Friday, May 30, 2008
Camden Yards 16 years later: Time for Nassau to get off its rear
On Tuesday night, I attended the scoping meeting on the Lighthouse Project at the Town of Hempstead Hall. The next day, I was in Baltimore at the invitation of my brother to watch Andy, Joba and Mariano shut down the Orioles.
Looking out my window at the Hyatt over the Inner Harbor, a 5-minute walk from Oriole Park, I couldn't help but think of the contrast between what Baltimore accomplished and Nassau County has not. Sixteen years later, Baltimore remains the shining example of what a smart-use sports facility can do for a region. Sixteen years and countless new stadia later, Camden Yards is still the best ballpark to visit.
While this 12-scenes-in-7-minutes Flip video is unedited, shaky and amateurish, hopefully it also makes a point. Keep those questions and comments coming.
CB
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Rick Reilly on Islanders fan Miriam from Forest Hills
islesblogger was kind enough to ask:
In a career that has taken you through extraordinary highs and even shown you the lowest of lows, how could you even begin to narrow down your experiences and pick a single favorite?
You're right, islesblogger. I cannot. Before I close shop in July, I'll list of some of my favorite moments. For now, I'll start with one - the night Miriam Stone came to her first Islanders game.
Rick Reilly wrote a column about it for the 2002 year-end issue of Sports Illustrated. I was in Baltimore yesterday for Yankees-Orioles and ran into a friend who said the Miriam column made Reilly's anthology, "Hate Mail From Cheerleaders," out in bookstores now. (As if Rick needed the plug). I have several copies of the magazine, but had to run to the Barnes & Noble to pick up the book. At the end of the story, Reilly has a nice postscript about how blunt Miriam is.
This is a good opportunity to mention that none of this would have happened if not for the participation of WFAN host Joe Benigno (a Rangers fan!) and his producer at the time, Ray Martel. Appropriately, Martel later on married an Islanders fan.
Read Rick Reilly's column on Islanders fan Miriam from Forest Hills here.
In a career that has taken you through extraordinary highs and even shown you the lowest of lows, how could you even begin to narrow down your experiences and pick a single favorite?
You're right, islesblogger. I cannot. Before I close shop in July, I'll list of some of my favorite moments. For now, I'll start with one - the night Miriam Stone came to her first Islanders game.
Rick Reilly wrote a column about it for the 2002 year-end issue of Sports Illustrated. I was in Baltimore yesterday for Yankees-Orioles and ran into a friend who said the Miriam column made Reilly's anthology, "Hate Mail From Cheerleaders," out in bookstores now. (As if Rick needed the plug). I have several copies of the magazine, but had to run to the Barnes & Noble to pick up the book. At the end of the story, Reilly has a nice postscript about how blunt Miriam is.
This is a good opportunity to mention that none of this would have happened if not for the participation of WFAN host Joe Benigno (a Rangers fan!) and his producer at the time, Ray Martel. Appropriately, Martel later on married an Islanders fan.
Read Rick Reilly's column on Islanders fan Miriam from Forest Hills here.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Double Minor: should John Tonelli's number be retired?
If I can somehow figure out how to use The Flip video camera in the scant few hours since picking one up at Best Buy today, then there may be hope for all of us.
Here is my double minor's worth of thoughts on John Tonelli and his place in Islanders history. Forgive the shoddy cinematography, lame set design and face for radio. When it comes to technology, for me this is an accomplishment.
Q: on the NYI Hall of Fame
mtrico writes:
Where did the Islanders come up with the idea for the Islanders Hall of Fame? A few years ago, I sent you an email attaching a scan of an article I found in the paper where one of Bob Bourne's sons (not sure if it was Justin) said that his dad was more than a role player on the Stanley Cup teams, and that he was disappointed that he was often refferred to as such. In the email I suggested that Bourne and others like Tonelli should be inducted into an Islanders hall of fame. Did that email ever get to you? Also, will Tonelli be the next inductee? He sure deserves it. Talk about underrated guys, he is at the top of the list.
Good luck with the job search!
p.s. I check more than once a day for new posts, so please keep posting.
Thanks, mtrico. Your email definitely did play a role in the creation of the Islanders Hall of Fame. Jeffrey Bourne also sent a letter to me about his resentment of his dad being referred to as a "role player." That's what we do in sports - we categorize without thinking. Bossy and Trottier are all-stars, so everyone else must be a role player. That's not right, but Justin's letter was. I was moved by a son sticking up for his dad so eloquently.
As several teams do, there was an unofficial policy that only Hockey Hall of Famers would have their numbers retired by the Islanders. There was one exception made: Bob Nystrom, for (then) 25 years of service to the team and the community. When you win four straight championships, you could make the case every man who played on all four teams deserves a night. That said, the line was drawn at Hall of Famers.
The Islanders were looking for a way to honor so many of the men worthy of a spotlight, and the Islanders Hall of Fame was created. A list of rather obvious candidates to be the first inductees was drawn up – John Tonelli, Butch Goring, Ed Westfall, Bourne, Stefan Persson, a few others. Two men were contacted. One, for understandable personal reasons, politely declined for the time being. It was decided Bob Bourne would have his own night. Bob’s only request was that the event be held before a game on Thanksgiving weekend so both of his sons could attend. Justin Bourne is now a forward in the Islanders’ system.
In the Zamboni corner moments before the start of the ceremony, I put my arm around Jeff Bourne and told him his letter was a big reason why we were there. One of the gifts Bob received from the franchise was a hockey sled for Jeff, who was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. His attitude on and off the ice makes Jeffrey Bourne a lot more than a role player. He is an inspiration.
****
(I will share my thoughts on Mr. Tonelli in a later post).
Where did the Islanders come up with the idea for the Islanders Hall of Fame? A few years ago, I sent you an email attaching a scan of an article I found in the paper where one of Bob Bourne's sons (not sure if it was Justin) said that his dad was more than a role player on the Stanley Cup teams, and that he was disappointed that he was often refferred to as such. In the email I suggested that Bourne and others like Tonelli should be inducted into an Islanders hall of fame. Did that email ever get to you? Also, will Tonelli be the next inductee? He sure deserves it. Talk about underrated guys, he is at the top of the list.
Good luck with the job search!
p.s. I check more than once a day for new posts, so please keep posting.
Thanks, mtrico. Your email definitely did play a role in the creation of the Islanders Hall of Fame. Jeffrey Bourne also sent a letter to me about his resentment of his dad being referred to as a "role player." That's what we do in sports - we categorize without thinking. Bossy and Trottier are all-stars, so everyone else must be a role player. That's not right, but Justin's letter was. I was moved by a son sticking up for his dad so eloquently.
As several teams do, there was an unofficial policy that only Hockey Hall of Famers would have their numbers retired by the Islanders. There was one exception made: Bob Nystrom, for (then) 25 years of service to the team and the community. When you win four straight championships, you could make the case every man who played on all four teams deserves a night. That said, the line was drawn at Hall of Famers.
The Islanders were looking for a way to honor so many of the men worthy of a spotlight, and the Islanders Hall of Fame was created. A list of rather obvious candidates to be the first inductees was drawn up – John Tonelli, Butch Goring, Ed Westfall, Bourne, Stefan Persson, a few others. Two men were contacted. One, for understandable personal reasons, politely declined for the time being. It was decided Bob Bourne would have his own night. Bob’s only request was that the event be held before a game on Thanksgiving weekend so both of his sons could attend. Justin Bourne is now a forward in the Islanders’ system.
In the Zamboni corner moments before the start of the ceremony, I put my arm around Jeff Bourne and told him his letter was a big reason why we were there. One of the gifts Bob received from the franchise was a hockey sled for Jeff, who was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. His attitude on and off the ice makes Jeffrey Bourne a lot more than a role player. He is an inspiration.
****
(I will share my thoughts on Mr. Tonelli in a later post).
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Take me out of the ballgame
Larry Brooks, now writing columns on the Yankees when in the good ol' days of the early 2000s he might have been at the Stanley Cup Final, today in the Post has an update on the potential of an NHL game at Yankee Stadium.
Larry's article is fact-filled and unbiased.
So is the following:
The New York Islanders, and only the New York Islanders, started the process of looking into the possibility of having a hockey game at Yankee Stadium. This process started more than a year before the first word was ever written about it in the press. It began before there were plans for the Penguins and Sabres to play an outdoor game in Buffalo.
The initial reaction of everyone else in the National Hockey League? A roaring, bordering on snickering, chorus of Aerosmith's "Dream On." Their issue wasn't about the Islanders being part of the game. It was naysayers - the ones who didn't put in the effort to dream big and then try to make it happen - tsk-tsking, "The Yankees will never allow a hockey game at Yankee Stadium."
Meetings between the Islanders and Yankees went deep enough that an all-hands-on-deck session with several executives from each team met at Yankee Stadium. This meeting, held a little more than two years ago, was hosted by Yankees COO Lonn Trost, quoted in today's article in the Post.
I was at the meeting. I was blown away by Trost's sincerity and the commitment of the Yankees staff to see the hockey game become a reality. As a lifelong Yankees fan, I walked into it wondering if real progress could be made. I walked out of it three hours later saying to myself, "Holy crap, we're gonna play a frickin' hockey game at the cathedral in the Bronx."
It was always understood the Rangers would be part of the game.
And still, the reaction of everyone else in the game? It wasn't, "Hey, slow down. The Islanders don't have the right to move this process along." It was more along the lines of, "C'mon boys, stop it. You're killin' us. Ain't gonna happen."
I could take this a lot farther, but that will have to do for now. Probably took it too far already. In time I'd imagine the rest will come out elsewhere.
Bottom line: if anyone really believes Bruins-Rangers over Islanders-Rangers is a significant ratings difference-maker, I can't help you there. But anyone with an ounce of fairness and decency in their soul knows the New York Islanders should be part of any NHL event at Yankee Stadium.
Larry's article is fact-filled and unbiased.
So is the following:
The New York Islanders, and only the New York Islanders, started the process of looking into the possibility of having a hockey game at Yankee Stadium. This process started more than a year before the first word was ever written about it in the press. It began before there were plans for the Penguins and Sabres to play an outdoor game in Buffalo.
The initial reaction of everyone else in the National Hockey League? A roaring, bordering on snickering, chorus of Aerosmith's "Dream On." Their issue wasn't about the Islanders being part of the game. It was naysayers - the ones who didn't put in the effort to dream big and then try to make it happen - tsk-tsking, "The Yankees will never allow a hockey game at Yankee Stadium."
Meetings between the Islanders and Yankees went deep enough that an all-hands-on-deck session with several executives from each team met at Yankee Stadium. This meeting, held a little more than two years ago, was hosted by Yankees COO Lonn Trost, quoted in today's article in the Post.
I was at the meeting. I was blown away by Trost's sincerity and the commitment of the Yankees staff to see the hockey game become a reality. As a lifelong Yankees fan, I walked into it wondering if real progress could be made. I walked out of it three hours later saying to myself, "Holy crap, we're gonna play a frickin' hockey game at the cathedral in the Bronx."
It was always understood the Rangers would be part of the game.
And still, the reaction of everyone else in the game? It wasn't, "Hey, slow down. The Islanders don't have the right to move this process along." It was more along the lines of, "C'mon boys, stop it. You're killin' us. Ain't gonna happen."
I could take this a lot farther, but that will have to do for now. Probably took it too far already. In time I'd imagine the rest will come out elsewhere.
Bottom line: if anyone really believes Bruins-Rangers over Islanders-Rangers is a significant ratings difference-maker, I can't help you there. But anyone with an ounce of fairness and decency in their soul knows the New York Islanders should be part of any NHL event at Yankee Stadium.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Attention, All PR Candidates: Take my job, please
If you are interested in applying to the Islanders for the vacant PR position left by my departure, let me be clear: I wholeheartedly recommend that you apply.
There are a limited number of PR jobs in team sports. When one opens up, you have to go for it.
If you get the opportunity to work for the New York Islanders, you’ll work alongside several remarkable people. Just as important, the team is owned by someone as committed to the region as anyone I know.
If you are a friend of mine, I especially recommend you immediately send a letter and resume. I’ve been delicately – oh-so-delicately – approached about this by a number of people. Why all the sensitivity? Why the concern for my reaction of a friend or colleague applying for the job?
I do not work there anymore. I left on good terms. I’ve made it really clear I’m still rooting for the team, even more so for my dear former co-workers.
For those of you who don’t give a hoot about this subject, please forgive my rant. It’s just that I’m amazed by some of the BS calls I’ve received in the last week or so:
“Do you think it’s something I should go for”? (YES! WHY THE HECK NOT?)
“Do you think I’m what they’re looking for”? (HOW THE HECK WOULD I KNOW? NEWS FLASH: I DON’T WORK THERE ANYMORE!)
“Would it be weird if I applied, or a waste of my time”? (I SIMPLY JUST DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THAT ONE, AND – TO BE FRANK – I’VE GOT OTHER STUFF TO FOCUS ON NOW)
I know I’m probably coming off as a major weenie, but from the beginning I really tried to be the opposite. I wasn’t gone from the Islanders a day when I spread the word to everyone in the business that they should absolutely jump on the opportunity if they felt it was right for them.
I should state that I don’t know exactly what the Islanders’ plans are for my old position. I’ve heard some rumblings about a friend in the organeyezation doing triple-duty and sliding over to direct my former staff, but that has not been made official as far as I can tell.
So, friends in PR, what are you waiting for?
You have my blessing.
There’s no need to tip-toe around the subject when you call me.
And, if you get the gig, please leave the 4 comps in the name of Chris, Aidan, Luke and Cole Botta.
There are a limited number of PR jobs in team sports. When one opens up, you have to go for it.
If you get the opportunity to work for the New York Islanders, you’ll work alongside several remarkable people. Just as important, the team is owned by someone as committed to the region as anyone I know.
If you are a friend of mine, I especially recommend you immediately send a letter and resume. I’ve been delicately – oh-so-delicately – approached about this by a number of people. Why all the sensitivity? Why the concern for my reaction of a friend or colleague applying for the job?
I do not work there anymore. I left on good terms. I’ve made it really clear I’m still rooting for the team, even more so for my dear former co-workers.
For those of you who don’t give a hoot about this subject, please forgive my rant. It’s just that I’m amazed by some of the BS calls I’ve received in the last week or so:
“Do you think it’s something I should go for”? (YES! WHY THE HECK NOT?)
“Do you think I’m what they’re looking for”? (HOW THE HECK WOULD I KNOW? NEWS FLASH: I DON’T WORK THERE ANYMORE!)
“Would it be weird if I applied, or a waste of my time”? (I SIMPLY JUST DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THAT ONE, AND – TO BE FRANK – I’VE GOT OTHER STUFF TO FOCUS ON NOW)
I know I’m probably coming off as a major weenie, but from the beginning I really tried to be the opposite. I wasn’t gone from the Islanders a day when I spread the word to everyone in the business that they should absolutely jump on the opportunity if they felt it was right for them.
I should state that I don’t know exactly what the Islanders’ plans are for my old position. I’ve heard some rumblings about a friend in the organeyezation doing triple-duty and sliding over to direct my former staff, but that has not been made official as far as I can tell.
So, friends in PR, what are you waiting for?
You have my blessing.
There’s no need to tip-toe around the subject when you call me.
And, if you get the gig, please leave the 4 comps in the name of Chris, Aidan, Luke and Cole Botta.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Q: On continued fan relations
Nick asks:
Do you think the Islanders will continue with their open policy towards fans, like the Blog Box?
I would not expect that to change and, in fact, I think the team will only expand their fan initiatives. As it is, the Islanders are one of the most accessible teams in all of pro sports. Having a strong grasp on what most of the other teams do, I would put the Islanders easily in the top 20.
I saw that ESPN Fan Poll where they rank all 122 teams in a variety of subjects - Ted Nolan came in No. 5, the fan experience at the only-gloriously-decrepid-when they're-winning Coliseum finished close to last. I was amazed the Islanders were somewhere in the 70s for accessibility to players and management. I don't think I have to go into all the events and initiatives the team has for fans. Let's just say the ranking was absurd.
NYI Blog Box will likely be taken to the next level. I'm proud of what we started last year, but now the key is "What's next"? Corey and I discussed some ideas at the end of last season. I'm confident it will only grow bigger and better.
I guarantee the team's relationship with Islandermania as the official message board will continue to develop in bolder ways. Toward the end of my tenure there, I know some members of management met with at least one other major message board. The franchise always has time for its fans. Of course, the challenge continues to win new ones.
So to answer your question Nick, yes.
Do you think the Islanders will continue with their open policy towards fans, like the Blog Box?
I would not expect that to change and, in fact, I think the team will only expand their fan initiatives. As it is, the Islanders are one of the most accessible teams in all of pro sports. Having a strong grasp on what most of the other teams do, I would put the Islanders easily in the top 20.
I saw that ESPN Fan Poll where they rank all 122 teams in a variety of subjects - Ted Nolan came in No. 5, the fan experience at the only-gloriously-decrepid-when they're-winning Coliseum finished close to last. I was amazed the Islanders were somewhere in the 70s for accessibility to players and management. I don't think I have to go into all the events and initiatives the team has for fans. Let's just say the ranking was absurd.
NYI Blog Box will likely be taken to the next level. I'm proud of what we started last year, but now the key is "What's next"? Corey and I discussed some ideas at the end of last season. I'm confident it will only grow bigger and better.
I guarantee the team's relationship with Islandermania as the official message board will continue to develop in bolder ways. Toward the end of my tenure there, I know some members of management met with at least one other major message board. The franchise always has time for its fans. Of course, the challenge continues to win new ones.
So to answer your question Nick, yes.
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