A WORLD DEVOID OF TV OR RADIO COVERAGE

This point has been touched on by many an Islanders blogger and the starving fan base through comments since the beginning of the preseason. What are we to do in this media blackout? In this day and age where information is instantaneously transferred via the Internet and e-mail (cue Bill Curtis and the AT&T ConnectCard), it's amazing to me that Cablevision endeavors yet again to screw Joe and Jane Islander fan. Are we that much lower in the caste system that they can't televise ONE Islanders preseason game, all the while I've had to endure watching the Rangers toil in agony over finding their final roster? I couldn't even bring myself to watch yesterday's NHL Opening Game in Prague because of this fact: I want to watch the team that I root for, not some overpaid Rag$ to Riches story on MSG. Where's the love guys?

Thank goodness for a radio show produced on ESPN 1050 on Saturday morning, which I hope gets a regular time slot. Chris Botta and Don La Greca talked hockey for about an hour between 10:30-11:00AM. Scott Gordon and Lou Lamoriello poked their heads in for a chat with the pair and finally something on morning sports talk felt right. The season looms just around the corner for the other 26 teams not being represented in Europe and this is the first display of actual hockey knowledge that has hit the airwaves (beyond the fantastic work by beat writers Greg Logan, Katie Strang, Arthur Staple and Mark Hermann over at Newsday and the never-ending stream of awesome news and thoughts from the Islanders blogosphere). I can't wait to see what MSG will do this season with the telecasts considering I've heard the unenviable news that they will be cutting the pre-game show and post-game show for about 75% of the games the Islanders play this season. Meanwhile, yesterday there was a 30 minute pre-game and 1 hour post-game wrap up for the Rangers who are half a world away. I'd like to know what happened to that fat $20 million contract that Cablevision has with the Long Island team.

Alright, enough with the ranting, on to the good news. The past two preseason games were supposedly very different than the debacle only about 9,000 fans turned out to see on Wednesday, including yours truly. On Friday night, amongst roster changes and a goalie switch, the Islanders managed a 3-2 OT win over the rival Devils provided by Chris Lee. Although there was a Devils streaming radio broadcast, good luck actually listening to the drivel that comes out of that color analysts mouth. Can we be the least bit impartial? The game yesterday at TD Banknorth against the Bruins also ended in an Islander victory, 3-1 in regulation. The old dogs chipped in a bit with Weight, Sim and Comrie getting the goals. For those of you who weren't around for Wednesday night''s Coli game, you're in for a treat with Jon Sim. He will certainly be a player to watch this season if he stays healthy.

Now only one preseason game remains. On Monday down in Sunrise, FL, "The Rick" might make his debut in net for the "Boys in Blue and Orange" and yet here is another preseason tilt that we will not get a chance to see or hear. Be on the look out for live blogs by Greg Logan or from the Panther's website to satiate your hunger for Islanders hockey. After Monday night's game, I'll be doing a recap and a season preview with the final cuts being made sometime this coming week. Cheers everybody!

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