NEW YORK, NY — In at least one professional sports league, New Yorkers can call their respective team, the New York Liberty, champions.
The seventh time in the WNBA Finals proved to be the charm for the Liberty. They had been 0 and 6 until breaking through last week as they defeated the Minnesota Lynx.
The Liberty did not make it easy. They blew a fifteen-point lead with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter of Game 1 at Barclays Center. They needed overtime in the deciding Game 5 to pull out a victory after badly trailing the Lynx for most of that contest.
New York Liberty’s Nyara Sabally, front left, and Leonie Fiebich, right, react after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of a WNBA Finals – Image Credit: AP Photo/Pamela Smith
2024 proved to be a momentous year for the WNBA. The arrival of superstar college players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese created widespread interest. This was the first time I could recall sports talk radio stations taking calls from male sports fans about the WNBA. For years, traditional male sports and media would never give the WNBA the right time of day.
While WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert can never publicly admit to showing any favoritism, you know she had to be pulling for the Liberty to win it all this year. Having a champion in the nation’s largest market helps raise the value of future league broadcasting contracts. No other city can come close to honoring a sports champion the way New York City does with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.
New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart (30) shoots during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series against the Minnesota Lynx – Image Credit: AP Photo/Pamela Smith
The Liberty have a good chance of repeating in 2025 as their core three players consisting of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones are all under contract through next year.
It is ironic that Barclays Center, which is now home to the best team in the WNBA, is also home to the NBA’s worst, the Brooklyn Nets.
BIG EAST Media Day at MSG
St. John’s University Red Storm men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino made it clear at last Wednesday’s Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden that he is still livid at the selection committee which snubbed his team last March from competing in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Pitino was accompanied by former Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond who is expected to be the key to the team’s success this season.
Rick Pitino and Kadary Richmond during BIG EAST Media Day at MSG – Image Credit: St. John’s MBB/BIG EAST
Not surprisingly, Pitino’s UConn counterpart, Danny Hurley, received the largest press scrum, since the Wolfpack are the defending national champions. I jokingly asked Hurley if his team would face the 2024 Ivy League champs, the Yale Bulldogs, to determine the top team in the Nutmeg State. Hurley took my question seriously as he replied, “We only have so many non-conference games we can play. Do you want us to take part in some in-state tournament?”
Cardozo High School boys’ head coach Ron Naclerio also attended Big East Media Day.
2024 BIG EAST Media Day at MSG – Image Credit: BIG EAST
Naclerio is beginning his 50th year at Cardozo and has 940 coaching victories there. He does not plan to retire until he wins his 1000th game which he hopes will help gain him entry into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
More on BIG EAST Media Day – Columbia Lions vs. Villanova Wildcats next Wednesday
The Villanova Wildcats will be playing the Columbia Lions at home next Wednesday at home. I reminded Villanova star forward Eric Dixon of when Columbia upset Villanova 75-57 in 2012. I have teased retired Hall of Fame Villanova head coach Jay Wright about it for years. “We’ve watched that game film many times,” Dixon dryly replied.
Dixon’s teammate, guard Jordan Longino discussed the downside of living in a swing state. “It’s crazy. I can’t watch television without being bombarded by political ads.” Having spent time recently in the Philadelphia area, he is correct. It’s not just the presidential race. It seems like every down-ballot candidate running for office in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania has bought television ads.
NYC Marathon set to take place this Sunday
The New York City Marathon, which will be taking place this Sunday, does not get much coverage on the city’s sports talk radio stations or television sports casts, but it is one of the largest tourism events for the Big Apple. That means millions of dollars for local hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and points of interest.
Image Credit: NYC Marathon
The race also attracts its share of celebrities. Among those slated to run the 26.2 miles are actor Randall Park, NBC News reporter Jacob Soboroff, and Katherine Morikawa, the spouse of professional golfer Colin Morikawa. Former Giants running back and current WFAN air personality Tiki Barber has often run the NYC Marathon. In recent years, however, he has been forced to miss it because of his CBS NFL broadcasting duties. He told me he hopes to run in the 2025 London Marathon in late April.
A Kind Gesture by New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners, and New Balance
As a way of getting the next generation interested in running and jogging, the organizers of the New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners, in partnership with New Balance, distributed 400 pairs of running shoes to underprivileged New York City kids, including seventy to Queens students.
West Coast-East Coast World Series
Just as the NYC Marathon is great for tourism, so is the World Series. LA Tourism, that city’s convention and visitors bureau, launched a quick marketing campaign aimed at New Yorkers who were heading west for the first two games of the World Series between the Yankees and the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani, and the Dodgers defeated Aaron Judge and the Yankees in the 2024 World Series (4-1) – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
LA Tourism was smart in promoting the neighborhoods close to Dodger Stadium as Chinatown, Little Japan, Echo Park, and Silver Lake. The Queens Economic Development Corporation smartly sets up a kiosk at the US Open every year to inform visitors of the man y things the World’s Borough has to offer.
Clash Pro League at Harlem’s Police Athletic League Center
Playground basketball has long been a part of the New York City sporting fabric. Every summer the best “street ball” players, along with some college, even NBA, players compete in the Rucker Park League in Harlem.
Music producer, and huge hoops fan, Chris Lorenzo has just started the Clash Pro League. The goal of the Clash Pro League is to give NYC basketball players who are not able to make NBA, G-League, or foreign professional league rosters, a chance to earn money, and give an extra opportunity for them to be discovered by NBA team scouts. The Clash Pro League plays every Sunday at Harlem’s Police Athletic League Center. The public is welcome to attend. If the Clash Pro League has a successful first year, there is a good chance they may play games at various venues in the five boroughs including Corona’s Elmcor Center.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Jack Jones
I was saddened to hear of the passing of singer Jack Jones last week. While he was not in the league of Frank Sinatra or Astoria native Tony Bennett, his velvet smooth voice, and impeccable phrasing, as well as his matinee idol looks, made him a rival to Andy Williams.
Jack Jones at the BBC Television Theatre in London on April 9, 1972 – Image Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Jack Jones’s biggest hit was 1963’s “Wives and Lovers,” co-written by Forest Hills High school alum Burt Bacharach, The song was catchy, but its laughably sexist lyrics did not age well. Jones, to his credit, always acknowledged that to his audiences, and did his best to update the lyrics to poke fun at its original chauvinism.
The Biggest Issue from 2020 Election
What I find most vexing about this presidential campaign is neither candidate, nor their political party, want to acknowledge what was the biggest issue of the 2020 election: namely the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to know what mistakes we made, and how we can prevent them from ever happening again. I would also like to know what steps are being taken to ensure we never have another pandemic in our lifetimes.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
