In American Nerd: The Story of My People, Brooklyn-based writer Benjamin Nugent combines a peripatetic history of the word “nerd” with accounts of the various kinds of people it is most often used to describe. The book includes an autobiographical dose; one section called “My Credentials” details Nugent’s early 90s adolescent exodus from d20-style probabilities. On page 3, Nugent fittingly discloses: “when I was eleven, I had a rich fantasy life in which I carried......

Knicks 89 Philadelphia 76ers 81: The Knicks enjoyed a team effort in defeating another struggling Eastern Conference team, the Sixers. Five players scored in the double digits, led by Jamal Crawford's 18 pounts and Zach Randolph's 16 points and 14 rebounds. Coach Isiah Thomas said, "We have good shot distribution, everyone feels part of the game, everyone gets to touch the basketball." Late in the fourth quarter, the Knicks' 10 point lead was cut......

Go! Go! Curry: This Japanese fast food hot spot had lines down the block when they opened in the Garment District last spring; now they’re building on the buzz and branching out in the East Village. We’ve become addicted to their belt-busting Grand Slam (pictured), “a monster platter that comes with fried chicken, pork sausages and a hard-boiled egg, among other things. The thick, sweet sauce has a tiny kick of heat and is served......

Devils 6, Flyers 2: After three failed bids to get Martin Brodeur his 500th career win, the Devils finally provided him some margin of error. They played stingy defense and lit the lamp six times en route to an easy milestone win. Brodeur joins Patrick Roy as the only netminders with 500 wins. Dainius Zubrus got the party started and added an assist. As happy as the Devils are for Brodeur, they're probably happiest that......

Magic 112, Knicks 102: As fun as it is to jump on Eddy Curry and his 80:1 pound/rebound ratio, the Knicks have other problems. Dwight Howard made things difficult for one of the Knicks big men -- though the other, Zach Randolph, did manage to have 23 points on 13 rebounds -- but the New York shooters' failure to back them up the frontcourt cost the Knicks this game. The perimeter players didn't play......

Knicks 119, Nuggets 112: Isiah Thomas had his Knicks go toe-to-toe with the high-flying Nuggets, and they came out on top despite trailing by 15. Don't look now, but Thomas may have made a smart move in acquiring Zach Randolph. Eddy Curry is still overweight and Renaldo Balkman was still taken too early, but the Knicks put on quite a show for the Garden fans. And it didn't involve the fisticuffs of last season's......

Mavericks 92, Knicks 77: No one is surprised the Knicks lost this game to the 55-11 Mavericks, but the effort wasn't there again. Eddy Curry can take the accolades for a 22-point night, yet he made only four of 12 free throws. Even with a roster banged up enough to require Malik Rose to play 12 minutes, this effort didn't impress anyone. Most teams try to rise to the occasion when the league's best comes......

Nets 112, Nuggets 102: No NBA regular-season game should be billed as a must-win, but Saturday's victory in Denver could prove to be the most important game this season for the Nets. As much as they hate to admit it, when they need to win, they rely on Vince Carter, who scored 40 points. Bostjan Nachbar's 22 went in the pleasant-surprise department, which also included this win on the heels of three heartbreaking losses. Rangers......

It is getting impossible to root for the Knicks anymore. The franchise is completely lost, stuck over the salary cap for the rest of the decade and playing uninspired basketball. Now we learn that the head coach is running the team like a mob boss, ordering his players to take out opponents. These are the facts we know at this point. George Karl and Isiah Thomas do not get along at all. Karl is a......

What’s another $17 million at this point? Friday night the Knicks figured out how to make things worse by sending Antonio Davis to Toronto for Jalen Rose and a draft pick. The Knicks promptly went out and celebrated by losing to Toronto 104-90. However they try and spin it, this trade makes no sense. Rose is a terrible defender; not exactly the type of player Larry Brown is going to embrace. The draft pick belongs......

And the hits just keep on coming for the Knicks. The Knicks dropped another game last night against the Denver Nuggets, 95-86, finishing their 6-game road trip and dropping their record to a grand 2-7. At least they get to return to Madison Square Garden tomorrow. Stephon Marbury, who has been asked to be more of a team player in Larry Brown's offense, struggled again, scoring only 9 points while contributing 9 assists. Starbury was......

Playoff basketball in the NYC area came and went just that fast. The Nets are done for the season after a 110-97 loss to Miami on Sunday afternoon. Dwayne Wade continued to torch the Nets with explosive play; amazingly, Wade averaged 26 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds per game for the series in just his second NBA season. Add those stats to those of 3-time champion Shaq, and the Nets were doomed. Wade......

7 points in 22 seconds. That pretty much sums up the Nets' night in a 90-86 loss to the Pacers on Wednesday. 39 year-old Reggie Miller continued his 2nd half surge with 22 points and some heroic shots (including a 4-point play) to clinch a playoff spot for Indiana and push the Nets 1.5 games out of the Eastern Conference race with just 5 games to play. The Nets actually led by 11 at halftime......

Rod Thorn threw in the towel last night and started discussing a sign and trade with the Nuggets that would ship Kenyon Martin out West. "You guys will find out soon. Something is going to happen soon," said Martin. By working out a sign and trade with Denver, Martin will get an extra year added to his contract, for a total of 7 years and $90 million, and the Nets will get some compensation......

At 12:01 AM this morning, NBA free agents finally became eligible to put their John Hancock on the deals they agreed to over the last two weeks. While most of the press is focusing on where Kobe Bryant will land, local hoops fans are waiting with baited breath to find out what Kenyon Martin decides to do. Both the Atlanta Hawks and the Denver Nuggets will present K-Mart with an offer sheet giving him the......

Well, we didn't get alot right, but at least we called Sebastian Telfair to the Blazers at 13. Gothamist spent the last week looking up florists in Portland, Orgeon so we could send Blazers GM John Nash a big bouquet of flowers. Because Telfair went early, high school stud Al Jefferson fell to Boston at 15, providing the Celtics with the bruising PF they so desperately needed. Unfortunately, draft night didn't become the trading......

Proving that nothing in New York is cheap, a recent study by Sportsbusinessnews.com confirmed that the New York Knickerbockers were officially the worst bargain in the league this season. When you divide the Knicks $94,395,091 payroll (highest in the league) by 39, the number of W�s they notched this season, the results show that each victory cost owner James Dolan $2,420,387. Need proof that shrewd cap mangement can put you in position to win a......