How Hard Will Dolan's Media/Newsday Work To Defeat Ratner Coliseum?

You saw this act with the referendum, the owner of Newsday, and his media reach got out the no vote for weeks with tons of mostly negative articles, and editorials, then when it was clear the 2011 referendum would fail the late tepid endorsement came, simply saying the process should continue, and to vote yes.

No gang, I was not convinced Dolan's mug on the Islanders website for two seconds saying to vote yes was genuine, his players, management absolutely were sincere. 

It's different now, Dolan showed his true colors, and bid for the Coliseum.

He lost to Bruce Ratner, his media people blamed the record of Nassau County politicians.

And Dolan Newsday put on the it's usual shameful show as they are doing now.
8/13/13: Long Island Press: Newsday Omission in Story on Owner’s Rival Raises Questions
9/9/13: Long Island Press: Newsday Fails to Disclose Suozzi Ties in Primary Endorsement

Msg made clear they are watching very closely at the time as things moved forward and Dolan's rep on Coliseum bid, Hank Ratner (no relation to Bruce) is now gone from Msg.  I cannot write Dolan would jump right back in if Bruce Ratner walked from the project which he can do at any time before the ground breaking, however it's very possible.

But it's clear Dolan's Newsday/News12 LI can go all out to make every update as negative as possible to influence the public on top of the fans still in denial since October 2012 the Islanders are moving.

Which is what we see again from the owner of Newsday, who lost the bid to Ratner, a circus in their paper every few days. 

Now every update is big news, almost always filled with downside, some of it is fair when Blumenfeld and Ratner sue one another, but let's get real because if Dolan was selected as winning bid you think his media would be doing one negative update about his project in his paper?

You would see positive articles or nothing at all.

Updated 5/2/15:
Sorry, Dolan's entire Newsday editorial board got into the act. Can't make it up.

Updated 5/1/15:
And here's a member of Dolan's editorial board on cue, mourning the Isles loss but really knocking Ratner's plan not mentioning Dolan's bid once or the massive tax money he receives for the Cablevision Garden or the exemption he wanted on the Coliseum and surrounding land + real estate rights.

I wrote my entire entry before seeing this. Welcome back to May-July 2011 when it was one negative article or editorial after another to defeat the referendum in James Dolan's Newsday before he bid for the property himself in 2013. 

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Why Dolan lost Coliseum bid in 2013 to Ratner:
As some will recall in the past I asked who made up Ed Mangano's financial advisory board that decided who would renovate the Coliseum, and win the bid? I looked long and hard back to 2010 when he said he made up his board.

And yes, I fully expected Dolan to win the bid over Ratner, and wrote why here at the time. 

On 9/6/13 Nassau's Decision On Why Ratner Over Dolan: I got my answers when the decision was announced and in the end felt l it was strictly about who would spend the most money which for neither party was not much to moderately renovate the Nassau Coliseum.

No folks, around ninety million dollars was all anyone was willing to commit to renovating the Coliseum, these politicians waking from their slumber thinking more should be spent now have still not grasped the concept the revenue streams are not there to make any further renovations possible. 

Dolan wanted his usual tax exemption like he has now on the Cablevision Garden, the only private company in the entire state of New York not to pay property taxes since 1982, which is now worth 54 million dollars a year out of the NYC taxpayers pockets, which was voted on by NYC council members to repeal but will not come up for a vote in Andrew Cuomo/Shelly Silver's state legislature, who received money from the Dolan family during their runs for office.

Let's be clear Bruce Ratner/James Dolan lean democrat, Charles Wang republican and has been listed in articles at the RNC conventions. Wang's gotten both parties to support him in the past.

 NY Post 12/11/2006:

And of course I can produce a dozen or so articles from professional media to support what I'm writing about Dolan's exemption on Msg.  

From Mangano's Committee: 

And Dolan unlike Wang in 2013, and Ratner wanted development rights over the entire site which were awarded to Don Monti, who is the Master Developer of the HUB to this day. 

Dolan's media/business writers did not put any of this in his Newspaper, or it was well hidden behind that paywall.

The AHL/Coliseum/Sound Tigers Issue:
So now it's time for Newsday to make the AHL another of the many big hurdles for Ratner, and we all know who owns the Hartford/Ct Whale/Wolfpack since 1997 when they brought in their AHL team and have been soundly rejected by die-hard NHL Hartford Whalers fans since day one. 
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In Ratner's 2013 Legislature Hearing on Page 135-139 the Sound Tigers/AHL issue was discussed at length with all possible scenario's where Ratner, Yormark and Kevan Abrahams pulled no punches on this subject.

Of course none of this made it into any article where Dolan's business writers, Robert Brodsky, and Randi Marshall are involved to say nothing of shock jock Jim Baumbach, who never met a positive article about the New York Islanders since Arbour in 2007 where he tried to discredit his 1500th win. 
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Kate Murray/TOH Approval:
Ratner finally submitted his plan this year, Murray scheduled a public comment hearing in May, she can let it rot past Ratner's construction period, and kill it outright if she wants Dolan's plan or another but it may hurt her bid running for district attorney among fellow Republicans.
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Ratner Issues: 
Let's be clear Bruce Ratner has been slow on every single thing he has said he was going to do, and was a year late submitting his final plan to Kate Murray's TOH who have to approve his plan vs her development criteria and zoning which she released in 2010 after driving out Wang-Rechler Lighthouse.

What's transpired has raised fair and legitimate questions about Mr Ratner's ability to see this project through in the manner promised but it's hardly uncommon based on most of these projects. It's usually more the norm based on the taxpayer stadium's in Queens/Bronx/Newark/East Rutherford, Harrison, and of course the Barclay's Center.

Nassaucountyny.gov: 4/14/15: Ratner's plan submitted to TOH. 

Press Conference; Hub Conceptual Master Plan Submitted to Town of Hempstead from Nassau Executive on Vimeo.

Long Island Press 4/15/15 reported Ratner's final plans were submitted which required another legislature vote which was needed over financing and was approved 17-2. 

LIHerald.com 4/22/15:

But there is the significant difference in how other professional media outlets on Long Island has presented the news on this subject vs Dolan's Newsday. 

Bruce Ratner has mostly put on a very poor show vs the day he was unanimously approved 19-0 by the Nassau Legislature on 9/23/2013 which I watched live as he put on a magnificent presentation.

The archives here have these updates/minutes from that meeting. 

Dolan's specific approval was discussed to the Islanders returning for regular season games, Mr Yormark at the time did not see this as an obstacle.page 157

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Ct Post 3/1/15: On Wang obligated to provide AHL team or better in Bridgeport.

And as we know Mr Ratner is obligated to provide an AHL team as anchor tennant, even if Charles Wang is obligated to give Webster Bank Arena an AHL team or better with his lease through 2021.

Funny how Lou Lamoriello took his team from East Rutherford to Newark and there was never one hint of his AHL teams in Albany/upstate ever moving into their former home which was closed this year (Izod Center)  likely forever.

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So Now What? The Circus Continues On All Fronts.
Brock Nelson, Kulemin, Anders Lee escaped the circus, and are playing in the World Championships.

The New York Islanders move to the Barclay's Center, many of our fans act like they were blindsided or asleep since 2012, and think Santa Claus is coming to give Nassau an NHL revenue capable rink to play in front of crowds under 10,000 most years on weeknights since 1989.

The same people who boycotted the team away since 1989 will now try to boycott them back, and are demanding a max payroll with ticket prices under twenty dollars. 

I think that's the Jay and Judy Jacobs circus tent which Tom Gulotta demanded be built by private money when Wang-Kumar bought the club in 2000.

It's next to Howard Milstein's scoreboard hoist eviction tent where some Islander fans now love the fisherman uniform? Mangano wanted a referendum for financing that tent in a public-private partnership.

The Armand D'Amato fund jar for donations is in the back of the tent, and everyone better donate. 

The Cosmos are already tired of Nassau County politics and Brooklyn would love for them to do more than make a few cameo's there.  (not kidding)

Hofstra President, Stuart Rabinowicz, wants a Shinnecock Nation t-shirt to go with some Jets training camp memorabilia and some Cosmos gear before they go.

Tom Suozzi will replace Alan Hahn on Msg/+/+2+3+4 to show us the proclamation he gave Charles Wang in April 2002 which Brandon Steiner will put up for auction.

Come on Charles Wang, here is your gift, Sam Wyly filing for bankruptcy with his Ranger governance from the CA days. 

The Long Island only crowd will play the Long Island card, the Brooklyn only crowd will play the Brooklyn card, most of them will go to baseball games and never call the Mets Queens or the Yankees Bronx, and wear their New York uniforms when they go to East Rutherford, New Jersey for football games with Jay Jacobs PSL tickets. 

The fans who see this as any other New York team (even the NJ football teams) will do what they do, which is where I sit in this hopefully with Charles Wang's forty percent of season ticket holders from around NYC area according to his 2011/12 interviews. (see audio archives) 

Dolan's media will likely do what they did in 2011 until the final day Ratner breaks ground if it goes that far, and bring up every negative issue they can forever.

Ratner/Blumenfeld will do their thing, likely in court because none of these friends never are  when push comes to shove. Mr Yormark will use the word Brooklyn three times in every sentence.

No one will consider my idea to make most of the Barclay's center seats unobstructed for free and center the scoreboard which is use the Boston Garden, Aud, older rink dimensions, people don't like money.

And the idea of adding Manhattan, Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens to the Isles logo will not happen even if it's as subtle as the 4th stripe and makes every single fan still feel welcomed. (IE make more money)

Barclay's Center President & Chief Communications Officer, Barry Baum will not return to the NY Post Islander beat or have any confrontations with John Vanbiesbrouck. 

Mike Vaccaro who went to the Nassau Coliseum once since 1978 for a Ranger game will play Islander historian for the Post.

Every die-hard older Ranger media fan will treat the Islanders at the Barclay's Center like Bryan Trottier coaching the Rangers, especially when the Islander fans double at Msg from the loud cheering crowds there now. 

Hopefully Mr Ledecky, Malkin make their payments on time to Charles Wang, and all three keep things quiet beyond cheering on their team.

Smg will get their celebrated walking papers on 7/31 but somehow will work on 8/4 so Billy Joel can take off his Ranger sweater for a night with his Msg performance contract? Another common sense fair question to be asked of Mr Ratner's decision making.

Wang and Mr Joel are being honored, and given a degree by Stony Brook University this month:

@billyjoel, Charles Wang & Prof. @benbendc @umdcs #HCIL to Address the Class of 2015 at @stonybrooku (will be fun!) http://t.co/33oajeXgZW

— Ben Shneiderman (@benbendc) April 21, 2015

Kate Murray will be elected district attorney and be the only person to show up for George Maragos day to appreciate the Islanders history.

No, I did not get my coaching change, life goes on. 

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Late Thursday update

I had to get some work done so I could be free for Friday and Saturday.

A little scary how most of those names I wrote about are all over the Islander rumors, even in blurbs.

Newsday: Greg Logan blogged with a lot of his own speculation on the draft with the primary focus on Pieterangelo, Filatov or Schenn depending on who's left. Mr Logan also addressed Jokinen, McCabe, Patrick Marleau rumors with Garth Snow's comments it would be highly unlikely that we would move that pick for an older player that may only have one more year on his contract but having the two seconds and thirds enables us to make a pitch to try to get that pick if there’s a player who’s high on our chart.

Mr Logan was honest enough to admit he did not know more than he has read about the skills of the top juniors entering the NHL draft and that the only one he has seen was Drew Doughty one time. He also issued another retraction on the Yashin headline.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Excellent update and a solid job with the speculation combined with the general mangers comments. I respect the fact he did not try and tell us something he did not know about players he did not see and was upfront on that. Almost scary everyone is talking about the same players in the media I talked about earlier but I got a lot wrong last season so even I'm due to get it right eventually.

Lets keep those updates coming and leave Mike Milbury in the past. Seems like many want the Isles to address the offense now with Filatov if possible.

Assistant GM/Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Jankowski had a quick update and provides a pluse of what's happening so far here.

Toronto Sun: Mike Zeisberger claims one theory making the rounds is of course McCabe to the Islanders for an exchange of first rounders.

NYI Fan Central:
Toronto media is working McCabe out of town with everything they got. Just keep the money in the bank Mr Wang or sign Bergenheim, Comeau to extensions with it.

Sportsnet.ca: Has Bryan McCabe's agent Ian Pulverdeny denied any rumors he would waive his no trade clause.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
This rumor is like night of the living dead, someone please shoot it in the head once and for all.

Ottawa Citizen: Wayne Scanlan in an interview with Bryan Murray has the writes comments how when Ottawa joined the NHL they tried to copy the Islanders model for success.

Media Blog: Cory Witt has a good update on how the club decides on the name plates and jersey's are done in advance for so many potential players a club could draft.

Daily News/AP: Reports the NHL is threatening to kick the owners of the New York Rangers out of the league or force them to sell the team as punishment for accusing league officials of violating antitrust laws among several violations.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Come on Gary Bettman, give New York the Islanders at the outdoor game and leave the Rangers home. Too into the draft to be bothered today for any depth on this but it is kind of funny.

If seventy five percent of owners have to approve a change that sound you hear is Dolan threatening Wang, Vanderbeer and Golisano with pulling televised games with a ton of negative publicity for the Lighthouse in the Dolan's new toy at Newsday if votes for removal.

No way will Dolan allow the Ranger to play in bis building under another owner, they would have to relocate of outright fold.

Ottawa Sun: Bruce Garrioch speculates the Isles could be one of several teams interested in Jokinen.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I'm not sure what scares me more, that Mr Garrioch included the Isles with Jokinen or he wrote the Islanders were not interested in Yashin?

SI.Com: Alan Muir in his mock draft had the Islanders selecting Luke Schenn over Alex Pieterangelo.

Updated 9pm:
Newsday: Greg Logan had a second blog update which was centered around Filatov and Colin Wilson with comments from both players as well as E.J McGuire from central scouting who talked about Bogosian and Pietrangelo.

Tsn.ca: Bob McKenzie has a 9pm update on some trade rumors, New York was not mentioned in the speculation.

Mr Botta, call the NYC sports editors again.

New York Observer: John Koblin has a fascinating article to me about life covering Madison Square Garden's franchise team with quotes from several of the folks who used to cover the New York Islander beat (Alan Hahn, Marc Berman) and the Garden's politics with reporters.

“I think it’s fair to say that Jim [Dolan] is aware of, and a part of, the shaping of the media policy,” said Barry Watkins, the senior vice president of communications for the Garden. >Garden policy has meant that before and after every game, there is a media relations official—a minder, really—with a BlackBerry in hand who furiously types away while listening to reporters’ conversations. The notes that the official takes are then e-mailed up the chain of command.

“It’s Madison Square Garden, it’s New York City, it should be one of the top beats in New York,” said Newsday beat reporter Alan Hahn.

Instead: “It’s maddening. What it should be and what it is—it’s a shame.”

“Some of the things they practice here are completely against what you’d expect a normal team to do,” said Mr. Hahn, a second-year reporter on the beat who said that he now misses his old job as a hockey reporter covering the provincial New York Islanders. “They come up with things all the time. There’s zero access to players. They would rather you don’t even write.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter what they do to us, the beat guys,” observed Mr. Hahn. “But you’d think they care a little more about presentation when other reporters come to town. They don’t.”

“I’m in shock now,” said Mr. Berman. “The sexual harassment trial was bad enough, and then to have a November like this, when you’re a national joke, for someone covering the team it’s depressing ’cause you want to write positive stuff. Soon the readers aren’t going to care anymore.” His voice got quiet. “In December, who’s gonna read my stories?”

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Some may ask why is this about the New York Islanders?

Msg as everyone knows owns the Islanders, Devils and Buffalo Sabres broadcast rights and FSN. If they control the print media people this much I can only imagine how tough it is on the paid employees hired to call games.

This is the same Garden controlling the hockey spin coming from the Ranger writers in the local papers. No wonder Larry Brooks had to do a public back step recently after he was critical of Brendan Shanahan and the over the top defending by John Dellapina for Sean Avery who can fight his own battles.

I get the impression from his comments over the years Mr Botta works very hard to fight the sports editors for Islander coverage and does all he can. This is an opportunity to once again ask the city sports editors and even the publisher what it will take for more Islander coverage and some blogs in the city papers as well as Westchester and New Jersey. No doubt the Islanders will allow all the access the media wants without the political climate Msg is apparently placing on it's beat writers considering it has bloggers in it's lockeroom because the club needs more coverage.

It's an opportunity for New York Islander Hockey to expand it's coverage and get more folks attending games by reading about them. As Mr Botta wrote recently we want the Daily News, we need the Daily News.

New York Islanders also want and need the Times, Post, Sun, Ganette, SI Advance, Newark Star Ledger, and the club needs to reach out to it's tri-state area fanbase and tone down the Long Island mantra placed on everything which does not help coverage in New York City where a percentage of the fan base lives.

If the Islander p.r department has to drive into Manhattan and do a face to face sitdown with Leon Carter and the Daily News publisher if necessary to improve the coverage that's what has to be done. Then a trip the Post publisher followed by one to the New York Times, a stop over at the New York Sun, followed by a stop at the SI Advance, Newark Star Ledger before a trip to the Westchester Ganette.

Worst they can say is no, right?

Fascinating stuff from the beat writers and the garden because what I just read was unprecedented from the collective beatwriters who usually are in competition with one another.

As for Alan Hahn, I wonder if he misses Alexei Yashin now?

NYI/NHL notables:

Bill Guerin did not win whatever version of NHL player of the week it's called these days by the NHL. He somehow did not even finish in the top three.

NHL.com Reports Flyers goaltender Martin Biron, Calgary Flames right wing Jarome Iginla and Chicago Blackhawks forward Jason Williams have been named the NHL’s ‘Three Stars’ for the week ending October 21.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Sure liked it better when there was one award. I did not even know they changed from offensive and defensive player of the week to give you an idea of how this has become a non-event.

Hopefully the league dumped the Messier cold-x award too as another terrible idea.
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Denver Post: Teri Frei questions the firing of Bob Hartley by the Atlanta Thrashers.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Granted the gm should have taken the fall with Hartley at the very least or Hartley should have stayed and Waddell dismissed but what Frei does not point out here is the Thrashers did have an urgency to make the playoffs for the first time last season. It's a lot of people like Frei that remind us all the time about hockey's lack of impact in the Southern markets and you cannot blame Waddell for understanding it was important for his club to qualify just as Garth Snow understood it was important for his club to qualify with the Smyth trade or the Sharks with the Guerin trade.

I don't know if Hartley was too tough for the players but when he was dismissed in Colorado many wrote/said the same thing about him. Fair or not sometimes it's easier to fire the coach then fire the players, especially on a team with a franchise player like Kovalchuk who can make or break not only a coach but a franchise.

I don't know what Kovalchuk thought of Hartley but as an outsider you have to think Waddell had an idea it's a move the star player would not be devastated by.
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What's the deal with Brent Sutter, was he poisoned that badly by the media out west about the Islanders or was it something with Justin Mapletoft?

Newark Star Ledger:Rich Chere has this comment from Brent Sutter on the Islanders:

"From that aspect, absolutely I'd like to see them (come back). I think they're taking strides that way. They're bringing people back that were part of their success."

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I'm just curious where Brent Sutter thinks the Islanders are coming back from after making the playoffs four times in the last five years? Things have not been perfect, but there are a lot of NHL organizations that have been far worse during that time.

Chris Botta : In his media blog asks a very fair question here wondering if Sutter remembers the thousands of people who supported his career if he remembers them?
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Denver Post: Teri Frei also reports Ryan Smyth is having a news conference in Edmonton prior to his Tuesday game against the Oilers.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Hopefully we will get no tears this time. Would have been interesting if Edmonton for all the money they were throwing at restricted free agents decided to make Smyth an offer last summer but it's fair to say Kevin Lowe was correct not overpaying for a limited player. Islanders will visit Colorado this season.
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Sports Business Journal: Tripp Micklel and Eric Fisher report the league's response to the Rangers lawsuit with Bill Daly providing his written comments with the owners siding with the league by a count of 25-3 with Edmonton absent and Detroit in abstention.

The NHL filed more than four hundred pages of statements and exhibits from seven league officials and team executives Oct. 12 countering MSG’s claims that the league’s new media policy eliminates competition between the Rangers and other teams.

“The Rangers’ complaint amounts to an attack on the fundamental manner in which the league and every other professional sports league is organized and operates. … Granting MSG its requested relief would strip the league of its essential and fundamental structure.”

* Daly added that the Rangers popularity stems from playing other NHL teams and that it has benefited by hiring popular players who other NHL teams develop, such as Wayne Gretzky, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
This is a pay subscription site that we joined on a trial basis for use on Islander Fan Central for hockey/business information.

Good job by Daly reminding us other clubs developed the Rangers current stars and this is a partnership with the league. Clearly the other owners want no part of associating with James Dolan. I'm wondering if the Devils, Islanders and Sabres were forced by the man who owns their broadcast rights to support him?

Considering the Rangers lost the most money of any club going into the lockout and have lost money in an outdated building for decades to where they need free rent, tax exemptions and even low cost elecrricity at Msg and that Cablevision is willing to overspend out of it's own pocket to increase Ranger financial losses and even front loaded contracts to Drury and Gomez to circumvent the new CBA, why should any owner who wants to run a responsible hockey business long-term want any part of supporting Dolan and his hockey business practice?

Dolan's way over his head taking on the NHL unless his supporter speaker Sheldon Sliver controls this court like he did the PCB which killed the West Side Stadium with Silver's son a paid lobbyist for Msg.

Dolan does not have his fellow owners support, his team has no impact on national ratings and are invisible in baseball's largest market. Why is it a big deal to Dolan that his site is linked to the league website?