Fly Away, Jets

[Smizzy]

Fly Away, Jets

L.I. Doesn't Have Time For The Pain Anymore

Josh Stewart 02/09/2006 12:02 am

New Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum

can take this mess to Jersey.

Last week, my esteemed colleague, Brendan Manley, explained why he'd rather deal with a dead cat in his laundry room (something he has done recently) than deal with the Isles, and their related vehicular traffic, in his beloved Suffolk County. We can easily apply that sentiment to the Jets.

There are some things one just doesn't want close by. Association with defeat, knuckle-headed vision and quitters isn't exactly a foundation you'd use for your Chamber of Commerce slogan. So, the best recent Jets news was not that Mike Tannenbaum was named general manager, but that the team isn't far from relocating its practice home to New Jersey. Please hurry!

Woody Johnson, here's a view from a proud Nassau resident: Take your baby-faced equivalent of My Three Sons (Tannenbaum, Eric Mangini and Brian Schottenheimer) to Tony Sopranoville, so they get carded at 'da Bing!

As a North Carolina native, I've always been amazed at my adopted home's dedication to Hempstead's horrible, even though they play at the Meadowlands. The Gang Green faithful's diehard servitude has been rewarded recently with management that would have a Girl Scout lemonade stand filing for Chapter 11.

We can argue all day whether Mangini was a good hire. What we do know is that the second he came to town, he was emasculated by initially being forced to keep an offensive coordinator, Mike Heimerdinger, who had no interest in being here.

Terry Bradway crowed at Mangini's press conference about the relationship he and the coach would develop. Well, that honeymoon must have included liberal hurling of pots and pans, because Bradway is gone.

This is all Johnson's fault. Every move that has been made has led to acrimony and drama because the man at the top has crammed square pegs into round holes. So, why in the world should anybody feel that the exciting conclusion to this will be anything but back-page backstabbing—along with players chuckling under their breath at those in charge?

It's one thing to support a loser. It's another to blindly dedicate yourself to an organization that is broken. And while Jets fans have always given the team a smidge of lovable-loser status, any such touchy-feely emotion has officially evaporated.

Last year, I pleaded with the Jets to keep training camp and practice facilities in Long Island. I was wrong. Their connection is torturous, as fans from 8 to 80 watching practice at Hofstra scream in anticipation of success that doesn't ever come. We're talking about a psychological pummeling that the Guantanamo Bay gang might study to see if there's anything they can use.

Moving to Jersey eliminates part of a bond that causes people to dedicate their rooting interests to a shoddy team. So, instead of tears in our beer when a steamy July comes around and the Jets are inhaling industrial fumes in the Garden State, let's raise a glass and say, "Good riddance."

Yeah, some of you will schlep out to Jersey just so you can watch Cedric Houston get leg cramps. That's your deal. Enjoy trying to watch practice with some girl in front of you sporting 6-inch-high teased hair, smacking Juicy Fruit in her chops and blaring "Lay Your Hands On Me" on her iPod.

Jersey. Cheesy and fake. Suits the Jets perfectly.

You can contact Josh Stewart at jstewart@longislandpress.com

Listen to this arrogant POS.

[Greensince69]

This guy has no clue whatsover. New York State really opened its arms to the Jets as our gangle of curropt pols and cablevision goons show. A little vision and the gets could have had a world class stadium in manhattan and the jets would have stayed in Hofstra, instead the only ines who showed any real love was NJ. It makes me ashamed to be a new yorker. Its guys like this who give us a bad name.

THe debacle with the islanders is just another example of the greed and mismanagemnt of naussa county. Wang is ready to completly reabilitate the entire site and make it the jewel of the county but the greedy pols want to squeeze every red cent they can out it and in the end will just give the project to some cronies who will rip the tax payers off and force the Isles to leave.

[124]

Long Island < New Jersey

There is no contest.

[Sperm Edwards]

A Nassau county resident has the nads to describe anyone else's residents as "cheesy and fake" (other than France)?

Priceless.

[runnyc262]

It is unfortunate that the Jets will move lock, stock and barrel to NJ. For many years the Jets have been a part of the LI community even after they started to play their games at the Meadowlands. I can remember seeing them practice in my younger days at Hofstra. Several former Jets still make their homes on the island. Matter of fact my sons go to school with the children of a well known ex Jet on the island. They are Giants fans still.

I wish something could have been worked out to have the Jets play in Queens but unfortunately it isn't happening.

[Maxman]

It is unfortunate that the Jets will move lock, stock and barrel to NJ. For many years the Jets have been a part of the LI community even after they started to play their games at the Meadowlands. I can remember seeing them practice in my younger days at Hofstra. Several former Jets still make their homes on the island. Matter of fact my sons go to school with the children of a well known ex Jet on the island. They are Giants fans still.

I wish something could have been worked out to have the Jets play in Queens but unfortunately it isn't happening.

Runny...

That is a fair response. I live in NJ so I am happy with the turn of events. Especially since training camp will be moved mintues from my job.

I wanted the WSS badly. Thought it would have been awesome. But like you said unfortunately it isn't happening. Life goes on.

Some people will hate the decision, some people will love it, some won't care at all. Pass the beer nuts.