Bill Guerin Trade: The Best for Everyone

I hate trade deadline day. I always have, I probably always will. But last season's deadline debacle (as some have called it) of trading NY Islanders Captain Bill Guerin seemed to be the most painful.

Guerin is a great leader. He is wonderful in the room, he is forceful on the ice, he is entertaining with the media. He was important, admired and appreciated. He was honest and direct and you always knew where you stood with him. He was a pleasure in Uniondale.

For whatever reason, he wanted to leave. With appreciation for everything he had done for the Islanders, Garth Snow acted in good faith looking for a deal that would benefit all parties, most importantly Guerin.

He thought he had a deal. The Islanders kept their Captain off the ice in preparation of being moved. Something went wrong and the media picked up on it and ran.

Garth Snow never gave up trying to find a deal for his Captain; one that would be agreeable. He found one with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It wasn't because Guerin, who at 38 still has a scoring touch, was not a desirable commodity. It was cap space and geography.

I'm bringing this up because I had a conversation on Twitter and was asked about the deal. I really have no details. I have personal observations. I have that woman's intuition that has never failed me.

It was a painful deal for Garth Snow to make. He seemed somewhat hurt by having to move the man that he put so much faith in by surprising him with the Captaincy at his introduction press conference on July 9th of 2007, one week after signing a two year deal. He had to move him for something, or lose him for nothing at the end of the season we would all like to forget.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, with two of the most talented players in the league, were a perfect place for Guerin to land. He also knew he would take a huge amount of flack for the conditional 5th Round pick he received in return. But Garth is a smart man and worked stipulations into trading for Tampa Bay's original draft pick that would upgrade it to where it is today, a third rounder.

The day Guerin was traded, the club released this statement from Garth Snow:

"The entire Islanders organization has the utmost respect for Bill Guerin and we sincerely thank him for his time on Long Island and as the team's captain."

I was not at the press conference where he announced the trade. A few days later, I had a chance to ask Garth Snow about it. He had heard all the reports of the situation being "mishandled." The man I know to be sincere and honest with me was reflective.

"It really was the best deal out there, Dee. Really." Translation: This was the best I could do for both the Islanders and for Billy.

Garth doesn't lie to me. It would be like trying to lie to his mother. If he doesn't want to give me an answer, he will smile and just NOT answer. Period. There would be silence. He won't give me the PR speech in his pocket and he won't make up something for the sake of answering.

By making this trade for Bill Guerin he gave him another shot at the prize. The Penguins needed Billy Guerin. Billy Guerin needed the Penguins. Snow now needs a Captain who wants to lead a young team against the odds.

However, while the Islanders organization was criticized for this move when it happened, they should be commended for it. Bill Guerin and the Pittsburgh Penguins stand on the doorstep of heading to the Stanley Cup finals. Garth Snow has an additional third round pick in a very deep draft. Talk about a "Win - Win" situation.

Good Luck Billy. Maybe that cup will have your name on it more than once.

Just a thought...

I obviously have a lot to learn.

Yesterday, while at the front of the viewers at that rally, I was fumbling with my camera, my recorder (which was in full view in case any one needs to know that), a pad, a pen and (of course because I have the misfortune of being female) my purse.

The very experienced admin of Islanders Point Blank had..... nothing. Or at least, nothing that I could see. As I wrote feverishly in my Islanders notepad and took photos with one hand with the pen in my mouth (I know, gross, but I only have two arms), Mr. Botta stood relaxed in a t-shirt and shorts.

I spend five hours transcribing 45 minutes of tape, he bangs out an entire time line in an hour.

I am impressed by the master.

Pens tonight! I better be back from freakin' softball by puck drop!

The Re-Elect Kate Murray Kick Off Party

There were stars and stripes bunting, banjos and free ice cream. There were signs on tall sticks high over head with Kate Murray’s name and likeness on them. A town employee prompted a “We Like Kate!” chant as he walked through the crowd standing in the sun on this Friday afternoon in front of the Levittown Veteran’s Memorial. It was picture perfect. If the picture were being taken in 1945.

This is politics and politics on Long Island is getting quite ugly. This was the “Kate Murray for Supervisor” re-election kick-off party. I was handed a press release for the event and noticed the first paragraph which states “Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray launched her re-election campaign before hundreds of cheering supporters.” Forgive me, this is my first exposure to one of these, but how did they know there would be “hundreds of supporters” if it was already printed? Why not “thousands”? Or how about “quite a few,” as if I had put down my camera and my recorder I may have been able to count the actual attendees using my fingers and toes. (They were accessible, I waswearing sandals.)

Nassau County Republican Chairman Joe Mondello took the podium. His words were passionate and strong. He felt the press is “… giving the democrats a free ride. We’re going to take a positive approach to this campaign. I’m going to have a lot to say on how this thing unfolds. We are going to spare no time, no effort, no money to re-elect a great supervisor: Kate Murray. Make no mistake; the Democrats are absolutely after us. They are not satisfied having the Federal government, the State and they are in charge of the County. They want our Towns too and they want your Town. And they want your jobs." (Huh? okay. I kept listening.)

"And we are the only government in Nassau County that is fiscally conservative. We are the only ones where Kate Murray has held the line on taxes. She’s done what she had to do. She’s really addressed the problems. She’s absolutely pro-growth. But she wants the people not to be hurt. She’s the watchdog (woof). She has to look out for the people of this township. And she’s going to start letting people know, not getting defensive not fighting back that way, but letting people know that she is out there looking out for their interests." Does that mean she'll be more accessible to the media? I can't be sure.

"And she can’t jump at anything. I saw a sign before that had something to do with the coliseum. We’re all for redoing the Coliseum, what we are NOT for is ANYTHING else that is going to be a part of it that could really injure the Town of Hempstead. And there are villages that are concerned. The Village of Garden City (that has threatened to sue), the Village of Hempstead and other people that are concerned about…”

And then the hell gates opened. A very small group of vocal supporters of the Lighthouse project yelled out. What was Mr. Mondello’s response?

“Blow it out your duffle bag pal. They’re being paid by Charles Wang. That’s what’s going on here.” (Does he really think the kid knows what the hell a Duffle bag is?)

Really Mr. Mondello? Somehow I missed out on that action and I know some of those who were there to be vocal.

“So as far as I’m concerned, let’s do what we do best and that’s win elections especially in the town of Hempstead.”

Now, I’m a registered Republican myself and somewhere along the line I believe we’ve been LOSING quite a few elections Mr. Mondello, not winning them.

Kate Murray took the podium to cheers. “Why are we here today? We are here today because residents of America’s largest township deserve leadership they can trust. While other governments are in fiscal chaos, Hempstead is earning the highest Wall Street credit ratings and in a time when other officials at other levels of government rely on fiscal gimmicks, like deferring personnel costs, we refuse to mortgage our children’s future. We’re here to tell our residents that you can produce a tax freeze budget and still maintain the finest municipal services anywhere.”

“The Hempstead town Republican team that we have here is managing government well. We planned for this economic recession we’re in, and we’re a model of financial strength. You won’t hear us blaming the economy for fiscal mismanagement. Leave that to the government officials who would rather point fingers than lead. We don’t do that in the Town of Hempstead.” T
“How are we helping the Town of Hempstead residents? We are freezing the town taxes once again. This is the second town tax freeze in the last three years.” To be clear, I am not a ToH resident, so I don’t know what that equates to, but I am under the impression that taxes are high begin with. Tom Suozzi’s new June 1st energy tax was cited and understandably booed.

“We know that the economy is tough out there, so we have our OWN $40 million stimulus program. Now is the time that folks need projects that will support and create jobs. And that’s exactly what we are doing in the town of Hempstead.” (I guess she has more relatives that need work.)

“Our $40 million capital program will finance jobs and road improvements and other infrastructure upgrades that we’re going to put resident’s to work. In addition to creating jobs and stimulating the economy, we’re doing it in a Green responsible manner. We have Long Islands ONLY solar powered Government office.”

That actually sounded quite good. So did the “How To” seminars Ms. Murray said the Town offers to residents on solar power. She also mentioned a water “e-cycling” program.

If, indeed, this is what the Town is looking for, did they mention to the Lighthouse developers that water "e-cycling" should be part of their proposal? I don’t know.

Ms. Murray also felt that due to the economy, fewer residents would be taking vacations and opting for “Stay-cations” instead which should see increased use of the town's parks and beaches.

“We saved the beach at Point Lookout. We have swim lessons, yoga lessons; quite frankly you could have a full time job just taking part in the free programs that the Town of Hempstead has to offer.” (How much does that job pay Ms. Murray? $40 an hour? Sorry.)

When it comes to affordable housing, Murray stated that they have built more “affordable” homes in the Town of Hempstead than in any other municipality. “We refinanced the refurbishment of over 800 affordable apartments. We’ve created 1,300 affordable units for our seniors, and now we have partnered with developers that have an additional 2000 units for our seniors so that they can stay in their communities.”

These developers are probably not Charles Wang and Scott Rechler. Although I’m curious that she wants to preserve the suburban lifestyle and is talking about approximately the same number of residential units that the Lighthouse project has proposed. I am wondering where

these 2,000 units are planned.

“We have to help our Mom & Pop businesses more than ever, and in that regard we have done nine successful down-town renovations in Oceanside, Baldwin, Elmont, Levittown, Franklin Square, Merrick, Bellmore, Roosevelt, East Meadow and Seaford. And we’re working to get into even more towns. “

As that is TEN towns and she claimed nine were successful, I’d like to know which one was a failure.

While looking around the crowd at the few in the Blue, White & Orange, Ms. Murray’s tone changed.

“Let’s talk about the other developments that are going on, not only at the Coliseum (which hasn’t seen a shovel yet, but okay) but all around the Town,” she became stern, "Let me tell’ya the Murray Team is innovative and we’re open to innovative, progressive development while we are absolutely committed to preserving our suburban character. That is our legal responsibility and that is our moral responsibility.”

Last I checked there was no “suburban character” in the 150 acres of asphalt surrounded by a college, a highway, an empty lot and a recycling center. Are McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chipotle part of “suburban character"?

“We have approved some very innovative transit oriented developments next to the West Hempstead train station and in a number of other communities. And we continue to look to all other development plans with open minds.”

I’m just wondering how she can look to other plans when she won’t attend a meeting with a developer. In going over the media release, I saw the same items she outlined in her speech; however I miss the hyperlinks that internet text would provide. I would like to see back up to these very powerful and impressive messages she gave today, and I’m lazy and do not want to have to search the internet for them myself.

Once again, Ms. Murray became stern in her tone looking at the Lighthouse supporters in the crowd, “That being said, we won’t be bullied." (Yes, bullied by the public. The very VOCAL public.) "The safety and welfare of our residents is of the utmost importance to all of us on the town board and it’s our legal and moral responsibility to make sure that the quality of life enjoyed by our residents is preserved. It is too important to take shortcuts on proposals that could change the character of our region for generations to come.”

Yes, Nassau county might actually have a monument to be recognized by. Some sort of Landmark to identify it. Out in Suffolk, as lame as it is, we have the Big Duck and the Montauk Lighthouse.

“A big structural deficit is a sign of bad management, not bad times.” And as the crowd chanted “Kate, Kate, Kate.” with a departing shot at my blogging brethren and she uttered words that cut me to the quick. “And, BTW, I’m also an Islanders fan.”

Really, Ms. Murray? How many games did you attend last season? I was at about 30 games, I never saw you. Can you tell me who Joel Rechlichz is? I doubt it. Nonetheless, the exclamation drew cheers and applause from the middle-age, upper middle class crowd.

Yes, this is the Republican Party, to which I belong. Suits and ties, khakis and Izod shirts. Other than the veterans by the monument, I saw no other uniforms. The Republicans by their own admission are ready to wage war on the Democrats to keep the ToH a Republican Township in a “sea of fiscal red ink.”

Supposedly, in the ToH, 10% of their tax dollars pay for 90% of their day to day town services. Again, I‘d really love a hyperlink for that. (A side note, Garden City is one of the only villages that have a PAID fire department while the rest of Long Island relies on volunteers to protect them.)

As it was wrapping up, as The Dixie Rascals began to play “Give my Regards to Broadway”, and as my eyes began to glaze over from the rhetoric and speeches, a man interested in talking to anyone who would listen, came to me. He had a lot to say.

“It’s a shame that she has not articulated her viewpoint on the project. It’s a disservice to her town and to the people of Nassau County and Long Island. We are losing our young adults at five times the national average and she doesn’t want to voice her opinion on one of the largest projects on Long Island. She obviously doesn’t know how to negotiate. She’s going to kill a project that would be vital to the Uniondale School district. On top of that, if we lose a major sports franchise in this area, we’ll never get one back. And it’s the Republicans who have been to blame over the course of the last ten years. And they talk about fiscal responsibility. They‘re the party of no ideas.”

Ouch. Sad, but true. My own party has brought us to this point.

I saw Joe Ra talking to Point Blank’s Chris Botta, luckily for him, that stupid banjo music was so loud my recorder didn’t pick up their conversation.

I walked in on Nick Giglia’s conversation with Donald Clavin, ToH Receiver of Taxes, mid sentence. It was rude on my part, but hey, this is journalism.

“It’s going to get to the middle and everyone’s going to be happy.” He was telling Nick and Isles Jersey sporting Joe Conte. The sentence brought out the Brooklyn in me, “Can you get to the middle if you don’t want to hear any body or show up any where?”

Mr. Clavin wanted to bring to light (or media attention) that Kate Murray has called Scott Rechler to reschedule twice. (This is confirmed.) But this does not excuse her from the other meetings she has missed or recused herself from.

“By the way, when the hearings come in, she’s going to be there.” He assured me. However, they cannot schedule the public hearings yet, so who knows if her calendar will be open. “The villages are saying you better make sure this is done right or we are going to potentially sue. There is a process.” he paused before he uttered the line that this time I believed “and I’m an Islander fan, just like you guys. Nobody wants to see the team go, but no one’s going to build this thing without the proper studies. If it was a proper study, why did the Uniondale school district raise concerns?” He looked me square in the eyes, “Are you Dee?”

Busted. “I read your stuff.” Okay, he is an Islander fan, or a well trained employee, or both.

“These are all legal requirements, trust me. Sixty-five-hundred pages, you can’t go through in 45 days. And why did it sit in Nassau County for five years. Give it time, let the public hearing come. You guys come down voice your opinion, let the other residents voice theirs, and I really think something will be done when everybody gets together. But right now, it’s being tossed around like a political football. They did move the initial phase very quickly. You’ve gotta let the process go. A lot of this is out of our hands.” Although Mr. Clavin speaks fast and furious, he closed with “The process won’t choke on this issue because everyone knows it’s important and they want it done properly. And the town is doing a great job of that. And so are you guys.” He was referring to the blogger bunch, but he does feel the fans are only getting one side of the story.

“Don’t think that anyone has come out and stonewalled the project. What they are trying to do is make sure it’s a good fit. Sincerely, I want you guys to know that.” We nodded silently.

“The hearings will come, at the end; I think there will be a happy resolution for everybody.” That sat well with me as I feel he truly believes it, but he also knows the deal “Nobody gets everything they want.”

No, they don’t. But we should get what we need.

Of Sports & Politics & New Media

In October of 2005, I had no idea who those two men behind the glass were when I was taking pictures during an open practice. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know they were in the shot until I was cleaning out my hard drive a few months ago and found this photo.

By 2007, I knew both of them. They loved their jobs with the Islanders. One was a magician, the other, the magician's assistant and student. He learned a lot.

As most sports teams do regularly, the Islanders are in restructuring mode. When you aren't winning, you shake the tree and see what falls out. The Islanders seem to like to do that in the month of May. For many workers, their time with the NY Islanders is done. New employees will be found with new ideas and fresh enthusiasm. It's a sad state of affairs for those who have lost the jobs they love, but that is the nature of the business. The good thing is, other companies do exactly the same thing, so other positions should open up. Every time God closes a door, he opens a window. Hopefully not so you jump out.

One woman I'm hoping will have her tenure at her current job cut short is KATE MURRAY who is kicking off her re-election campaign today at 1 pm in Levittown. IF the Democratic party can take over the white house, why can't it take over the Town of Hempstead??? It's time for a change people, unless you'd like every relative of this woman to have a job in the town that your tax dollars will pay for. Seriously.

The Internet has become my source of all information lately. Most notably -- TWITTER. I'm imagining that it is now what that stock ticket was over 100 years ago. The tiniest bits of important information delivered to your hand as it happens.

That is how I found out about Corey Witt's departure from the NY Islanders. That is how I found out about Kate Murray's campaign kick off. That is how I find out just about everything, by following a diverse group of Twitter feeds. It's mind-boggling.

Good Luck Corey.

Tom Suozzi: Rolling Up His Sleeves & Dropping the Gloves

"I am ready for a fight! Are you ready for a fight?" he addressed a crowd on Tuesday at the RXR Plaza. The battle cry was met with cheers by the Democrats in attendance as he announced his intent to seek a third term.

So, while the Islanders brass may have been entertaining draft prospects across the street, Tom Suozzi was leading the battle cry to make sure that prospect has some place to play hockey in Uniondale.

"We NEED to build the Lighthouse across the street at the Coliseum." Mr. Suozzi is, in deed, the Lighthouse's most vocal political proponent. He 'gets it'.

While he cited the high tax burden on Long Island and the tax relief the area would get from the completion of the visionary project, there are those other towns that scoff they would see no benefit from the project.

They are wrong. One visionary project such as the Lighthouse will be a catalyst to bring additional business into the area. Our area, as beautiful as it may be, has NO benefits to entice or maintain big business. Point and case: the company I have worked for these last 29 years looked South when they expanded and built their own printing facilities. The art and sales facilities are always in danger of moving with them. The only reason we are still on Long Island is that key ownership's own family didn't want to move. THAT'S IT!

There are no tax benefits, there are no work force benefits, there are no government incentives to keep large business on Long Island. What the project should bring to the Island is not only jobs to the area, but the ability to entice other companies to jump on the bandwagon and bring Long Island back to positive growth.

"We've got to stop the GOP. We've got to stop the Town Of Hempstead. We have to stop Kate Murray."

That "WE" is a collective term. That means all of us, Democrats and Republicans. Can they every join forces? Probably not. Yesterday on Twitter, Tom Suozzi posted this link to a Newsday Video about a Republican who left her party to join the Democrats. After watching it, I don't know why anyone would want to be in politics.

The truth is, we now have a Democratic President and a largely Democratic Senate. They were VOTED in by the American people. It's time for us to try things their way. If it doesn't work, we have a chance to change it in the next round of elections. For now, let's follow President Obama's suggestions of cutting through the petty politics and working towards a new era for the US and our little piece of it.

It's not about hockey. It's about the future. There are those who see it, there are those who want to live in the past.

Speaking of Hockey... we have hockey tonight.... Thank God.

I Get My Legal News from - TWITTER!

Wasn't yesterday's legal proceedings in Phoenix one for the history books???? There were more than a dozen media outlet reporters 'Twittering' the blow by blow legal info to the masses.

Fascinating! Gone are the days of waiting for an article in the Times coupled with a court room sketch!

It seems both sides of lawyers were somewhat on edge from the descriptions and Balsillie wants this to move as quick as possible.

Even though I was kept up to date until the very last gavel bang, I am still interested in reading Tripp Mickel's take on the proceedings in SBD. Hopefully, it will be one of the articles I don't need a subscription for.

Short Sighted Republicans?

Oh, Good Grief! I like getting involved in Politics as much as I like root canal, but once again a tiny article (coupled with the CORRECT illustration of the LighthouseLI Project) in today's Newsday did catch my eye.

It seems that four Democratic LI reps went to Washington, hat in hand, looking for money for infrastructure to ease our traffic problems here on the Island and the Nassau Hub. As reported by Elizabeth Moore, Republican Rep Peter King left the Hub off "his wish list" because "it would be presumptuous and premature."

Hey, Mr. King, this is a five year plan you went to discuss. Leaving off infrastructure improvements for that area is short sighted. Unless, of course, you expect to do NOTHING with that area at all in the next FIVE YEARS.

Does that mean that the additional project from that company from Virginia with ties to Kate Murray which is on the doorstep of the proposed Lighthouse project isn't going to need any additional roadwork? No? All those houses that the Town of Hempstead has to approve in the Mitchell Field development aren't going to cause any problems for the area that your representatives tell us is already over burdened? My my my... Very interesting.

But this brings me to a different thought. The representatives are in Washington asking the new administration for millions of dollars for the country's infrastructure. Um, President Obama, where is this money coming from?

It is no secret that I listen to Canadian radio most of the day at work. It is there where I find out the most interesting information regarding our own government. Something I heard yesterday frightened me more than the Swine Flu epidemic and more than Brian Burke wanting John Tavares.

"The American banking system is insolvent." My ears perked up. "Think of the banking system as piggy banks. They are all empty." I grew pale and began to sweat. But it made sense.

So I'd like to offer my own economic "fix" theory. Okay, here it goes.

Dear President Obama:

I would like to suggest that you get the very profitable Big Oil companies to bail out the auto and banking industry. As it seems that the Oil industry is the only ones making obscene profits, they are the ones that would suffer most from the collapse of the American auto industry. After all, it's those gas guzzling monsters that help them make money.

Now, the oil companies can bail out the banks too as they are the ones that are needed to give us jerky Americans the car loans for those gas inefficient cars they made.

Ta-Da!

Economy fixed.

Because if I have to feel violated every time I fill up at the pump in my little, relatively gas efficient Dodge, then it's time the Oil Industry gives back to the American people.

Okay, political rant over.

Penguins win game one of round 3, but they shouldn't get comfortable. The Cardiac Canes are not a team to be taken lightly. Not at all.

Hockey's Own "Wonder Woman"

*Also published on Hockeybarn.com

She only became involved in Hockey because her husband, a life-long Islanders fan, played in a beer league. He shoved his love of hockey under her nose on a daily basis, but she never watched him play until five years into the relationship. His plan to win her over worked. She is now a fan of the game and his beloved team. But now her knowledge and interest in the sport, and that which surrounds it, leaves him in the dust.

She manages three kids, their sports schedules, a job and her PTA responsibilities with caffeine induced energy. She is “Mom’s Taxi” and Social Network Diva rolled into one. She seems to have eight arms and an enormous heart. She is nothing less than amazing. She is Long Island’s own Dani Muccio.

This petite dark haired beauty is also the mastermind behind the NHL TweetUp concept; a simple notion of “Hey! Let’s get together and talk over a hockey game!” brought to a global scale.

It has been said that NHL fans are the most techno-savvy fans on the planet. It may or may not be true, but with the League’s expanded use of the internet and all its glory, the statement must have some merit. There is the ever expanding Blogosphere, MySpace, Face Book and more on the World Wide Web, so the NHL, in a stroke of genius, gave its fans the “NHL Connect” community, “NHL Network On Line” (an entire video library of game highlights and specially produced features) and for the playoffs, the ominous sounding “The Portal.”

But it was Ms. Muccio who brought an otherwise globally scattered community of hockey enthusiasts together on “Twitter.” Yes, Twitter. The social media site being eyed for purchase by Google. It has made its way to pop culture status by being covered by seasoned journalists as well as the funny pages. (Doonesbury had a strip in Sunday’s paper where Roland the journalist was “tweeting.”)

I joined Twitter, at Dani’s urging, a few months ago when FaceBook began to annoy me with its virtual shenanigans. Twitter is faster and cleaner with a short attention span. You have to read quickly or you miss out, especially if you follow hundreds of users. I instantly found a fabulous, intelligent hockey community all looking to share ideas and links to information from around the block all the way to Australia.

On St. Patrick’s Day, as the regular hockey season began to draw to a close, the very popular (999 followers!) @dani3boyz was struck with a brilliant idea while chatting with an NHL exec, a fellow “Twitterer” (because to call them “twits” would just be wrong). You can see their part of their conversation in a blog article by another Twitter advocate and Web Diva, @goalie girl.

The seed was planted and a new registered website, http://www.nhltweetup.com/ was created by these two female hockey fans with passion and vision. As a matter of fact, these two women created the entire campaign without everyspeaking to each other in person.

“We did everything via IM, email and Twitter.” It’s no secret that Dani is seldom off her Blackberry. If she’s not responding immediately, she must be sleeping.

The NHL offered their support for the first TweetUps by supplying some big prizes and some small items to each city that was hosting one of these internet parties. The first ever NHL TweetUp was staged at the NHL store in Manhattan on the night the playoffs began. If you check Google News or this site for NHLTweetUP, you’ll find story after story. It was the first of its kind. “The media coverage was unbelievable.” said Dani, who usually hides from the limelight. With this type of coverage, she can’t hide any longer.

These days Dani is at the helm helping TweetUp host cities get their act together and is working on her grand plan of a Montreal Draft Party NHLTweetUp.

“I really wanted to go to the draft in Montreal. But I found the tickets to get in are more than $500. Two nights ago, they (her Twitter followers) talked me out of going.” It wasn’t that they didn’t want her to GO; they just didn’t want her to GO to the DRAFT itself. No, they want her with THEM; her legions of hockey followers. “To be in Montreal on the 100th Anniversary, during the NHL draft, and to hang out with all of them, it’s starting to blow my mind! I am TOTALLY going!”

Not only is she going, but hockey fans from California, Boston and Michigan are going as well. This venture into the world of social networking has come with a price tag for Dani and others. As a matter of fact, one enterprising Twitterer managed to collect donations from the Twitterverse from his followers in order to send him to an NHLTweetUP. Hey, whatever works.

“This is my baby and I’m willing to nurture it at all costs.” Dani told me today on the phone. All costs will be an eleven hour train ride to Montreal in June and a place in Hockey history books.

Hold onto your Blackberry, Dani; it’s going to be one helluva Ride!

The First Pick & A Last Resort?

Wow! It's MAY and there's a TWO PAGE spread in Newsday today by our favorite beat-writer, Greg Logan. Our NY Islanders normally would not even get a mention in the reader rant section at this time of year so permeated by Baseball and local High School sports.

But that first overall draft pick has changed all of that. The NY Islanders and GM Garth Snow show up in almost every media outlet that has any article even remotely mentioning hockey. Yes, the choice on June 26th is THAT BIG. The prize for being the biggest loser is being the biggest winner on a Friday evening in June.

Greg presents all the possible scenarios to those of us who know them well and those who never take their eyes off the baseball scores and have never visited a hockey blog site. It'll be 40 days and 40 nights of "WWGD"; What Will Garth Do? But don't try to ask him, you won't get an answer. He's saving it for the surprise party at the Coliseum.

"Going back to Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn? Going back to Brooklyn? Uh, no. I don't think so."

I was going to resist writing what every one and their blogging brother covered yesterday in the news that Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project is getting closer to becoming reality, but then I saw the article in Newsday's sports pages.

Hey, is Ratner the Ratner from the Kosher food conglomerate? Okay, I digress. But something struck me in the Newsday article. I'm not very familiar with the project design, so when I read the size of the project I was a little surprised.

Ratner is proposing a 22-acre $4-billion development that will include 6,000 apartments. Wait, read that number again. SIX THOUSAND apartments. Okay, I know it's Brooklyn, but doesn't that seem like an awful LOT of apartments on a development that's an exceptionally small amount of acreage that is also going to contain a 20,000 seat arena and commercial real-estate.

Originally, the plan called for almost 9,000 residential units that would make it more densely populated than Manhattan. I guess they pared it down to the 6,000 units since 2006. But still, 2,250 of those 6,000 apartments will be for "low and middle income families." That is 1/3 of the residential space. Seems like a lot to me.

As the LighthouseLI Project has their watchdog blogger, this Atlantic Yards project has it's own. The writing is very interesting, the problems facing the developer are real, the questions pending are enormous.

One large difference between the Atlantic Yards project and the LighthouseLI Project -- Eminent domain. How many people are losing their property for this project? How many field mice would be displaced in Uniondale?

If Brooklyn is the last resort of where to move the Islanders, I say -- Bye, Bye. I grew up in Brooklyn on Avenue K and Ocean Parkway. It took five years and speech therapy classes to lose the Brooklynese accent. It still comes out when I drink too much. But this very east end suburban housewife won't be travelling to Brooklyn to watch hockey games with any regularity. Maybe I'd go about as often as I go to Yankee games: once a season.

No, the more I read about other development projects, the more I don't understand the debate on the Lighthouse*. There is more property with less density and no condemnation. I just don't GET IT!!!!!

*As an aside: While watching Sunday morning television, there was a story about the Eiffel Tower and it mentioned that someone brought a lawsuit against it that delayed the building. That's the freakin' EIFFEL Tower, the icon that defines Paris, and some NIMBY was against it. No wonder we can't get the Lighthouse LI done! People have been non-progressive thinkers as far back as 1889. What would Paris be without that monumental structure???? The capital of Croissants? What will Nassau County be without the Lighthouse? Um... ummm.... give me a minute... I'm thinking...