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Madison Square Garden: Home to landmark sporting events

According to New York City native and huge pro sports fan Ron Phillips, his city has had its fair share of landmark sporting events. From the city's college gyms to public venues, no place has witnessed sports history more than the famed Madison Square Garden.

 Known as one of the world's most high-profile and well-known venues, the stadium has hosted some of the greatest sports games and fights. Today, Ron Phillips talks about some of his favorite historic sporting events at Madison Square Garden.

 In 1970, New York Knicks fans witnessed the seventh game of the NBA finals between the underdog New York Knicks and the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. It was New York's first taste of an NBA Championship and wouldn't be the last. The Knicks mustered everything they could to bring the game back to their home court for a game 7 with the Lakers. Despite an injury from Knicks star Willis Reed, Walt Frazier came out big and led the Knicks to their first championship victory, scoring 113–99.

However, basketball isn't the only sport MSG features. There are a lot of iconic fights in boxing as well.

 Throughout history, Muhammad Ali has been in some of the greatest fights, such as the Thrilla in Manila, the Rumble in the Jungle, and so on. But perhaps the most memorable match in all of boxing history was dubbed "The Fight of the Century." Smokin' Joe Frazier squared off against Muhammad Ali in 1971, with the match lasting 15 rounds and Frazier winning by unanimous decision.

 Finally, Ron Phillips of New York mentions the retirement of the jersey of an all-time hockey great.

 Hockey legend Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky had played for several teams but ended his standout career donning the Blueshirts jersey in 1999. His no. 99 jersey was raised to the rafters to join some of New York's great athletes like Walt Frazier and Willis Reed.

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The Pearl: A tribute to Knicks legend Earl Monroe

The New York Knicks have been one of the most successful and popular teams in the NBA for many years. The success of the Knicks has been built on the backs of some of the greatest players in basketball history.

One of these players is The Pearl.

Earl "The Pearl" Monroe remains one of the most beloved sports personalities in the Big Apple, and for a good reason. Today, New York sports fan Ron Phillips looks back at the Pearl's amazing basketball career and his contributions to the Knicks franchise and the Big Apple.

Monroe played for the New York Knicks from 1967 to 1976. He began his career with a winning season and went on to have a 54-28 record during the 1969-1970 season.

Monroe was an NBA All-Star from 1970 to 1974. He made history when he scored a high of 61 points in a game against the Seattle Supersonics, becoming the second player in NBA history to score 60 or more points after Wilt Chamberlain.

As Ron Phillips of New York remembers, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990, making him one of only 6 Knicks players who have earned that honor. The others are Walt Frazier, Patrick Ewing, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, and Dick McGuire. The Knicks also retired no. 15 in his honor.

Earl Monroe has the third highest scoring average in Knicks history; only Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing have scored more points than him. Some of his most impressive feats include 24 straight games with 20 or more points, NBA Rookie of the Year in 1968 (while playing for the Baltimore Bullets), and a career average of 18.8 points per game, Ron Phillips adds.

Who are your top five Knicks players ever? Care to share them with Ron Phillips?

Thank you for reading, and go, Knicks!!!

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The Early History of the New York Rangers

In this blog post, Ron Phillips looks at the history of the New York Rangers.

On November 16, 1926, at a meeting with the Board of Governors of the National Hockey League (NHL), plans were launched for a new hockey team to compete in the upcoming season. The next day, reporters began suggesting names for the team, including "Americans" and "New York Americans." On November 26, the team was officially named "New York Rangers."

The New York Rangers were a part of the ten original teams of the NHL in 1917. The team started with a losing streak and was demoted to a lower league, in which they promptly won the championship title. Three years later, they returned to their former league, only to find a different group of teams. Since there were 12 teams in the league instead of six, it was divided into two divisions. The Rangers finished last with 9 wins and 23 losses in their division, notes Ron Phillips.

After finishing third in 1924–25, the Rangers missed the playoffs for three years. They saw their playoffs streak snap when they finished second behind Boston in 1927–28. General manager Lester Patrick started to build a team that would last, and in 1928 he acquired Bill Cook from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1929–30, his second season as general manager, Patrick built one of the most powerful teams in Rangers history, dubbed "The Broadway Hat Tricks" by the press. Ron Phillips also points out that Cook led the Rangers in scoring that season and won the Hart Trophy after finishing with an impressive 43 goals in 44 games, along with his linemate Frank Boucher who scored 21 goals.

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Ron Phillips’ Guide to The New York Yankees

As a fellow New York sports fan, Ron Phillips wanted to provide a comprehensive team profile so that all Yankees fans are up to date on the latest and most exciting details about the New York Yankees baseball team. So here are some things you must know about the team:

 Who Is the Owner of the New York Yankees

Yankee Global Enterprises owns the franchise. The infamous George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973 and led them through both prosperous and turbulent years, winning 11 pennants and 7 World Series titles while also having 20 managers in 23 years. When he died in 2010 after 37-year ownership, control of the Yankees passed down to his sons Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, who run it to this day. Brian Cashman is the current General Manager, and over his 19-year tenure, he has led the Yankees to six pennants and four World Series championships.

 Who Are the New York Yankees' Main Rivals

With the moniker "The Greatest Rivalry In All Of Sports," Ron Phillips believes that the Boston Red Sox is unmistakably the Yankees' main rival. These two clubs have been at odds for almost a century, dating back to the Curse of the Bambino, when the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees and did not win a World Series for 86 years. This rivalry continued to more recent bouts in the AL playoffs that have involved fights, miraculous comebacks, and a bloody sock.

 New York Yankees fan Ron Phillips also believes that the New York Mets are the Yankees' less aggressive but bitter, in-city rival. Initially, the subway series was between the Yankees and the New York Giants, then the Brooklyn Dodgers, but it has been the Mets since their start in 1963. The teams played in the 2000 World Series, which the Yankees won easily despite some bat throwing by Roger Clemens at Mike Piazza. Every year, the two teams play each other in interleague play.

 Legendary New York Yankees

For Ron Phillips, it is nearly impossible to narrow down a list of Yankee legends in the same way as it is almost impossible to name the most memorable Yankee moments. Nevertheless, a slew of legends passed through The Bronx over the years, shaping baseball into what it is today. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, Don Mattingly, and Derek Jeter, to name a few.

 However, new legends are being formed these days, like Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Didi Gregorious, giving Yankees fans optimism for continuing success and Red Sox fans even more to despise.

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How Mickey Mantle carved a name for himself in the Big Apple

There are very few names in New York sports as big as Mickey Mantle's. Today, Ron Phillips pays tribute to a true New York sports icon by remembering the early part of his brilliant career and how he came to carve a name for himself in the Big Apple.

Mantle was born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, on Oct. 20, 1931, to Elvin Charles and Birdie Mae Mantle. He was the oldest of five children. His father nicknamed him "Sparky" because he always seemed to be filled with energy as a child. After graduating from high school at 16, he went to Commerce, Oklahoma and attended the University of Oklahoma.

After his sophomore year at OU, Mantle dropped out of school to play professional baseball for $250 a month ($3,000 today). The Yankees had scouted him and offered him $500 ($6,500) – but Mantle felt they didn't show him enough respect. He signed with the Yankees for a $400 signing bonus ($3,900) and a $500 monthly salary.

In 1951, Mantle's first season as a professional baseball player, he hit .267/.368/.385 with 19 doubles, 7 triples and 9 home runs in 127 games for the Yankees AAA affiliate in Kansas City. His first major league experience was with 13 games with the Yankees in 1951 as a pinch hitter/defensive replacement. In those 13 games, he hit .238/.324/.378 with 2 doubles, 1 triple and 3 home runs

In 1952, his playing time increased significantly as he played for the Yankees in 108 games. He hit .267/.368/.423 with 18 doubles, 1 triple and 16 home runs. Mantle also led the league in outfield assists, with 25. In addition, he had a career-high of 7 stolen bases that year. Because of his great play, Mantle was named the American League Rookie of The Year.

In 1953, Mantle led the American League in doubles, with 39. He also had his first of 10 consecutive All-Star Game appearances that year. Mantle hit .311/.383/.594 with 33 doubles, 2 triples and 34 home runs.

Mickey Mantle's 1954 season was one of the best in MLB history for a switch hitter. He hit .311/.425/.548 with 38 doubles, 1 triple and 33 home runs. Mantle this year led the league in slugging percentage, OPS (1.003), OBP (.425) and walks (110). He was named to his second All-Star game as well as winning the World Series MVP award for his performance against the Dodgers in the World Series that year.

Mantle would have more success in the years to come, Ron Phillips adds.

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Get to know three of the best New York Knicks

Ron Phillips from New York is a big fan of his city's sports teams. However, he spends the most time watching the Knicks. In this blog post, he shares who he thinks are three of the best players in the team.

Carmelo Anthony

In just over three years during his time with the Knicks, Melo has helped the Knicks to a franchise-record 62 points and led the team past playoff first round for New York's long-awaited win since 2000.

Despite winning only one playoff series with him, he proved his worth to the team despite not having enough players to sustain the team towards victory. According to Ron Phillips, Carmelo Anthony's skill has been proven. His contribution as part of the Knicks will go down in history. If he ever comes back to the team, many fans will welcome him with open arms.

Bill Bradley

Bradley is one of the most prolific players in basketball history. He was an NBA Hall-of-Famer, an All-Star, and an All-American who also had his best season with career-highs across both points and assists while playing all 82 games on teams that would win titles during the early ‘70s. Also known as "Dollar," he spent a decade with the Knicks and was there during the franchise's peak. Though many would remember him as a senator, basketball fans would remember him as a legend during his heyday.

Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing is one of the legendary superstars in NBA history and was undoubtedly a NY Knicks great. Despite the lack of appreciation for this hardcourt legend, this doesn't change what he accomplished during his time with the Knicks. Many fans would say that he was their most outstanding player ever. At present, the Hall of Fame basketball player is the current head coach for Georgetown University. If he were still part of NBA today, fans say he would still dominate with his skills.

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Yankee Stadium: The second fortress of professional sport's greatest team

For this blog post, Ron Phillips, a New York native, talks about Yankee Stadium.

New York's Yankee Stadium has been home to perhaps the greatest professional sports team of all time, the New York Yankees. The Yankees have won a record 33 World Series Championships.

The stadium was built in 1923 and has been renovated multiple times. The most recent renovation was completed for the start of the 2009 baseball season. It cost $1.5 billion to complete, which is a third of the total price tag of the new Yankee Stadium, which opened for its first season in 2009.

The exterior of Yankee Stadium is made up of steel and limestone, and it has a seating capacity of 50,287. A new video display board was installed before the 2009 baseball season and numerous other improvements throughout the ballpark, such as decreased wind currents.

Yankee Stadium has one unique feature and no other Major League stadium: the frieze. The 167 feet high frieze encircles the entire stadium and comprises 302 concrete blocks, each containing a retired number of a former Yankee's uniform.

Yankee Stadium was named by Governor Wilbur L. Cross in 1923, two years after the original Yankee Stadium was completed. Ron Phillips adds that the stadium is owned by New York City and leased to the Yankees until 2046.