Could another title drought come to an end? The Knicks are on the verge

 53 years.

That's how long it's been since the Knicks were last NBA champions. Back then, you had Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, and Phil Jackson, who'd later win a bunch of titles as a coach. 

Today, the Knicks have the likes of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns, and they're a game away from their 3rd NBA title.

Wednesday night, the Knicks erased a 29 point 2nd half deficit to beat San Antonio, and take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, with Game 5 set for Saturday night in San Antonio.

Remember when they'd hype the Muscular Dystrophy telethons back in the day? "Stay up with Jerry (Lewis), and watch the stars come out!", Ed McMahon would intone in the voiceover.

The Knicks had the stars at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night....

Missing from the picture: Michael J. Fox and rapper Fat Joe.

Knicks radio co-host Monica McNutt, however, threw cold water on Taylor Swift's appearance, not realizing that the singer is, in fact, a Knicks fan. And you thought they were done with the buzzkill......!

Two years ago, the Mets rode a wave of momentum after a promotional appearance by McDonald's mascot Grimace became a meme. The Knicks are riding a similar wave, thanks in large part to WWE star Danhausen, who "uncursed" the team, leading to their current status, having won 12 of 13.

The Mets should be paying attention. They might need Danhausen's services next.

Journalism under attack: Donald Trump's "enemies" list was created because the truth hurts the administration

 When the late Richard Nixon was President, he had an "enemies" list, which consisted of political foes like Senators Birch Baye, Sam Ervin, Howard Baker, & Ted Kennedy. The existence of this list ultimately contributed to Nixon's resignation in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal. Journalist Daniel Schorr, famous for The Pentagon Papers, was also on the list.

52 years later, the current president, the onion-skinned Donald Trump, has his own list, which includes online commentators like Brian Tyler Cohen & David Pakman. The rationale behind this?

The truth hurts. As much as the Trump administration insists on forwarding false narratives contrary to truth & reality, the fact that they are now targeting the likes of Cohen & Pakman speaks to the frustration in the White House over the fact that Trump and his staff are constantly fact-checked for every falsehood that they speak.

Farron Cousins, who is not on the list, explains:

The list goes right along with Trump's campaign of retribution & revenge, largely because Cohen & Pakman, and Cousins, too, represent a section of the country that will not indulge Trump's delusional power fantasies, especially now as he approaches his 80th birthday on Sunday. It's almost as if Trump, once upon a time, took a wrong turn at the Twilight Zone, and never looked back.

I've said this before, and it bears repeating. Criticism comes with the territory when you are in a position of power, such as Trump. The problem is, he won't accept any criticism, even the constructive variety that is meant to help encourage him to do & be better. He doesn't want anyone near him that will tell him the truth. You're meant to indulge his delusions. At this point, no. At this point, the delusions have to stop. They have to, before it's too late.

Wild West Wednesdays: The Quiet Stranger (Ford Theatre, 1957)

 This one is for Hal Horn at The Horn Section.

From the final season of Ford Theatre comes "The Quiet Stranger". George Montgomery has the title role, a wayfarer who inspires a young boy (Bobby Clark) to race for the building of a schoolhouse. Forrest Tucker & Ted DeCorsia co-star.

Troy goes el-scrimpo for summer concerts

 Looking at the free concert schedules in and around the home district, it feels like Troy has decided to go el-scrimpo this year. That is to say, not as much entertainment as usual, as the budget is being redistributed elsewhere.

The annual Rockin' on The River series at Riverfront Park has been "paused" for this year. Seems to me the money is being diverted for one of Mayor Carmella Mantello's fever dream projects. Not good. They're still doing the Wake Up Wednesday series at Ryan's Wake on River Street, though.

But, the biggest hit is the Powers Park series, reduced to just 2 shows this year, both with a 1 pm start, and running until 8:30 pm.

July 11:

1 pm: Psycho Mutton Chops.

3 pm: Brian Kane & The Beginning.

6 pm: Skeeter Creek.

August 15:

1 pm: Ishikawa (Allman Brothers tribute).

3 pm: Stones Alive (Rolling Stones tribute, of course).

6 pm: Legacy (Styx tribute).

Wake Up Wednesdays began its 2026 season on May 20, and continues through July 1. Next Step Federal Credit Union is the event sponsor. The remaining lineup:

Tomorrow: The Revival, featuring Alyssa Crosby (ex-The Voice).

June 17: Yacht Club.

June 24: Highway Boys (Zach Bryan tribute).

July 1: Legend (Journey tribute).

The city will still have its annual Pig Out and Chowderfest events at Riverfront Park, but this just doesn't hit the same.

Looking at the schedules for places like Cohoes, Watervliet, & Amsterdam makes Troy look like chump change. Do better next year, y'all.

The kiss of death strikes both coasts

 "Dumb Donald is really dumb!"---Gene Rayburn, Match Game, 1973-84.

Not every candidate that is endorsed by Dozin' Donald Trump actually succeeds.

A week ago, former reality star Spencer Pratt (ex-The Hills) was in line for a runoff election in November against incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. But, in the words of college football icon Lee Corso, not so fast, my friend, not so fast.

On Monday, LA councilperson Nithya Raman surged into 2nd place, setting up the runoff with Bass in November.

He saw nothing but Raman's tail lights.

The elimination of Spencer from the race came less than 48 hours after Trump threw a temper tantrum on Meet The Press, falsely claiming, as usual, that the election was rigged.

"WAAAAHHHHH! They're screwing Spencer! WAAAHHHH!"

No, they're not, Dumb Donald. You screwed him by endorsing him. If you didn't insist sticking your nose into every GOP race, things might be different.

In New York, the Knicks saw their 13 game postseason winning streak snapped in a 115-111 loss to San Antonio. As had been widely reported, and panned, Trump showed up. If the 2025 Super Bowl was any indication, he probably didn't stay for the whole game. WWE's Danhausen was also in attendance, but his kayfabe "powers" were negated by the presence of Dozin' Donald. Rumors circulated that Trump would be seated at Celebrity Row at courtside, but, common sense prevailed in that regard, as Trump was given a luxury suite by his friend and fellow man-child, James Dolan. The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, and others had suggested that Trump not show up, but, of course, and of course, he was booed by the city he betrayed to move to Florida during his first term. The Knicks were forced to cancel a watch party outside Madison Square Garden (it was moved to Bryant Park). Filmmaker & Knicks superfan Spike Lee wore a jersey autographed by Pope Leo to troll Trump.

No, Trump won't be back for game 4, which takes place tomorrow. He's already done enough damage.

What Might've Been: The Mighty O (1962)

 When it got out that ABC had decided to turn an Alcoa Theatre drama into McHale's Navy, the other networks were looking for service comedies set in peacetime.

NBC got just 1 season out of Dean Jones' Ensign O'Toole. CBS, on the other hand, never got out of the starting gate with The Mighty O.

The ensemble starts with a reunion of Peter Gunn co-stars Craig Stevens & Lola Albright. Mix in Alan Hale, Richard Jaeckel, and Jamie Farr (billed under his real name, Jameel Farah), and you'd think they'd have a winner. Nope.

Let's check out why.

No rating. Just a public service. Wartime Mondays returns next week with The Gallant Men.

The worm turns in Arizona: Donald Trump's lawyers to be prosecuted for fraud

 More than 5 1/2 years after he lost his bid for re-election, Donald Trump just won't let go of the fact that he lost, and insists to this day the election was rigged against him, when it clearly was not.

In Arizona, Attorney General Kris Mayes is turning the tables on Trump's band of ambulance chasing legal weasels, including Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and John Eastman.

Brian Tyler Cohen & Glenn Kirschner break it down.

They say that Trump truly believes he was screwed. No, he wasn't, but you can't make him understand that. What really cost him in 2020 was his bumbling the government's response to COVID. Given Trump's temper tantrum on national television today on Meet The Press, it's likely he'll take his denials with him when he leaves Washington in 2029. If only he wouldn't.