We have the transcript from tonight’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel on HBO. As expected, Bryant speaks about the New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin, but he also thinks the coverage is more of a media creation and come Spring Training, no one will care about him. Agree?
BRYANT GUMBEL CLOSING COMMENTARY
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL
EPISODE #179
AIRS TONIGHT (2/21) @ 10:00 PM ET/PT
“Finally tonight, I’m hoping you didn’t think we’d make it through the whole program this evening without mentioning Jeremy Lin. If so, I’m sorry to disappoint you, because like everyone else we’ve been enthralled by Lin’s meteoric rise and unforeseen efforts. His is the kind of story everyone can cheer.
But now that he’s met the challenges posed by such powerhouses as the Lakers and the Mavericks, I’m curious to see how Lin fares against the Yankees. That’s right, the Yankees. See amid the Jeremy Lin hoopla, it’s been easy to overlook the fact that Spring Training got underway this past weekend, as pitchers and catchers reported for duty, and here in New York over the next few weeks, that is going to pose a new and very different kind of challenge to the Lin Mystique.
As Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban suggested last week, Lin is getting a ton of attention not just because his is a great story, but also because he plays in the media capital of the world, and in this capital, Lin has had the town to himself since his run began. Which is why it’s going to be interesting to see if his exploits continue to be headlined after New Yorkers start hearing news about Joba Chamberlain’s surgically repaired right arm, A-Rod’s troubled knees and Derek Jeter’s battle with age.
Baseball may be ho-hum in some places, but this is still very much a pinstriped city. Yes, fans here love an underdog and a winner, but history suggests that nothing in sports surpasses Manhattan’s obsession with the Yankees. The Knicks, thanks to Lin, are the hot team. The New York Rangers are among the Stanley Cup favorites and the New York Giants just won the Super Bowl. But make no mistake, the Yankees are the big bully here in Manhattan and opening day is just six weeks away. The way Lin has captured the headlines; it may yet be a fair fight.”
That will do it.
