If there is an academy award for bad actors in biased media, there have been a lot of Ranger life long die-hards to nominate for attempting to re-write New York Islander history the past few days in a market with little full time hockey media in 2012.
So the New York Islanders should change their historic name, logo and what their history represents?
Who knew some of the same people who call New Jersey football teams, New York had such double-standards?
Funny how some of the same media people looked the other way as the New York
Islanders had their channel rebranded from Sportschannel to Fox Sports
New York to Metroguide, finally to Madison Square Garden Network Plus or
+2.
What's next the New York American's were not Msg's true original team?
Do the New York Islanders play home games in Madison Square Garden besides the three appearances yearly against the Rangers.
I still remember James Dolan laughing in studio when Chris Russo asked him how he could put Isles-Leafs on Metroguide in 2002 when it was becoming a huge New York interest story?
I'm sure one or two remember that famous night Msg/Fox merged and they did that ceremony before a game turning out the lights on Sportschannel. Soon afterward the lights went off again when Msg decided to pull the games off television entirely because they did not like the fine print the Isles got eighteen percent of all Msg media on the new cable contract, demanding it be changed for a phony competition clause that would have kept the Rangers off Msg for eight years, and the Knicks off Msg for a decade or longer using that same hypocrisy.
There were two PPV Islander games before or after.
It's been an odd and disappointing few days reading some life-long Ranger media fans playing
bad actor writing about the history of a team that gave some of them a few sleepless nights growing up hockey fans.
Seems to me New York Islander regular season hockey was a stand alone back-page story in all New York City papers, the road games on WOR-9, at a time hockey was never more popular with the general public.
Today hockey is not a regular season back-page story for games, even some Ranger media fans were offended last year writing articles asking for people to notice the team here.
In 2006 that same Sports Illustrated had a different take on 1994 Stanley Cup Finals ratings because they were very low.
It's insulting to see media fans of a team with one
Stanley Cup (my version would be purchased from Edmonton-Chicago) since
1940 to talk about success or relevance or a building four years older than the Nassau Coliseum closed with falling debris/failed health inspections ripping the Nassau Coliseum.
Who knew the Islanders were as bad as the Knicks the last decade
reading some of this stuff with one playoff game win since Charles Wang purchased the Islanders? I must have missed Wang hiring Isiah or Sather who never would have lost a game with the Isles payroll.
Funny, before last season the Rangers went to the playoffs one more time than the Islanders since 1997, they had two playoff series wins and got one of those with that disputed goal against the Isles that could have seen the Isles play Atlanta in the opening round instead.
Ken Belson, Larry Brooks, Jeff Z Klein, Neil Best, Jim Baubauch, Stu
Hackel come on down. Katie Strang is not shy about knocking a team she
did not cover in 2011-12 beyond a few October game for the joke that is
Espn has Scott Burnside, Pierre Lebrun needing to sell markets.
No, this blog will leave out the clueless media department that would include everyone named Bondy at the Daily News. Peter Botte's only good for twitter shots.
For those wondering about Arthur Staple. cannot recall anything vindictive when he was a full time Ranger beatwriter, not working very hard covering Isles today does not make him a bad actor and it is interesting he's using Charles Wang's XM interviews instead of getting his own interview. Could I have included Mark Herrmann, Steve Zipay for his pre Dolan ownership if you think LI is really Ranger country blog? Sure.
John Jeansonne, Mark Herrmann absolutely loved to remind Islander fans they are second to the Rangers in their world, does that make it so? No, it just means Herrmann is a life long Ranger fan, and Jeansonne does not cover them enough to know anything anymore.
Only thing more entertaining is reading Bob Raissman's twitter feed's comments about how Alan (2007 they would prefer we don't even write) Hahn on Dolan's network which turned out that way.
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Vancouver Sun: Had no problem defending Oilers 38 year home vs the Nassau Coliseum in a display of hypocricy.
Of course the sub five hunderd Cauncks who got swept in 1982 finals used to play in a different building, bleeding red ink.
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Alumni:
So far Torrey, Arbour, Potvin, Bossy, Brent Sutter have weighed in. Potvin's audio interview (see twitter feed must listening) The alumni living here (Nystrom/Gillies) will be the most interesting read.
Even if Billy Smith/anyone rips Charles Wang I want to write it here.
The Longest Goodbye:
The problem with this story is it does not end until the New York Islanders relocate to Brooklyn, whether that be in 2015-16 or sooner.
Moving Forward:
Many bad actors yet to step on the stage, some in other markets. One Ranger fan staff writer at Time Magazine, actually got approval to write this?
High Marks:
A few years ago (a few days/game after the Islanders beat the Rangers) a writer named Andrew Gross went off at how the Islanders Stanley Cups really bothered him growing up and came off like one of the bad actors above. I found it amusing and made some comments.
Mr Gross did a super job writing about the Islanders this week, and got it right on all fronts.
Some Ranger life-long media fans can do a great job and put down the bias.
Transparency:
Again to be
clear the Dolan family are doing absolutely nothing illegal. They have every legal
right to hide, ignore or drive their competition out of business or
limit their viability. No one made past Islander owners sign cable
contracts until 2030. The Dolan family purchased Newsday fair and square
so they can write whatever they want. They have zero obligation to
write one article about the New York Islanders.
They have to show the games per the cable contract, that's it.
New York Islander Fan Central however can point out the coverage disparity, and let our readers know when things are not equal. .
