As the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy arrives there will be many stories looking back

So many of those stories will deal with the human element. How homes and towns are still fighting to recover, how people have have their lives turned upside down and are nowhere near back to normal.

But did you know for one major area Sandy turned out to be a great thing? It's true, something most of us never think about, the watershed for the Meadowlands. According to Bill Sheehan, of the environmental group Hackensack Riverkeeper, the storm helped the Meadowlands which in turn helps protect us for a possible next big storm:

It also swept away accumulations of dead marsh grasses and the kind of human debris that has made the Meadowlands notorious: tires, old oil drums and soda cans tossed from passing cars on the New Jersey Turnpike. In the months after the storm, Sheehan, who captains boat trips out on the Hackensack and its environs, noticed new growth of native cordgrass in places like Saw Mill Creek, where it had never been before.

"Thousands of square feet of former barren mudflats are showing signs of life," he said. Sheehan says even major storms are nothing new for a tidal marsh, and can have a "purging effect" on the landscape.

There is more, so much more to this article on how exactly the water table in the Meadowlands helps keep so many things in nature copacetic round these here parts. We'd encourage you to read the full article and give some thought to the whole region and how things work, not just cities and towns.

Did you notice the big push by NY to include themselves in next year's Super Bowl at the NFL draft?

The New York groupies and hangers-on sure wanted everyone to know they were trying really really hard to represent and pretend they had something to do with the playing of Super Bowl X2014VIIXMCLII at the Meadowlands next year didn't they? NY actually put their names on signage both electronic and traditional to try and convince America they have a hand in this. The game is in New Jersey. The parking lots are in New Jersey. The trains empty and load up again in New Jersey. The two local NFL franchises practice and play in New Jersey. The Governor of New Jersey will fly the stealth jet over the stadium before the game and then be on the field in time to toss the coin. Cuomo and Bloomie will be in an NFL luxury box knocking big sodas and hot dogs out of people's hands. The touchdowns in the game will all be scored in New Jersey not New York. The teams and fans will fly into and out of the aeropuerto in New Jersey.

First they tried to claim the Statue of Liberty, now they're trying to photobomb the Super Bowl.

It's Jan Brady all over again friends. "Jersey Jersey JERSEY!" We'd put them in time out but you only get three.

Authorities are conducting emergency rescue drills today at the Meadowlands

New Jersey Task Force One will be conducting emergency rescue drills at the Meadowlands today. Johnny was secretly sent their itinerary:

11:00 -- Locating extra possible emergency car exits
11:30 -- Collapsed structure training
12:30 -- Rescue training for multiple casualties
1:30 -- CPR training for the Jets offense

Hey-O!!

Hey New Jersey taxpayers, do you know you're still paying for the FIRST Giants Stadium?

You could have knocked Johnny over with a big feather at hearing this. The first Giants Stadium, you know, Jimmy Hoffa's resting place (if you want to know the REAL story on Mr. Hoffa and where he TRULY met his end email Johnny, he does know the sad end) and current parking lot for the NEW Meadowlands is still costing New Jersey taxpayers $13 EACH a year as the demolished stadium still has a $110 million debt.

Thanks New Jersey Jets and New Jersey Giants. Face it, if we have to pay for your demolished stadium you ARE now the New Jersey Jets and Giants, get used to that.

Oh, and the Super Bowl will be in New Jersey, NOT New York.

New Jersey Transit is adding trains for tonight's Bon Jovi show at the Meadowlands

Yes, the same new Meadowlands stadium granted the 2014 Super Bowl will play host to Jersey's own Jon Bon Jovi tonight and for two more shows and NJ Transit promises to be ready. You may recall that NJ Transit left thousands of fans stranded after U2 shows last year at the olden times Meadowlands.

The temperature here today will be 94ish, with some pretty big boomers possible later in the day and right through the time Jon will be on stage, please dress and plan accordingly.

He's Bon Jovi with 'We Weren't Born to Follow'

BREAKING: New Jersey's new Meadowlands will host Super Bowl XLVIII

The NFL has awarded the first ever outside in a northern city Super Bowl (Detroit of course has hosted 2 already but both inside, one at the old Pontiac Silverdome and a couple years ago at the new Ford Field). Johnny will be throwing one hell of a Super Bowl bash and if the Cleveland Browns make the 2014 game, he's going. For those wondering on February 2nd, the date of the game the average temperature is 39º, however the record low on February 2 is -3º.

Hats off to both the New Jersey Jets and New Jersey Giants for their award winning bid. Well done gang green and big blue.

Dear Johnny's friends, you wanna come out? Book early. This is VERY VERY exciting news and a nice boost for New Jersey and New York too. Hundreds of millions of dollars will roll into both states.

Traffic that week will just, well, just take the damned train.

Detroit hosts Super Bowls while Johnny lives there. Johnny moves to Jersey City and the Meadowlands gets a Super Bowl. Coincidence?

Sunday NFL open thread

Now, we all know you'll be fixated on the Lions hosting the Browns for the inside track on the #1 overall draft pick (and let's face facts here, when you are a Browns and or a Lions fan draft day is the most exciting day od the year). Two 1-8 teams having at it for abject ineptitude. Johnny's call is the Browns losing most excellently.

In other NFL action the Giants are at home in the Meadowlands at 1 pm (Again, the drinking has already begun) vs. the run happy Falcons. This could be a much tougher game than many Giants fans think. Matt Ryan doesn't simply go out usually and make horrible errors. New Jersey's other team is up in New England awaiting the wrath of the Patriots who are no doubt looking to exact revenge on Rex Ryan's big mouth. That game kicks off at 4:15 pm.

Dallas and Washington are playing at 1 pm in the new big old stadium in Dallas and we here know many fans are cheering for Tony Romo's head to get knocked off and go rolling across the field turf in the new DallASS Stadium.

Philly at Da Bears is our night game tonight.

So ballers, if you're got something to say, say it here, again, we allow profanities whereas the Jersey Journal or the Star-Ledger don't.

New Jersey Giants open thread

The Jersey Giants take on the Oakland Raiders today in a 1 pm tilt and here is your thread to yell, scream, swear and mock the horrible Raiders and praise the Giants who should be up by 17 at the half...

U2 tonight at the Meadowlands

Some Irish band with a lead singer who wears sunglasses all the time (which he must have stolen from Johnny) and a guy with the name 'Edge' with a melodic yet grinding guitar style will be playing before 80,000 of our friends and neighbors tonight. Johnny thinks at some point this band may have a hit record or two.

With so many people heading out on a school night, local traffic authorities are suggesting you, the concertgoer, make use of rail service to and from the Meadowlands tonight. One could catch NJTransit to the Meadowlands in Hoboken, in fact, many will. Tickets for said train service are $3.50 each way. Bring your slickers and rubbers as it might rain tonight in East Rutherford, but only in East Rutherford, everywhere else will be sunny and clear.

Oh look, Ticketmaster is at it again, this time for the Bruce Springsteen shows at the Meadowlands

Loyal Jersey City Desk readers will remember the dust up a while back over the Bruce Springsteen tickets magically being unavailable for his shows at the Izod Center because Ticketmaster was releasing them to their subsidiary TicketsNow before they went on sale to the public. You'll recall that scam drew all kinds of national attention to Ticketmaster's shady business practices. After New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram threatened all kinds of investigations and legal action Ticketmaster said "OK, we'll never do that again and we're sorry."

It looks like Ticketmaster was crossing their fingers behind their backs. It's happening again.

But of course to Ticketmaster it's NOT the same kind of thing because they kinda sorta aw shuckins only really truly promised to not hoard tickets to their subsidiary pertaining to shows ONLY at the Izod Center.

According to the Star-Ledger:

Tickets for the Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and 2 concert at Giants Stadium -- billed as the final concerts before the football stadium is torn down -- go on sale through Ticketmaster on Monday. Ticket prices range from $33 to $98.

But as of last Friday, on-line brokers at eBay, CheapTickets, SelectATicket.com and Abby's Tickets ("Your source for sold out events") have posted hundreds of seats -- many described by section and row -- for the three concerts. A pair in section 125, row 42 for Oct. 3 are going for $2,200, while a general admission ticket (on the floor) for the Sept. 30 show is going for $385.

Amazing, really. It's high time Congress involve themselves. This is an anti-trust issue to say the least. People are getting out and out screwed over for not just concerts but sporting events, and anything else Ticketmaster sells seats to. How is it legal to have a computer model of all seats to all venues in America so all your machine needs to do is read the code and spit out the tickets and STILL charge 7$ for a 'convenience charge'? It costs them pennies to print the tickets and by any account they make a thousand percent on a fee for nothing really.

Go kick their ass Anne Milgram.