Let's go back to late June, 1994. I was 24, and was (and still am) the biggest Knicks fan ever. The 'Bockers never made the Finals during my memory, and the Rangers were contending for the Stanley Cup as well. Knicks and Rangers games alternated every night during the playoffs, culminating in a beautiful fortnight's worth of championship drama.
At the same time, as we all know, OJ killed his wife and her boyfriend. I can't remember a more surreal time in New York sports history. I was already sick of the media's lack of priorities, with their covering the Tanya Harding story with far more vigor than, say, genocide in the Congo. Now, the network sleazes had their big baby, their big excuse - one they would milk for years and years. Geraldo probably still talks about OJ.
So now, here we are, the day of Game 5. Game Fives are pivotal in any 7-game series, and I was very nervous for the Knicks. Anyone remembering their series against the Rockets knows it was as tight as any could be. Ewing started off the series poorly, but his D held Olajuwon in check, and John Starks, was well, John Starks. He could light them up for 20 points in 5 minutes, or just go completely cold. But Starks and Ewing were the reasons the Knicks made the Finals, and so it was live or die by those two, and fuck it, being a Knicks fan felt really cool. Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason were bad-ass too. This core Knickerbookcer team was one of the coolest in history.
But, at around 5 o'clock eastern time, LA's District Attorney announced that OJ was at large and put an APB out on him. Juice's first attorney, Robert Shapiro, then goes on TV, pleading with OJ to turn himself in. I thought fuck, somehow this circus will preempt the Knicks game! Should they call it off if NBC will interrupt it?
Y'all know the rest. I don't remember how they found OJ in the back of that infamous Bronco, but everyone covered it. Why every single station felt the need to show the same stupid, 3 mile-an-hour chase, i don't know. One could argue that NBC should keep the NBA Finals on as a good alternative. Yet, Tom Brokaw was annoyingly arrogant, informing the basketball fans of the score ("if we still cared") while airing the Bronco from the chopper's camera.
I was not alone in my outrage. A die-hard Knicks fan decided to teach the networks a lesson in what is newsworthy, and after trying but failing to sabotage NBC's coverage, he surreptitiously navigated ABC's phone system, and got through to Peter Jennings, live. (i don't know who this genius pranska was, but if u read Howard Stern's book, Private Parts, you'll prolly find out)
Anyway, here's the greatest phony phone call ever. To his credit, Peter Jennings handled it like a champ. So for that moment, here's to you, Mista Jenninns!
At the same time, as we all know, OJ killed his wife and her boyfriend. I can't remember a more surreal time in New York sports history. I was already sick of the media's lack of priorities, with their covering the Tanya Harding story with far more vigor than, say, genocide in the Congo. Now, the network sleazes had their big baby, their big excuse - one they would milk for years and years. Geraldo probably still talks about OJ.
So now, here we are, the day of Game 5. Game Fives are pivotal in any 7-game series, and I was very nervous for the Knicks. Anyone remembering their series against the Rockets knows it was as tight as any could be. Ewing started off the series poorly, but his D held Olajuwon in check, and John Starks, was well, John Starks. He could light them up for 20 points in 5 minutes, or just go completely cold. But Starks and Ewing were the reasons the Knicks made the Finals, and so it was live or die by those two, and fuck it, being a Knicks fan felt really cool. Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason were bad-ass too. This core Knickerbookcer team was one of the coolest in history.
But, at around 5 o'clock eastern time, LA's District Attorney announced that OJ was at large and put an APB out on him. Juice's first attorney, Robert Shapiro, then goes on TV, pleading with OJ to turn himself in. I thought fuck, somehow this circus will preempt the Knicks game! Should they call it off if NBC will interrupt it?
Y'all know the rest. I don't remember how they found OJ in the back of that infamous Bronco, but everyone covered it. Why every single station felt the need to show the same stupid, 3 mile-an-hour chase, i don't know. One could argue that NBC should keep the NBA Finals on as a good alternative. Yet, Tom Brokaw was annoyingly arrogant, informing the basketball fans of the score ("if we still cared") while airing the Bronco from the chopper's camera.
I was not alone in my outrage. A die-hard Knicks fan decided to teach the networks a lesson in what is newsworthy, and after trying but failing to sabotage NBC's coverage, he surreptitiously navigated ABC's phone system, and got through to Peter Jennings, live. (i don't know who this genius pranska was, but if u read Howard Stern's book, Private Parts, you'll prolly find out)
Anyway, here's the greatest phony phone call ever. To his credit, Peter Jennings handled it like a champ. So for that moment, here's to you, Mista Jenninns!