James Dolan Is The Devil

James Dolan is the Devil and Cablevision is his hell that he wants to spread all over Long Island and New York City. Harsh you say? I do not think so. Let me explain...

I came across an awesome show on the Madison Square Garden Channel the other day. It was called, " The Spring of '94". It chronicled the run of both the New York Rangers and Knicks through the playoffs and into the Finals in their respective sports during the Spring of 1994. The Knicks lost in 7 games (John Starks) to the Houston Rockets and the Rangers broke their 54 year Cup Curse by beating the Vancouver Canucks in 7 unbelievable hockey games.

It was the year I graduated high school. It was actually the week I graduated high school that both teams were playing in their Finals. I graduated high school on June 12th, 1994 and I was sitting in a hotel room in Florida on June 14th, 1994 watching the Ranger's win the Cup that night. My buddy and I went to Florida for 2 weeks the day after we graduated and we were going to a party that night which my friend assured me the people at the party would be watching the hockey game. When we arrived they were playing SEGA hockey. Hockey had not arrived in Florida yet. There was no such thing as Florida Panther or the Tampa Bay Lightening. So we left the party and started our own back at our hotel to watch the game.

Just watching "The Spring of '94" gave me goosebumps, remembering the last time The Garden was truly alive. Those two teams had a stranglehold on NYC that Spring. That Ranger team will be remembered through the ages with names like Messier, Leetch, Richter, and Graves. And what Ranger fan is ever going to forget, "Matteau!, Matteau!, Matteau!" And even though that Knicks team lost those Finals and never did bring home a championship, they will always have a special place in my heart and I'm sure with most Knick's fans of that era too. Those battles with Chicago, Detroit, and Miami are emblazoned in my memory forever. There has yet to be a Knick team since that can compare. And even though this current incarnation of the New York Rangers gives a fan some hope for the first time in years, they have to win Lord Stanley's Cup to even be in the conversation with the '94 team.

There has yet to be a Spring like it since. Sure the Knicks made a run to the Finals in the strike shortened '99 season, and the Rangers have teased us with a one and done playoff appearance here and there, it has never been like it was. And it is no coincidence in my opinion, these dark times coincide with Cablevision and James Dolan's mishandling of all things MSG. They say when you are in a depression you have a hard time recognizing that you are in a bad place, but the people that are removed from your emotions can see it very easily in you. I was so emotionally invested in those teams at that time of my life and that combined with youthfully enthusiasm carried that emotion for years even after those teams were disbanded. It wasn't until the last 4 or 5 where I had emotionally detached from that emotion that I started to realize what a cancer James Dolan is. And it has been a combination of things that has enslaved me to my current set of emotions regarding Jimmy D.

Let's start with his ruining the brand that was the New York Knicks. I can't even bring myself to read or watch anything about this team. His loyalty to Isiah Thomas has crippled this franchise and brings to mind the beginning lyrics to Incubus' song Pistola, "On the tip of my tongue an offensive is poised and rearing, My intention a bullet, my body a trigger finger". This is a man (albeit as a player in definitely a Top 50 All Time NBAer) who has bankrupted the CBA, The Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks on top of costing his boss $10 million to cover up a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him and Madison Square Garden. He has proven time and time gain that he doesn't care about the average fan. Doesn't care if he prices them out of game tickets. Doesn't care if he alienates an extremely loyal fan base. He is all about the what is good for Jimmy. He wants to prove that he knows what he is doing but what he keeps proving to me anyway, is that he should just stick to playing the guitar.

And he has done the same thing with the Ranger's franchise. The last year or two is the first time I have been emotionally invested in this team. But how could you not with the current group of homegrown talent? These kids play with their heart on their sleeves and blood and sweat on their jerseys. But for many years after that Cup team he has just throwing money at bloated All Stars while sacrificing youth to win something that can never be one without chemistry. And it has only been because of those horrible teams that we were lucky enough to be able to draft the current group.

And finally, lets talk about Cablevision. Growing up Cablevision is all their was (on Long Island anyway). I switched to Verizon's Fios as soon as it was available in my area. It is such a better product than than Cablevisions in both the online and television services. The user interface for Fios blows away Cablevision's unresponsive, antiquated piece of crap. But the kicker is the MSG channel. I love that New York Daily News' columnist Bob Raissman calls it the 'MSGulag Network' (Think Caligula). As Fios customer I cannot watch the MSG Channel in HD. I have to watch Ranger hockey games in Standard Def on beautifully crafted and expensive High Definition Televisions. If he was really for "the fans" he would allow all the fans to experience hockey and basketball in HD if they could not get to the games. But no, he wants to rule the television world make everybody buy his inferior product. When I had OptOnline I could not have my computer and XBox on at the same time it would totally slow the services of both of them down to an unusable level. But with Fios i can have both my computers, my smart phones, XBox and PS3 running at the same time with no lag. It is such a joy.

I will never go back to Cablevision but Jimmy has to get his head out of his ass soon and start showing the fans that he cares.

Free MSG!!!!!!

My Review of Hall and Oates at Jones Beach on Long Island

On Saturday June 11th, Hall and Oates performed their classic hits at Long Island's famed Jones Beach Amphitheater for a less than sell out crowd.

The sparse crowd could partially be blamed on the inclement weather.  It was drizzling throughout most of Hall & Oates' set and Chris Isaak's opening set.   In my experience, the rain adds something to the show.  Some of the best concerts I've ever attended at Jone Beach were in the rain.  For one, the people that come to the show truly want to be there for the music and are into the show from the beginning.  And second, the rain creates a bond between the concert goers because we are all battling the same harsh conditions.   Aside from Madison Square Garden, Jone Beach is the best place to see a show for ambiance in my opinion.  And when it rains, there is no better.

Chris Isaak did not impress me with his opening set.  I really do not know too many songs from his catalog, with the exception of "I Want to Fall In Love" and that is mostly because of the video with that unbelievably sexy woman he had in it.  He played mostly covers.  The biggest surprise was  the theme song to HBO's "True Blood" called "Bad Things,"  which was a Jace Everett cover.  It sounded great.

Hall and Oates came out soon after to a slowed down version of "Maneater."   They sounded great and their saxophonist Charlie Dechant  and his pink suit was amazing.  I love hearing somebody play the saxophone live.  It seems to be a lost instrument in this day and age.  The only disappointment in their set was that it was only 1.5 hours and they did not play "Private Eyes".  You do forget how many good songs the duo have in their catalog and we did not even realize they had not played "Private Eyes" until someone mentioned it in passing as we were walking out of the the ampitheatre.

All in all, it was a great show.  It was Jones Beach and it marked the first concert of the summer.  can't go wrong with that.  Next up the SoundGarden reunion tour in July.  More to come...

Long Island's Nerfherder Is On Technorati

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Vote for Steve Bellone: Long Island Business News Poll

The matchup is set.

Although it took a bit longer than expected, the combatants are now in place for Long Island's Suffolk County Executive race coming this fall.

For the Democrats, the candidate is Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone, who had been the presumptive nominee ever since County Executive Steve Levy turned Republican.

For the GOP, the nominee is Suffolk County Treasurer Angie Carpenter, the only one who really wanted the job after all. Others, such as businessman Randy Altschuler and state Sen. John Flanagan, flirted with running, but Carpenter from the start was overt and enthusiastic about the position.

Now, who should win? 

Click on Picture above to Vote and leave a comment below.

USGBC-LI's Peter Caradonna Foresees a Sustainable Future

As a 3^rd generation architect, Peter Caradonna eventually married (what else?) an architect.  But his life’s work truly started in the mid 1990’s, working on a branch library in Brooklyn.  Peter was handed the NYC Department of Design and Construction High Performance Building Guidelines.  Curious what such a building would be, Peter spent the weekend reading the guidelines, gaining a new understanding of “the future of our business.”  

Peter’s introduction to sustainability convinced him that architects could regain their former importance to society, becoming “a catalyst to a critical paradigm shift.”  Starting his own firm in 1996, He sought to learn everything he could about green building.

In 2000 he joined the US Green Building Council (USGBC), working on the programs committee for USGBC New York, one of the organization’s six original chapters.  Recruited to help start the Long Island Chapter, Peter became its first chair.  His leadership skills impressed the national organization, where he now sits on the Chapter Steering Committee.  USGBC now has over 79 chapters, and Peter enjoys a national network of bright, forward-thinking progressives to share ideas with anywhere he goes.

Of course, sustainability faces a huge challenge from entrenched business and political entities.  Peter says the green movement must work twice as hard to achieve its goals.  He also believes the next generation will use their life-long relationship with computers to take up this struggle, informed by a different understanding of the world.  “I can’t wait to see what they come up with,” he says.  “They’re my greatest hope.”

“Anywhere you go on earth,” Peter notes, “the human footprint is evident.  Even in the furthest wilderness areas.”  In addition to sustainability, he foresees restorative and regenerative systems to maintain the planet, even as our society grows exponentially.

For now, the current generation needs to determine the standards for making all buildings carbon neutral.  “And you know what?” Peter asserts.  “That’s not a bad way to end this generation’s work.”

Post written by David Sporn.

Originally posted on the USGBC-LI Blog

My Top 5 Android Apps for Long Island

I can't say enough about my Droid X which runs on Google's Android Operating System.  I had previously owned a BlackBerry and it just doesn't compare.  Below is my Top 5 Android Apps for Long Island.  Enjoy.

The Long Island Wine Country (LIWC) app is an interactive guide to Long Island's wine region, with hundreds of listings for accommodations, restaurants, and wineries! This app makes it easy and convenient for you to plan your Long Island Wine Country getaway, or simply navigate the vineyards once you have arrived.




The #1 source for what's happening in New York - news, sports, gossip and more.  No other city is quite like New York and the Daily News is the number one paper for coverage of what goes on – from the politics to the gossip. And when it comes to Sports, our writers know the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets better than any – its why year after year we win awards for the best Sports coverage.




The latest breaking news in New York, New Jersey, and Long Island; plus weather, sports and entertainment headlines from the PIX11 News Team.

App features:
Read on the go even when you lose your network connection.
Share your favorite stories via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail.

Enjoy the award-winning journalism of The New York Times on your Android™- powered smartphone. Download the application and get our Top News section for free, or subscribe to unlock all the sections in the app of The Times, plus blogs, videos and slide shows. The app downloads and syncs the latest news directly to your device for online or offline reading. Improved design, a directory of New York Times blogs and added offline bookmarking features enhance your reading experience. View in portrait or landscape, with adjustable font size. Share articles via e-mail, SMS, Facebook and Twitter. And get breaking news alerts to be the first to read about events as soon as they occur.

WABC 7 Online ABC New York News is now available for Android! 

We offer tons of local content, including:

                      -Constantly updated news articles

                      -Weather with maps

                      -Sports scores and news

                      -Flight tracker

                      -Horoscopes

                      -Lottery results

                      -Local cheap gas prices

                      -Movie showtimes

                      -Streaming video

                      -Slideshows

Who Will Be The Star Trek Generation?

As I listened to Billy Joel’s “Summer, Highland Falls” last night I couldn’t help but compare it to the political climate of today. We live in a world without compromise. Neither side wants to give, they only want to get. When Billy Joel sings this song in concert he usually dedicates it to “All the Manic Depressives in the audience.” Is that what our society has become?


Our leaders can’t seem to look past today. They have become obsessed with today while sacrificing tomorrow. It is not a sustainable political or social environment. Everyday we are confronted with our own inhumanity, the rising poverty rate and the decline of the middle class, the spread of disease and infection, and the differences in each others religious beliefs. Our leaders seem to choose their own madness over the reality of the situation. They needlessly dissipate their energies promoting their own selfish agendas while distracting others from the respective similarities of the issues.


They have been arguing and so called compromising on the same issues for over 6 decades but it seems that nothing has changed. They are still standing on the ledges of their own unwavering beliefs with an unwillingness to take a step back and see it from another perspective.

What generation is going to standup and sacrifice to become what I like to call, The Star Trek Generation? By that I mean, the generation that is going to put the future of our world ahead of their own agenda. If any of you are fans of Star Trek you know that in that world there is no more disease, social classes, or political unrest. Everything is done with the good of society as a whole in mind. Only then will we truly become a sustainable society.