7/9/12 11:50 am: And other Local Long Island publication NOT named Newsday or owned by the Dolan family has decided to get in on the reporting. The Long Island Press has a brief (and not 100% accurate) article http://www.longislandpress.com/2012/07/09/mangano-again-seeking-nassau-coliseum-developer/ on Mangano's RFQ.
I know everyone has their thoughts on this, but mine are that this will just drag out until the end.
I wish there was some actual HOCKEY news to report at this time, but I can't seem to find any. Josh Bailey will be at the Team Store in Uniondale on Wednesday 7/11 from 6:30 - 7:30 pm only. The first 150 fans will get an autograph. After that... well. You know.
Updated 7/9/12 7:45 am: Suffolk County budget deficit is now at a revised $300 million. Face it, Long Island is in the same shape as the rest of the Country -- in the toilet. The large tract of land the Suffolk Executive is looking to sell is in Yaphank, way too far to house an arena. Yep... This team has very few local suitors.
Maybe having a moving company as on of their corporate sponsors wasn't exactly a bad thing.
Sun 7/8/12 8 am: A new attempt by Ed Mangano to keep the Isles in Nassau and improve the devastated Nassau County budget crisis is once again explored in this morning’s Newsday. What a beautiful drawing of a new coliseum there is. What an interesting conceptual property layout numbered 1 - 6. Just about the same plan Charles Wang spent $15 million on only a few years ago. The environmental studies, the architects, the lawyers, the Town of Hempstead consultants and the public promotions. All that money spent on a project that was shot to hell by the Town of Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray.
Sure, the Newsday layout has no center fountain arena and no theater, but it has everything else. Smaller of course. The Lighthouse Project was too tall, too dense and too crowded. It was never intended to be that grand. They knew there would be pushback so they asked for more knowing they would get less. They just never expected “less” to be 75% less. That just didn’t work.
Ed Mangano has asked for proposals for the property using no public funding where the Isles would continue to be a tenant (or not) in a new or refurbished arena.
So let’s see -- you want the Islanders to continue to lose money as a tenant and let the county and other developers make a profit off the area, especially with the Islanders being the main attraction. I see. Yeah. That’s a plan.
Hockey as a stand-alone business is a losing proposition. This has been explored and documented countless times. I guess Mr. Mangano hasn’t read those reports.
While the circus continues to parade around the Coliseum, Charles Wang and Michael Picker have been “unavailable for comment.” Can you blame them? Charles Wang said previously that he would not enter a new proposal to the County. (Been there, done that.) How many times can you ask a girl to dance and be rejected? Meanwhile, the girl ain’t dancing with anyone and Charles has probably lost interest.
When Charles Wang began this journey he was a much younger man. When his lease ends he will be 71. He wanted to leave a legacy for his children and ours. He wanted a destination the Island could be proud of. Maybe now he just wants out.
Gary Bettman has said Charles is the most misunderstood owner in the entire league. He is criticized for everything he does or does not do. At 68 years-old I can only imagine his patience has run thin.
As thin as the Nassau County budget.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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