Bryan Berg's New York Islanders fan blog

Full Disclosure...
 - I hate the Rangers.
 - I was rooting for the Rangers today.

No, I'm not one of those weak-willed saps who "likes all New York teams" or rides bandwagons.  That's not me.  However, I love hockey and I'm more than willing to do what's necessary for the good of the game.  And let's face it - a good Rangers team is a very good thing for the game.

Even though the New York media would rather report on a ferocious bowel movement by Hank Steinbrenner than anything the local hockey teams do, the league needs a strong team in the Big Apple.  There are certain teams that just need to be good in order for their respective leagues to thrive.  The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are the teams that make the NBA float, just like the success of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers is essential to Major League Baseball.  You may remember that the NHL's most successful season was 1993-1994, which was the year the Rangers won their last Stanley Cup.  Sure, Gretzky's Kings had a hand in that success, but it's no coincidence that the Rangers breaking their 54-year drought resulted in record ratings for the NHL.

Continue reading "Doing The Right Thing"

The Mets are just one month into their 2008 campaign... but it feels like last season never ended.

We've seen a lot from the Metropolitans so far in this young season.  Quite honestly, it's been the wackiest month I can remember... and that includes last September.  We've had enough ups and downs to last an entire season, yet the Mets have played roughly fifteen percent of their schedule.  Let's take a look at some of the biggest stories of April, if only to see how insignificant most of them truly were.

So did Rick Astley really win the 8th Inning Sing-A-Long Contest?
You may recall that on Opening Day, the biggest story around Shea wasn't the final season of Major League Baseball's biggest dump.  Nor was it the latest collapse of the Mets' bullpen.  Instead, the thing everyone was talking about the next day.  Yes, Shea Stadium was indeed Rick-rolled.  And, as one of the 56,000 freezing cold fans who stayed to watch the Mets blow yet another game, I loved hearing "Never Gonna Give You Up".  Hey, what can I say?  I'm a closet Rick Astley fan.  Anyway, most Mets fans are so serious that they can't take a joke (more on this later) and so the whole thing died right there.

Continue reading "Mets FAQ - April 2008"