We know about the Metros' relationship with NJSEA. We know that the Jets are mad because NJSEA charges them more rent than the Giants. Now, we learn that the Giants are mad about the NJSEA's efforts to host the Womens World Cup this September: Http://www.newsday.com/sports/soccer/ny-women103326957jun10,0,1637212.story?coll=ny-soccer-headlines Jim Fassel is mad because, if there's a WWC doubleheader played at Giants Stadium this September, the Giants won't be able to practice in the stadium as he had planned. No actual games will be effected. Of course, the Giants never practice in the stadium - that's why NJSEA built them the bubble. I love the quote from Fassel: "I love soccer. My daughter played soccer." On a vaguely related note, Newsday, and www.newsday.com, reports that Charles Wang, the owner of the Islanders and the Arena league's Dragons, wants to buy the Nets and move them back to Long Island. If this happens (it's probably a longshot), would the Newark Arena deal be dead (if it's not already), or would they still build it for just the Devils? If Newark dies and the Nets move to LI, what becomes of the Devils? Can they stay at CAA as the only tenant, and doesn't the NJSEA already have plans to tear down the CAA and build Xanadu, or whatever it's going to be called?
The Devils want out of CAA and the meadowlands as much as anyone. I heard yesterday during the Stanley Cup that the Devils are set to lose $30M this year despite winning the cup and having a modest payroll. Alot of that has to do with the rental and profitability of the arena. i highly doubt they wont push for their own place specially since so many other cities are willing to accomodate them.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record on this topic: If you think that traveling to the Meadowlands for a 7:30 game on a weeknight sux (and it does), doing so to the Nassau Mausoleum/Mitchel Park section of LI is equally bad or worse. Same traffic problems and lack of public transport options. The team would conceivably have to draw from outside of Nassau and Suffolk, but getting to a weeknight game from Manhattan or Westchester would literally take up to two hours in the dreaded LI traffic. You would have to have a death wish to attempt the trip from NJ. Now, if they were to build a new Mausoleum near the LIRR, that could be a different story.
Re: Re: (NMR) Another unhappy tenant at the Swamp Kevin -- you're preaching to the choir here. Maybe you should send this to Mr. Wang, since he's the one who apparently thinks it's a good idea to move the Nets here.
Re: Re: Re: (NMR) Another unhappy tenant at the Swamp I can understand Wang's point. Having 40 more solid dates at the facility probably makes sense to his bottom line. As Rodney Dangerfield said, "Give my friend Wang two of everything!"
Wang definitely wants to buy the Nets. B-ball is his favorite sport and having another team makes building a new arena/complex more feasible. If Wang buys the Nets then everyone get used to the term HOUSTON DEVILS!!!!!! They got inside dibs on the next NHL team that relocates and it's a big market. If NJ loses both teams, will they then kick in more money to build the Harrison stadium?
Re: Re: (NMR) Another unhappy tenant at the Swamp I did that trip for the US Open Cup. My Death wish not granted . . . but if the Metro were to move to Mitchell Field that would be more like a death sentence for them. Can't really blame the Giants in this one. This WWC tournament hits the Giants at a bad time. I'm not sure that I want our game taking the inevitable New York area PR fury that will come if the Giants get off to a slow start and point the finger at soccer conflicts and playing surface problems or adjustments that hamstrung their preseason. The NJSEA's chief executive has been ham-handed from day one. He's treated the Metro shabbily and now he has tried to push the Giants around. I pointed out a while back that his first big mistake was to think he could negotiate with the Giants via surprise press release -- backing them into a corner publicly. That didn't work. The fact that the Giants recently had to announce that they were prepared to go to court to enforce the terms of their lease was itself an extraordinary public statement from the otherwise quiet and classy Giants organization -- not one that they would have been resorted to lightly. I think the man is going to learn a lesson the hard way. The Governor was content to let him bat the Metro around. The Governor will not be able for long to let him disrespect the Giants for much longer. In fairness to him, at least he doesn't openly hate our game as did one of his predecessors. But I can't easily forgive his failure to support the MetroStars. I have always maintained that the USSF would do well to deny their prime events to the NJSEA because of the NJSEA's poor treatment of the Metro, the MLS and their fans. In the long run (no, after last WC, it's fair to say in the short run too), a viable pro soccer league is essential to USSF success. Any organization that stiffarms the MLS should get the back of the USSF's hand. There are plenty of places that the WWC can be held successfully. Giants Stadium does not deserve to be one of them.
Newsday is blowing up this rumor about the Nets possible move to Nassau. Pro basketball has failed at Nassau Coliseum. There is no public transportation. And car transportation is very, very slow from 3pm-8pm on any weekday. Especially if you are travelling east from Manhattan. Newsday did not cover the Nets during the regular season so they are trying to make up for that by spreading an old rumor. Newsday does not cover MLS or the Metrostars either. It is thoroughly dominated by baseball coverage. Even it's Spanish language parter Hoy is 70% baseball in its sports section. I stopped reading Newsday a while back because of their non-coverage of soccer. I suggest other Long Island soccer fans do the same.
I wouldn't really know about how Newsday covers sports because I don't read it either. It's not their rumor about the Nets. It's well known about Wang that he wants to own an NBA team and the Nets are a logical choice. The Nets failed on L.I. because their owner in the 70's, Roy Boe, owned both the Isles and Nets. In order to save money he had to sell one team. He chose the Nets. The Isles became a dynasty and here we are today.
First of all, if anyone moves to Houston, it should be one of the Canadian clubs. The NHL is an American sports league now. And as an American sports league, it has the smallest national profile. With that in mind, I think at least two, possibly as many as four, of the Canadian teams should move to American cities. Second of all, if anyone moves to Houston, you know which team it should be. Say it with me...
IIRC the owner of the Edmonton Oilers is from Houston, and he almost got his wish pf moving them there, but Edmonton had enough season Tix to keep the Oilers there (same situation that "America's team"-Hartford Whalers- were in, but obviously different outcome)
US Soccer has announced the six venues for the WWC -- Giants Stadium is not among them, having apparently been replaced by the new Philly stadium. So it looks like the Giants got their way here.
"Listen, I love soccer. My daughter played soccer. I think it's great. But . . . this is where we work and prepare and we're at the beginning of the season. I don't want to feel we're the second tenant and this is not our workplace." -Jim Fassel Jim's right. After blowing a 35 point lead, they're going to need all the practice time they can get.
Re: Re: (NMR) Another unhappy tenant at the Swamp Nassau Mausoleum? You've obviously never been to the Hartford Civic Center! How does one explain why the Isles have survived there for 31 seasons? Could it be that the population density is higher on LI than it is in NJ? Also, would more LI people work on LI and hence be able to go to games? I assume that most Jersey people work in Manhattan and, hence, have the logistical problem. I could be wrong and I could be doing wishful thinking, but it is just a theory.
What got me is that Fassel all of a sudden wanted to use the stadium for practice. Why do I think this edict came not from him, but from a higher up in the Giant organization?