I know the Knicks are bad, actually terrible, but this is taking it to a whole new level. On the final day of the Masters, when most announcers are concentrating on, you know, the golf, Jim Gray had Tom Brokaw on during XM Radio's Masters coverage. That's not so bad I guess. Brokaw is a respected journalist and I'm sure he's no worse than John Mayer doing Red Sox games, but things quickly took an interesting turn when Brokaw suddenly started ripping the hell out of the Knicks.
Let's listen in - by which I mean read a transcript (courtesy of Newsday).
Brokaw: “The NBA, as you know I am a big fan of the NBA…or have been. I am not very happy with it at the moment. I think that they have lost their way.”
Gray: “Why not…What bothers you?”
Brokaw: “What bothers me is that a lot of the deportment is inappropriate. You know, off the court, and I think that just four or five exceptions they are not being what they ought to be to the country.”
Gray: “And you have such a large voice, I'm wondering if you have spoken to the commissioner or team officials.”
Brokaw: “No…..He certainly knows how I feel about the Knicks…and their ownership. As a season ticket holder for a long time, I won’t renew because I don’t like the attitude that that ownership has brought to the community.”
Gray: “And you have been in the front row or close to it for a long time.”
Brokaw: “I was in the front row for a while and then three rows back but not next year. I just think that they have failed their obligation to the city. I think that we have great sports franchises in New York. I think Fred Wilpon of the Mets and George Steinbrenner of the Yankees measure up and they bring to the community winning teams as best they can and make real statements about being supportive of the community. I don’t think that the Dolans have done that and I think the Garden has lost a lot of its luster as a result of their ownership and this is the first time that I have really said that out loud. But I feel very strongly about it and I think that it's the least we can expect. They get these huge prices for people to sit in those seats, all kinds of tax advantages to owning the Garden and yet they operate as if they were a sovereign country and want to play only by their own rules. So I’m not very happy about that.”
I'm actually somewhat surprised Brokaw is (was) a Knicks fan. He seems more like a hockey guy to me.Gray: “Why not…What bothers you?”
Brokaw: “What bothers me is that a lot of the deportment is inappropriate. You know, off the court, and I think that just four or five exceptions they are not being what they ought to be to the country.”
Gray: “And you have such a large voice, I'm wondering if you have spoken to the commissioner or team officials.”
Brokaw: “No…..He certainly knows how I feel about the Knicks…and their ownership. As a season ticket holder for a long time, I won’t renew because I don’t like the attitude that that ownership has brought to the community.”
Gray: “And you have been in the front row or close to it for a long time.”
Brokaw: “I was in the front row for a while and then three rows back but not next year. I just think that they have failed their obligation to the city. I think that we have great sports franchises in New York. I think Fred Wilpon of the Mets and George Steinbrenner of the Yankees measure up and they bring to the community winning teams as best they can and make real statements about being supportive of the community. I don’t think that the Dolans have done that and I think the Garden has lost a lot of its luster as a result of their ownership and this is the first time that I have really said that out loud. But I feel very strongly about it and I think that it's the least we can expect. They get these huge prices for people to sit in those seats, all kinds of tax advantages to owning the Garden and yet they operate as if they were a sovereign country and want to play only by their own rules. So I’m not very happy about that.”
Anyway, if the Knicks haven't already hit rock bottom, this may now officially be it. You have one of the world's most famous journalists go off on you during the final round of the Masters and tell the world he's not renewing his tickets - while using the word deportment.
I guess on the plus side for the Knicks, there'll be an extra seat available for next season. But I have a feeling there will be an awful lot of those.
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