by Stop Mike Lupica on September 27 at 7:17PM
You had to know Mike Lupica couldn't go without taking a few cheap shots at his whipping boys, Isiah Thomas and James Dolan. And with the case wrapping up today, he had to get them in before the jury returns with a verdict (possibly as early as tomorrow)... I mean, really - did you think he was going to let those fugly chicks Andrea Peyser and Jane Ridley have all the fun?!?:
"Or as if auditioning for lifetime Garden jobs, like the one Kathleen Decker, Stephon Marbury's intern on the side, probably has at the Garden after going into the tank for Dolan like one of his vice presidents."
I love how they pile on the intern. If they are not expressing mock sympathy for her being "dragged into this" by Dolan and the gang (like Ridley did, neglecting to mention that it's Anucha Sanders who "dragged" her into this), then you have guys like Lupica piling on her for testifying. Like the Garden lawyers and Dolan intended, and wanted, all along for her to be testifying at all?!? No, you two-bit excuse for a writer, it's only because Anucha Sanders brought her up in her testimony that Decker was needed to testify.
It cracks me up how everyone writes about her promotion, her "big" promotion (as Ridley and Peyser labeled it) six weeks ago, as if it must be some reward for her future testimony. Here's a question for them, and Lupica... how did the Garden know six weeks ago that the intern would be needed to testify in this case. Remember: If Anucha doesn't tell the jury (or really, the newspapers) about the Decker's sexual episode with Marbury two weeks ago on the stand, Decker never testifies in this trial. What purpose would her testimony have served otherwise?
And remember this: Decker's sexual episode with Marbury really has little... actually practically nothing... to do with Anucha's sexual harassment charges against Isiah Thomas and the Garden. Just pointing out some facts that the local newspapers, the blogs, all those scavengers feasting on this story - have failed to point out.
Lupica then goes to quote the judge in the trial:
The judge said, "This is a case where (the jury) could find there is retaliation, rather nasty, deliberate retaliation at that."
Lynch made it clear it isn't his job to make findings, that he wasn't trying to act like a jury foreman in 23A. Still, his language was quite emphatic as he also said, "The jury would be well within its rights to find that the process (meaning the process that got Anucha Browne Sanders fired) was a sham."
Later, Lynch went back to a point he made before, obviously not wanting to be misunderstood: "This is a case where there is a real basis for disbelieving this process."
Well, first off, I'll like to applaud the Lip for making the trip to the court room to take some notes. I'm presuming he did, and maybe I'm presuming too much, but it sounds like he went there himself, and paid attention! Good for him. Maybe sometime in the next six month he might even attend a sporting event, too. Secondly, I also want to applaud him for using actual quotes... that's as close as he gets to stating facts.
But now the reality. Even in quoting the judge, he's still on telling one side of the story. This same judge has called the sexual harassment charges "a weak case". His response, all of it above, was simply in regards to throwing out the case. He's not saying anything more than "they could find...", or "there is a real basis for...". Yes, he seems to think the Garden could potentially lose the retaliation claim. That's a definite possibility, if you've followed the case. The Garden made a defense against that charge, but it's not a very strong defense.
Now here's where Lupica really loses me, and I imagine, most of the dwindling audience:
"It wasn't tampering. Come on. Her crime was simple: Both Steve Mills and Thomas were worried that she might have her sights on being the first female president of the Garden someday. At that point Thomas went right after her."
So, wait... let me get this straight: Isiah Thomas somehow beat out a straight up coup attempt by Larry Brown, with the entire NYC media (those fearsome mo-fo's), including Lupica himself... and still Thomas retained his job, because Dolan is that loyal to him (for whatever reason). Yet, at the same time, Thomas is so paranoid about losing his job as president to a female with no GM experience?!? To a person with a background in PR?!? Yeah, I'm sure Thomas' paranoia is the real reason for Anucha's dismissal. Thanks for breaking it down to me... now it's perfectly clear just how insane Lupica has become.
Here's what's going to happen: The jury is going to make a decision pretty quickly. They looked bored, and tired, and sick of this case. They won't spend too much time deliberating, I bet.
The sexual harassment charge, by most experts' opinions (including the judge's) is generally considered weak. It's based on a few incidents: Marbury calling Anucha a "black bitch" to... one of Anucha's underlings (Dan Glossman)... on his cellphone at 9 PM... over his cousin not being paid enough. That really doesn't have sh*t to do with Anucha being harassed; it's Anucha trying to establish that she wasn't liked by Marbury, and didn't get support from her bosses on that issue. The cousin who said lewd things to the intern - tangently related again. No, it pretty much comes down to the "Isiah called me a b*tch and screamed at me" argument. Again, pretty weak stuff. The jury could find the Garden guilty anyway, but odds are against it.
The retaliation claim is much stronger. They will debate about it for sure. The Garden's defense was that she was fired because she was incompetent, and because she was interfering with their investigations into her claims.
They have failed, utterly, to prove she was incompetent. The best they could offer up was a bad budget forecasting meeting. That hardly overturns years of positive reviews and salary increases.
On the second point they build a decent case, though neither strong nor weak. They tried to prove she interfered with their investigation by bringing out underlings - Dan Glossman, Karen Buchholz - to testify that she pressured them into documenting incidents and discussing stuff with them. It might work because the stuff that Anucha brought up during the case, particularly the intern incident, all stem from her own "detective" work. So yeah, she was conducting her own investigation, and that would be interfering with the Garden's investigation.
Only one problem with that, though. It's yet to be proven that the Garden really took her claim seriously.
The jury might find that there was no reason to take her claim seriously, or that they would have investigated had she not interfered. If so, then the Garden might get off with a clean victory. However, it is equally likely they will find in her favor, and rule that she was fired due to retaliation. Even if they do, I doubt they will give her the millions she's asking for. We'll find out soon, as this saga is finally reaching it's end....
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"Or as if auditioning for lifetime Garden jobs, like the one Kathleen Decker, Stephon Marbury's intern on the side, probably has at the Garden after going into the tank for Dolan like one of his vice presidents."
I love how they pile on the intern. If they are not expressing mock sympathy for her being "dragged into this" by Dolan and the gang (like Ridley did, neglecting to mention that it's Anucha Sanders who "dragged" her into this), then you have guys like Lupica piling on her for testifying. Like the Garden lawyers and Dolan intended, and wanted, all along for her to be testifying at all?!? No, you two-bit excuse for a writer, it's only because Anucha Sanders brought her up in her testimony that Decker was needed to testify.
It cracks me up how everyone writes about her promotion, her "big" promotion (as Ridley and Peyser labeled it) six weeks ago, as if it must be some reward for her future testimony. Here's a question for them, and Lupica... how did the Garden know six weeks ago that the intern would be needed to testify in this case. Remember: If Anucha doesn't tell the jury (or really, the newspapers) about the Decker's sexual episode with Marbury two weeks ago on the stand, Decker never testifies in this trial. What purpose would her testimony have served otherwise?
And remember this: Decker's sexual episode with Marbury really has little... actually practically nothing... to do with Anucha's sexual harassment charges against Isiah Thomas and the Garden. Just pointing out some facts that the local newspapers, the blogs, all those scavengers feasting on this story - have failed to point out.
Lupica then goes to quote the judge in the trial:
The judge said, "This is a case where (the jury) could find there is retaliation, rather nasty, deliberate retaliation at that."
Lynch made it clear it isn't his job to make findings, that he wasn't trying to act like a jury foreman in 23A. Still, his language was quite emphatic as he also said, "The jury would be well within its rights to find that the process (meaning the process that got Anucha Browne Sanders fired) was a sham."
Later, Lynch went back to a point he made before, obviously not wanting to be misunderstood: "This is a case where there is a real basis for disbelieving this process."
Well, first off, I'll like to applaud the Lip for making the trip to the court room to take some notes. I'm presuming he did, and maybe I'm presuming too much, but it sounds like he went there himself, and paid attention! Good for him. Maybe sometime in the next six month he might even attend a sporting event, too. Secondly, I also want to applaud him for using actual quotes... that's as close as he gets to stating facts.
But now the reality. Even in quoting the judge, he's still on telling one side of the story. This same judge has called the sexual harassment charges "a weak case". His response, all of it above, was simply in regards to throwing out the case. He's not saying anything more than "they could find...", or "there is a real basis for...". Yes, he seems to think the Garden could potentially lose the retaliation claim. That's a definite possibility, if you've followed the case. The Garden made a defense against that charge, but it's not a very strong defense.
Now here's where Lupica really loses me, and I imagine, most of the dwindling audience:
"It wasn't tampering. Come on. Her crime was simple: Both Steve Mills and Thomas were worried that she might have her sights on being the first female president of the Garden someday. At that point Thomas went right after her."
So, wait... let me get this straight: Isiah Thomas somehow beat out a straight up coup attempt by Larry Brown, with the entire NYC media (those fearsome mo-fo's), including Lupica himself... and still Thomas retained his job, because Dolan is that loyal to him (for whatever reason). Yet, at the same time, Thomas is so paranoid about losing his job as president to a female with no GM experience?!? To a person with a background in PR?!? Yeah, I'm sure Thomas' paranoia is the real reason for Anucha's dismissal. Thanks for breaking it down to me... now it's perfectly clear just how insane Lupica has become.
Here's what's going to happen: The jury is going to make a decision pretty quickly. They looked bored, and tired, and sick of this case. They won't spend too much time deliberating, I bet.
The sexual harassment charge, by most experts' opinions (including the judge's) is generally considered weak. It's based on a few incidents: Marbury calling Anucha a "black bitch" to... one of Anucha's underlings (Dan Glossman)... on his cellphone at 9 PM... over his cousin not being paid enough. That really doesn't have sh*t to do with Anucha being harassed; it's Anucha trying to establish that she wasn't liked by Marbury, and didn't get support from her bosses on that issue. The cousin who said lewd things to the intern - tangently related again. No, it pretty much comes down to the "Isiah called me a b*tch and screamed at me" argument. Again, pretty weak stuff. The jury could find the Garden guilty anyway, but odds are against it.
The retaliation claim is much stronger. They will debate about it for sure. The Garden's defense was that she was fired because she was incompetent, and because she was interfering with their investigations into her claims.
They have failed, utterly, to prove she was incompetent. The best they could offer up was a bad budget forecasting meeting. That hardly overturns years of positive reviews and salary increases.
On the second point they build a decent case, though neither strong nor weak. They tried to prove she interfered with their investigation by bringing out underlings - Dan Glossman, Karen Buchholz - to testify that she pressured them into documenting incidents and discussing stuff with them. It might work because the stuff that Anucha brought up during the case, particularly the intern incident, all stem from her own "detective" work. So yeah, she was conducting her own investigation, and that would be interfering with the Garden's investigation.
Only one problem with that, though. It's yet to be proven that the Garden really took her claim seriously.
The jury might find that there was no reason to take her claim seriously, or that they would have investigated had she not interfered. If so, then the Garden might get off with a clean victory. However, it is equally likely they will find in her favor, and rule that she was fired due to retaliation. Even if they do, I doubt they will give her the millions she's asking for. We'll find out soon, as this saga is finally reaching it's end....
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3 Comments
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Yes, "big up" indeed. Perhaps Daily News could give you a gig instead of Lupica. Great dress down of Lupicas BTW. I don't know how much you were serious or joking but Lupica may have really lost it.... not metaphorically -- I mean clinically!
I am also curious how the dollars might roll if she loses on sexual harassment but wins on "reatliation". Would they just award her a couple of years salary?
ahahaha, this is funny, this is the first MIKE LUPICA article I've read in my whole life !
before that I knew the anti-Christ but not Christ
(LOL)
For real SML, you've got by far the best coverage I've seen of this debacle anywhere. Big up yourself.