|
|
By Bryan Berg  August 3, 2009, at 11:38 pm  We’ve made a conscious effort to stay away from the Lighthouse stuff on this blog. We’re not a political blog. We like to talk hockey in these parts, not economic impact statements or zoning guidelines. Nobody wants to hear us get on our high horses and spout political rhetoric when this blog is supposed to be two friends discussing the game we love. So you’ll forgive us if we’ve ignored all the happenings with the Lighthouse lately.
That said…
Tomorrow’s a big day for the Lighthouse, the future of the Islanders and, potentially, the future of Long Island. As an Islanders fan, I have a vested interest in what happens with the Lighthouse, but I have an even greater interest as a 20-something resident of Long Island – the very kind of resident that is fleeing Long Island at a rapid clip. Will anything that happens tomorrow make me think that I’ll be able to raise my daughter here? Probably not. But it’s nice to know these sort of things are up for consideration.
Look, if I’m cynical about the Lighthouse, it’s nothing personal. Obviously, there’s a lot at stake for someone like me. But just about every other stadium built or proposed over the past decade has come with strings attached. Think about it.
- The Jets’ proposed West Side stadium was tied to the 2012 Olympics and became a huge political issue, eventually killing the project.
- The new Yankee Stadium was built essentially because the Mets announced plans to build a new ballpark and God forbid the Yankees look second-class in anything.
- That Mets ballpark, of course, is sponsored by a bank that received government aid just to stay afloat.
- The upcoming stadium for the Jets and Giants seems to be nothing more than a way to introduce the idea of personal seat licenses to the New York area.
The Lighthouse is the one arena development that makes sense; as in, it’s not a total money grab. You take a bunch of land that currently serves no purpose and cultivate it into something that not only stands for something, but helps the economy and citizens of Nassau County. What could be better than that?
And yet, we have Kate Murray, who fought this thing tooth and nail until she realized it was election season. Now, she’s suddenly Charles Wang’s biggest supporter? Please. Something doesn’t add up.
Kate Murray notwithstanding, there’s plenty of optimism as tomorrow’s hearing nears. That’s great. As for me, I’ll be unable to attend due to parental responsibilities. I’ll be watching from a distance, hoping this thing gets worked out. While I’m cautious out of fear of getting burned yet again, I realize that this really is the last chance for the New York Islanders, not to mention many people my age who are considering where their future lies. It literally is now or never.And if there’s any justice in this world, it’ll be now instead of never.
By Jon Zaidman August 3, 2009, at 9:43 pm 6′5″ 215 pound Shooting Guard PJ Hairston has given the North Carolina Tar Heels a verbal commitment.
Just one day after receiving a scholarship offer from Roy Williams, Hairston decided to pull the trigger and commit, according to Scout.com which also rates the rising 4 star junior as the #3 SG and the #19 overall prospect in the class of 2011.
Hairston has a college ready body and long range shooting touch and although he has the size to easily get to the basket, he tends to rely on his jumper. Hairston will need to further develop his midrange game as he enters college where bigger, faster opponents will take away his shot and force him to get by them and to the basket, but the potential is there. Hairston is a great pickup for UNC and this was really expected from the beginning of his recruitment, as most felt he was UNC’s to lose. PJ will provide solid scoring and rebounding for the Tar Heels when he steps on campus in two years. He joins 2010 PG Kendall Marshall and 2010 SG Reggie Bullock as current UNC verbal commits. The news of this commitment should make loyal reader and Tar Heel fan Dave Bamdad happy.
Here is video of PJ against future teammate Reggie Bullock.
By Jason Comack August 3, 2009, at 8:10 pm Close your eyes and imagine that it’s February 5th 2011. It’s the day before the Superbowl and the UFC is about to put on it’s biggest card of the year. Brock Lesnar is standing across the cage staring at Fedor Emeliankeo. As the two fighters stare each other down Brock is showing his trademark intensity while Fedor looks on with his cold emotionless stare. This is the biggest fight of all time. As the cage door slams the fans erupt. You turn to your friends and excitedly say “Is this really happening?”
————————————————————————————————————————————–
Open your eyes, it’s July 19th 2008 and MMA has officially made it big. The worldwide leader has finally caved and began to cover MMA. On the front page of ESPN we have a picture of Fedor Emelianenko and coverage of his American debut taking place that night. That same night we also have UFC Fight Night 14 headlined by Anderson Silva moving to the light heavyweight division. Things aren’t good they are great. Two cards on the same night! Are you serious? Even better, Affliction is looking like a true competitor to the UFC and the fans are benefiting from it. The competition has forced the UFC to have more events and it’s cards that are as stacked as ever. The Golden Age of MMA is upon us.
You blink and it’s July 24 2009. Affliction just went under after holding only two events. Josh Barnett has tested positive for steroids and in the process flipped the MMA world on it’s head. The UFC has absorbed 20 contracts from Affliction and has begun to heavily peruse the worlds top heavyweight Fedor Emeliankeo. Dana White might be considering an arrogant prick by many but he sure knows how to market fights. White knows that Fedor Vs. Lesnar would be the highest grossing pay per view of all time. And it’s finally within his grasp. All is well in the fight world. Fight fans are finally going to get their super-fight and scientists might even get to answer the age old question “what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?”
That brings us to the present day, August 3rd 2009. Emeliankeo has signed with Strike Force taking what we can only assume is a substantially less amount of money than the UFC offered. Good news though! Strikeforce will now be co-promoting it’s events with M-1 Global! Rejoice! Fedor’s deal with Strikeforce only produces losers. Fans are robbed of the clash of the two best heavyweights in the sport and Fedors legacy is forever tainted. The biggest loser in the deal might be Strikeforce itself. Fedor is a draw but he’s not bigger then the UFC. It is inevitable that sometime this fall Fedor will make his debut with Strikeforce and not so coincidentally the UFC will put a Fight Night on Spike TV the very same night.
It might not be today or tomorrow but eventually Strikeforce will go the way of every other Mixed Martial Arts organization that has challenged the UFC. Strikeforce will one day be lumped in with Pride, Affliction, and Bodog Fight. Unless you learn from your mistakes history is doomed to repeat itself. Scott Coker, Strikeforce CEO, should know by now the way you survive in the MMA world is not by challenging the UFC but by flying under it’s radar. The Fedor contract will be the death of Strikeforce
————————————————————————————————————————————–
As the bell rings you watch the worlds best heavyweights circle each other and can only hope that you aren’t dreaming….
By Jason Comack August 3, 2009, at 6:51 pm I’ve written several times on this site that I feel that MLB teams have begun to value their prospects too much. The MLB is a copycat league, just like every other sport, and when the A’s, Rays, Marlins and Twins started having consistent success by building from within everyone followed suit. Now that’s not to say the big market teams don’t spend, because they do, but it means there much more likely to spend in free agency then in a trade. However, it’s important to remember what the word prospect means and Edinson Volquez should serve as a cautionary tale.
Volquez was traded for Josh Hamilton. At the time it looked like a win-win for both teams. Hamilton went on to become an All-Star and became the face of the Texas Rangers. Volquez was Cy-Young worthy last year and seemed to be headed for a great career. That was of course until injury struck.
According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, the ulnar collateral ligament in Edinson Volquez’s right elbow was almost completely torn. Volquez underwent Tommy John surgery on Monday morning. There is a chance that he could return late in 2010, but fantasy owners shouldn’t expect him to return to form until 2011 at the earliest.
A pitching prospect is like a lotto ticket. Sometimes you can cash it in for Tim Lincecum and sometimes it becomes Todd Van Poppel. The point is when your trading for an 18 year old star in the making might seem like a good idea at the time there is a ton of projection involved no matter how dominant the kid has been. Unlike a positional player a pitcher is just one major injury away from his career being over potentially. Not everyone bounces back from Tommy John surgery, cough Liriano cough, although the surgery has a high success rate.
I think all GM’s need to wake up. Prospects are very very important but when you have the chance to get Cliff Lee for 75 cents on the dollar you have to.
By Anthony De Franco August 3, 2009, at 4:55 pm Giants fans, return to your normally schedule training camp regimen. Our defensive leader, and starting middle linebacker is a free man.
This is the final piece to the craziness that Plaxico Burress has caused over the last year. Since he shot himself in the the thigh like an idiot, the team has been through the ringer of craziness from missing one of their best offensive weapons to having to consider all the possible options to replace one of the league’s smartest defensive players in Pierce.
Regardless of what you think of the case against Pierce, it’s important that he can now return to camp and be sure of the face that he ain’t going to jail. Now, he once again focus on leading one of the NFC’s best defenses.
By Anthony De Franco August 3, 2009, at 4:08 pm The Lesnar-Fedor dream is over. Jason has spent the afternoon drinking because he’s worried that no one in the UFC’s heavyweight division can beat Lesnar. I think Shane Carwin can.
Anyway, the deal between the world’s best heavyweight fighter and the UFC was destined to be screwed up by Fedor’s camp. They only cared about one thing: The ability for their “promotional brand”, M-1 Global, to co-promote any event that Fedor fights at. The UFC wouldn’t do it because they don’t feel like they need Fedor to be successful. Guess what? They are right.
I’m officially woried about Strikeforce. I’ve been supportive of them because I think that they had the right business plan. They were never really worried about trying to compete with Dana White’s MMA monster. Instead, they just did their own thing on a smaller scale. Now, with Fedor in the fold, I can see them trying to expand far to quickly under pressure from his camp. If that happens, everyone who has ever crossed Dana White will have to move to Japan, because the UFC will be the only game in town.
Every promotion that Fedor has ever fought for has gone out of business. Seriously, think about it: RINGS, PRIDE, Affliction, BodogFight. I’m not saying that it’s all his fault, but I am saying that he is part of the reason. This guy’s legacy won’t be as the greatest fighter of all time, but instead it will be the guy who let his management ruin his career.
|
|
Tags: 
