All Sports Everything is on a Break!

 
Hey Sports Heads!!

I'm heading out of the country which means All Sports Everything won't be making any noise while I'm away.

I admit, it's pretty poor planning on my part.  Missing the Final Four and the NCAA Championship is a rookie move and I know better.  Thank God for the March Madness iPad app!  I will definitely be putting it to use while vacationing. 

Also, as I mentioned before, be on the lookout for some dope changes to the site.  This will happen within the next couple of weeks.  As always, thanks for the support!

Enjoy the busy sports weeks ahead!

S. Renee

P.S. Let's Go UCONN, men AND women!!
P.P.S. Let's go Yankees!  MLB Opening Day is Thursday!   

HBO To Premiere Curt Flood Documentary on July 13

The 1960s was a period when racial tension in the United States boiled over.  American history books were forever rewritten as Civil Rights Leaders Malcolm X and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were assassinated in 1965 and 1968, respectively.  Sports legend Muhammad Ali stirred the pot when he refused to report for duty and fight in the Vietnam War upon being drafted; rationalizing that since Black Americans were denied civil rights he could not and would not fight to protect those without rights in another country, in 1967. And, Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith made headlines during the 1968 Olympic Games when they displayed their solidarity to the Civil Rights Movement, performing the "black power salute" standing tall atop the podium with Olympic medals hanging around their necks, wearing black socks and shoeless.

John Carlos and Tommie Smith

These, and many other, powerful stories have been recounted time and time again.  However, the contribution of notable athlete and history maker, former MLB player Curt Flood is lesser known by many; and perhaps overlooked by others.

In a move that's long overdue, HBO is stepping up to the plate to share Curt Flood's story in a documentary set to air July 13, one day after MLB's All-Star Game.  The documentary will chronicle details surrounding the famous Supreme Court case, Flood v. Kuhn.

Flood is widely credited with introducing the concept of Free Agency after refusing a trade and challenging the Reserve Clause which stated that upon the expiration of a contract, players did not have the right to enter into a new contract with another team. Instead, the team retained the player's rights and could either resign or release/trade the player without the player's consent.  Taking a stand for what he believed to be right, Flood sacrificed money and his career in exchange for freedom and the power to choose the outcome of his future.  In a letter to MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, Flood compared the reserve clause to slavery, stating, "I am not a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes." 

Despite the support of the MLB union, Flood ultimately lost the case.  However, the former St. Louis Cardinal center fielder's impact on the sports world continues to reverberate more than four decades later; as seen last summer with then free agent Lebron James and the media circus surrounding his "decision".

HBO's choice to tell this story at a time when the futures of the NFL and NBA are unknown, due to labor disputes, will allow the cable network to ride the wave of the current sports climate and tell a story within a story; spurring interesting commentary and generating high ratings.  HBO's solid reputation of delivering compelling and thoughtful content will also give viewers more than enough reasons to tune in.  But if you remain unconvinced that this story is necessary and important, I encourage you to watch because Curt Flood's sacrifices were an integral part of not only sports history or Black history, but most importantly, American history.

When Things Fall Apart: The NY Knicks

“I couldn't see nothing at that time. Blood was coming out of my eye, so I couldn't really see. I don't even know what was going on.”

-Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony on his collission with Rajon Rondo late in the loss to the Celtics.

Doh.

The NY Knicks' team and season continue to come apart at the seams.  Since Brooklyn native, Carmelo Anthony joined the Knicks, they are an umimpressive 7-9. A run that includes two three-game losing streaks, one three-game winning streak, losses to the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers (twice!!), and slipping to the 7th playoff seed.

NBA journalists are sounding off everywhere.  Here's what's being said:

PRESS PLAY: STEPHEN A. SMITH


PRESS PLAY: NBA TONIGHT

• NY Daily News:  Knicks star Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire see in Celtics sacrifice they must make to win

• NY Daily News:  Melo already part of Knicks history...bad history

• NY Daily News:  New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh reiterates Carmelo Anthony Deal was his decision, not Dolan's

• NY Post:  Melo bloodies, psyche bruised as Knicks slump reaches 6 out of 7

• NY Post:  Walsh:  I'll take blame for Knicks soon

• NY Post:  Doc's Rx:  A little bit of time

• Yahoo! Sports:  Melo wilting under burden to lift Knicks

• ESPN New York:  New York Knicks need much more from Melo

• ESPN New York:  Knicks Need to be Stoudemire's Team

• ESPN New York:  Knicks must find consistency at center

• Slam:  Carmelo: Knicks May Not Jell Until Next Year

• ESPN:  Knicks' Loss Stings Like Decade of Misery

• NBC:  Celtics Teach Knicks A Few Lessons

• FoxSports:  Melo:  Knicks Might Not Improve Soon

Photo Credit: Sipkin/News

CBS and Turner Sports Share in the (March) Madness!

In an unprecedented move, CBS will share its broadcasting duties and $10.8 billion cost of the rights to the new 68-team NCAA Tournament with Turner Sports and its affiliated networks which include TBS, TNT, and truTV. The new partnership will, for the first time, put the fan in control of programming and give us home access to every game throughout the tournament. Score!

Game analysis and commentary will be brought to you by CBS and Turner's familiar roster of broadcast talent: Greg Anthony, Charles Barkley, Seth Davis, Len Elmore, Greg Gumbel, Ernie Johnson, Gus Johnson, Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr, Kenny Smith, Marty Snider, Matt Winer, and Tracy Wolfson.

This is certainly good news for the viewer. We can now assert our power and select which games we prefer to watch. In the past, I've always felt I was at the mercy of CBS to deliver the game(s) I was most interested in watching. This hit or miss approach has often left me disappointed, ruining my viewing experience.

Additionally, and most importantly, Gus Johnson fans are now guaranteed the opportunity to hear and revel in all of his calls. For me, this is the biggest win of them all! Gus will bless us with his awesomeness starting Wednesday night. Now, if CBS would wise up and assign him to the National Championship Game, my March Madness experience would be complete. If you agree, sign the official Put Gus Johnson on the National Championship Game Petition.

If you're left scratching your head wondering what the hell truTV is and most importantly, if it's included in your basic cable package, the answer is yes. As you breathe a sigh of relief, I'm sure you're now left wondering if it's available in HD. Well, the answer is yes and no. It depends on your cable provider and location. Unfortunately, New York City Time Warner Cable sufferers customers like myself do not receive truTVHD.

The madness starts tonight with truTV First Four at 6:30 PM/ET. Do yourself a favor, save yourself some time and locate the channel number in advance.

Living on a budget and no longer have cable? If you have the internet, you don't have to miss any of the action. All of the games will be available on the NCAA Tournament's website via March Madness on Demand.

OR, if you have an iPhone, iPod, or iPad, you can download a number of apps to manage your brackets and watch the games on-the-go. Read more at Technorati and Digital Trends.

Good luck with your brackets and finding truTV.

Let's go Big East!!

New York Knicks Season-Ticket Prices on the Rise!

Today the New York Post reported that the New York Knicks plan to significantly raise season ticket prices for the first time in six seasons.  While the Knicks ranked among the league's worst teams the past few seasons, their prices would suggest otherwise.  They currently charge the second highest price for season tickets at $88 per ticket.  The NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers hold the number one spot at $113 per ticket.

According to the New York Post,

The combination of the Knicks being on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2003-04, the ongoing $700 million to $1 billion transformation of the Garden and the latest blockbuster addition of superstar Carmelo Anthony to play alongside Amar'e Stoudemire has prompted owner James Dolan to raise the roof on ticket prices.

Since the Anthony trade, according to SeatGeek.com, the prices for some Garden games on the secondary market rose as much as 113 percent from the season average. SeatGeek.com is a ticket search engine that allows fans to search the top secondary markets for the best prices.

Before the season, the Knicks sold out of season tickets and created a wait list for the first time since 2001-02. More than 4,000 new season tickets were purchased for the season.

Honestly, this is expected.  In fact, I'm surprised Dolan didn't raise prices when Amar'e Stoudemire agreed to sign with the Knicks.  But since the Knicks also acquired Carmelo Anthony, the question was not a matter of when tickets would increase, but how much.  I guess we'll find out in the coming weeks.  MSG sports president Scott O'Neil will meet with current season ticket-holders today to present new benefits associated with the higher prices.

The timing of O'Neil's presentation is less than ideal as the Knicks are coming off an abysmal 109-127 performance against the Dallas Mavericks.  The Knicks, who are in the playoff hunt for the first time in six years, are without a doubt a better team; but immediately increasing the prices for loyal season ticket-holders isn't the best way to show appreciation to fans that have supported the organization throughout the good and the bad.

While the NY Post didn't mention a price increase for individual tickets, I'm sure it's coming as Knicks' tickets are incredibly hard to come by these days.  I know because I've been trying to find two reasonably priced tickets all season, but every game's been sold out.  I finally caved and bought tickets to Knicks at Nets in New Jersey.  The Prudential Center is certainly no MSG, but it's better than nothing, right?
  
Read more on this at: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/dolan_set_to_raise_prices_on_knicks_aDDpSpzewd8S87P4Jh17BL#ixzz1GIokAE7W
 

In other ticket news, New York Yankees single-tickets go on sale today.  You can purchase tickets on yankees.com.  The home opener is March 31 against the Detroit Tigers.

Mets fans, you can get in on the action starting Monday.  Tickets will be available on nymets.com.  Their home opener is April 8 against the Washington Nationals.