|
martin
Posts: 79154
Alba Posts: 108
Joined: 7/24/2001
Member: #2
USA
|
Knicks' web of frustration
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060414/SPORTS01/604140366/1108
By Mike Dougherty (The Journal News)
The unofficial biographers of a disastrous Knicks season are working feverishly to capture every awkward moment.
Nothing escapes notice in cyberspace.
Message boards are filling up with passionate displays of frustration, punctuated with aggressive finger-pointing. The season long ago became irrelevant, but these unusually devoted fans will not sit on their hands and wait for next season.
Isiah Thomas, Larry Brown and Stephon Marbury keep the conversation lively.
They've become sources of inspiration for a growing community of bloggers and posters who are providing a unique take on what's degenerated into the worst Knicks season in 40 years.
"Why would anyone put up with an old guy like Larry Brown just dragging them through the gutter one day and calling them stupid the next?" read a recent post on ultimateknicks.com. "Am I running through a wall for this guy if I already have $30 (million) in the bank?"
These are diehards in every sense, but the underlying hope that a turnaround is coming is no longer apparent.
"If the NBA was like the NFL, where you could just cut any player at the organization's will without penalty, who on the Knicks would still be on the team?" read another post on knickerblogger.net.
Comic relief provides a welcome break from all of the doom and gloom.
David Arnott is an NYU graduate who grabbed a guitar and came up with "The Ballad of Isiah" after seeing and hearing so many complaints about the mismatched roster. The music video became an underground hit after showing up on Sportzilla and the Jabber Jocks, an emerging blog.
"I have some pretty close friends who are Knicks fans," the San Francisco resident said. "I also read a lot of blogs, and everybody was blaming Isiah, so I thought maybe it would be less painful if they could laugh a little."
Some of these fanatics are remarkably clever.
They have screen names like nyk4ever and allanfan20. And the slogans they tack onto every post are fun, too.
"Send us your tired, your disillusioned, your injured, your overpaid. We'll send you cap room," is the invention of crzymdups.
How on the money is that?
"All Kool-Aid all the time," belongs to rvhoss.
So who are these people? And why are they doing this?
"It's an excellent way to vent," said 36-year-old Brooklyn resident Maikidi Busby. "You'll always come across fellow fans who agree and disagree with you. The discussions range from fruitful and productive to borderline bloodbaths."
Sometimes the facts and figures get exaggerated, but this is a knowledgeable crowd. When he started KnickerBlogger.com two years ago, Mike Kurylo felt a void needed to be filled.
"My opinion was not represented in any major outlet," the 32-year-old computer technician from Manhattan said. "I was tired of hearing the same cliches used to describe the events I was witnessing. For the most part, the major media lacks true analysis."
The site gets 600 hits on a good day.
Martin Cornman and Andrew Cornman are the envy of anyone looking to find a niche on the net. They started ultimateknicks.com in February 2001, and have made their labor of love a must-read for all Knicks fans.
"It's purely a hobby," said Martin, a 34-year-old Albany resident and self-employed Internet consultant. "Me and my brother just enjoy doing this."
Traffic depends on what's going on.
"It's a reflection of whether it's a game day and how the Knicks are doing," Cornman said. "We got 30,000 hits during training camp. Now, between the baseball season and college basketball and because the Knicks stink, we're getting roughly half that. So we feel it."
Some of the Knicks do check in online to gauge popular opinion.
"I used to scan through RealGM.com all the time," Knicks guard Jamal Crawford said. "I was addicted to scrolling through and seeing what they were doing and talking about. Everybody has an opinion. It was kind of interesting to scroll through and see what the fans thought. They are heard."
It's gotten so bad this season most of the players no longer need outside input.
"No way," Crawford said. "I can only imagine what they might be saying."
Sometimes the criticism gets personal.
Three friends started up sadknicks.com right after Thomas acquired Steve Francis, and are determined to sell as many "Fire Isiah" T-shirts as possible.
"Our goal is not to make money," said Samir Shah, who spends up to 15 hours a week maintaining the site. "It is, however, to spread the word regarding the poor state of the Knicks and play a small role in pushing management to make a change."
The site also includes a cyberspace petition to sign, lobbying Knicks owner James Dolan to blow up the front office and change the direction of the franchise, which hasn't posted a winning record in the last five seasons.
And while nothing's likely to come of this collective effort, most of those offering input do feel better venting in a public forum where misery loves company.
Official sponsor of the PURE KNICKS LOVE Program
|
4/14/2006 8:30 AM
