Twenty years is a long time to be anywhere. Twenty years on a job is almost unheard of in this age of revolving door employment. This is something I have personal knowledge of with June 5th being my 28th anniversary in the same place. Mind you, I was 10 when I started there, and did have two brief breaks from full-time to part time work, but I always had one hand on my office door. When you work in one place for that long, it’s not just what you do, but WHO you are. It’s how you define yourself in your own head, and to the rest of the world.
Such is the case of one Mr. Chris Botta, (ex) VP of Media Relations for the NY Islanders. Weathering the storm of twenty years of changes in a sports organization is a daunting task. There are economic changes, management changes, perpetual crises, and office politics to navigate. Mr. Botta and I have a lot in common, including sharing a birthday, if you discount the year. I’m certain he did it the same way I have: Humor, adaptability, constant learning and a good dose of vodka. (I can’t guarantee the last one on his part, but it’s a big reason I’ve been in the same place for so long.)
It’s a devastating situation to remove oneself from a position you love that you’ve held for so long. It was a shock to all of us in Islander Country in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday the 6th. It came with no warning, no reasoning, no real positive spin, even though Greg Logan tried. We may never know the details of what actually transpired. Office politics can be tricky. If you divulge the truth, you burn your bridges both behind you and ahead of you. That is financial suicide and something that smart people don’t do. If there is one thing that CB is… it’s smart, bordering on brilliant.
The only thing I can add to this depressing turn of events is my personal opinions, views and memories. I haven’t had the pleasure of knowing him very long, but what I have seen in just about a year leads me to believe that we ALL are losing something very special out of the organization we spend so much time, money and emotion on.
So, some facts: Chris Botta is the guy who wrote a book about the Islanders with Stan Fischler appropriately titled “Pride & Passion.” He’s the guy who in 2002 gave a lifelong, blind Islanders fan a day she’d never forget at the Coliseum. In April 2006, he was the guy who offered to leave me tickets at the will call window after I had sold off my own, even though I had no idea who he was other than the guy with the great blog. But he knew who I was, Milbury probably warned him. But he seemed to know everything behind the scenes, yet he was never visible. There are hardly any photos of him at company events. He was there, but not in front of the camera. He was the guy working behind the scenes with the media, giving them what they needed to get the story straight. And on Dec. 22nd 2007, he was the guy who stood on the ice with his family by his side and was honored for twenty years of loyal service with a Piaget watch and a mounted, customized jersey with his name and the number 20 on it. Still, I bet there are no photos of that either.
I don’t think this guy was ever off the Islander time clock or ever slept. Sure, this could come from raising three young boys, but I think it was more his work ethic that kept him constantly driven. Some game nights you’d find blog entries written in the early hours of the morning, and email notifications by 10 am. He’s the guy who ran the morning skate press conferences, the pre-game press conferences, and the post game press conferences. He’s the guy whose phone would ring off the wall every time something miserable happened in the Islanders camp that needed an explanation and a quote. He’s the guy with the time clock in his head who never had to look at that Piaget to see when Ted’s 4 minutes during post game were up to keep everything running smoothly. He’s the guy who could carry on a conversation with a visiting hockey dignitary and still have one ear on what an interviewing player was saying, just in case. He's also the guy that wrote about the Dragons, and the Lighthouse and a whole raft of other things that I never even bothered to read.
Botta is also the guy who came up with this crazy idea that gave me, the oldest living, non-sanctioned, intern a chance to do what I could only dream of -- WRITE about hockey and actually be recognized for it. The handful of people he took a chance on tried desperately to make him proud. I think we did a half-way decent job. I’m sure my blog box buddies will give you all their own personal views on working with CB or “The BlogFather” as we liked to call him. So, I won’t speak for them, just me.
I’ve had three bosses who I believe made a difference in my life. There was Herman Aaronson from CBS Entertainment who taught me at a very young age that it would be harder for me to make it in a man’s world unless I could deal with them on their level. Secondly, Richard Wilen who taught me there was nothing I couldn’t do, only things I didn’t know how to do… yet, and Chris Botta who basically, at this late stage of my life, reinforced everything the first two taught me. I CAN make it in a man’s world, but not if I'm treated differently and there’s nothing I CAN’T do, if I want to. He never told me what to write, just said “Write from your heart.” So I did, just as I’m doing now.
I can never thank this man enough for the opportunity he gave me. EVER! He was the first person to call me a “journalist.” I had to look around the room to see if there was someone else there. He would challenge me to look in other directions, even though at the time I thought he was scolding me.
He HATES the fact that my website is called “unique” perspectives. It seems to stick in his throat every time he says it.
“Your views can’t be ‘unique’ Mrs. Karl if you’re saying the same thing as everyone else. You really should find another angle.”
When I would complain about the late night delays in the press room, he would just quietly and calmly say “If this is too much for you Mrs. Karl, don’t do it.” The rest of the blog box boys would just shudder and step away figuring pointed shoes would soon be flying. But they never did. I would just grumble and growl and curse under my breath and go home and write until 1 am. He knew what motivated me.
He made me a better writer. No, wait, that’s not enough. He made me a writer, period. Something I never thought I could actually be. He made me work harder than I ever thought I could (especially for no money). He gave me friends I would never have had and an acceptance I would have never otherwise been offered. HE made my year in the Islanders organization stuff only dreams are made of.
Long standing jobs are like long standing marriages, they take a lot of hard work and two willing partners. I’ll consider this celebration & “break-up” year of the Islanders and Chris Botta the same way I consider what happened to me back in 1990. In September of 1989, for my fifth anniversary I renewed my marriage vows. By September of 1990, I had finalized divorce papers in my hand. You never know what tomorrow brings and things can end in a blink.
I only hope that Chris stays connected to the NHL. To lose this man, his passion and his insight for our game to another sport would be even more devastating than losing him from the Islanders -- and that is already crushing. There is no truer fan; there is no more loyal employee, no more compassionate man to those looking for assistance, no better friend than Chris Botta.
We’ll keep the light on for you CB, so you can always find your way HOME.
4B
Such is the case of one Mr. Chris Botta, (ex) VP of Media Relations for the NY Islanders. Weathering the storm of twenty years of changes in a sports organization is a daunting task. There are economic changes, management changes, perpetual crises, and office politics to navigate. Mr. Botta and I have a lot in common, including sharing a birthday, if you discount the year. I’m certain he did it the same way I have: Humor, adaptability, constant learning and a good dose of vodka. (I can’t guarantee the last one on his part, but it’s a big reason I’ve been in the same place for so long.)
It’s a devastating situation to remove oneself from a position you love that you’ve held for so long. It was a shock to all of us in Islander Country in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday the 6th. It came with no warning, no reasoning, no real positive spin, even though Greg Logan tried. We may never know the details of what actually transpired. Office politics can be tricky. If you divulge the truth, you burn your bridges both behind you and ahead of you. That is financial suicide and something that smart people don’t do. If there is one thing that CB is… it’s smart, bordering on brilliant.
The only thing I can add to this depressing turn of events is my personal opinions, views and memories. I haven’t had the pleasure of knowing him very long, but what I have seen in just about a year leads me to believe that we ALL are losing something very special out of the organization we spend so much time, money and emotion on.
So, some facts: Chris Botta is the guy who wrote a book about the Islanders with Stan Fischler appropriately titled “Pride & Passion.” He’s the guy who in 2002 gave a lifelong, blind Islanders fan a day she’d never forget at the Coliseum. In April 2006, he was the guy who offered to leave me tickets at the will call window after I had sold off my own, even though I had no idea who he was other than the guy with the great blog. But he knew who I was, Milbury probably warned him. But he seemed to know everything behind the scenes, yet he was never visible. There are hardly any photos of him at company events. He was there, but not in front of the camera. He was the guy working behind the scenes with the media, giving them what they needed to get the story straight. And on Dec. 22nd 2007, he was the guy who stood on the ice with his family by his side and was honored for twenty years of loyal service with a Piaget watch and a mounted, customized jersey with his name and the number 20 on it. Still, I bet there are no photos of that either.
I don’t think this guy was ever off the Islander time clock or ever slept. Sure, this could come from raising three young boys, but I think it was more his work ethic that kept him constantly driven. Some game nights you’d find blog entries written in the early hours of the morning, and email notifications by 10 am. He’s the guy who ran the morning skate press conferences, the pre-game press conferences, and the post game press conferences. He’s the guy whose phone would ring off the wall every time something miserable happened in the Islanders camp that needed an explanation and a quote. He’s the guy with the time clock in his head who never had to look at that Piaget to see when Ted’s 4 minutes during post game were up to keep everything running smoothly. He’s the guy who could carry on a conversation with a visiting hockey dignitary and still have one ear on what an interviewing player was saying, just in case. He's also the guy that wrote about the Dragons, and the Lighthouse and a whole raft of other things that I never even bothered to read.
Botta is also the guy who came up with this crazy idea that gave me, the oldest living, non-sanctioned, intern a chance to do what I could only dream of -- WRITE about hockey and actually be recognized for it. The handful of people he took a chance on tried desperately to make him proud. I think we did a half-way decent job. I’m sure my blog box buddies will give you all their own personal views on working with CB or “The BlogFather” as we liked to call him. So, I won’t speak for them, just me.
I’ve had three bosses who I believe made a difference in my life. There was Herman Aaronson from CBS Entertainment who taught me at a very young age that it would be harder for me to make it in a man’s world unless I could deal with them on their level. Secondly, Richard Wilen who taught me there was nothing I couldn’t do, only things I didn’t know how to do… yet, and Chris Botta who basically, at this late stage of my life, reinforced everything the first two taught me. I CAN make it in a man’s world, but not if I'm treated differently and there’s nothing I CAN’T do, if I want to. He never told me what to write, just said “Write from your heart.” So I did, just as I’m doing now.
I can never thank this man enough for the opportunity he gave me. EVER! He was the first person to call me a “journalist.” I had to look around the room to see if there was someone else there. He would challenge me to look in other directions, even though at the time I thought he was scolding me.
He HATES the fact that my website is called “unique” perspectives. It seems to stick in his throat every time he says it.
“Your views can’t be ‘unique’ Mrs. Karl if you’re saying the same thing as everyone else. You really should find another angle.”
When I would complain about the late night delays in the press room, he would just quietly and calmly say “If this is too much for you Mrs. Karl, don’t do it.” The rest of the blog box boys would just shudder and step away figuring pointed shoes would soon be flying. But they never did. I would just grumble and growl and curse under my breath and go home and write until 1 am. He knew what motivated me.
He made me a better writer. No, wait, that’s not enough. He made me a writer, period. Something I never thought I could actually be. He made me work harder than I ever thought I could (especially for no money). He gave me friends I would never have had and an acceptance I would have never otherwise been offered. HE made my year in the Islanders organization stuff only dreams are made of.
Long standing jobs are like long standing marriages, they take a lot of hard work and two willing partners. I’ll consider this celebration & “break-up” year of the Islanders and Chris Botta the same way I consider what happened to me back in 1990. In September of 1989, for my fifth anniversary I renewed my marriage vows. By September of 1990, I had finalized divorce papers in my hand. You never know what tomorrow brings and things can end in a blink.
I only hope that Chris stays connected to the NHL. To lose this man, his passion and his insight for our game to another sport would be even more devastating than losing him from the Islanders -- and that is already crushing. There is no truer fan; there is no more loyal employee, no more compassionate man to those looking for assistance, no better friend than Chris Botta.
We’ll keep the light on for you CB, so you can always find your way HOME.
4B
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2 comments:
Beautifully written, Dee.
Much good luck to Chris Botta, wherever he lands and whatever life holds for him. I'm sure he will be a success in whatever he chooses to do.
Good luck to Chris and I hope he stays in contact with you. I think the Islanders will regret his departure. Maybe not today, but once training camp comes around and the buzz begins.
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