Detroit Red Wings Captain Nicklas Lidstrom will be announcing his retirement in little over an hour. Lidstrom had one of the great careers not of just a defenseman but of a player period. Described on HBO as "the perfect human" Lidstrom along with his other accolades became the first European born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and the first European captain to be handed the Stanley Cup in 2008.
Now, some will say that Bobby Orr is the best defenseman ever. And until today's announcement they would be right (Some Boston fans are even trying to claim Ray Bourque was better than Lidstrom and to them I say put down the crack pipe). Johnny will say what so many seem to be afraid to; Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenseman to ever play in the NHL.
Orr supporters will say he changed the game. That's right, he did but as you see above where Lidstrom is the first Euro to win the Conn Smythe AND captain a team to the title is also every bit as groundbreaking. Lidstrom's longevity is another reason he's better than Orr. Didn't take the penalties Orr took and stayed healthier. Orr won 8 Norris Trophies but Lidstrom had only one less with 7 AND he out Stanley Cupped Orr 4 to 2. You can parse other numbers as well but in the end Nicklas Lidstrom in our eyes (and we fell this will be the opinion prevailing over time say 10 years on) Lidstrom was better.
Farewell St. Nick, you have been a stalwart, a great player, a wonderful leader and captain and yes the perfect human.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Late night open thread
The Devils may wish they had started faster tonight in losing 2-1 in overtime to the Kings. Once the Devils shook off the pixie dust from the Rangers series slowing them down they carried play for the third period. If New Jersey does wake up in the first period we're gonna have one firecracker of a long series. We'll have a better read on this series after game 2.
Newark looked good on teevee tonight and outside the Rock for the pre-game shows. It was happening.
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Newark looked good on teevee tonight and outside the Rock for the pre-game shows. It was happening.
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Scott Stringer is Manhattan Borough president, he thinks we here in New Jersey aren't paying enough to use NYC
My Garden State friends, you're going to love this one.
Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough president wrote to the Star-Ledger and said we here in New Jersey are simply not paying our full load of commuter taxes. Stringer proposed that we start by following his plan to get us to pay our share for MTA:
That’s why I’ve proposed a broad-based plan to repair our regional transportation network — a plan that, yes, includes restoration of a commuter tax that New Jersey residents, who worked in New York City, paid for 30 years prior to 1999.
Back then, the commuter tax flowed into the city’s general fund. But under my plan, the revenue would be dedicated to the MTA, the central nervous system of our regional transit network and a system that some 7 million riders — many of them Jerseyans — rely on every day to get around New York City.
Isn't this precious? WE should pay more and put that money into the MTA, Johnny will say that again, the MTA coffers with zero mention of PATH getting any of that. In fact, if you read Stringer's entire letter, you'll see very little on PATH getting much of this pie at all. Does the #7 MTA train pull into Weehawken yet? No? Then Scott, go shake Governor Christie's tree and get that new tunnel done so we can talk about Garden Staters paying for MTA improvements by some way other than paying fares. Our governor loves surprises, by all means try and bring it up at a presser. Be insistent and be ready to talk over him.
Is New Jersey now supposed to impose a tax on the 119,000 New Yorkers who come to New Jersey to work everyday for OUR infrastructure? Well? Know where a tax like that might come in handy for New Jersey? New toll booths from NYC towards the New Meadowlands that run only on Jets and Giants gamedays.
PATH is supported already by BOTH New Jersey and New York. It does not have the financial challenges that MTA has. Port Authority Trans Hudson. It gets both NJ and NY as well as Federali dollars. PATH is better run and now you want to pick PATH riders pockets whether or not they even get on an MTA subway when they get off at say 14th St?
Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough president wrote to the Star-Ledger and said we here in New Jersey are simply not paying our full load of commuter taxes. Stringer proposed that we start by following his plan to get us to pay our share for MTA:
That’s why I’ve proposed a broad-based plan to repair our regional transportation network — a plan that, yes, includes restoration of a commuter tax that New Jersey residents, who worked in New York City, paid for 30 years prior to 1999.
Back then, the commuter tax flowed into the city’s general fund. But under my plan, the revenue would be dedicated to the MTA, the central nervous system of our regional transit network and a system that some 7 million riders — many of them Jerseyans — rely on every day to get around New York City.
Isn't this precious? WE should pay more and put that money into the MTA, Johnny will say that again, the MTA coffers with zero mention of PATH getting any of that. In fact, if you read Stringer's entire letter, you'll see very little on PATH getting much of this pie at all. Does the #7 MTA train pull into Weehawken yet? No? Then Scott, go shake Governor Christie's tree and get that new tunnel done so we can talk about Garden Staters paying for MTA improvements by some way other than paying fares. Our governor loves surprises, by all means try and bring it up at a presser. Be insistent and be ready to talk over him.
Is New Jersey now supposed to impose a tax on the 119,000 New Yorkers who come to New Jersey to work everyday for OUR infrastructure? Well? Know where a tax like that might come in handy for New Jersey? New toll booths from NYC towards the New Meadowlands that run only on Jets and Giants gamedays.
PATH is supported already by BOTH New Jersey and New York. It does not have the financial challenges that MTA has. Port Authority Trans Hudson. It gets both NJ and NY as well as Federali dollars. PATH is better run and now you want to pick PATH riders pockets whether or not they even get on an MTA subway when they get off at say 14th St?
Scott, go ahead and introduce your legislation. We hope it gets you the attention you're seeking so you can one day run for higher office. We over here have very little faith your plan will be adopted.
Game 1 Stanley Cup Final tonight in Newark
The 2012 Stanley Cup playoff culminate with the Final which begins tonight at 8 pm at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils will face-off with the Los Angeles Kings.
The teams took far different routes to arrive at this point. The Kings knocked off the #1, 2 and 3 seeds out west while the Devils defeated the #3, 5 and 1 seeds. The Kings sport a playoff record of 12-2 while the Devils arrive here with a 12-7 record. A lot of hockey writers and prognosticators look at the Kings haughty 12-2 mark thus far and think they are a shoo-in. In fact on the ESPN poll on this series ONLY The state of New Jersey thought the Devils would win. Every other state picked L.A.
Johnny remembers when Sidney Crosby and the Penguins showed up at Joe Louis Arena for game 1 of the 2008 Final after blasting through the Eastern Conference with a 12-2 mark. The Wings were 35 seconds away from dispatching the Pens in five games that year, instead closing them out in six. 12-2 means nothing.
Goaltending? That does matter and right now Mr. Quick with L.A. would have to get that checkbox next to his name. Nothing wrong with the way Brodeur is playing and maybe that's the key. He doesn't have to stand on his head to be successful but he can.
The Kings have big forwards, tree sized forwards on some lines. The Devils defense will have to manage that but this IS the Final and there is not another series to save yourself for. The Kings love that go-go forecheck game the same as New Jersey does. The Kings might be a little faster at it but it only matters whom can execute that forecheck better. We're going to call this even.
The Devils powerplay has a whole new aspect to worry about, shorthanded goals. The Kings have five of them this playoff run. They gutted Vancouver with shorthanded goals. Not only are the Devils going to have to get offense out of their powerplay but some defense as well.
We could go on and on and on about his matchup or that. There are several leading hockey websites who can do that with cool pictures and graphics and everything. If you want the bells and whistles head on out as Johnny will merely make a prediction using words.
The Devils are the underdogs according to the media and online fan polls but are they REALLY? Ask an expert like Johnny and you might get a different answer that they might give. Does Johnny want the Devils to win? Remember he's a Wings fan and this would give the Devils four cups along with Detroit in the very modern era. No plusses in picking the Devils for that. Does he think the Devils will win? Well friend he thinks it is a tossup. But he will lay this prediction on you:
Devils in Seven
The teams took far different routes to arrive at this point. The Kings knocked off the #1, 2 and 3 seeds out west while the Devils defeated the #3, 5 and 1 seeds. The Kings sport a playoff record of 12-2 while the Devils arrive here with a 12-7 record. A lot of hockey writers and prognosticators look at the Kings haughty 12-2 mark thus far and think they are a shoo-in. In fact on the ESPN poll on this series ONLY The state of New Jersey thought the Devils would win. Every other state picked L.A.
Johnny remembers when Sidney Crosby and the Penguins showed up at Joe Louis Arena for game 1 of the 2008 Final after blasting through the Eastern Conference with a 12-2 mark. The Wings were 35 seconds away from dispatching the Pens in five games that year, instead closing them out in six. 12-2 means nothing.
Goaltending? That does matter and right now Mr. Quick with L.A. would have to get that checkbox next to his name. Nothing wrong with the way Brodeur is playing and maybe that's the key. He doesn't have to stand on his head to be successful but he can.
The Kings have big forwards, tree sized forwards on some lines. The Devils defense will have to manage that but this IS the Final and there is not another series to save yourself for. The Kings love that go-go forecheck game the same as New Jersey does. The Kings might be a little faster at it but it only matters whom can execute that forecheck better. We're going to call this even.
The Devils powerplay has a whole new aspect to worry about, shorthanded goals. The Kings have five of them this playoff run. They gutted Vancouver with shorthanded goals. Not only are the Devils going to have to get offense out of their powerplay but some defense as well.
We could go on and on and on about his matchup or that. There are several leading hockey websites who can do that with cool pictures and graphics and everything. If you want the bells and whistles head on out as Johnny will merely make a prediction using words.
The Devils are the underdogs according to the media and online fan polls but are they REALLY? Ask an expert like Johnny and you might get a different answer that they might give. Does Johnny want the Devils to win? Remember he's a Wings fan and this would give the Devils four cups along with Detroit in the very modern era. No plusses in picking the Devils for that. Does he think the Devils will win? Well friend he thinks it is a tossup. But he will lay this prediction on you:
Devils in Seven
Late night open thread
If you want to be president of America Johnny thinks you should be able to correctly spell America on your new iPhone App. Right Mitt?
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Manhattanhenge starts tonight!
Manhattanhenge, the alignment of the setting sun on certain streets in Manhattan begins tonight (weather permitting) according to Hayden Planetarium boss man Neil deGrasse Tyson who, besides hating Pluto (we kid because we love), has created a handy webpage so you the scientific noob can experience this wonderously cool event:
For Manhattan, a place where evening matters more than morning, that special day comes twice a year. For 2012 they fall on May 29th, and July 12th, when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid. A rare and beautiful sight.
Head over to the Planetarium website for more on this cool and free event. You just bring the camera.
For Manhattan, a place where evening matters more than morning, that special day comes twice a year. For 2012 they fall on May 29th, and July 12th, when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid. A rare and beautiful sight.
The red-light cameras going up at the behest of the Healy administration are cash cows?!?! What?
NO WAY! Really, you mean the traffic ticket revenue generators going up around town have zero to do with safety and everything to do with making a profit for a private company on the backs of Jersey City drivers? Ya don't say.
Look people, Johnny warned about this. Almost half the revenue generated from these ticket cameras goes right to the company. It is not about safety. Ask yourself:
Do these ticket cameras beep or flash to warn drivers of an impending illegal or unsafe action? No, they do nothing like that, they simply take your picture and issue you a ticket regardless.
Do you have a guarantee the machines work right and you won't be issued bogus tickets? Are you sure? Ask the drivers outside the Prudential Center in Essex County who use these cameras. Dozens of Devils fans were ticketed by the machines after a game even though they were being waved through the intersection by an actual policeman who was visible in the ticket pictures.
Where are all these statistics that supposedly prove these intersections are made safer? Surprise! There isn't any. If you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth. There are no peer reviewed studies. American Traffic Solutions, Inc., who eats the gravy these cameras provide, doesn't lead with these studies now do they. Why is that? In fact they released an accident caught on camera at an intersection to prove it needed the cameras already there. What huh? Your cameras were already there but there was still an accident which proves the need for the cameras there? Wow, Stretch Armstrong couldn't bend that much.
Do remember dear readers who brought these cameras to Jersey City to take your money, Mayor Jerramiah Healy and his administration. Time to stand up and be counted people. Are you in favor of more of these cameras being installed? What say you Jersey City City Council? One of you at least is running for Mayor currently, Mr. Fulop, what are your thoughts on these revenue generators?
Johnny is all for civil disobedience when it comes to these ridiculous Trojan Horses and has been reading about how other civic minded individuals are fighting back against these cameras and actually how many city governments, once they realize what actually happens when the cameras are installed, try fighting back against their deal with the devil. Wanna know how far (and illegally) some of the camera companies will go to refuse YOU access to ballot initiatives to run their sorry butts out of town. Wanna know how quickly these deals with cities turn bad and cost much much more to taxpayers? Try reading some of these articles.
Look people, Johnny warned about this. Almost half the revenue generated from these ticket cameras goes right to the company. It is not about safety. Ask yourself:
Do these ticket cameras beep or flash to warn drivers of an impending illegal or unsafe action? No, they do nothing like that, they simply take your picture and issue you a ticket regardless.
Do you have a guarantee the machines work right and you won't be issued bogus tickets? Are you sure? Ask the drivers outside the Prudential Center in Essex County who use these cameras. Dozens of Devils fans were ticketed by the machines after a game even though they were being waved through the intersection by an actual policeman who was visible in the ticket pictures.
Where are all these statistics that supposedly prove these intersections are made safer? Surprise! There isn't any. If you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth. There are no peer reviewed studies. American Traffic Solutions, Inc., who eats the gravy these cameras provide, doesn't lead with these studies now do they. Why is that? In fact they released an accident caught on camera at an intersection to prove it needed the cameras already there. What huh? Your cameras were already there but there was still an accident which proves the need for the cameras there? Wow, Stretch Armstrong couldn't bend that much.
Do remember dear readers who brought these cameras to Jersey City to take your money, Mayor Jerramiah Healy and his administration. Time to stand up and be counted people. Are you in favor of more of these cameras being installed? What say you Jersey City City Council? One of you at least is running for Mayor currently, Mr. Fulop, what are your thoughts on these revenue generators?
Johnny is all for civil disobedience when it comes to these ridiculous Trojan Horses and has been reading about how other civic minded individuals are fighting back against these cameras and actually how many city governments, once they realize what actually happens when the cameras are installed, try fighting back against their deal with the devil. Wanna know how far (and illegally) some of the camera companies will go to refuse YOU access to ballot initiatives to run their sorry butts out of town. Wanna know how quickly these deals with cities turn bad and cost much much more to taxpayers? Try reading some of these articles.
Late night open thread
If you'd rather not go to work or school on Tuesday send Johnny an email now so he can have your signed excuse notes ready for pickup by morning.
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Monday, May 28, 2012
Happy Memorial Day from everyone here at the Jersey City Desk
To all the veterans, and to all their families we wish you a Happy Memorial Day!
Late night open thread
As a nation we should act immediately to protect our stockpiles of wildfire from the terrorists.
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
Time for Jersey City, After Dark
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