Does Peter Schmitt think We’re ALL Islanders?

I would like to preface what you are about to read with a disclosure. Forgive me as I have never had to do this before. The story I am about to relay is not one that I can verify actually happened exactly as it was recounted to me. I have never met the person who told me this story. I cannot prove it in any way and the person did not record the conversation. Additionally, the only possible witness to the encounter is the reader’s 13-year-old child. That being said, I felt it was still something that is worth repeating for a reason of my own:


Does the Nassau Legislature believe We’re all Islanders or not?


Here is what one of my readers, an Islander fan, sent me:

“I called Peter Schmitt, Nassau County legislator, the day after the vote. I Googled his name to get the number and came across a website with his picture and a phone number starting with 795. (Yep, pretty easy. Here it is. http://www.peterjschmitt.com/PJScommunitypage01.html) Apparently, unknown to me at the time, this was his home number. Be that at it may, if you don't want phone calls to your home, don't put your home number on the internet!


In any event, I called, verified that it was Peter Schmitt the legislator, and I asked him how he felt about the vote and also if he felt partially responsible if the Islanders move since he was not in favor of the referendum.


Apparently that was enough to hit a nerve. His response was, (yelling mind you) "You live in Suffolk county (apparently he can read the caller ID). Your taxes aren't going up. Who the hell are you to call me? Why don't you go f**k yourself" and hung up.


Well, I called him back, I will admit, I was quite annoyed, asking him who the hell he thought he was, and that he was simply a little county legislator, quite insignificant and a perfect example of why people have no respect for those in his profession. Well, he again hung up on me, but called me back long enough to say "eat shit and die.".

Okay, obviously BOTH gentlemen were wrong and it should not have escalated to where it did.


First of all, any person who decides to go into politics should know that they will have to deal with irate voters and they should handle themselves as a professional public figure. I have seen Peter Schmitt in action. It is my personal belief, that while I cannot verify the testimony of my reader, this exchange happened.


But why? Suffice it to say it’s bad enough Mr. Schmitt may not be adept at handling unsolicited phone calls, but to then CALL BACK just to have the last word is inexcusable.


Are the Nassau Politicians so short-sighted that they do not understand that the referendum and the ability to maintain the Nassau Coliseum as well as our only major league sports team affects ALL OF LONG ISLAND.


Are residents of Suffolk County not supposed to care? This was not a vote for an additional garbage pick-up in East Meadow -- or Massapequa where Mr. Schmitt is from. This was a vote that affects every single one of us in both Nassau and Suffolk.


Was the caller supposed to be cursed at because his taxes weren’t going to go up had the vote passed? Were the voters of Suffolk county ever ASKED if we wanted to pitch in? Would that $58 a year number have been reduced to -- oh I don’t know -- $6 a year if we had been?


So now Nassau county may not have to worry about Suffolk voters calling Nassau politicians about keeping the New York Islanders. Suffolk county would be more than happy to take your problem.


Yes, by all means -- give us the business man with a vision for the future that you have strung along for ten years! Please!!! By all means, let him design and develop a world class sports and mixed use destination in my back yard. I will be HAPPY to pay an extra $58 a year to help fund it.


Many of you will say that Suffolk County is a losing proposition for the team. However, I’d like to explain to you why I don’t believe it is -- with yet another disclaimer.


First of all, Brooklyn is a wonderful borough in a renaissance period. But while they will have a new facility, it will be smaller than the one we currently have and even with mass transportation available, game time travel will be dense and difficult.


Queens does sound perfect and while Brooklyn would be 28 miles to the West of the current Islanders location, Queens would only be about 20 miles. There is no arena there yet and one could be constructed to spec and additional revenue streams could be developed with other construction. Bonus!


While both those options have huge benefits, neither one is really “Long Island” in the truest sense of the word. However, Suffolk county is. We are no longer “the sticks” and as a matter of fact, Suffolk boasts 100,000 more residents than Nassau. (Suffolk 1,493,350 to Nassau’s 1,339,532). We’re bigger too. Nassau county is only 453 square miles with 287 sq miles land and 166 water. Suffolk on the other hand is the largest county in the State of NY with 2,373 square miles with 912 sq. miles of land and 1,461 of water.


So all you people who say Suffolk is not viable -- suck it. You know what all that extra land offers? MORE POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH!


And here is the possibility I am thinking of -- Gerry Wolkoff’s Heartland project in Brentwood. It’s a match made in developer heaven. Wolkoff’s idea of a $4 billion Heartland project of mixed use development would certainly be a perfect setting for an entertainment arena.


I understand that the Wolkoff’s have been trying to get approvals for this property for the last ten years, but with the proximity to major highways, a railroad and an airport, I think it’s a perfect fit. Again, it is only 23 miles east of where the Islanders currently sit and those 23 miles EAST will take half the time to travel as the 19 miles WEST would take.


Nassau county has jerked Charles Wang around for years. Perhaps now is the time for Suffolk county to prove to New York State and the rest of the USA that things CAN be built on Long Island. We CAN have smart growth. We CAN have financial viability that will take us into the future.


We CAN keep the Islanders on Long Island because whether Nassau or Suffolk voters and taxpayers --

WE ARE ALL ISLANDERS MR. SCHMITT.

Matt Moulson Double Shot part 2

Let's see if I can get this written before I have to take care of the dogs again.

I left the team store at about 7 pm and headed to try to locate Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza. While I had already map quested it, I still wasn't too sure where 137 Old Country Road was. Neither was fellow Blog Boxer, Ken Dick who called me as I was leaving the mall.

After taking Wantagh Parkway instead of Meadowbrook, and pulling into two different parking lots on the North side of Old Country until I finally located the parking lot with every new, hot restaurant, a giant Barnes & Nobel and no parking spaces. It was raining. I parked in front of the music store, put up my umbrella and walked around the entire shopping center to the unassuming store front that said "Anthony's."

People had spilled onto the walkway, so I knew i was in the right place. The foyer was crowded and one of the wait staff was taking names. "Don't you know who I am?" I said... on the inside. I had forgotten to take the print out of my ticket which made me a little nervous seeing how packed the place was.

"BEST TURN OUT EVER!" There were jerseys everywhere, it was a sight to behold on a hot night in August.

While Matt Moulson was a key draw last night at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, I have to say, I believe it would have been crowded just because of the food.

With all the Isles Social Media Department busy at work set up against the window, I scouted fellow Blog Boxer Ken Dick sitting at the bar with Jersey friend of the Isles, Carlos Figueiredo.

We all marveled at the turn-out as we were crushed against the bar. Ken, always the gentleman, insisted I sit on the bar stool he managed to acquire and invited me to share in the pie he had ordered.


Placed on a wrought iron stand on a pizza stone, I was more than happy to take him up on the offer. Besides, I really wanted to try a coal fired pizza after hearing so much about it. They laughed at me for starting out eating it with a knife and fork. Yes, what sort of Italian am I? The sort that is generally a slob and didn't want to be wearing the slightly sweet, flavorful sauce.

Anthony's was kind enough to offer drink specials for the night and their famous meatballs for tasting. Once again, it was Ken to the rescue. He brought me a small plate with one perfect meatball, some ricotta and a fork. Carlos held my glass while I took the first bite. Okay, in actuality, they were really curious to know what I thought since they both thought they were excellent.

They were right. I actually took the plate over to the bus station so I could Twitpic it. In doing so, I noticed how pleasant and accommodating the staff was to the craziness the Isles meet-up threw at them.

Matt Moulson entered to a thunderous round of applause and the lights of News12 cameras. Matt was a hot commodity from the moment he walked in, almost as hot a commodity as the roasted cauliflower pie, which he ordered and hardly made a dent in because it's so huge and Matt is in the middle of his off-season training regimen.

With so many jerseys in the crowd, I figured it wouldn't be a problem to wander around the room and start checking out what everyone else had to eat.

My Twitter buddy @KupKrazy was enjoying the chicken wings with another of my HockeyTweeps, @bigj2377. These must be good because I noticed a large number of tables had ordered them. A crock of coal fired wings on a bed of sauteed onions and foccacia. These ain't no Hooters wings. These were a meal in themselves. I laughed when @KupKrazy told me they had ordered a pizza as well. They were going to be there for awhile.

As if two public appearances wasn't enough for Moulson, he also checked his phone regularly to check the time. He had a phone interview to do as well. Always working, but always with a smile.

AnthonysCFPizza is a chain, but you'd never know it from the food. Anthony Bruno, a restauranteur out of Florida created the winning recipes that reminded him of what he used to get in Brooklyn. It must have worked as Bruno has 28 current locations and five more opening including one in Woodbury, NY next week.

Between great food, good friends, a little hockey on the TVs and one of our favorite Islanders in attendance, it was a great night that even the rain couldn't put a damper on.

So thank you Katrina Doell and staff for a great job. Thank you to the staff at Anthony's for all their excellent service and Thank you Matt -- for being an Islander.

Matt Moulson Double Shot

It was a busy day for Matt Moulson. They're all busy days, one way or another. But yesterday it was one spent making a lot of fans happy.

Moulson's fan-inspired design Tee shirt hit the Team Store yesterday and all that pre-ordered the shirt were guaranteed an autograph and a place in the front of the line. And what a line it was.

Due to a change in kiosk placement at the Massapequa mall, the line had to snake around in a much smaller space. Think the line for Space Mountain at Disney in July. Yep. That's about it.

I knew it would be packed since Matt Moulson is really one of the most beloved young stars on the Islanders. He knew it would be packed too, so in order to make sure that he had enough time to get from one public appearance to the other, he got to the mall early; really early.

When I arrived at 6:22, he had already been seeing fans for almost an hour. He had to. Moulson is not the type of player that just signs an autograph, smiles kindly at you and looks to move the line along. No, he engages each fan in conversation and never says no to a photo op. Nothing like making Ann Rina, one of the hardest working staffers I know, work a little harder to make sure the line moved along and the time table was kept.

Even my favorite fans had already been in the store, had Matt sign for them, and gone to get something to eat by the time I got there. But thanks to the power of Twitter. I caught up with them showing off their new Got Moulson shirts.

They were very happy and loved the way Moulson told them "Thank you for coming out" when it was they who wanted to thank him for being so generous with his time.

Basically, every fan I spoke with had the same thing to say "He's such a great guy." And that he is. The fact that he is one of the Isles top goal scorers brought out many of the fans. The fact that he is so personable and scores goals brought out the rest of them.

And while they were there, they took advantage of the Summer sales. The perfect item for back-to-school? The Islanders lunchbox. Every little fan should have one. Okay, I'll admit it, I have one too. So you don't have to be THAT little.

Also at store were the new Tattoo Lou design Tees. They were like me -- Unique! They're colorful and striking. Definitely a conversation starter.

This was my favorite moment of the brief time I spent there at the Team Store. A family with four children wanted a photo with Matt, while the boys crowded around him, the mother handed him the baby to hold. "Oh, my wife's going to love this one." he told her. I couldn't help but snap the photo too. It's just precious.

Goals are easy, parenting is hard.

Next up, the awesome time and food at Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza in Carle Place.

Vote May be No, but Comeau says Yes

No, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth, nor did I find a ledge and jump from it. I did have a little canine mishap along with just life in general that has kept me from writing.

But as Blake Comeau has signed a new deal, it is time to pen something - anything - Islander related. You can find it here at Hockeybuzz.com

I am trying not to be too negative, all while trying to be realistic towards the situation. Big Angry Man told me all along the vote would never go through. He was correct.

So here we are, back at square one, one month closer to a new hockey season that should be much better than the last. Let's enjoy it as we don't know how many more we will have.

Matt Moulson at the Team Store tomorrow signing autographs from 6:30 - 7:30 pm.