Perception is reality, the saying goes. Modern players can never transcend time, athletes only care about the money and the fan is never wrong. Yet, all you need to do is dig a little deeper to find the truth. As a freelance sportswriter, my job is to give the audience a story around what just happened. As a consumer, I expect that sports will always provide more than I bargained for. As a fan, my hopes are to be enlightened by more than points. Welcome to the mind of a sports scribe.
So while the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes were going at it... well, just look.
Doesn't your boy here live under the sea, not in Section 19?
Fan Appreciation 'Night', even though it was about 3:30PM at The Rock. These two teams are likely to meet each other as the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in a few days.
More to come from the absolutely sick fourth row seats.
Meanwhile, if you have not done so already, vote on the ongoing poll.
Having attended tonight's New York Islanders/New Jersey Devils tilt in Newark (where "Rangers Suck" chants were abound), my love affair with the greatest jersey even worn in the history of professional sports was rekindled.
A gentleman, whose hand I should have shaken, was bold enough to walk into the Prudential Center with this 'classic'. I say bold not because he was in the the Devils' lair, but because other Islanders fans may have wanted to punch his lights out.
However, the Fisherman era represents so much... well, disfunction and drunken Photoshopping. The (in)famous photo above shows Darius Kasparaitis and Travis Green donning these threads in 1995 for the unveiling of the Isles' new identity. Thanks to the power of Google, here's a bit more about the immediate reaction.
I got to say that whenever the local newscasts show Islanders highlights, I thought that the TV was tripping on acid. These may have been two years of complete and utter shame out on Long Island, but as impossible as it may be to tell, it could have been worse...
Last night at another New Jersey Devils game, I came to the conclusion that I've been spending more time in the wonderful (no sarcasm) State of New Jersey than the wonderful (some sarcasm) City of New York in the past month.
With that said, between the IZOD Center and the Prudential Center videos, you have an idea of why the New Jersey Nets want to move. However, hopefully, you have an idea of why the Nets should treat their Barclays Center plans like a juvenile record; seal them, file them and (hopefully) never revisit them.
There will always be a city/town and a team willing to play footsies with each other in order to attract not only major league audiences, but indirectly attract major league employers for spuring economic development. At least that's the idea.
There is always talk of teams that are not performing well financially relocating to seemingly fertile lands. There are rather public discourses about attracting any pro team to Kansas City's Sprint Center, the uncertainty of several NHL teams in the South (east and west) and bringing NFL team back to Los Angeles (because Al Davis is still trying to move the Raiders back to LA and rumors about the Jaguars are still in the air)
However, the resistance coming from some government officials, civic-oriented organizations, small business owners and others will keep the fight going until either the team's ownership gives up or the players start looking around town for real estate.
So from just a curiosity standpoint (leaving politics and community matters out of the equation for now), I pose this to you: if you had full autonomy and authority while not having to worry about financing a stadium/arena:
Which teams would you move?
Where?
Why?
Finally, would you build a new stadium/arena or renovate exisiting grounds?
Say What?!?!: This post was inspired by what you can find about yourself via Google. Many thanks to No Land Grab.
In the first post of the New Year, here’s something not so new.
A while back, you got a glimpse of the Prudential Center, the sparkling arena in downtown Newark that is home to the New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall Pirates men’s basketball team and the New Jersey Ironmen (Major League Indoor Lacrosse). At the start of the video, I mentioned that the New Jersey Nets – former roommates with the Devils at what is now the Izod Center – should scuttle their plans to move to Brooklyn and shack up with the Devils instead.
If team owner Bruce Ratner sells the team, as it has been rumored, then the new owners might as well save the headache of trying to build the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. When the City of New York and New York State was basically throwing money towards the Yankees and Mets for their facilities while pondering the West Side Stadium for the Jets, it was not a stretch to believe that the Nets would move across the Hudson River before the end of the decade.
Yet, Ratner was dealing with the quagmire that Walter O’Malley dealt with a half-century earlier for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Whether the lack of movement has been public opposition, government reluctance or both, this area has never been developed in the manner than some have envisioned. Add the fact that Ratner made his money from real estate and you have a derailed train with broken tracks to its side.
New Jersey, contrary to popular opinion, is a strong market for professional sports. It sits between NYC and Philadelphia, but there is a strong economy within. As the transportation infrastructure of the State improves, getting to central cities such as Newark and Trenton will give New Jerseyites more options to travel besides driving.
The truth behind the so-called weak market for the Nets in the Garden State has less to do with travel and access and more to do with winning. Outside of the 4-5 year run earlier in the 2000s, the Nets have been quintessential losers in the NBA. Recent American sports history is littered with stories of teams finally turning the corner and enjoying the labors of success through new facilities (ex: San Diego Padres, Miami Heat and Atlanta Braves). It can still work in New Jersey, but it seems only if Ratner sells the Nets to someone who is willing to make the commitment.
Say What?!?!: Question about the NFL: As bad as the Detroit Lions looked, in all honestly, would it be crazy to think that the Kansas City Chiefs were the worst team in the league this season?
Maybe I had too many Halloween cupcakes or the aftermath three nights of energy-sapping Halloween parties caught up to me, but Scribe needs some updating.
Tonight, for the first time, this writer is headed to The Rock. The New Jersey Devils host the Buffalo Sabres at the Prudential Center in Newark and thanks to a good friend from college, I'm finally going to check out the newest digs in the metropolitan area. Considering that the Giants' drubbing of the Cowboys was on yesterday's schedule, I think I've spent more time in the wonderful state of New Jersey (I'm serious, I actually like the Garden State) than in my own crib. Go figure. So expect a ton of pictures, videos and randomness.
And yes, you're not crazy; I'm a black sportswriter who enjoys a good game of hockey.
Meanwhile, let me know how that MNF hustle, I mean plea for votes turns out. Better yet, just let me know about Washington and Pittsburgh.
And sticking with a hustle for votes, don't forget Scribe's poll if you haven't voted.
