That ad cost more than a few thou...
Ripper
For This Fan, Islander Loss Was One Too Many
By Alan Hahn
Staff Correspondent
January 25, 2003
Philadelphia -- Larry Weinberger stormed out of Nassau Coliseum Tuesday
night as frustrated and disgusted with his favorite team as any sports fan
could be. The archrival New York Rangers were well on the way to pounding
his beloved Islanders, 5-0. But instead of ranting to a sports talk radio
station or calling in a complaint to the Islanders' offices or posting his
anger on an Internet fan bulletin board, Weinberger, 42, put his money where
his mouth is.
The Bellmore father of two, who said he is the publisher of the Westchester
Pennysaver newspapers, called Newsday and took out a full-page advertisement
that was placed in the sports section of Friday's editions.
"Hey, NY Islanders," it started. "Where were you the night we played the
Rangers? We, your loyal fans showed up! We braved freezing weather and came
out looking for a great game. We came out to support you. Where was the
energy, the excitement, the electricity, the intensity? [The latter two
words were italicized and underlined.]
"Come on now . . . we deserve a better effort. It's a tough road ahead. Your
fans are behind you . . . play with passion!!! Let's Go Islanders!
Signed, A Loyal Fan of the Team."
Weinberger, an Islanders season ticket-holder, said the ad cost him $28,000.
"That's actually more than my season tickets cost," he said of his package
of four tickets for all 41 home games at the Coliseum this season, which
costs him between $17,000 and $18,000. "But I've been working all my life.
You have to be able to have fun with some of your money."
Before moving to Bellmore from Brooklyn in 1993, Weinberger said, he was a
Rangers season ticket-holder at Madison Square Garden. But he gave up his
tickets to Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals against the Vancouver
Canucks, a game the Rangers won to end a 54-year drought without a
championship. He did so because he changed his affiliation from a Rangers
fan to an Islanders fan after moving to Long Island. His reasoning was
simple.
"I want to see the home team win," he said. "My home team became the
Islanders when I moved to the Island." Weinberger, like all Islanders fans,
is thrilled with the team's return to respectability under owners Charles
Wang and Sanjay Kumar.
But when the Rangers, who were below the Islanders in the NHL standings, led
3-0 after two periods of Tuesday's game, Weinberger was furious at his
team's performance. He grabbed his 9-year-old son, Derrick, and left. "I
couldn't watch anymore," he said. When he woke up the next morning to see in
Newsday that the final score was 5-0, Weinberger's ire stirred again. He
decided it was time to get something off his chest.
"Someone had to say something," he said. "They know they can play better and
they have the fans supporting them. I wanted to say something before they
played another game."
Weinberger's ad caused a great deal of commotion on the Internet among
Islanders fans Friday morning. Although the team already was in Philadelphia
for Friday night's game against the Flyers, team spokesman Chris Botta said
coach Peter Laviolette was aware of the ad and made his team aware of it
before the game against the Flyers.
The franchise appreciated Weinberger's initiative and intensity, Botta said.
"This is further proof of how passionate our fans are," he said. "Peter's
reaction to it was, 'We hear you, buddy. The result the other night was
unacceptable.' He appreciated the guy's support and said the team will do
everything they can to make sure it doesn't happen again." Weinberger said
he hopes to not have to go to such an extreme again, but he was pleased with
the results of his expensive expression of support for his favorite team.
"It created the buzz I was hoping for," he said. "If that gives a boost to
the team, then great."
JoeyNYC
>
>For This Fan, Islander Loss Was One Too Many
>By Alan Hahn
>Staff Correspondent
Was this ad also in the City Edition? I couldn't find it on A73 on it
so I presume that it was only on the Long Island Edition?
JoeyNYC
Bender
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Cynicor
At least he switched over the year the Rangers were good and the Islanders
were falling. I only switched over last year when the Isles were 11-1-1-1.
Bender
> were falling. I only switched over last year when the Isles were 11-1-1-1.
Wow... just like everyone else.
Okay, I'll stop posting here now.
Cynicor
"Bender" <ben...@adelphia.net> wrote:
> > At least he switched over the year the Rangers were good and the
Islanders
> > were falling. I only switched over last year when the Isles were
11-1-1-1.
>
> Wow... just like everyone else.
>
> Okay, I'll stop posting here now.
Why? Do you post?
Bender
Yes.
Okay. THAT's my last post here. Stop it.
Cynicor
"Bender" <ben...@adelphia.net> wrote:
> > Why? Do you post?
>
> Yes.
>
> Okay. THAT's my last post here. Stop it.
How was the Thrashers game today?
Viceroy of Verbiage
currently is seen leaving games early when his currently followed team falls
behind. ;-)
And he's a *publisher* of the Westchester Pennysaver newspapers. Things that
make you say Hmmmmmmm.... Does anyone else here sniff *barter*?
<all kidding aside....give beau coup credit to the guy for taking out the
ad...had he actually seen the third period he might've taken out a couple pages
or maybe even one of those 8 page Special Advertising inserts.>