7 Decades, 7 Titles
Indelible sports moments growing up as a kid in New York:
Sitting on the worn, carpeted floor in the den (glorified hallway) of our apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, with my father in the comfy chair as Broadway Joe Namath and the Jets dismantled the heavily favored Baltimore Colts winning the third Super Bowl 16-7 in a game not as close as the score indicated.
Walking home from school in October 1969 and watching through the window of a neighborhood appliance story as the Mets scored twice to take a 5-3 over the Orioles in Game 5 of the World Series, then running home to the apartment to watch them close out their first championship.
Listening to the incomparable radio play-by-play of Marv Albert in spring of 1970 and 1973 calling the Knicks’ two championship runs. His signature call of “YES!” to key baskets matching the urgency of a team built to exemplify the concept of team.
Indelible sports moments as an adult who’s still a diehard Mets-Jets-Knicks-Rangers fan:
At work on the copy desk of the Bridgeport Post on a Saturday night in October as the Mets and Red Sox played Game 6 in 1986. Listening to the Sox take the lede during my ride home close to midnight, then sitting nervously in the driveway listening as the Mets made two outs, then got two hits, agonizing about whether I had time to make it up the front steps, unlock the door and get the television on in time to see what Mookie Wilson could do. And then John McNamara made a bullpen call to Bob Stanley. Two nights later, got to watch the Game 7 comeback with a mess of Columbia University School of Journalism classmates in the student lounge. Following by crazy celebration and the #7 train back to the apartment at 4 a.m.
Sitting alone at the bar of a pub in Middletown, Connecticut, on June 14, 1994, as the ref dropped the puck for Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup final, quietly rooting on my team, which had blown a 3-1 series lead, and watching them without getting up as the bar became jammed and loud, culminating in what became a 3-2 win and, after 54 years, a Stanley Cup.
Then there was Saturday night in San Antonio, when the Knicks became the first of my teams, during my lifetime, to win three titles. Yes, it took 53 years, and perhaps the reward was this particular amazing run through the playoffs, one accomplished with such flair and the kind of powerful moments that will be remembered forever.
I may have gotten into my sports passion as a way to connect with my dad, but as an adult, I find sports is a salve, a way to just step back a second from the craziness of life.
Unfortunately, the ultimate chase—a championship—has been fleeting for my teams. Which explains why I’ve been endlessly scrolling since Saturday enjoying everything about the Knicks. Especially the way it brought millions of New Yorkers uniquely together through impromptu watch parties.
My teams have delivered seven titles during my seven decades of life. And I cherish each and every single one.
Jets? It’s your turn next. Hey, I may be almost 67, but I can still dream, right?
