Ed Mangano Responds Via Twitter

Okay, more important than wondering about Nino, Tom Ballantyne and I were yapping back and forth on Twitter about the next tenant of the Nassau Hub. As you know, I have been more than verbal about my distaste for the MSG group getting their money grubbing hands on the property that once housed an Isles dynasty. The thought of NY Ranger logos and their farm team in the same spot that the Islanders called home makes me want to cry.
I’ve written, more than I should, how I would accept just about ANY other proposal for the property other than a Dolan/MSG venture. Well, Tom agrees with me, and he is a Nassau County resident.
Ed Mangano reportedly will be making a decision by mid July on the property, so I decided to Tweet at him. I guess he got tired and wanted to stop the @’s, or he really does indeed read his Twitter feed, but he answered me. I will also say -- this isn’t the first time that he has responded. So kudos to him for that.

Dee Karl ‏@7thWoman 18 Jun @tbone31592 @jmadindabuff Nassau Residents have to tell @edmangano that the MSG BRAND is not the right fit for the Hub. It's HIS call.
Tom Ballantyne ‏@tbone31592 18 Jun @7thWoman @jmadindabuff @edmangano Nassau residents aren't competent enough to do that. Not like he'll listen anyway
Dee Karl ‏@7thWoman 18 Jun @tbone31592 Actually @edmangano will LISTEN if the voices are LOUD enough. I am not a county resident. my voice doesn't count.
Tom Ballantyne ‏@tbone31592 18 Jun @7thWoman @edmangano I am a county resident, but this isn't just a county issue. This is Long Island's legacy on the line!
Ed Mangano ‏@edmangano 18h @tbone31592 @7thWoman There is a RFP panel that makes a recommendation. I evaluate their decision and present it to the Leg for approval. Reply to @edmangano @tbone31592
Dee Karl ‏@7thWoman 18h @edmangano @tbone31592 Thank you for the answer. However this is such an emotional issue, it needs to be made on more than a monetary level

Yes, this is not a matter of who has the deepest pockets. You may think it only has to do with county residents, but the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum was visited by tens of thousands of people from all over the world who came there specifically to see the New York Islanders. It will not matter what band or act they place on the property. You can see a top name entertainer anywhere within 50 miles of Nassau. But the New York Islanders will only be able to be seen in ONE place, and it’s not going to be Uniondale. So all those who traveled far and wide will now go to Brooklyn, or Manhattan or NJ or any of the OTHER arenas that the Isles will play a game in. They will NOT be coming to Nassau County to spend their money, eat in the restaurants and stay in the hotels.
Without a major sports team in the Nassau Hub, the world has no reason to come to Uniondale. Period. And another MSG farm team isn’t going to bring them either.

One for the Attendance Police

The day after the win. The first WIN of the season over the Rangers is always so sweet. It's great to quiet the crowd of Ranger fans that flood the building by sending them home with a loss. Post about the positive aspects of yesterday's matinee win over at HockeyBuzz. Thoughts about the attendance woes here.

Before I forget, (because I would) I’d like to say something about today’s reported attendance of 11,748 on a Monday afternoon in early October for a NY Rivalry game. The crowd was so sparse that even Gary Bettman was asked about it during his little impromptu press conference. Sitting on a desk as the crowd descended on him, he answered "When you schedule a weekday afternoon, a lot of people are working. You’re going to have disruption of some schedules. So I’m sure there are some season ticket holders that are not here. It’s a decent crowd."



According to one of the NHL reporters, it had to be the lowest attended Ranger vs Islander game ever. (One that could not be explained without the footnote of mild blizzard, Nor'easter, blackout or bubonic plague.)

However, in my opinion there are many factors that caused such a low attendance besides the standard ones you read all the time: The building is horrible, the team isn’t a winner, the fan base is non-existent.

First of all, Columbus day is not a non-working holiday for many on Long Island. Also, the college crowd still had classes. It was also a beautiful fall day and many travel sport teams decided to take advantage of the day and have practices and clinics for the kids.

Okay, enough excuses for you? How about this one; the one my family falls into. We can’t afford it.

My daughter was home from high school and would have loved to go to the game with her dad. We are ex-season ticket holders who for years spent almost $7,000 a year for three seats in the 200s. They would have loved to go to today’s game but that sort of investment wasn’t in the budget this month -- or any other month for that matter.

With the ticket prices increased to what they are (2 tickets in 201 would run $323.90 through Ticketmaster), parking at $10 and food prices increased to prohibitive prices, they just couldn’t do it. The tickets alone are a car payment for a month.

My fellow Blog Boxer Rob McGowan and I even talked about the fact that we couldn’t eat lunch at the Coliseum today because neither one of us could afford. Some nights the choice is gas in the car or a pretzel and a soda. Gas wins so that at least I can get there.

If anyone hasn’t noticed, the economy on Long Island hasn’t gotten much better, NO matter what the politicians want us to believe. Not by a long shot. An evening of hockey entertainment at the barn is just too expensive for this lower middle class, working two jobs each with a teen who seems to be the black hole of cash, family.

So while “winning cures everything” is the mantra, unless the economy improves or NHL hockey becomes a more reasonably priced entertainment venue, I seriously doubt there will be a waiting list for tickets here on Long Island.
I’m just sayin’!