Islanders Bits: From Queens to Sim to $1 Billion in Public Funding

Lester: From the looks of things, Stringer Bell's worse than a drug dealer [now].
Prez: He's a developer.

-- The Wire, Season 3, Episode 4: "Hamsterdam"

The most amusing thing, in a dark humor kind of way, to come from the referendum aftermath is Kate Murray crowing about her flexible zoning plan (approved in...June) for the Coliseum property, which will take "85 percent of the angst for a developer out of the equation." If only Charles Wang had known there could be an 85% off plan for angst! Their angst properly mitigated, other Long Island-loving (I assure you) developers will "vie for $1 billion in state funding."

While Nassau leaders resume behaving like maybe the Islanders shouldn't exist, Queens and Brooklyn leaders [BP] continue to send bouquets [IPB] to make sure the team thinks of them. And Wang's patience continues [LHH] to amaze me, honestly.

Islanders/Hockey Links

• So yeah, Jon Sim has not been re-signed and will not be. You must admit that was a fun half hour though.
• Blake Comeau discusses his arbitration-avoiding contract.
• Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin (and Micheal Haley, too) hit a whole lot. But they're not quite tops in the league.
• Ted Nolan is not blackballed in Latvia.
• Islanders prospects involved in Canada's junior camp: Prep | Chemistry
• Good stuff from Tuesday by Fornabaio about how this news (doesn't) affect the Sound Tigers: Blog | Paper
• Dobber's top 300 NHLers -- for fantasy purposes.
• Top Blues prospect Vladiir Tarasenko on the value of developing in Russia.

Areener Referendum/Location Talk

• FanShot discussions: Anders Lee, Hobey Baker contender? Who supposes he turns pro next summer? | The previously linked Murray plan | More talk of Brooklyn | And humorous talk of Brooklyn attire.
• In a FanPost, DP'sKnees... discusses Mangano's sorta RFP and a Plan Z.
• Here's the RFP "request" by the way.
• The WSJ weighs in on the Islanders future.
• Of course Bettman wants them to stay. This isn't news, but must be stated. Seriously, it does.
• Professional troll columnists like Cox aren't really worth responding to, but here's a decent job of it at KK anyway.
  
• The Daily News carries the Queens banner. (This is going to be fun. And predictably cyclical.)

Finally, we didn't discuss these here around the referendum time, but there were some interesting takes last week about the referendum proposal's financials from local watchers who are (like myself, actually), more inclined to view public stadium deals with suspicion:

This anti-Atlantic Yards blogger had plenty to say and research, but the salient thing for me -- something that bugged me during the process -- is how much media who waved the Yankees and Mets (and even earlier Jets proposal) stadium issues on through were suddenly all protective of The People's Purse when it came to Nassau and the Islanders. Meanwhile, most observers say the Islanders proposal was "fairer" than your typical stadium deal.

On the Daily News editorial slamming the proposal.

Village Voice blog on same.

Those last three links are old, but I just found them an interesting contextual read (including the comments). It reminds me of non-Isles fan Nets fans who slam the Islanders because ... well because they don't want their basketball team's owner to be distracted. In the game, everyone has an angle.