Parallels

I realize that this is a completely strange reason to come out of hibernation, but something had to do it sometime.

For all of those who felt that Newsday replacing veteran beat reporter Greg Logan with former intern Katie Strang was a purposeful thumb to the nose aimed at the Islanders and their fans, here's an amazing parallel from another market.

Tarik El-Bashir of The Washinging Post is leaving the Capitals beat after five years of top-notch coverage. Dan Steinberg of the Post's D.C. Sports Bog describes El-Bashir's replacement (thanks to Kukla's Korner):

"Katie Carrera, a former Post intern who has covered high school sports for us the past two years, will become the new Capitals beat writer. Katie is a rarity - a sports journalist who actually knows something about hockey. She has assisted Tarik on and off with the Capitals for the past two seasons and now she has the whole show to herself."

Sometimes things change. People get deserved opportunities as a result of those changes. While the circumstances that brought about the change at the Post may be vastly different than those that moved Logan off the Isles beat at Newsday, the effect is the same. Such a succession can and did happen in another market, and it doesn't have to be a reason for the fanbase to feel disrespected or bullied.

****

I've been mulling over a meta-post for this blog to explain what is happening with it and what can be expected in the future. The truth is, I really don't know. All I know is that I can't do it the way I used to do it. There is simply not enough time to watch the games the way I used to watch them, to keep up with all that is being written about the Isles and the NHL, to formulate posts, and to execute them properly.

Other blogs are setting the bar pretty high these days. It's debatable whether what I can offer still has a place among them.

I have come close a number of times to just announcing the end of this blog. But here I am once again. And it feels good to be back.

Islanders Season Preview on Illegal Curve

Illegal Curve has posted its 2009-10 Islanders Season Preview. Please head over to read some thoughts on the upcoming season from IC's David, as well as from Dominik of Lighthouse Hockey, Paul from Islanders Blogger, and yours truly.

My thanks as always to Illegal Curve for asking me to participate. They're a great crew with a top-notch site and it's always a pleasure to work with them.

Why SNY May Not Be an Option for Point Blank

As Islanders fans everywhere mourn the potential loss of Islanders Point Blank, they have offered no shortage of fix-it schemes to keep alive the best source of insider news, analysis, and storytelling the Islanders community has ever had.

One of the most popular suggestions is that Point Blank operator Chris Botta contact SNY about moving the blog to SNY.TV's blog network, which has Matt Cerrone's wildly successful MetsBlog as its flagship.

Last September, I wrote the following:

"If Chris Botta's new Islanders Point Blank blog (site not yet active) is as promised, 24/7 coverage (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), then the Islanders community is in for a treat. Botta can do for the Islanders what Matt Cerrone has done for the Mets, but with the credibility and contacts in place from the very start."

Mission accomplished.

Obviously, Point Blank, from the perspective of content, is a perfect fit for SNY, which lacks an Islanders blog. But do we really think that the network is going to offer Chris the kind of compensation that would allow him to continue blogging full time and still take care of his family? Unfortunately, I don't see it—not in this economic climate, not with major partners at SNY having lost $700 million. Someone is going to have to prove how the network could make enough money from Point Blank to consider footing the bill for its resources AND paying the writer an acceptable salary.

Then there's this.

A while back I contacted a significant figure at SNY about them not having an Islanders blog to see what the site's interest would be in adding one (not even mine, necessarily—it would take a good crew of bloggers contributing, assuming they weren't paying much, if at all). Here's what he told me:

"As of now, they only have interest in a Rangers blog, which, frankly, isn't doing very much traffic, so I think hockey is taking a back seat."

Of course, at the time, no one was talking about the Islanders blog being Point Blank, with its impressive traffic, engaged community, and international reputation for excellence.

Anyway, that's what we're up against as far as the SNY option for Point Blank.

Whatever happens, I wish Chris the best of luck and hope we continue to hear from him, whether in a professional capacity or at his pleasure.

If I'm being totally honest, I'll tell you that Point Blank made things difficult for those of us who do this on a part-time basis. It was a challenge to have anything meaningful to say and not feel pushed to the margins in the shadow of the constant and exceptional coverage that Point Blank provided. Trying to keep up was never even a consideration.

That being said, I hope along with everyone else that the challenge continues. It would be a shame to have something so good go away.

Launching 2009

Welcome to the new year. First, let me say thanks for allowing me to recharge over the last several days. My batteries died without warning. That and the west coast trip left me feeling oddly detached from the Islanders despite missing only a few chunks of play here and there.

I'll be honest—at times it can feel like there's not much left to contribute with two, full-time major bloggers on top of everything and us independent types with a tiny fraction of the access that they have. You're getting your information and breaking news there first. And Islanders fans themselves are so engaged in everything that all it takes is a trip to the comments on those blogs or forums like HF Boards and Islander Mania to make it seem like there's nothing new to say.

But that's the challenge—to continue to have something to say, or simply something to share. So we press on! (Even if pressing on begins with a post like this.)

It's a few days past now, but still worth it to congratulate Doug Weight on reaching (and passing) the 1,000-point mark, and Josh Bailey on erasing that doughnut from the goals column. I'd also like to congratulate The Drive for Five on being named the 2008 NYI Blog of the Year in voting held at Yes! Islanders.

Who else can we congratulate? How about Garth Snow for picking the right free-agent defenseman?

And while we're passing out accolades, let's recognize the NHL for putting on another great show with this year's Winter Classic at Wrigley.

And for your end-of-year entertainment, here are Puck Daddy's Top Ten Goals of 2008 (one of them scored by an Islander—see if you can guess who before watching).

The tone of this season has certainly changed a lot in the last month. It's no longer about seeing how far this team might go. The day to day of what happened and why is now secondary to the what's going to happen and how well will it work.

It almost seems as though we're entering a period of limbo where not much matters except that Kyle Okposo, Blake Comeau, Jeff Tambellini, Bailey, and a quick healer named Nielsen continue to play larger roles and find some success in doing so.

The first shoe hasn't even dropped yet, but we're already anxiously waiting for the other one to bounce off the floor. After March 4, we'll be able to regroup, enjoy the rest of the season for whatever value it holds, and then look forward to Year 2 of this multi-year project.

I should have more to say soon about specific expectations for players as we move forward. In the meantime, we have a team out west that at least won't let you shut off the game in the middle of the third. With a light schedule on Monday and some flexibility in my lineup for a rental, my fantasy team now includes the point-producing machine Richard Park.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I recently had a random run-in on a New York City street with Butch Goring, whom I have never met, but who was nice enough to stop and talk to a stranger who called out his name.

Playing with an Illegal Curve

I have a short piece posted today on IllegalCurve.com. It's part of the first edition of their new weekly State of the Division feature, in which team bloggers provide an overview of where the teams they cover stand at designated points in the season. Anyone want to go on record saying the Islanders won't be listed fifth next time?

I regret not including mention of the Isles' eighth-ranked penalty killing or their league-leading 305 blocked shots (204 in 11 home games, 101 in 7 road games). But the piece was starting to feel a little bloated—there's a lot to say about this team right now.

Anyway, thanks to Illegal Curve for inviting me to participate. Check out their comprehensive roundup of NHL action and stories.

The Beat Goes On?

It has been a spring of uncertainty for the members of the NYI Blog Box.

As the regular season drew to a close with hopes of an extension into the playoffs long since evaporated, we wondered collectively what our fate would be as credentialed bloggers.

Had we served out a one-year term in this new media experiment? Would we all be asked back next season for another go round? Were there some criteria by which some of us would return and others would be blogectomied?

These questions were answered, rather emphatically I'm told, during a pre-game meeting on April 1 (fingers crossed?). At this gathering, the Islanders' media relations staff informed those bloggers present that the Blog Box is ongoing and, as charter members, we may continue to take part in it.

Sold.

And so we moved on with nary a thought to the health of the Blog Box.

That it is until today when Greg Logan of Newsday reported that Chris Botta, the club's VP of Media Relations, had resigned.

I believe Mr. Botta has credited Corey Witt with the genesis of the Blog Box. But make no mistake--without Mr. Botta's support and championing of the endeavor, there would not be a Blog Box.

To most, the resignation was startling. It was unexpected and puzzling. Here was a man who had served his hometown team for 20 years and survived the tumult that has engulfed one of the most unstable franchises in sports. He called working for the Islanders his dream job.

Mr. Botta had served in his current role for the past nine years. He had far more to do than serve as a liaison between the team and the press. He had to make sure the press was even there.

When members of the media treated the Islanders unfairly, Mr. Botta was the first to speak up and he did so with vigor. And tact.

It is very easy to speculate about why a man would leave his dream job after 20 years at a time when the job may have been as exciting as it has ever been. I could give you a list of possible reasons that range from the mundane to the maddening.

If you are interested in such buzz, you know where to look and you have probably found it already. The more maddening buzz is fairly loud and probably with good reason. For his part, Mr. Botta only told Logan that he chose to leave for personal reasons and it was time to end an incredible ride.

I think, for now, the best thing for me to do is to thank Mr. Botta for serving the Islanders community so admirably. I wish him the best of luck in pursuing his next professional challenge. And I hope that he has left under circumstances that permit him to continue supporting the Islanders.

As for the Blog Box? The latest word is that we have nothing to worry about. This new form of beat will go on.

And if something should change between now and October, you can be sure that we'll still be here, credentialed or not.

Instituting the Golden Rule for Web 2.0 and Beyond

I'm primarily an Islanders writer. Since joining Bleacher Report, I've been excited about the idea of tackling other areas, particularly the Mets, MLB at large, fantasy sports, and perhaps a few others. I've been wading into those waters slowly (they're still a bit nippy this time of year). In the meantime, the hockey season, by strict definition, is over.

That's not to say that the Stanley Cup Playoffs won't provide appropriate material for posts to Islanders Outsider. We'll see what unfolds. Otherwise, the offseason is spent wondering where the next story will come from. Today, it comes from my Blog Box colleague, Dee Karl, of The 7th Woman.

Over the weekend, she posted an article on Bleacher Report about Sean Avery's latest foray into the absurd. She was fully aware when she posted it that the article could cause a firestorm. The number of article views and comments clearly indicates that the storm's arrival was swift and surly.

I have an opinion on what Avery did (unsportsmanlike, clownish), as well as an opinion on Dee's contribution to the story (a valid statement of one person's reaction). This story isn't about those things. It's about the comments that readers attached to Dee's article, and how they finally tipped me over the edge to write about the disintegration of decency online.

My greatest, and perhaps only, discouragement to applying for a position in the Blog Box was years of reading Internet message boards and blog comments. I deplore the base level of cynicism, hate, and childishness that flows so frequently online to such a degree that I hesitated to participate in anything even remotely related to it. I'm glad I overcame that hesitation. But the ugliness is still there. And it really makes me wonder...

How can there be so many people out there who are so comfortable with disparagement and denigration as tools of debate?

Do they hope to gain in the argument from the use of vulgarity and name calling?

And, if not, what do they gain? Is it a feeling of triumph, pleasure, or joy at having verbally thrashed someone with little chance of reprisal?

How did we arrive at a place where a significant portion of our population engages in this shade of communication?

This is not a call for censorship, by the way. I'm not offended outright by language. It's the sentiment behind it. The question here isn't, "What gives people the right?" It's, "What gives them the motivation?"

Was this negative energy sitting latent all those years before widespread Internet access was available? Or were people regularly so unkind to each other and I just didn't notice?

We are in the midst of an attack-oriented era of entertainment. You can see its underpinnings in the comments on Dee's article. Some of the commenters are so focused on the attack that they have not even noticed that the author is a woman, despite a prominent byline and picture. Others point to her bias as a justification for telling her to give up writing or that she's not really a hockey fan. This was quite obviously an editorial piece. Having a bias is not grounds for being discredited.

Here's an anticipated reaction to what I'm saying: "If you don't like the comments, don't read them and you won't have anything to complain about."

Here's my pre-emptive response: "If you don't like the article, don't insult the writer and your criticisms will carry more weight."

The truth is that the offending responses in this case weren't all that bad on the spectrum of nastiness. But this easy willingness to launch personal attacks happens all over. Just a few days ago, Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog, one of the most popular and successful sports blogs out there, was forced to hold comments in limbo because the integrity of the site was being damaged by offensive remarks. Here's some of what Matt had to say about it:

…thanks to recent activity in Comment’s Section of MetsBlog.com, i fear my blog will soon be known as the place for angry, violent, fringe fans who are only interested in spewing hate and venom…

…so far, a small, but very loud group of fans have essentially hijacked this site’s comment’s section with mean, disrespectful and angry banter…

Can't we do better than that? It doesn't have to be about raising the level of discourse (but it can be). It is about opening the issue of why anger, hate, and disrespect are acceptable forms of entertainment and social interaction.

Some of you will agree that this is important, and some will argue that you have the right to say whatever you want and take satisfaction in it. If it's true that some people really get enjoyment out of such an approach, then there's not much I can say except that I don't get it any more than I get Sean Avery.

Perhaps that's as far as it goes. I still think a little good nature goes a long way.

Blogging in a Small Market

A big thank you to James Mirtle for including Islanders Outsider in his reaction to the Hockey Night in Canada feature and the discussion it provoked in the hockey blogging circles. It's always a thrill when someone picks up on something you've written and deems it worthy of repeating--even more so when that person has a highly respected and widely read blog.

Speaking of repeating, many prominent bloggers made insightful contributions to the discussion, as did the readers who frequent their blogs. At the risk of holding onto this story too long, I'd like to go over some of the issues that were raised as they relate to this blog specifically and the circumstances in which it operates.

A perceived rivalry between bloggers and the mainstream media...
Has the Blog Box encroached on the turf of those who cover the Islanders for the mainstream media? Yes, it has. That turf, however, is not very well protected and there is plenty of it. On a given night, I'd say that between six and ten members of the media constitute the post-game locker room scrum. As Tom Benjamin wrote, "If I was an owner I can't think of a good reason [why bloggers should be credentialed] unless I was in the Ted Leonsis boat and I couldn't fill my press box with MSM writers." Well, Charles Wang was last seen on the lido deck with Mr. Leonsis. The Islanders simply need more coverage, and that is where the Blog Box comes in.

Like Mike Schuerlein, I have not had a single problem with a member of the mainstream media in the locker room. Would it be different if bloggers were allowed in the press box? I can't say for sure, but I don't think so. The bloggers are a sharp group. They know their place and they adapt easily to expectations.

The blogosphere will become worthless if bloggers attempt to mimic the role of the main stream media...
Commenting on Mirtle's blog, beingbobbyorr said, "I enjoyed the piece, too, but was very disappointed to hear nothing of the main distinction between MSM & blogosphere: objective reporting (MSM) is not the same as subjective opinion essays (blogging)." I completely agree with the need to hammer home this distinction, especially as it pertains to the criticism leveled at bloggers for lacking objectivity.

However, beingbobbyorr goes on to say, "This whole competition/encroaching-on-the-MSMs-turf debate is absurd, because the blogosphere will become worthless if it tries to do what the MSM does...." I think this may be true in some markets, but not on Long Island. At the start of the season, game coverage in three of the four major local newspapers was limited to news-service articles. Lately, those papers have had reporters on-site more often, but their column space is still very limited. The fans of small-market teams are starved for good local coverage. Bloggers can provide that.

This poses the question of what any one particular blog should be. I think in the Blog Box, we're all conscious of not trying to do the same things, at least not on a regular basis. Personally, I like variety. When I go to a game as a credentialed blogger, I generally play beat reporter for the night. That means recapping the game, reporting on the post-game comments of the team, and asking the players and coaches my own questions in order to get quotes on specific aspects of the game or the team that I think would be interesting to hear. Not only are some fans looking for this type of blogging, but they're expecting it to appear as though the content were on deadline. I have also heard a lot of support for live blogging.

Then there are those fans that really want the passionate and/or subjective opinion essays. I tend not to spout off or be overly analytical, but I try to throw in a little of everything from time to time, including entries like this that are kind of meta. I think that writing about what's going on with blogging and this whole experience is important, and I enjoy doing it. At the same time, I know there are people out there who are wondering why I'm writing this instead of reporting on the Islanders' 1-0 lead after the first in Atlanta. So, for me, the answer is...everything in moderation, including moderation.

The necessity of a hierarchy in the locker room scrum, and why it doesn't always apply...
From the outset, the Blog Box was told to let the mainstream guys get their quotes first. Someone out there had a good run-down of the hierarchy, detailing the order among TV, print, radio, etc., but I can't find it now. Regardless, the hierarchy makes sense, and right now bloggers come last. The mainstream media have deadlines, and the reporters are making their living doing this.

But the system is imperfect. We were told to hold our questions until the mainstream people were done. So we waited for a lull, not wanting to step on anyone's toes. And when the lull finally came, guess what happened? The team media representative thanked the player/coach and excused him from further questions. Now, I'm not criticizing this. I don't blame Chris Botta or Corey Witt one bit for letting the players off the hook as soon as possible. The bloggers learned quickly that we had to be a little more aggressive. We can't wait around for the lull that is a clear indicator of the mainstream reporters being done. If we do, we get shut out. So we risk ruffling a few quills.

A few weeks ago, a player entered the room and said something a little edgy when the scrum didn't immediately commence with the questioning. After just a few questions, there was a prolonged (for the situation) silence. Given the player's earlier comment, which was humorous by the way, and the fear of losing the opportunity, I fired away. Nobody bristled, nobody complained. And as far as I know, there haven't been any incidents at the Coliseum resulting from bloggers "not knowing their place."

To conclude, I really like what CapsChick had to say at Hockey's Ladies of Greatness: "As someone who has benefited and will probably continue to benefit from the Caps' progressive policy towards bloggers I'm not convinced as to whether or not I belong in the press box. But I certainly appreciate the opportunity and try to make the most of it when given. I view it as a privilege, not a right, and I think there has to be that distinction made to some extent..."

The Other Side and More

More on the Times
I was happy to promote Dave Caldwell's article in The New York Times the other day, both as a way of publicizing news on the Islanders and in recognition of the paper giving the team proper coverage. Now here's the other side.

In case you didn't know, the Sports section in the Times has started a hockey blog called Slap Shot. The archive only goes back to November 20, and it appears that the people behind Slap Shot are still trying to figure out what it will be all about. So far, it's certainly not the Islanders.

Slap Shot is subtitled, "Rangers, Islanders, Devils and News From the NHL." Just next to the subtitle, you will see that the "About Slap Shot" description states, "Slap Shot, the New York Times hockey blog, reports on the Rangers, the National Hockey League and anything that glides quickly across a frozen surface anywhere on the globe...." So, maybe not so much the Islanders and Devils.

Despite entries being made on nine dates as of 12/2, only one focuses on the Isles. Naturally, it addresses attendance issues, specifically the turnout for the Dallas game on 11/26. Here is the entirety of It's Lonely at the Coliseum:

Announced attendance for the Islanders-Stars game Monday night: 8,161.

Capacity is 17,576. Do the math.

Granted, it’s the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend, but an alarm bell must have gone off at N.H.L. headquarters.

For the most part (exception: Nashville), the sure-fire solution to flagging attendance is a winning team. It worked once on the Island.

Let's do the obvious one first. 17,576? I don't have to do any math to call that one out. With so much attention paid to attendance at the Coliseum over the last decade, you'd think that 16,234 would simply roll of the tongue (or fingertips). Maybe I've been asleep for a few years, the Lighthouse project has been approved, and the Coliseum was already renovated and expanded. No, you say? Still 2007?

Why am I not surprised that the only entry about the Islanders in Slap Shot is about the attendance? I do not deny that a crowd of 8,000+ is problematic. But it is neither new, news, nor a signal that the franchise is suddenly in trouble. In fact, based on statistics and on-ice performance, attendance is one of the least problematic issues for the Islanders this season in general and over the last two weeks. Take a quick survey of Islander blogs and you will find no shortage of hockey-specific issues that merit discussion. It would be nice to see Slap Shot sink its teeth into a few of these.

I will give Slap Shot credit for one thing. It's blogroll does not shy away from linking to blogs belonging to organizations that are competitors of the Times, including Newsday, The New York Post, and The Daily News.

Hockey Night in Canada on Blogging
By way of James Mirtle's blog, here is Hockey Night in Canada's feature on bloggers mixing with the traditional media in covering hockey:



I enjoyed the piece and thought it was fair. I do wish that coverage of this story would cease mentioning Islanders bloggers being permitted to wear jerseys. It's rarely mentioned that those who do wear jerseys are not in the actual press box and are required to remove their jerseys before entering the locker room. More attention should also be paid to the idea that, league-wide, some bloggers are intent on converting their blogs into new-media careers, and others are content to blog for the sake of blogging. The groups can, and should, co-exist, cooperate, and benefit from each other.

Scoring
Twelve consecutive games with 2 goals or fewer. We already know it's a team record. Anyone with a lot of down time or a connection at a stats service want to weigh in on the league record?

When things go wrong, there are daily calls for major changes. The truth is that Jarome Iginla is not coming here. For an infusion of offense, the Islanders will most likely have to resort to a skilled young player who just hasn't clicked yet at the NHL level. Someone like a Brandon Bochenski, not that I'm recommending him specifically or reporting anything in the works (we bloggers have to be careful these days, or risk a good mocking). I hope that the season doesn't come down to relying on such a player finally fulfilling his potential as the result of a better situation. I hope that the answer comes in the form of elevated play from guys named Guerin, Comrie, Sillinger, Hunter, and Bergenheim.