the Knicks are making the Finals. However, the Knicks have to fix themselves before they can even think about taking on Lebron. Who knows, by the time the Knicks figure it out, Lebron may be long gone and retired.

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Madison Bumgarner with the Chevy Guy!

The World Series wrapped up last night, with the San Francisco Giants defeating the Kansas City Royals, 3-2, to take the Fall Classic in 7 games.  While most of the games in the series were blowouts, this was a true classic Game 7 with high drama and a razor wire score.  The talk of the night was about one man, The Chevy Guy!

Now if you don't know what I'm talking about, please check out this World Series MVP presentation at this link: 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/d3WDcXNSUzE

This Chevy Guy is already a viral hit. His sweating, stuttering and "Uhhh Technology & Stuff" is all over the internet. You have to give credit to Chevy, because they are embracing it on their twitter account. Rather than being pissed about it, Chevy is running with it, and I support that.

Note to any future rich pricks who will get TV time due to a sponsorship: REHEARSE, REHEARSE, REHEARSE!

All joking aside, congratulations to Madison Bumgarner on winning the World Series. I have never seen a pitching performance like he put on these past 7 games. At only 25 years old, you hope that this isn't the peak of his career and there are many more big playoff games to come.

Almost as bad as Isis, it's A-Roid

With Madison Bumgarner recording the last out in the World Series last night, Alex Rodriguez (Check out my #F13KYOU, Why AROID is UNFORG1VABL3 article in the archives) is officially a New York Yankee again. The suspension is over, and in a year where Yankee fans have lost their heart and soul with Jeter's retirement, the Yankees still have three more years with A-Roid.

Bigger than PT Barum could ever imagine, the Yankees are going to need a big ass tent to house this circus come spring training. One of the biggest scumbags in baseball is back and you know he will crave the media attention as usual. Of course, this is a NY-centric site and I follow NY sport related media, so I heard more about A-Roid being off suspension than Madison Bumgarner's legendary performance. That is quite sickening.

Brace yourself folks, we are six months away from A-Roid-a-mania being in full-swing.

Thanks for reading.

Comments, questions, hate mail can all go to:

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@AOL.COM

@NYCTHEMIC on the twitter

SLAPSHOTS: Random Observations & News

My Live View While Jinxing The Rangers This Season

I would like to thank everyone, no matter who you are or how you found out about the new DOINow.com website for giving us a chance. We hope to make this site a daily click for you during your day, as we will constantly be updating with heavily opinionated and independently thought out articles. 

We have posted alot of content lately, so I would like to give you a reminder to check out our archives, which you can do by checking out the right-hand side of the site.

Articles posted in the last two weeks by yours truly, include:
- Why Frank Boucher Should Have His Number Retired at MSG
- Sons of Asinine: Why Mayhem Should Be Called on This Series
- No Balance Alliance: Why the NBA Season Is The Most Meaningless in Sports
- The Duke of NY: How Anthony Duclair Can Make a Major Difference & Change the NHL

Anthony Duclair, on his way to first NHL goal, scored this past Monday Night

- FORG1V3? F13K YOU! Why A-Roid Is Unforg1vabl3

- A Rangers Fan in Montreal: Recounting My Trip To The Bell Center.

- Why NY Fans Shouldn't Panic

- How To Fix The NY Jets: A Giants Fan Perspective

Summing Up The Jets Season This Year

- Carmelo Anthony: SHUT UP!

- Is The NHL Losing The Younger Generation in NY?

All this and much more, here on DOINow.com. Give the articles a read and let us know what you think by dropping a line to the email below. Aside from my articles, we have Michael Zevon weighing in on Amnesty & Michael Sam, the debut of " THE MANIAC CHRONICLES" by Frank Goodman and an opinion piece by C. Vera. We are trying to build this site to be a daily place for you to get your think and debate on, so we hope you visit us on a consistent basis. I've always enjoyed doing the writing, it is the plugging and promoting part that is a chore!

How I Have Felt These Last Three Years at Madison Square Garden!

As talked about in previous articles and as some may know personally, for 10 years, I was involved in independent professional wrestling, wearing all types of hats. Due to my work, I really didn't get a chance to enjoy life the way I should have. I did have great experiences, but you shut out a lot of the world when you're working constantly. Since selling all my wrestling assets & "retiring" 2 1/2 years ago, I have all the time in the world to attend all the Ranger games I want. However, I can't help but feel like a jinx as of late!

The sports world is a very superstitious world. Athletes are known for their weird superstitions and habits. From the extreme Wade Boggs to Lebron James, athletes have always had their quirks.  As someone who has attend 85% of Ranger games at MSG these last three years and a few games on the road as well, I always feel I'm the bad luck charm. However, I also feel like I'm bringing them luck whenever I'm squeezing my stress puck too.

The NY Rangers are beat-up this season. They are coming off a long playoff run. Dan Boyle, their #3 defenseman and the anointed messiah of the power-play, went down in the first game. Starting center, Derek Stepan got hurt in practice before the season, and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Due to advancing to the Stanley Cup, other teams took notice and plucked away at the Rangers. The salary cap didn't help matters either, as veteran players like Brad Richards were forced to seek work elsewhere. The Rangers, while having many similar faces as last years team, are also breaking in several rookies and guys looking for a chance at the Cup.

The Rangers have always been a slow-starting team and I'm not worried. It sucks spending your money and seeing them putting out a piss-poor effort. However, you ride the team through the highs and lows. I did just that, this past Monday night, when the Rangers took on the Wild.

Forget the 5 goal third period. Before that even took place, the "Fuck The Rangers" button was on in full effect. Two major penalties and game ejections were called by the referees, sending Chris Kreider & John Moore to the showers early. Calls against the Rangers were blatantly missed. Despite giving up 16 minutes of power-play to the Wild, the Rangers killed off each power-play, only to give up three quick even-strength goals. The icing on the cake was at the 30 minute mark in the game, the Rangers had 6 shots.

I was fucking livid as you can imagine, as I'm a die-hard fan of this team. Making matters all that more pressing was that I told my girlfriend I would meet her at her friend's graduation party, 10 blocks away.  With a 3-0 deficit, feeling like shit after seeing the team get spanked in Montreal, and seeing these refs, I felt like I've seen this movie before. I did something I've never done before, and left before the third period. I gotta admit, if it wasn't for the party, I would've stayed, but I figured I could watch the team play miserable for another 20 minutes on TV.

Of course, the Rangers, for the second time in their 88 year history, put up 5 goals in the third period and go on to win the game. It's one of the most historic games in Rangers history. Everything went right. And everything went right the second I left the building.

I have now come to conclusion that I will just attend games, and leave after the puck is dropped. When the Rangers win the Cup in June, you can thank me then!

S!A!M!E! SAME OLD JETS!

I've already done an article on how I think you could fix the Jets. Check out the archives to find it, as I wrote it when the Chargers waxed the Jets a month ago. However, the Jets continue to nose-dive to the bottom of the NFL, after starting 1-0. 

Mike Francesa did his epic rant on the Jets. We've seen the Smith & Vick 1-7 picture all over the internet. We heard Idzik's silly press conference. What more is left to say? The Jets suck and will continue to suck because they refuse to fix what's broken. As mentioned, I've done an article on this already, but here's 5 quick, but not easy fixes to fix the Jets:

1. Seriously look for a young white QB that you can invest in for years. The black scrambling QB, the old legend, the bible thumper or whatever gimmick QB the Jets are currently looking at is never going to work. I just know that true to Jets form, somehow, Jameis Winston will be in Jets camp next year.

2. Spend some fucking money. Being a NY team and having $20 million in salary cap surplus is no way to win.

3. Idzik is going to plead with his job because he never got to hire his coach. Before repeating the cycle all over again, fire Idzik and Rex at the same time. Rex is a defense guy and has no clue how to build an offense. No one respects Rex either & Rex hasn't given people a reason to either. From flashing middle fingers, to sucking toes, to having a mexican football player tattoo to promising winning Superbowls, all Rex is missing is the red clown nose. I'd back up a dump truck full of money at Cowher's house or wait Harbaugh out. The Jets need someone militant there.

4. Take a step back and look at the successful teams in the league. Why are they successful? What type of people are in these organizations and how do the Jets get people similar?

5. It will never happen, but this is the biggest, get a new owner. Woody Johnson is the ring leader of this circus. I am going to do an article on this eventually for this website - the battle of NY sports. Most fans in NY are either Yankees/Rangers/Giants or Jets/Mets/Islanders. The former teams have won championships and have had success while the other three have not. And do you know why? Because it starts at the top. The Yankees & Giants have had superior and Hall of Fame ownership for most of their existence. The Jets & Mets have some of the weakest owners in sports. Dolan is no peach for the Rangers, but Wang and previously John Spano gives Dolan the advantage by default.

I feel bad for the Jet fan, but you bring this upon yourself. If you pay for seats, watch the games or buy merchandise, you're not hurting this team in the wallet nor making this team take notice. The Jets have been a futile franchise for most of their existence. It is no wonder their most famous player is a drunk guy who comes off like Quagmire. 

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Again, I would like to thank everyone for visiting DOINow.com. Please spread the word, via your social media networks, telegrams, the pony express or however else you would like. 

Thank you for reading!

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@nycthemic on that twitter gimmick

Sons Of Asinine: Time For Mayhem On This Series!

SAMCRO: Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original

Outside of sports, I'm also addicted to TV. We are living in the Golden Age of TV. Originally ushered in by shows like "Oz", "Homicide" and "The Shield", the Golden Age of quality cable dramas on TV has included "The Sopranos", "The Wire", "Breaking Bad", "Dexter", "Homeland", "The Walking Dead", "Justified", "Deadwood", "Game of Thrones" and many other favorites. One of these favorite shows for people is Kurt Sutter's Sons of Anarchy.

Sutter, who cut his teeth with "The Shield", has created a fictional series about a motorcycle gang and their daily trials and tribulations. Sutter likes to tell people it's based off Shakespeare's "Hamlet", but that's just a diversion tactic to make it seem what he has here is a work of art, where it's nothing else but an over-dramatized cartoon western.  Don't get me wrong, at one point I enjoyed this show tremendously, but now, it's just a parody of itself, despite how serious it tries to take itself.

I got hooked on Sons of Anarchy through DVDs. I caught seasons one and two on DVD and caught up in real-time during Season 3 through On-Demand. I enjoyed the actors, the fresh stories and the writing. As time went on, the freshness of the show got stale real quick.  There are so many things that drive me nuts about this show. Now here, in no particular order, is why I think this show should go to a vote for Mayhem at the table, and be put out of its misery before the finale even has a chance to air.

REASONS THIS SHOW SUCKS TODAY:

- Jax Teller is the stupidest person on TV. From not figuring out Clay killed his father to not figuring out his mother killed his wife, Jax is the dumbest person on TV. He makes Forest Gump look like Einstein. Walter White, Jax Teller is not. Jax lacks brain power or the ability to see what is going on around him.

- How many times do we have to hear Jax say the word "family"? How many times do we have to have scenes of Jax smoking and staring into space? If you took a shot of your favorite booze every time Jax said "family" or stared off into the distance, you would be in the hospital with an IV hooked up to you before the first commercial break.

- And why at this point does anyone want to be a member of SAMCRO? All you do is get shot at all day, make no money, lose everyone you love and never get a chance to take a shit in peace. What is the benefit of joining this leather fraternity?

- The cartoon violence is so unbelievable. It's worse than a spaghetti western movie. HOW MANY FUCKING TOWNS DO YOU KNOW WHERE THERE ARE 834838438348834 GUN FIGHTS A DAY AND NOTHING EVER HAPPENS AS A RESULT? The Land of Oz was more believable than Charming, California.

- The way this show harps on buzzwords like "the black", "the chinks", "the brown", "the nazis", "the irish" etc, who talks like this? Is this 1960 or so? California is a liberal state. Nobody talks like this at all. And why do all these nationalities need 384384383848 guns anyway? It's not like anyone ever kills anyone in these billion gun fights a day.

- Katey Sagal singing every damn episode. It's great that the former Peg Bundy is married to writer/director/creator Kurt Sutter, but hearing her butcher some famous song week after week is more torturous than Otto's tenure on the program. (Sutter's character on the show).

- Why do we need 8438438 montages a show? Leave the montages to Rocky IV. It's hilarious and it seems like a forced way to sell songs for the SOA album. At one point in the series, it felt organic and right, now you can call them coming from a mile away.

Carmelo Anthony has even had a cameo on SOA. That guarantees this show will never win a championship or Emmy!

- If Jax is all about his "family", how come he cheated on his wife repeatedly and never sees his sons? The whole killing his stepfather thing while his mother greased his wife is part of Sutter thinking he's Shakespeare, but it really just cements Jax as a dumbass.

- Why do these episodes have to be 90 minutes long? Every episode ends with a cliffhanger, then the next week, the ignore what happened and just kill time with filler until it's time for another cliffhanger. There is no reason these clunky episodes have to be 90 minutes long at all.

- It's just too over-the-top. School shootings, rape, kidnapping, drug dealing and murder. And that's just Monday. Oh and none of these crimes are ever solved either. Amazing.

- No regard for human life. Just because the writers are lazy and can't think of anything to do with a minor character after their use, doesn't mean they should just kill them off. How many people will be dead and buried by SAMCRO for no reason or legal ramifications at all?

- How people just conveniently forget the past. So Adrianna from Sopranos is a junkie who Peg Bundy tried to kill time and time again. But now they are best friends. What?

- Why can't the police do anything? Why do they need the MC to police the town? The MC at this point is only like 5 people anyway. Just lock them all up and throw away the key. Detroit, Ebola and deep dark black Africa has safer streets than Charming.

- Dated views. Unless you're married to a SAMCRO member or the mother of someone in the club, you're basically just viewed as a hooker or a piece of pussy. Is this 2014 California or some low life Isis middle east country?

The cast, sometime before season 5 and when the show was watchable

- And perhaps the biggest reason, what is the point? We knew why Walter White had to cook meth in Breaking Bad. We understood Tony Soprano. We knew what drove Vic Mackey. We know what makes Raylon Givens tick. But here, why would anyone want to live in this world? Wouldn't it be easier to work a normal 9-5, enjoy your bullet-free day and live with the real world? What is the whole point of the MC? They don't make money and your life is in extreme danger every day. There is no benefit of being a member unless you get a hard-on whenever you hear the word "family" being uttered.

Listen, I'm still watching the show. I'm here to the end. However, each episode gets more painful to struggle and sit through. Sometimes I just try to remember that it's fiction and over-the-top. Then I'll do Sutter do an interview where he pretends he's a genius and SOA is more than just bikers, guns and drugs. The thing is, it's not. That's all it is. None of what Sutter is writing applies nor is realistic. 

I can't wait until this show finishes it's #Finalwhimper to the finish line mainly because when this show is mercifully over, JUSTIFIED returns to FX in the Tuesday 10PM timeslot. Until then, I'll be debating what's more authentic, Sons of Anarchy's world or the Walking Dead's world. Who knows, maybe ebola started the Walker apocalypse? 

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@NYCTheMic in Twitterland

NBA: No Balance Alliance

Gotta Wonder if Michael Jordan Will Ever Be Alive To See His Iconic Jumpman Become the Official NBA Logo

No it wasn't a channel line-up change by that ceremonious prick, James Dolan, this past Tuesday night. (10/28). I wasn't watching BET. What I was watching was the start of the NBA season on TNT.

The National Basketball Association, the NBA, kicked off another season last night featuring several marquee match-ups. But outside of hardcore hoops fans, does anyone care? The NBA starts their season smack-dab in the middle of everything - the World Series, the mid-way point of the NFL season, the NCAA football season during a time where teams are juggling for rankings and with the NHL season in full effect.

Where NFL fans clamor for the first kickoff of the season, MLB fans ready to smell the grass on opening day and NHL fans ready to feel the brisk ice on their face during the first puck drop of the season; the NBA makes a silent fart during the first tip-off of the season.

In fact, before you started reading this article, did you know the NBA season started last night? Do you even know who played?

The NBA comes in and out of our lives during the course of the next 8 months. Most sports fans have their attention on football. Once football is over come February, we start paying attention to basketball again until it's time for first pitch in April. Once late May-early June hits again, you flip on the games to see what's going on. The NBA season is a tedious chore to watch, and I'll explain why.

Players are already crying that the 82 game season is too long. Primadonnas like Lebron James and even working men like Dirk Nowitzki are complaining that the long season damages their bodies. Let's not forget these guys are getting guaranteed millions to play a game most sports fans would play for free. It is their job. It would be nice to walk into your job tomorrow morning and tell your boss that 52 weeks, 5 days a week is too much, and you need your schedule reduced to 26 weeks with full-pay. 

It is hard to sympathize with these greedy millionaire pigs especially when they are talking about striking again for more money. It never ends. But we must remember sports is a business first, and the fans & everything else will never come before the dollar. However, the players do make a point.

Unless you're a diehard NBA fan, chances are you don't watch your team play 82 games a year. I think the best schedule the NBA had was several years ago, during the 2011-2012 lock-out season (these pigs are always either on strike or talking about a strike. The season ran from Christmas to the second week of April. It was perfect. The season was shaved down to 66 games. And really, that's all you need. You could even get away with 50 games. The flip-side is, if you do that, you're really screwing around with the history books when it comes to records. Of course, the NBA will add games before they ever shave games off the schedule because money comes first. Do you think the NBA owners are willingly going to give up millions of dollars? N-word please!!!

For Better or Worse, The Face of the NBA Today

The biggest difference about the NBA compared to the other three major sports in America is that basketball is not purely a team sport. Every sport has their stars, but no star can change a game like a basketball player. A quarterback needs his other 10 team mates on his side of the ball to work together to get a drive going. A batter only gets a guaranteed turn at the plate once every three innings. A hockey player needs the cooperation of his line and defense to make moves. In basketball, all you gotta do is throw the ball to your star, call an ISO (isolation) play and let him do the rest.

We are now in an era in the NBA where these mega-stars are teaming up on purpose. There is no such thing as being loyal to a team anymore. The last time you had jersey loyalty was in the 1990s, and even those guys, as time went on, would switch colors. Anyone remember the Pippen/Drexler/Barkley/Olajuwon  Rocket team of the 1990s? The only difference was that those guys teamed up at the end of their careers for a ring, where as now, these guys are trying to team up together in their primes.

A basketball player can dominate and influence a game more than any other athlete in any of the four major sports. We are now in a time where parity is at an all-time low. This is what makes the regular season boring. Only four teams have a chance at winning a championship, with the other teams basically going through the motions. Does anyone expect a team other than the Spurs, Thunder, Cavaliers or Bulls winning a championship this year? Sure there are sexy underdog picks out there like the Clippers or Wizards, but would anyone put a real wager on that? We all know that it will be Lebron vs the Spurs again, until the day age catches up with the Spurs for good.

In a League Full of Misfits & Crybabies, The San Antonio Spurs Are a True TEAM in Every Facet

Look at the other three major sports. The NHL may have the most exciting playoffs in all of sports. Any team has a chance once they are in. Game 7's are common and nothing is like playoff hockey. Underdogs and upsets are common. Just look at last year's Stanley Cup, between the Rangers & the Kings. Both teams had to win multiple Game 7's to advance. Nothing comes easy. 

The NFL has erred on the side of parity way before any other league, and perhaps too much. Dynasties are a thing of a past. With a horrible salary cap (The NFL abuses their players & there are no guaranteed contracts) championship teams can not retain their squads. Teams that win the Superbowl often miss the playoffs the next year due to  not having cap room. Just look at the Giants & the Ravens. Both won the Superbowl and both missed the playoffs the following season. Look what's going on with the current champions, the Seahawks this year.

The MLB is no different. Instituting a new play-in wild card game has opened up new teams making the playoffs. While there is no salary cap in baseball, (well there is, but you can pay your way out of it) because baseball is a team sport, different teams are represented in the playoffs every year. Just look at the wild run the Kansas City Royals are on right now.

However, in the NBA, there are only four teams that have a chance every year. Dynasties are fun to watch, but it's good to get new teams in the mix. That rarely happens in the NBA. Repeat champions are often and even repeat championship final match-ups are common. The extension of making the first round of the NBA playoffs from 5 games to 7 games ensures the chances of an upset not happening. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for another Dikembe Mutombo moment any time soon.

I have enjoyed basketball for a long time, but my interest has waned as time has gone on for these reasons. It's the same shit every year. Lebron vs whoever is hot in the west that year. Kids are now rooting for the backs of the jerseys rather than the front of the jerseys. There are many people who were "Heat fans their entire lives" who are now "I've always like the Cavs". But the NBA embraces that and promotes their players more than their teams. 

The NBA seems to be a repetitive chore, like vacuuming, shaving, or cleaning out the gutters in the fall. You know who's gonna be there at the end, so who cares about the regular season? Let's just get to June and see if the Spurs or Lebron win. As I write this, and I bullshit you not, I have predicted the last four NBA Finals at the beginning of the season. I only missed the winner two years ago, as I thought the Spurs would beat the Heat. I'm going on record with Cavs vs Spurs this year. Wake me up when Duncan gets his sixth ring and let me know how those 15+ empty arenas looked during the regular season.

Until the NBA can find some semblance of parity, the NBA will have the most meaningless season in all of sports. The sport caters to their stars, and while it is refreshing to see a team that embraces the team concept, like the San Antonio Spurs, win championships, it is just boring that it is so easy to predict. 

See ya in June NBA.

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

@nycthemic on the tweet tweet

The Masked Maniac Chronicles

                                                                                                                          The Maniac Chronicles #1

For Those of You Who Aren't Aware of Who I Be...I Am The Man with the 21 3/4 Inch Arms...The 63 1/4 Chest.....The Reeeeeaaaal Big Neck & The Extremly Potent Penis ....I AM THE MASKED MANIAC & This is The Return of The Maniac Chronicles.....This Column is About Everything....Everything from My Poor Grammer to Wrestling...To Sports to America & Just About Everything I feel like Talking About....I am As Politically Incorrect as Any Human Can Be so if You Cant Handle it then Put Your Head Under a Moving Car Tire....

If You use the Words Bullying....Judging or Offended then You Are Whats Wrong with America!

For those who arent aware I have after 30 Years Retired as The Man who got Over Everytime I stepped into a Professional Wrestling Ring despite Possible being the worst Wrestler of All time and My 20 Year career as the Greatest Indy Wrestling Promoter of all time has also ended......Running wrestling shows in NY and NJ from 1993 until 2007 ish was one of the most amazing times of my life and I never realized just how amazing that ride was until I started running shows in Florida which was about 8 or 9 years Of just about never enjoying 1 minute of Promoting or even wrestling....NY was filled with some of the greatest wrestlers Ever....I started the careers of so many of todays stars and in Florida its filled with some of the most Delusional Moronic Schmucks who make me Look like Bret Hart.....In all my years as a Florida promoter Francisco Ciatso and Bruce Santee could be the only 2 wrestlers I have met who "get it"...Im sure there are a few more im fogetting but those 2 could have made it in the late 90's and mid 2000's when the NY indys ruled the World....But that being said I used to say if you cant draw 500-600 a show east you shouldnt be running shows...In NY I Averaged close to 1000 a show....In Florida while I had some 700-900 seat crowds at the Fairgrounds those were lucky flukes and on the norm averaged closer to 300 and to me even though most other promoters are giving away free tix and still drawing 50 a show I was embaressed to draw 300ish....I remember a year or so ago drawing 500 and everyone telling me how great it was and to be honest I was and am ashamed of 500 and 400 and 300.....You dont run shows to tell people your a promoter or in the wrestling business....you run shows to make a Poop load of Money and support your Family Not to be friends with a bunch of Delusional Drug Fiends!

49 Years Old & Never Too a Drug in My Life....Never Smoked & Never Drank & Benched Pressed Over 600lbs & Inclined Over 500lbs This Week....

I Wonder if Firemarks Widow is Still Whipping Men for Cash or Ringing Up Chinky Orders at the Chinese Take Out....?

Welcome to The New America Where if You Dont Agree with a Minority Your a Racist & if You Disagree with a Fruit Booty Your a Homophobe....

We as Americans are Told to Report Anything or Anyone Suspicious yet if We Say a Peep about a Muslim Fully Covered with just some Seedy looking eyes showing were Racists....

Florida Wrestlers are sooooo Delusional I book one of them I cant remember his name but he was a tix seller and a Josh Deely type of sucky one vs Leo the Lion Hunstiger & this Moron was so full of himself he tells me how it will ruin his many years of wrestling and cost him bookings.....

Can Someone Please tell Black People Maury Povichs name is Maury & Not MURRY!

Oh Yeah before any of you Imbeciles Rant that im a Racist My wife is of a Different Race born in a Different Country....I married into the Right to Attack all Races.....

And while im at it Black Girls Weaves Look Like Rotted Dead Animals Thrown on top of Their Heads.....

Tommy Pickles Still exists in the Mind of Believers.....

I Wonder of Smelly Randy Still Bangs His Mommy...?

I will never forget the time Smelly Randy was looking for a ride home for him and his Mom and turns out she was in the bathroom of the Deer Park Community Center Offering some Oral Enjoyment for anyone willing to drive them......

Follow Me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MASKEDMANIACXXX

Dont Pester Me on Facebook....Moronic Schmucks.....

Can Someone Please Tell Women & Girls who Wrestle on the Indys that Most of them Look Like Inbeciles....They have so much Cellulite that it makes me want to Vomit and they flat out Stink.....

Its Sad that Fans Cheer and Support These Delusional Drug Fiend Wrestlers that are former WWE/ECW/WCW Stars.....These guys sit in the lockerrom doing drugs and laughing at fans and promoters with their Lies about why they dont show or why they suck or why Vince McMahon is Evil....These guys you cheer and support are the low of the low....These guys you cheer are full blown Crack Heads.....they just want to see what they can get from people.....

For those of you who remember the Big Jim toys from the 70s I bought My son Dylan 2 dozen of them on Ebay in a lot and would you believe they were Mint and perfect....Amazing!

I Do Miss My USA Pro NY Shows.....

Has Sabboth Stiffed Anyone This Week...?

Does Anyone Speak English in this Country Anymore.....

Im Typing this While Watching a Dirty Looking Black Lady Workout in the Gym while wearing a Bathrobe and Slippers.....Ugh!

Has TNA Shut Down yet...?

In Case You Havn't figured it out yet I am as Politically Incorrect as Anyone to ever Grace this Earth and I wonder Daily How Glenn Gilbertti & His Weak Liberal Views can live with themselves Knowing their Views are Helping to Ruin America.....

Have Any former WWE/WCW//ECW Guys Dropped Dead Yet this Week or gone online and Begged the Fans who Blindly support them for Money...?

Follow Me on Twitter @THEMASKEDMANIACXXX

At what Point are the Jets going to Realize that their QB is a Lowlife Malcontent....?

I Miss Seeing Vordell Walker....Not to many others I Miss Seeing.....

Now The Weak Liberals are Whining and Complaining about the Quarantine of People with Ebola.....Where's Disco Gilbertti and his Picket Sign..?

Not Shocked that Honey Boo Boo's Deblasi Neck Fat Mother is Dating a Child Molester Seriously who else would date her...?

I Can sit in the car all day Listening to Jerky Boys & Howard Stern Prank Calls Non Stop.....

Spent some Great Times with Mike Tobin and his Macho Women this Summer....Especially us on the Beach......

I make a Lot of Jokes about a lot of people but when it comes to Loyalty Nobody beats Matt Striker....Matt came to work for me last year....Flew himself in & REFUSED Pay....

It would be to easy for Colt McCoy to be the QB for the Jets....I mean why would we want a White QB who is polite and well spoken & wants to succeed....

For those who message me daily and ask for me to do another Maniac Podcast....I would if I could find someone reliable to run it and not bail on me once they get a Rash between their Legs.....

To be Serious about the Jets...I was Pro Rex Ryan for a Long time but to be Honest what needs to be done is a complete Gutting of the Team from the GM who has 20 million available salary cap money and refuses to use it to the coach to each and every player on the team....they have not one player who is a MUST stay....

Im Worried about this Country...I Love America...I truely believe all men are created equal except for Radical Islamic Muslims but this Crap thats going on in America has to stop...You have to watch everything you say...Cant Joke cant fool....Unless Your a Minority or a Fruit Booty Freedom of Speech does not in any way Apply to you....

Hard to Believe just how many Wrestlers who worked for me from 1993 to 2014 have dropped dead or Killed themselves.....Even more hard to believe How many of them that live and breath Drugs are still alive ripping off the fans and laughing at them behind their backs......

I think for the 1st Maniac Chronicles Ive Whined like a Yenta Enough.....Ive Missed You all & Lets see how long this lasts until I get Bored or Neck Fat sends me emails Whining about how he has left me alone and im picking on him......

Peace....

MM.

A Ranger's Fan Experience in Montreal!

The Bell Centre, 7 hours before puck drop

After months of planning, booking flights, booking hotels and being pumped up, this past Thursday, I finally departed for Montreal, with the goal of seeing my first Ranger/Habs game at the Bell Center. I went with one of my long time friends Ray (@borgataray on the twitter) and one of my friends who is huge blueshirt diehard and hates social media, a fine young man that we call Tommy. The three of us were foreigners in a different land. While Canada has always been an ally of America, Quebec, the province that hosts Montreal, is in its own different world.

With gameday on Saturday, the three of us had time to explore one of Canada's greatest cities. What many people might not know is that Quebec wanted to secede from Canada and become its own country. Quebec, with Montreal being its capital, embraces French as the official language, where everywhere else in Canada, English is the official language.

Unfortunately, a national tragedy occurred in Canada the day of my trip, as a Canadian soldier was killed by a low life disgusting cowardly Isis scumbag in the nations capital of Ottawa. What I did enjoy about my trip in Canada was learning Canada's history. For instance, the reason Montreal or Toronto, the two biggest Canadian cities are not the capital of Canada is because back in the old days, Canada would be attacked by the English or the Indians. Canadians made Ottawa the capital because it was more inland and harder to get to. Cities more coastal would be attacked and Canada did not want to risk a major attack on their capital. 

The Ottawa tragedy would play later on into our trip. Where English speaking Canadians were friendly and embraced us coming up for the game, the snooty French Frog Fuckers gave us looks of disdain, spoke about us behind our backs in French and were generally just miserable people. However, I have to give a shout out to Marcos, the bartender at Bier Markt, right outside the Bell Center. We visited his bar three times during our trip because it was the best bar around. His hospitality and conversation won't be forgotten. Thanks for the round trip flights of beer!  

I would've loved to punch some Isis & French Fucks too!

After exploring the "Little Ireland' section of Montreal on Thursday night, where we found out real quick that the beer was stronger and bigger than in the States, we had to take a look at what one of the things Montreal was known for, its strip clubs. Not being a big strip club guy, as I think it's all a work, but not one to miss out on a male bonding experience, I visited one of the many strip clubs that littered St. Catherine's Street. While in there I also noticed that despite the free health care, Canadian women, or at least the ones that ply their trade in nudity, don't really have one hell of a dental plan. Either that, or they play hockey when they are not asking for $1 Canadian coins.

On Friday, we did some sight seeing, as we took in Old Montreal. We also took in the Casino, which took about $250 from Ray and myself. I guess some things never change, but we had fun doing it. However, it was the worst casino I've ever been to. Too small, no energy and worst of all, no free drinks. I've been to casinos in Oklahoma where you had to pay for the right to play blackjack (25 cents a hand), but at least you got a Heineken for your trouble. I will say, the $10 Bloody Mary I had while playing was the best bloody mary I've had in a long time.

Old Montreal also hosts some interesting architecture if you're into that. Not only is Olympic Stadium and Notre Dame Basilica there, Old Montreal hosts some building that was built in the 60s, that was supposed to be the future of condos, but wound up looking like a Jenga project.

At least you can't miss the place when looking for it

After sight seeing, we tried out the national dish of Montreal, this cheesy-curdy gravy contraption over fries called poutine. It tasted like horse shit. I should state, I've never consumed horse shit before, but I can't imagine it being any worse than this. It just looked like yeast infected french fries. These French fucks loved it though, as everywhere we went, people were shoveling this shit down their mouths. They were eating this crap so fast, they had to lift up their snobby noses just to make more room to throw this poutine stuff down their gullet. 

The real highlight of Friday, was going to this Brazilian Rodizio steakhouse, called "La Milsa". The three of us chowed down on steaks, pulled pork, turkey-bacon (I can still taste it), lamb, roast beef and any other animal these Brazilians could kill.  We went back to our room to decompress and hoping to shit our brains out, because after that meal, we couldn't move.

La Milsa claimed one victim, as Ray could not do anything for the rest of the night. Sharing a room with Tommy, we decided it was time to go back out and let our room air out, as there was more gas in our room than a Nazi shower. (Relax, it happened 70 years ago, it's ok to make jokes.)  After cracking open all the windows, it was time to explore the town again.

We decided to bar-hop around St. Catherine street. After a few Carlsbergs, we made our way to a place called "Charlie's American Pub", which looked like an American dive outside and was one inside. Finally, home sweet home! That was until the bartender revealed she was a Habs fan and wasn't a fan of us in our Ranger gear. Making matters hairy was that there were 6 Samoan looking motherfuckers, drunk and blitzed out of their gourd. They were staring angrily at us and speaking something in their loser language about us.  It was time to make a decision.

Let me reiterate, I believe in fighting when the situation calls for it. Someone hits a kid. Someone shoves you first. Someone tries to rob you. But my philosophy on fighting over sports is an easy one. Athletes aren't fighting over my job, I'm not fighting over theirs. I've witnessed many bar fights over Yankee/Mets, Ranger/Islanders, Jets/Giants and every time, both people are retarded. Derek Jeter & Mike Piazza never slugged it out over the death over your crappy job and after they were finished at work, they shook hands. So yea, I'm not one to fight over sports, unless it is verbally. 

So these Samoan french fuckers were chomping at the bit to go. We were drinking warm shitty beer in this place, and despite being called an American bar, the place was full of these floppy headed Canadians. (South Park reference anyone?) So I had to pull the veteran move. I put a cigarette in my mouth (Who said smoking kills?) and said I'd be right back. These no-smoking in bars law saved us what could've been a situation. We went up for a smoke, and kept it moving.

Now you might say that's a pussy move, but 6 vs 2 in a foreign land while I'm on vacation? If you want that fight, I'm sure those people are still there. Enjoy.

Laughing at the stupidity of people, young Thomas and myself kept it cruising along. It was at this time where we saw a black pimp smacking the shit out of his white hooker. Now where we were was on the biggest street in Montreal.  Just imagine being in Canada's Times Square. Everyone was watching this black surly malcontent slapping this trashy methy white girl. I couldn't understand what they were saying due to them speaking that French shit, but I understand what punching a woman is. A group ahead of us went to break it up, but got swung at for their troubles. Everyone just gawked and watched. There is no police presence in Montreal, as this went on for 5 minutes and not one siren or cop. Maybe they were at the local Tim Horton's. 

While this was going on, across the street a gaggle of teenagers were going at it as well. The drinking age is 18, so you can imagine what that was like. I should also mention that several black men kept trying to sell cocaine to us as we walked around St. Catherine's Street, which just smelt like Willie Nelson, all the time.

Not wanting to get a second hand high or purchase any French cocaine, considering that both of us are union guys, don't do drugs and get drug tested at work, we decided it was time to wrap it up, get a good night's sleep and get ready for RANGERS HOCKEY.

The boys during warm-ups

Finally it was Saturday, game-day! The town was abuzz as every bar, restaurant and street was full of people in Habs gear. We saw several people wearing Ranger apparel and swapped stories about our time in French land. Since we were up early, we decided to check out the  Bell Center, which was conveniently a block's walk away from our hotel. We visited the Montreal Canadiens museum, which for Ranger fans, picture RANGERSTOWN during last year's playoffs on super-duper jacked out of this world steroids. The place was amazing & I'm glad I had the opportunity to check it out.

After killing some time in Bier Markt, it was time to head into the Bell Center. Several razzes went on, the best one was some 2 toothed scalper telling me it wasn't Halloween, as I was wearing my Jeff Beukeboom jersey. Ironically enough, for 4 Halloween's in a row, I wore a Ranger jersey & said I was a Ranger for Halloween. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Walking into the Bell Center was an amazing experience. This mecca of hockey is about 1.5 bigger than MSG. The history of the franchise is plastered all over the place. It is just something every hockey fan should do. The place lived up to it's billing. Even better, our seats were 2 rows off the ice and we were enthralled during every minute of our experience.

Marty practicing his signature shot from the circle

Watching pre-game warm-ups was an experience as we got to watch every player practice their moves. We were sitting where Lundqvist would defend twice, so we got to see the Rangers practice on our end. 

Hank, not realizing how his defense would let him down ever so quickly

Due to the tragedy in Ottawa, the NHL did this cool thing for all games played in Canada. The scoreboard showed us a live feed of the Devils-Senators game. From there, they had a ceremony and did both the US & Canadian national anthem there. It was a really surreal and important experience that I was glad to be a part of.

The game eventually started, and if you're a Ranger fan, you know what happened. Cary Price was just unbelievable, stoning two sure-fire goals, where the Rangers defense let Henry down & Henry couldn't make a play. It sucked to hear shit from Habs fan while the Rangers were playing one of their dump-in-the-pants games. I mean, they couldn't extend this win streak to 4? It was a great time, even if the score left me sore and sour.

I'm not worried about the Rangers this season. Only the Islander fans, who come out of hibernation from their April-October slumber talk about Ranger losses with such fervor.  Rangers will work it out and they will be in the playoffs again. I would've liked to see two points to make my trip to Montreal perfect, but what can you do?

The Montreal Wreckin' Crew, before we were watching clips of Tony Soprano getting his weasel greased!

After the game, the trip was approaching its fast end. As I write you this now, I'm back home and debating if I should go see the Rangers play the Wild tonight. Games may come and go,  but experiences like this last a life-time. I'm ecstatic to have finally gone to the mecca of hockey, French Frog Fucks and all.

LET'S GO RANGERS!

And Jet fans, I'll leave you alone today during your period of mourning.

Sean McCaffrey

BULLSMC@aol.com

NYCTheMiC on the twitter