So what's really going to happen March 26th?

New York Islander Fan Central | 3/19/2009 05:46:00 PM |
Someone has to explain to me why March 26th is being advertised as a big meeting or seemingly more important than most of the other focus meetings for the Lighthouse?

Nothing is going to be approved that night.

Is the Town of Hempstead going to send someone who wants/does not want the project or ready to tell Mr Wang-Rechler what they do not like as Mr Wang asked recently?

Or is this basically another pep rally with the following:

Tom Suozzi, Charles Wang and Scott Rechler tell us renovating Coliseum is not feasible without the Lighthouse, Kate Murray's people in politics (or Newsday) will do the hockey fans only care about the project dance while one of the shock jocks at the paper will write about the teams viability despite getting 13,000 fans in a 16,000 seat building with a 30th place team.

Mr Botta for his part at times has been over the top negative with Kate Murray from what I have read from him.

When it's all said and done, Kate Murray will be talking renovate the Coliseum only, Charles Wang will be telling us the Ligthouse has to be approved by opening day of the hockey season and Gary Bettman will be telling us the league cannot sustain a franchise in a building not as old as Msg that is just as outdated and like the buildings the Red Wings or Oilers play in.

A lot of spin from all sides.

Tom Suozzi, Town of Hempstead and no one from the Lighthouse will be talking about voiding/buying out Smg's lease NOW so Charles Wang actually receives back revenue from his ticket sales, parking and concessions as many NHL teams have. The Garden got it's tax exemptions to keep their teams from moving. Isles got both these things that would make the Coliseum financially viable.

Tom Suozzi will not commit to Nassau condemning/buying out the lease regardless of whether the Lighthouse is approved.

The only thing more misleading than Kate Murray telling us why doesn't Charles Wang pay to renovate Nassau's Coliseum (for absolutely nothing in return) which is absurd is this new angle the Coliseum should not even be renovated without the Lighthouse.

Suggestion one: Kate Murray's office should present something to Charles Wang where the hockey team can make money NOW like starting by voiding Smg's lease which is in the Lighthouse plan but not discussed at all. If the TOH is against the project help make the club financially viable for ANY ownership.

I understand the TOH cannot void the Smg lease now, that's Nassau's deal but everyone should be talking about ways for whoever owns this team to lose less money because Charles Wang did not make that deal with Smg.

Suggestion two: Charles Wang should knock it off talking about voting people out of office if he wants his project approved, that's how you get the project killed and the line in the sand has been drawn before election day.

Suggestion three: Newsday should make clear they have a vested interest in this project not being approved because the Islanders relocating saves them hundreds of millions in television rights and a possible expansion of the Msg brand into Nassau County.

But we all know those things will not happen on 3/26.

At the end it will be more of the same.



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