The Mets Police

I figure lots of folks today are going to discover this song Bruce write about Giants Stadium....here's Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball.



I was raised out of steel here in the swamps of Jersey, some misty years ago
Through the mud and the beer, and the blood and the cheers, I've seen champions come and go
So if you got the guts mister, yeah if you've got the balls
If you think it's your time, then step to the line, and bring on your wrecking ball

Bring on your wrecking ball
Bring on your wrecking ball
Come on and take your best shot, let me see what you've got
Bring on your wrecking ball

Now my home was here in the Meadowlands, where mosquitoes grow big as airplanes
Here where the blood is spilled, the arena's filled, and Giants play the game
So raise up your glasses and let me hear your voices call
Come on!
Because tonight all the dead are here, so bring on your wrecking ball

Bring on your wrecking ball
Bring on your wrecking ball
Take your best shot, let me see what you've got
Bring on your wrecking ball

One, two, one two three four!

[trumpet solo]

Yeah we know that come tomorrow, none of this will be here
So hold tight on your anger
Hold tight on your anger
Hold tight to your anger, and don't fall to your fear

Now when all this steel and these stories, they drift away to rust
And all our youth and beauty, it's been given to the dust
And your game has been decided, and you're burning the clock down
And all our little victories and glories, have turned into parking lots
When your best hopes and desires, are scattered through the wind
And hard times come, hard times go
Hard times come, hard times go
And hard times come, hard times go
Hard times come, hard times go
Hard times come, hard times go
Yeah just to come again

Bring on your wrecking ball
Bring on your wrecking ball
Come on and take your best shot, let me see what you've got
Bring on your wrecking ball



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As the Jets and Giants start to think about their new home...a look back at the days when playing in NJ was a novelty.

Last Sunday the two New York teams came home after four weeks on the road with a combined record of 0 and 8. The New Yorker who owed no particular allegiance to either the Giants or the Jets but had the know-how to obtain a ticket to one of two stadiums was faced with a curious dilemma. Should he try to find the New Jersey swamp where the Giants had moved and watch what used to be the darlings of Manhattan lose to the Dallas Cowboys while christening their new home? Or should he perhaps go out to windy old Shea and watch what used to be the darlings of Queens play a game they might have a chance to win, inasmuch as the Jets were matched against the Buffalo Bills, a team that is every bit as inept and possibly as unhappy?


There were side benefits to each choice. By going across the Hudson River into dark and strange New Jersey to watch the gang that still claims New York as its nest—but has carefully replaced the familiar "NY" headgear logo with "Giants," in case anybody from Essex Fells or East Orange notices—the New Yorker could at least be treated to seeing what a solid club looks like, this being the Cowboys. And by going out to the Jet-Buffalo game the extra treat would be to visualize a couple of millionaires, Joe Namath and O. J. Simpson, combating the media. Earlier in the week both Namath and Simpson had sounded off about the same press that has helped make them wealthy. Such ironies are not new to sport, however.


In any event, something special was happening on both flanks of Manhattan last Sunday afternoon, and about 135,000 people went to the trouble to see it live. In Shea Stadium the fans got very little of Namath passing or Simpson running, and while it can hardly be said that they were served up a thriller of a game, at least they could leave the place with the memory of a win. The Jets outgroped the Bills 17-14 for their first victory of the season but, as any hard-core New Yorker knew, even the old Titans with Al Dorow throwing end-over-ends won occasionally.


More below:

IN THAT SECTION OF NEW YORK KNOWN AS NEW JERSEY, THE - 10.18.76 - SI Vault

So here's the question:  Should I somehow finagle tickets to a Giants game and take my kid to a Giants game.

He's six.   He calls himself a "Giants fan" but doesn't do anything about that such as watch them.  It's the last year of Giants Stadium.

I took him to Shea and Yankee so he wouldn't yell at me when he's 30.

Is Giants Stadium a must-see?   There's nothing really remarkable about it.  There's nothing to show him if we go....or is the idea of "I went with dad to the old Giants Stadium" going to mean something some day?

Whatcha think?

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The great Phil Mushnick asks:

Before 33-year-old Giants Stadium is abandoned this January, then destroyed, and tens of thousands of longtime Jets and Giants ticket-holders are lost to PSL extortions, representatives of the teams and the NFL should provide an official answer as to why.

I'll add on that they didn't build a dome.   Talk about completely unnecessary stadiums....like the one in the Bronx.  There was no need for it, but like the "new" stadium (1976) it will feel like home to Yankees fans now - the "new" stadium opened with 4 pennants in 5 years, and the death of the captain.   Having a World Series in Year One will make the new place feel legit, even though I think it was unnecessary.

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As we gear up for another season of the NFL...here's my kind of article on NJ.com/Star Ledger.

The kind of article that talks about how unnecessary the new football stadium is, how greedy the owners got with their PSL's, and how the season ticket waiting list has somehow been completely wiped out.  




Read here.

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As my 4 year old contemplates spending $54,000 on Giants tickets (see this morning's article - he's apparently  #1 on the waiting list) here's some shots of PSL Stadium.

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Flipping through the News this morning I saw this nonsense:

Giants and Jets owners say they had no choice with pricey PSLs 


Really?   That's interesting.  No choice huh?  Let me read more...

Mara says that the Giants would have been unable to avoid the PSL program even if they had known how severe the financial crisis would become. "That program is necessary to complete the construction of the new stadium," he says.

Oh.  Interesting.  The PSLs fund the new stadium.

The question nobody answers, and the question the mainstream media continues not to ask is:

WHY DID THEY NEED A NEW STADIUM?

Show me one fan, Giants or Jets, who had a problem with the "old" stadium.   Any complaints are related to parking (especially since construction started on the Xanadu boondogle).   It's hard to get their on mass transit, more so now that they made it a two seat ride.     Building a new stadium in the exact same place solves none of these issues.

The Giants are...let me check....undefeated and the Super Bowl champions.   The Jets were able to get this Brett Favre guy.   The NFL still has revenue sharing and a pretty good TV contract.

You wanted to make even more money.

You wanted to make even more money.

You wanted to make even more money.

Be honest when sending out those $20,000 invoices.

Really good article in the News today.

The teams are sharing the stadium costs 50-50. That's $800 million each. Each team received $150 million from the NFL's stadium fund that is repaid with the visiting team's share of the club box revenue. That brings the number down to $650 million per team.

The fan backlash has been understandable and predictable. Each team, after taxes, will generate $175 million from the PSLs. That brings the stadium price tag down to $475 million per team.

The naming rights estimate: The final number will be $30 million per year. Over a 20-year period, that raises another $300 million per team, bringing it down to $175 million per team. Sponsorships further defray the cost.

Myers does a good job asking the greatest question of them all: Why do they even need a new stadium?

Given the choice between staying in Giants Stadium or paying the PSLs and increased ticket prices, one longtime (his family's tickets go back to 1964 inYankee Stadium) season ticket holder told me it's an easy choice.

"I would stay in Giants Stadium," he said. "There is nothing wrong with it. Sometimes the access roads and the parking is messy, but that's only because they are building a new stadium. Every seat is terrific, it's not in disrepair, there is enough restroom facilities.

"I sit in my seat the beginning of the game and don't get up until the game is over. My friends go to the bathroom at halftime and get back in time for the kickoff."

I think Mushnick has the best idea of them all....no matter what the stadium is offically names, everyone should call it PSL Stadium.  That will make the naming rights useless.   I'm in.

(EAST RUTHERFORD) - The "Mets Police" today announced they were placing a curse on the Evil Money Grubbing Football Giants Of New Jersey.

The Curse of The PSL's will remain in effect for the remainder of the Giants tenure at Giants Stadium, and for the entire lifetime of "New Meadowlands Stadium."   The Curse of The PSL's is punishment for being completely disrespectful of their fanbase in 2008.

The Curse shall cause the Giants to never ever win the Super Bowl until "New Meadowlands" is torn down.   No transfer of ownership will lift the curse, so the team should stay in the losing hands of the present ownership forever.   They will have their money, but they shall have no additional rings.

The Mets Police decided not to place a similar curse on the Jets because (a) they met the fanbase half-way and (b) they have enough curses on them already and (c) the Jets will never make a Super Bowl anyway so it would be impossible to tell if the curse worked.

Please check out PSL Rally!

On your way to see the Same Old Jets take on the Evil Money Grubbing Giants, do YOURSELF a favor and join the rally.

I hestitate to break the Bloggers Code, but I'm sure these guys are more interested in getting the info out than getting hits, so if you are too lazy to click the link here's much of the info.

When? – Saturday, August 23^rd, 4:00 PM, the night of the Giants / Jets Preseason Game.  The Rally will start at 4:00 PM and run until the last speaker has been heard.

Where? – The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is allowing us to use the East Grandstand Apron Parking Lot, between the Racetrack and the New Stadium.  Parking Lot Section 6 is the closest area for access to the rally.  Please refer to the attached link for reference in finding the rally location: http://www.meadowlands.com/images/parking_map.pdf.  The rally location is the area between Parking Lot Sections 2 & 6 as shown on the map.

Why? – This Rally is being held to give the loyal fans of both the Jets and Giants a forum to discuss the PSL Policy that is being implemented by both teams to help them pay for the construction of their new stadium.

Would You Like To Speak at the Rally?  – We would like to have as many fans speak as possible limiting each speaker to a maximum of 5 minutes.  This is your chance to be heard.  Please email me at PSLSpeakers@verizon.net to add your name to the Speakers List.  We plan on videotaping each speech.  We will be putting together a DVD that will be sent to the Owners of each team.

Alternatives – We know that the fans of the Giants and Jets are some of the most intelligent and creative people in the world.  We welcome your thoughts on suggestions for Alternatives to the Personal Seat License Policy.  This could be anything from Ways to Change the Policy to Ways to Make the Policy More Acceptable and everything in between.  Please email me all your suggestions to PSLAlternatives@verizon.net.  We will be putting together a compilation of all reasonable Alternatives and sending this to the Owners of each team.

The following are some of the Alternatives that we have come up with so far:

Personal Seat Licenses on Only the Best Seats – The Cowboys are charging up to $150,000 per PSL for the best seats in their new stadium.  If the PSL costs for the new Giants / Jets Stadium were increased to $100,000 on the Coaches Club seats, leaving the Field One Section PSL at $20,000, and increasing the PSL cost on the 7,085 Mezzanine Club A & B seats to $20,000, the amount of revenue generated from the PSL sales would be $391,420,000.  This is more than the amount of revenue the current plan would generate.  This would mean that PSLs would apply to only 11,247 of the 78,448 seats or 14%.  There would be no need for any other PSLs.  Please note that the cost of the Coaches Club seats are $700 per ticket per game and the cost for Mezzanine Club A & B seats are $500 & $400 per ticket per game, which is beyond the financial reach of most average fans.

Five Year Ticket and Parking Price Freeze – We would propose that both teams commit to the Season Ticket Holders that the prices for Game Tickets and Stadium Parking will not be raised for the first 5 Years that the New Stadium is operational.  This would give the Season Ticket Holders price certainty for this period of time.

Right to Advance Purchase Tickets to Other Stadium Events – We would propose that all PSL Holders be offered the opportunity to purchase tickets for all other events that are to be held at the New Stadium one day prior to the general public.

Make the Purchase of Preseason Tickets and Preseason Parking Passes Optional – Currently, season ticket holders of both teams are required to purchase tickets and parking passes to both preseason games as part of their season ticket package.  Before 1997, the Jets made the purchase of these tickets optional, as it was not a requirement.  Change the policy back to the optional plan.  The tickets and parking passes to the preseason games would then be made available to be purchased by other fans at face value.

Personal Seat License Fees to be Tax Deductible – The Giants have stated that half of the PSL Fees will be paid as Taxes.  We would be asking that both teams speak to Governor Corzine of New Jersey about making the initial Personal Seat License Fees deductible on our State Income Tax Return.  The State has not had to pay any money for the stadium and they stand to makes millions in taxes once the stadium is opened.  This plan may be agreeable to the lawmakers in Trenton.  Income taxes would apply on the future sale of the PSL as this sale would be considered as income for the current PSL holder.

Allow Food and Drinks to be Brought Into the New Stadium – Currently fans are not allowed to bring in Coolers, Thermoses, Back Packs or Large Bags for Food.  This policy was put in place for security reasons after the 9/11 Tragedy.  With the security personnel checking every bag that comes into the Stadium, these risks have been minimized.  Allow small coolers that can be opened and inspected.  Allow plastic thermoses.  Allow clear plastic bags that can carry food.  This will allow fans to avoid the high cost of these items at the concession stands.

Feed Back – If you are unable to attend the PSL Rally and you would like to be heard, feel free to email us with your Feed Back to PSLFeedBack@verizon.net.  You can also send us video feedback to the same email location.  These videos will be added to the DVD of rally speakers.  We will be putting together a compilation of all Feed Back that will be sent to the Owners of each team.

Questions? – Please feel free to forward all questions to PSL Rally organizer, Steve Kern, at pslrally@verizon.net. 

Media Links Mentioning the PSL Rally:

• "New York Giants, Jets fans get chance to vent about PSLs" by The Star-Ledger Sports Desk, August 21, 2008
• "Fight the Power: Giants, Jets Fans Rage Against The PSL Machine" by Tom Mantzouranis, NFL Fanhouse, August 21, 2008
• BigBlueInteractive.com, August 20, 2008
• Larry McShane, NY Daily News, August 20, 2008
• John Brennan, Bergen Record, August 20, 2008
• Bob Glauber, Newsday, August 17, 2008
• "Interview With PSL Rally Organizer" by Anthony De Rosa, Giants Football Blog, August 14, 2008
• "Big Blue $crew" by Rich Calder, NY Post, August 11, 2008 (2 pages)

If anyone would like to express their opinions, provide Jets stories or ideas for the PSL, or give any message you would like the NY Jets management to hear and you can not make the 8/23 date or can not send in a video reply, you will have your chance.  Contact Dave Levy at DaveJetsFan@gmail.com  as Dave will be conducting interviews at EVERY NY Jets home game this season to get season ticket holders to speak their mind.  Dave will be going through the parking lot to get fan stories and opinions.  This is your chance to be heard and seen!  So contact Dave at DaveJetsFan@gmail.com if you can not make or speak on 8/23!!!

Nice to hear Kay forget from where he came. Today he spent part of his show sticking up for the Giants and personal seat licenses.

Kay of all people should understand that sports means so much more to the people of a city than being a business.

If it's just a business then let the Giants pay for their own access roads. Let the Giants pay for extra police on gamedays.

Michael, when's the last time you paid for a ticket? I'm sure you have had no problem getting into any sporting event for two decades now going back to your sportswriter days.

See if you can remember your former self. I don't know your background but I'll guess you don't come from money. Think back to Daddy Kay saving some money to take you to a Yankee game. I bet the old man didn't have a few extra thousand bucks for a PSL when he sent you to Fordham.

It's easy to forget where you came from when sitting in the pressbox.

It's even easier to forget your fans when you're a millionaire's son Tim.

Shame on you Giants.

Shame on you Michael Kay.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Why exactly is a new building being built at the Meadowlands anyway?  What exactly is wrong with Giants Stadium?  Is their inability to compete in the NFL?  They haven't won a Super Bowl in 7 months!

Hit comments below if anyone has a good reason why we need this thing.