Watchdog

So what's the deal here and be honest being that your role is to hold the media accountable. Are you not allowed to write about this or are you such a big Ranger fan you cannot be objective because frankly there is no third possibility.

Your article in the paper on Al Arbour night is about the Rangers radio signal in Suffolk county? Meanwhile you want no part of the invisible covererage our team receives in Manhattan and even Ranger beatwriter Steve Zipay's Sunday column on the NHL is Ranger centric.

Islanders need a Sunday NHL column in Newsday that's Islander centric, not this. Maybe your sports editor does not care but the Rangers have enough blogs in the city papers lobbying for them, we have nothing and need more from Newsday on our team .

Seems like you are only in this for one team and it's clearly not the Islanders.

Before you start talking about radio coverage for a team in Suffolk Country for a team in Manhattan, write about poor media coverage in New York City for Islander hockey.

Rangers could fold tomorrow and no one would notice.

The Islanders are still in the league???

Newsday covered Al Arbour night thoroughly, including putting him on the cover of our sports section. The event was held too late to be included in my Sunday column, but I mentioned it in my Friday column. The lousy radio signal is a significant issue for many Knicks and Rangers fans on LI. Thanks for reading. Neil

If it weren't for the Rangers, there would be no Islanders.
That goes back to 1972, when a character named Roy Boe was able to convince the NHL [and the Rangers] to add a team to the Long Island suburbs. It started one of the best NHL rivalries, outside of The Original Six.
And speaking of the Rangers, you do know of course that without the cash generated by one C. Dolan's media company, 4 hockey teams in New York State and New Jersey probably wouldn't have the success they have now.
There are many places for Islanders news. The NY-area dailies have other priorities in what is a baseball and football town. ANd the glamour and glitz of Broadway will always trump news of the team on the always-hard-to-get-to flats of Uniondale, where the Coliseum Deli is considered fine dining.
Hell, even the Devils are now a 1-or-2-stop train trip from Penn Station.
This ain't Toronto.
And another thing - Newsday due to budgetary considerations [they were getting crushed by the News and Post] has bascially foregone detailed coverage of most of New York City, and has shurk back to its LI roots.

Is there any doubt at all that if the Nets new arena ever gets built in Brooklyn that the Islanders are moving in too? Whatever happened to Wang's reconstruction/new construction effort in Uniondale?

LOU?

***The lousy radio signal is a significant issue for many Knicks and Rangers fans on LI? *****

Are you kidding Neil?

No newspaper coverage or blogs in the Times, Post, Journal News for the Islanders in NYC is far more significant issue than a few Rag fans on Long Island not being able to pick up a radio signal.

Did you see the token city coverage for Islander hockey today, are you telling me that is not as important as a radio signal for a team spammed by Msg ?

Why arent you blasting Leon Carver, Gallo and the Sports editors at the Times and Journal News over this today instead of selling a Ranger product with brutal television ratings in NYC that could not outdraw NASCAR in Manhattan during last year's playoffs.

I want full time Islander coverage and bloggers at all those papers. That's what helps hockey in this market and in the city.

Sandy, by the time Bloomberg is done with Dolan and Shelly Silver the Rags will be in Brooklyn before he get's a new building.

Bloomberg owns the Islander radio rights and may even own this team someday and move it into Manhattan.

Just be grateful the Islander dynasty kept Msg from folding outright in the 80's or you would have been the New Jersey Rangers.

Why would I criticize competing papers on this point? Just read the thorough coverage in Newsday. Problem solved.

Wawa,

If Newsday has budgetary concerns, it's very simple.

AP only for the Rangers.

The Rangers led the league in money lost going into the lockout Cablevision spends more to lose more and wanted the purchase the Islanders from Pickett first.

I know what the problem is. All these old timers in the media all went to the old garden and have their old stories and want no part of equal coverage and wrap themselves up in the Msg flag because they are fans with a column.

And most of them will resent the Islanders success forever.

Neil,

Your criticizing the radio business for lack of coverage so why not the print media business who you are in direct competition with on a daily basis.

One other thing. You do updates on the Islanders and it's like the 10th item into your article like on Jiggs McDonald. Here your lobbying with all you have for Msg in a full article.

I read your article and you are talking about competition between radio stations so why not newspapers. Our games were on ESPN 1050 before this and a ton of brutal where in the city you could not listen to Islander games.

This works both ways, did you lobby for us then or the former person on this beat (current Ranger beatwriter) Steve Zipay when we could not listen to games.

Neil, I think your blog has been hijacked by the same numbnut who does the same with Zipay. Ignore, and block if you can.

Thanks, Toe. I always liked you better than Bowman.

No seriously Neil, try to keep the trolls out of here and do it quickly. I'm as big an Islanders fan as anyone, but the Isles blog comment section is BEYOND unreadable b/c it's constantly hijacked by moronic Rangers fans thinking they're cooled, followed by the EQUALLY moronic Islanders fans responding like idiots and lots of petty namecalling. Don't let your blog follow suit. Keep the trash out...

What Hijacking?

I asked him some fair and resonable questions about Islander coverage. Instead he basically defended the city media not covering the Islanders and is out plugging for more Knick and Ranger radio coverage in Islander country.

Seems very unfair and from someone who wants to make sure the Rangers come first at all cost who's another life-long fan of their team.

Then he went and plugged another hockey event at Msg which I highly doubt those numbers considering St John's basketball cannot even draw at Msg.

Maybe both teams fans bought all the tickets. The league tried to put on a hockey tournament at Msg and there would be two thousand people inside Msg.

That's why Columbus and Minnesota got all the NHL tournaments the last few years.

Sorry if you don't like my user name, that's what I want.