Have the good people who run ESPN Radio New York banned any New York Knicks critics at the request of Madison Square Garden?
By Robby Sabo
If you’ve been around long enough, you understand the four teams WFAN lived on back in the day.
Obviously there was the New York Mets, who were the first to sign on with the burgeoning all-sports station. Then, came the New York Jets, New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
For many years in the 1990s the phrase on WFAN was, “WFAN, the home of the Mets, Jets, Knicks, and Rangers.”
Always those teams. Always in that order.
Obviously, things have changed. ESPN Radio made its presence felt and took the Knicks, Rangers and Jets away.
Also, too, ESPN does things a little differently, in a way that’s never above suspicion.
Take a look at this thought from the New York Daily News‘ Bob Raissman, who suggests that the station will not invite anybody on the airwaves who will criticize the Knicks (at Madison Square Garden’s request).
ESPN-98.7 is partners with the Garden, having rights to both Knicks and Rangers radiocasts. Its talkies have not exactly buried Jackson. More importantly, at the request of MSG, station management has banned certain Knicks critics from being interviewed on ESPN-98.7.
Raissman cites that MSG has ducked major bashing not only by way of ESPN, but at WFAN too (Mike Francesa).
Is there something to it? Who knows. One thing’s for sure: If Phil Jackson doesn’t produce during this offseason, all bets are off.
