James Dolan Taking the Time to Correspond With Fans

[Nerf DPOY]

http://deadspin.com/dolan-start-rooting-for-the-nets-because-the-knicks-d-1684489469?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

This is from Deadspin:

New York Knicks and Cablevision CEO James Dolan lashed out at a lifelong fan over email, suggesting the fan was an alcoholic who should start rooting for the Nets "because the Knicks don't want you."

Dolan's response was extraordinarily disproportionate given the relatively mild-mannered—and accurate!—criticisms levied by the fan, who says he's been a Knicks supporter since 1952. (We received copies of the emails from filmmaker Aaron Bierman, whose father was the target of Dolan's wrath.)

Here's the email that was sent to Dolan:

Subject: I have been a knicks fan since 1952

At one stage I thought that you did a wonderful thing when you acquired EVERYTHING from your dad. However, since then it has been ALL DOWN HILL. Your working with Isaiah Thomas & everything else regarding the Knicks. Bringing on Phil Jackson was a positive beginning, but lowballing Steve Kerr was a DISGRACE to the knicks. The bottom line is that you merely continued to interfere with the franchise.

As a knicks fan for in excess of 60 years, I am utterly embarrassed by your dealings with the Knicks. Sell them so their fans can at least look forward to growing them in a positive direction Obviously, money IS NOT THE ONLY THING. You have done a lot of utterly STUPID business things with the franchise. Please NO MORE.

Respectfully,

[Aaron Bierman's dad]
Dolan's reply:

On Fri, Jan 23, 2015 at 8:15 PM, James Dolan <JDOLAN@cablevision.com> wrote:

Mr Bierman

You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am.just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am betting nothing. In fact ill bet you are negative force in everyone who comes in contact with you. You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it. Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you.

Respectfully

James Dolan

[freshinthehouse]

I do disagree with that article saying that the fan's letter is mild-mannered.  The fan comes off as a jerk.  But Dolan should have the business sense to ignore something like this, or have one of his secretaries send the customer some sort of safe response.

[hwangjini_1]

dolan has long been a bane for the knicks. someday i have to write him and thank him for that. 

now if the nets have any sort of imagination, they will contact the fan and try to give him season tickets, nets gear, etc. i would that.

[nickagneta]

Dolan should be writing letters apologizing to his fan base not writing letters to insult and incite them.

[Nerf DPOY]

I do disagree with that article saying that the fan's letter is mild-mannered.  The fan comes off as a jerk.  But Dolan should have the business sense to ignore something like this, or have one of his secretaries send the customer some sort of safe response.

Yeah I don't know why Deadspin felt the need to characterize the initial letter as mild-mannered, as it pretty bluntly ripped Dolan apart. That said, the fan wasn't wrong, and the Knicks would almost certainly be better off if they could just get out from under him. Obviously Dolan took this personally(how could he not?), but his response was still just another example of him being an idiot and mishandling whatever life situation he's presented with yet again. He probably thought he was being clever with his passive aggressive life advice. A recovering alcoholic accusing a stranger over the internet of being an alcoholic in a backhanded way just strikes me as pretty weak. People like Dolan, you don't even need to twist their words or exaggerate to make them look bad. 

[freshinthehouse]

dolan has long been a bane for the knicks. someday i have to write him and thank him for that. 

That article mentions that the Knicks have only won a single playoff series since 1999.  That is crazy.  Even when the Celtics were in the crapper during the 90s/00s they never had a streak that bad.

[Celtics4ever]

The truth hurts and that letter hit a chord with Dolan.   He attacked back, not the brightest thing but well within his rights.

[GratefulCs]

It certainly resonated with Dolan


Probably because he knows that deep down, that fan is right

[GetLucky]

dolan has long been a bane for the knicks. someday i have to write him and thank him for that. 

That article mentions that the Knicks have only won a single playoff series since 1999.  That is crazy.  Even when the Celtics were in the crapper during the 90s/00s they never had a streak that bad.

I honestly think that we as Celtics fans are spoiled. Even during the "dark ages," we were never truly dreadful for an extended period of time, just not very good exacerbated by poor organizational figures. We consider the early 00's the "crapper" years, and there were multiple ECF runs in that period of time. Here's to appreciating the Celtics!