Hearts of Lions
Anyone who’s read this site knows that we don’t put much stock in the old saw that “sports are an escape from real life.” On the contrary: sports are played, coached, and officiated by real people. Fans experience real joy …
Author: mattkonrad
Little Bits of History Repeating
I don’t really know how I got here. Not in the straightforward biological sense. Not really, even, in the more complex what-are-any-of-us-doing-on-this-here-Earth construction. But when it comes to the question of how I wound up writing about the long, weird …
Miracle on Eighth Avenue
On October 4, 1951, the New York Herald Tribune published the greatest lede ever written. It lay at the top of Red Smith’s dispatch from the Polo Grounds, where a one-game playoff for the National League pennant had been decided …
The Admiral and the Beaver
The second week of November is a great time to be a basketball fan. As I write this, Bally is perched behind me keeping an eye on LIU-Brooklyn’s effort at an Assembly Hall upset, and this morning I brushed my …
Man on a Mission
“God created man. Zadar created basketball.” — Apocryphal Croatian saying There’s plenty that’s exceptional about Our Game, circa 2013. Advanced stats and sci-fi cameras
No Place Like Somewhere Close To Home
Wherever you may be, Thanksgiving inspires thoughts of home. For me, that’s also inspired a lot of thinking about the Northern Iowa Panthers in the last week. As I’ve mentioned, my current home is almost as far from a mid-major …
Ledell & Randy & Tony & Tank
I’ve carried on a lifelong love affair with New Orleans, and at least part of it has to do with Ledell Eackles. It’s also been inspired by a love of jazz and an affinity with cocktail culture and proximity to …
After The Flood
I know it’s not scientifically proven, but everyone who’s spent a decent chunk of time with an iPod on shuffle knows that the little music robot has some kind of psychic connection with its owner’s mood. It was no surprise, …
Didn’t They Ramble
In the early years of NCAA basketball, Our Game had its unquestioned capital in New York City. The finest players and smartest coaches came up through the five boroughs, and an NIT victory at Madison Square Garden was the pinnacle …
When The Gold Dust Twins Met the Globetrotters
As Ray pointed out last week, Season X has finally bid adieu to one of the Mid-Majority’s betes noires: the guarantee game, in which one of our own earns a much-needed paycheck (and a likely loss) for visiting a power-conference …