NEW YORK, NY – I was sitting around Tuesday afternoon wondering what I was gonna write for today’s column when a gift from The Garden landed right in my lap. Yep, the Knicks canned Tom Thibodeau. Bad news for him, but good news for those of us who have to look up the spelling of his last name all the time, or just crap out and write Coach Thibs. In any event, it gives us somewhere to start. Let’s go.
Bon Voyage, Captain Combover. Few could argue that Tom (why not Thom?) Thibodeau was a pretty good coach for the Knicks. He just finished leading his team to back-to-back 50 win seasons, had more wins than Pat Riley did with the Knicks, and just took New York to its first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. Yes, like life itself, sports can be cruel. As Junior Blaber discussed Monday, there are some coaches that are looked at as only being able to take a team so far and, in the end, that was probably what the Knicks’ suits thought. So now they’re charged with thinking of something better. Good luck. As for Coach Thibs (one easy one for the road), he’ll get work again, for sure. He’ll find a team in desperate need of a decent HC who gets his team to play D, doesn’t mind that he plays his starters a ridiculous amount of minutes, and isn’t completely turned off by his greasy combover coif. Go get ’em, Tom!
RIP, Jim Marshall. One of the all-time great Minnesota Vikings, Jim Marshall, passed away yesterday at the age of 87. A key member of the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters Defensive Line, Marshall played for almost 2 decades and held the record for consecutive games played at 282, upon his retirement in 1979. He’s perhaps best known for his wrong-way run in a 1964 game against the 49ers, but he deserved much better than being an NFL Films blooper reel star. He was a Vikings captain for 14 seasons and played in all four of their Super Bowls. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Mets and Yanks in First. After the Knicks finally fizzled against the Pacers, New York needed this. The Mets and Yankees both sit atop their respective divisions. The Mets are doing it with much better starting pitching than anyone could have hoped for and timely hits from everyone not named Soto. The Yankees are a comfortable 5.5 up because of a one-man wrecking crew known as Aaron Judge and the fact that they play in the weak and wack AL East. Whoever you like, both of these teams are going to be fun to watch all summer long. So, let’s hope Management hooks us up with tickets.
Okay, that’s about all for today. Come back tomorrow for everyone’s buddyroo, Mr. Buddy Diaz.
