Madison Square sufferin’: Knicks owner lashes fan
Matt’s Take:
If I were James Dolan, I’d be angry too.
How could you not be angry when your basketball team is a pathetic 10-41? I know it’s the New York Knicks, but there is still some talent on this team.
Dolan is in the news for more than just a crummy team though. Recently a lifelong Knicks fan sent the hotshot millionaire owner an email lambasting the team and decisions made by Dolan and his management.
Essentially the fan told Dolan that the team is garbage, which is in his absolute right as someone who probably shells out hundreds of dollars to attend games.
The fan, Irving Bierman, was greeted with a completely disrespectful response from Dolan, which shouldn’t be too surprising.
Here’s a snippet of what the Knicks owner’s response: “You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it. Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting for the Nets because the Knicks don’t want you.”
I’m sure this isn’t the first angry email Dolan has received, but to respond like a total crazy person struck me as odd.
As the owner of a professional sports franchise, it would seem one must have thick skin. Dolan’s reaction was absurd and should elicit a fine from the league office. Heck, if this were the NFL, Dolan would be suspended for his classless actions.
By my accord, Dolan is the “miserable” person here, not the fan whose probably telling the truth.
Andrew’s Take:
Babe Ruth is rolling over in his grave.
Well, that’s not a new thing. Major League Baseball has that guy in constant motion.
As a resident of The Big Apple, I’ve come to expect the unexpected when it comes to New Yorkers.
Just when you think the city is about to come together, they get “too cool” for unity. And just when you think they’ve given up, you’ll find yourself in the middle of a full-on argument between strangers. If you don’t take cover, you’ll get covered in half-masticated cold cut.
During my first fall in Brooklyn, the New York Yankees made it to the American League Championship Series. As a relative outsider, I was excited to witness the city’s collective excitement. I guess I was stupid to imagine Italian-Americans, in navy blue, high-fiving each other on their way to the bodega. But as I squeezed into an over-crowded subway car, I didn’t see one article of Yankees clothing and I did not hear one mention of the Bombers.
The New York Knicks are beloved in the Five Boroughs. I say that as a Brooklyn Nets fan. The Nets are No. 2 in this city, and it will always be that way.
As much the Knickerbockers are loved, their owner is hated. James Dolan has run one of the proudest franchises in basketball into the Manhattan bedrock.
The Knicks’ record is, an NBA-worst, 10-41. This season looks like nothing more than a lottery-hopeful tank job, which seems like a waste when you have two aging, $20 million dollar players on the roster.
Irving Bierman, a lifelong Knicks fan, revealed such sentiments in an email to Dolan last week. And the owner responded.
Dolan said, “start rooting for the Nets because the Knicks don’t want you.”
My first inclination, as a relative New York newbie, is to criticize Dolan. But what does Bierman think he’s bringing to the table? Dolan’s heard all of this.
If he wants his team to win, he should stop wasting the administration’s time.
Also, the New York Knicks haven’t won a championship since 1973. Why is 2015 the breaking point?