Brooklyn’s Here! The End Of The Nets’ First Season Has Us Looking At Dodger Pasts And An Islanders Future

May 14th, 2013 by Joshua Z. Lavine

Brooklyn was in love with the Dodgers. Just ask J-Sex. For over 70 years, the team had been entrenched in the borough and was something the residents of Brooklyn could call their own. When the Dodgers left Brooklyn, a gaping hole was torn in the hearts of the Brooklyn die-hards.

To say the Brooklyn Dodgers were legendary is an understatement- they played their first season in the International League in 1883, and after winning the American Association Championship in 1889, joined the National League in 1890, and the rest is history.

But the Dodgers were not always known as the Dodgers. They were originally known as the Atlantics, Grays, Bridegrooms, Trolley Dodgers, Superbas and Robins before the Dodgers moniker stuck. The name was taken from Trolley Dodgers, which the Brooklyn fans were called because they used to dodge the trolleys on the streets of Brooklyn. Read more…


After Tearing His ACL, Should Derrick Rose Even Come Back?

May 8th, 2013 by Joshua Z. Lavine

When Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose tore his ACL in his left knee during game 1 of the first round in the 2012 NBA playoffs, many Bulls fans were distraught at the prospect of losing their star player. Rose had won the MVP a year earlier and was establishing himself as one of the elite players in the game. As far as player injuries go, this one was serious. The Bulls were subsequently eliminated in the first round of the playoffs without their leader.

Rose, who was expected to return at some point during the 2012-2013 season, has yet to play in a game even though he was cleared by doctors to return to action in February. Despite the medical clearance, Rose has said repeatedly since then that his body does not feel ready for game action.

This has drawn the ire of many critics. They point to New York Knicks guard, Iman Shumpert, who tore his ACL on the same day as Rose and returned to play in January, and ask why Rose is not back.

Read more…


With A Reformed Team Of No-Names, The Yankees Are Scoring A Comeback

May 2nd, 2013 by Joshua Z. Lavine

Don’t look now but, after 26 games, the Bronx Bombers are sitting two games behind the Boston Red Sox in second place in the American League East, ahead of the upstart Baltimore Orioles, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays, who were expected to be at the top of the division.

How can they possibly be winning without Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez? The Yankees starting lineup in April has consisted of names like Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Lyle Overbay, Brennan Boesch, Jayson Nix and Chris Stewart. These are the current Yankees?

But, luckily for the ‘Evil Empire,’ the unknowns and castoffs are making and remaking names for themselves.

Read more…


Why The NFL Draft Was So Brutal For Fans

April 29th, 2013 by Joe Kozlowski

New York City does everything big, so it makes sense that we host the NFL Draft. Normally draft day in a major sport is supposed to be great. College prospects find out where they will spend the next few years and make millions of dollars. Kids get their dreams fulfilled. ESPN and the NFL Network have a field day; they have more hours of coverage than anyone needs or wants and Mel Kiper Jr. makes more lists than Santa Claus and uses more hair gel than the cast of Grease.

The day is really for the fans, though. It’s an excuse to indulge in some football in the midst of spring. They get to hope that this year will be their year and the player who gets the fancy, ceremonial #1 jersey will be the final piece their team needs. Even if that doesn’t happen and they have to play armchair GM, the day is supposed to be exciting. Except this year, it wasn’t. Read more…


Talking Points: So Your Favorite Team Missed The Playoffs

April 25th, 2013 by Joe Kozlowski

You’ve heard the famous Jim Mora Sr. sound byte: “Playoffs!?! Don’t talk about playoffs.” Well sorry to disappoint you, Coach, but that’s exactly what we’re doing today here in Talking Points. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and the NHL is going down the home stretch as speak. Everything is good in the sports world.

That is if your team has made the playoffs. While it’s obviously every team’s goal and every fan’s hope, it simply doesn’t happen for everyone. For those fans, this time of the year is pretty awkward; it’s like not getting an invitation to the biggest party of the season. Not only do you know about it and all your friends are there, but they give away some pretty great party favors (seriously, the Stanley Cup is awesome). Oh, yeah and it’s nationally televised so you know what you’re missing.

For those sad fans, we’ve got your own personal guide to surviving the playoffs after the break. Read more…


Why Kobe Bryant Should Just Give Up

April 15th, 2013 by Joe Kozlowski

Yes, you read that headline right. Kobe Bryant, the man who has never used the word ‘quit’ without a ‘never’ in front of it, should change his tune.

If you haven’t heard, Bryant completely tore his Achilles tendon in a win against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. While driving past a defender, he seemed to lose his footing as his leg gave out from under him. He made two free throws and then hobbled to the sidelines and off the court. The next time he was seen was in the locker room. Some reporters noticed that he looked like he had been crying. Bryant told them he couldn’t walk and feared it was a torn Achilles. An MRI confirmed the injury the next morning.

While Bryant has already sworn to return, we think it might be prudent to reconsider that. Read more…


Why Watching The Masters This Weekend Will Actually Be Worth It

April 12th, 2013 by Joshua Z. Lavine


We know golf is boring to watch, we get it. But here at Local we’re going to recommend you take some time this weekend to watch The Masters, one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world, held annually at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Because this year, more so than others in recent memory, there are so many compelling storylines that viewers will be attuned to, that even those who use golf as a sleeping aid will be excited. Here are some things to watch out for today through Sunday. Read more…


Talking Points: Stereotyping Sports

April 11th, 2013 by Joe Kozlowski

When I was about 5, our neighbor across the street moved away and gave me a box of her son’s old books so she didn’t have to haul them away.  They were pretty standard children’s stuff; they told of historical figures in their youth. Each person had an intimate object they talked to (kind of like a Jiminy Cricket-type of thing) and a specific value they emphasized.

Before I started school, I played baseball so my favorite book was about Jackie Robinson and his imaginary baseball friend. It told that classic story we all know: he was determined and brave, Branch Rickey was equal parts idealistic and a business man, and Peewee Reese supportive of Robinson. The movie 42 is coming out later this week to tell the same story, albeit in a more adult way. But even 60+ years after the color barrier was broken, race is still present in sports.

Read more…


Talking Points: The (Sports) Blame Game

April 4th, 2013 by Joe Kozlowski

As students, we have a lot of experience with group projects. They usually follow a relatively set script: a bunch of random people get stuck together and no one really communicates until the last minute. Then, in the mad scramble, leaders and slackers emerge; both hate the other side of the equation. When the dust settles and a less than satisfactory assignment is turned in, the murmurs start: ‘it was his/her fault.’

In a way, sports teams are similar but with higher stakes and the possibility of getting your ass fired. If you really want/have to retake a class, you can but a team can’t replay a season. When teams fail, heads roll, but do players or coaches get the axe?  In the words of Kanye West, “Whose fault? Lets play the blame game?”

Read more…


Local’s 2013 MLB Season Preview Part II: The American League

March 29th, 2013 by Joshua Z. Lavine

Are the Boston Red Sox going to be able to recover from last year’s train wreck? Will the Kansas City Royals be able to squeeze some wins out of the A.L. Central? Are the Oakland Athletics going to be able to maintain last year’s success? Part II of the baseball preview answers these questions and tells the final tale of the teams in the American League as well as the end of season awards and playoff outcome. Read more…


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