Remember when the Knicks and Rangers were both relevant, playing on the same night, and you had to flip channels between the two?

Last night was one of those nights, and I can’t remember the last time that has happened.

Phase II of Lin-Sanity – when Amar’e Stoudemire returned to the lineup – got off to a raucous start with Jeremy Lin’s last-second three-pointer that beat the Raptors in Toronto. Lin finished with 27 points.

Meanwhile, on the ice in Boston, Henrik Lundqvist made 42 saves to stone the Bruins as the Rangers beat their main competition in the Eastern Conference, 3-0. Continue reading →

Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are on notice. Knicks fans will be watching very closely when the team’s two superstars return to the lineup. Very closely.

Last night, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers walked into Madison Square Garden and found  they had walked into a time warp. It was the Garden like they hadn’t seen it in about a dozen years.

You can credit Jeremy Lin, the unlikeliest of New York sports stars, and his growing legion of fans for this Lin-Derella story. Continue reading →

Look at the Knicks!

Playing without their two superstars, the grieving Amar’e Stoudemire and the injured Carmelo Anthony, New York won last night in the nation’s capital, its third straight victory with Harvard graduate Jeremy Lin at point guard.

Yes, that college basketball powerhouse, Harvard!

No, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to play point guard in the NBA, but intelligence doesn’t hurt. Most of all, it takes someone who is aware that basketball is a team sport and the point guard’s job is to distribute the ball so that everyone is involved in the offense. Continue reading →

Now that the Giants’ championship parade and celebration at the Meadowlands is over.

Now that the seven fans who reported their vehicles as stolen afterward have all found their vehicles – right where they left them in the stadium parking lot.

Now that the blitzed Giants fan in an Eli Manning jersey has led police through a wild chase on Long Island and been apprehended for it. (Her SUV was easy to follow since it was spray-painted with “Lets Go Giants.”)

Yes, now that football season is finally over, what’s next? Continue reading →

A story about Christmas and family in the old neighborhood.

Introducing Gino Tenpenny, a no-nonsense detective.

I’ve been an e-book author for less than two months now, and I already have two titles up for sale on amazon.com, with a third set to go by the end of the week. It may look like it happened almost overnight, but it most certainly did not.

Each story was many months in the making, from original idea to planning, writing and final edit. Something always seemed to get in the way. Usually it was my newspaper career and the 1-hour and 10-minute commute (on good days and nights) to Newark from my home at the Jersey Shore. Then it was my inability to convince an agent to take on a previously unpublished author. But, in the end, it came down to an opportunity that I could not pass up. Continue reading →

Eli Manning said the Giants have about six months to say, “Hey, we are the best. We are the champs.” Then it’s back to work.

And according to the Las Vegas odds-makers, the clock is already running on New York’s hold on the Super Bowl championship. The Giants have been installed as an 8-1 pick to win the title next year, leaving four other teams with better odds.

The Patriots, at 5-1, are the favorites, followed by the Packers, 11-2, and the Steelers and Eagles, both at 6-1.

The Eagles? Weren’t they this year’s “Dream Team?” How did that work out? Continue reading →

Heard this one a long time ago: God always answers prayers. Sometimes, he just says no.

Whether it’s Madonna pleading for “World Peace” at the conclusion of her halftime show at Super Bowl XLVI (not long after British rapper M.I.A. flipped us the bird during her performance). Or whether it’s a supermodel imploring family and friends to pray for her husband to come out on top in the big game.

This being the age of instant information, Gisele Bundchen’s gushing e-mail on behalf of her “Tommy” prior to the Super Bowl became news. As did her reaction to fans taunting her on the way out of Lucas Oil Stadium with “Eli rules!” and “Eli owns your husband!” after Eli’s Giants prevailed over Tommy’s Patriots, 21-17. Continue reading →

I made my Super Bowl pick on Jan. 13, right here on this blog and at njnewsroom.com. That’s correct. The pick was made just prior to the divisional playoff round and 25 days before Super Bowl XLVI.

Back then, I picked the Giants to beat the Patriots, 35-28. I see no reason to retreat from that prediction now, but I am getting a little nervous about it. More about that later.

To be precise, my pick wasn’t really a prediction. I just set out the most probable scenario that concluded with the Giants winning their fourth Super Bowl as a franchise. And the Giants and fate have followed suit … so far. Continue reading →

Reports have surfaced that Texas Rangers superstar talent Josh Hamilton was seen drinking alcohol at a Dallas-area bar on Monday.

If true, it’s Hamilton’s second-known alcohol relapse since 2009.

The outfielder missed the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons when he was suspended for drug and alcohol abuse while with the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization. In all, he sat out more than three years because of his addictions. Continue reading →

Angelo Dundee died yesterday. The legendary trainer for Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard was 90.

When Angelo Mirena got his start in boxing during the 1940’s, he changed his name to Dundee – just as two of his brothers had done – to hide their work in boxing from their parents. Today, all these years later, tributes are pouring in from all over the country. A part of boxing died with Dundee, they all say.

Dundee’s death brings to mind another longtime boxing trainer that I once knew, long since gone. He didn’t swim in the same world-class waters as Dundee, but he left his own long-lasting impression nonetheless. Continue reading →