AGRI Biz

In yesterday's post I talked about wanting to see the Islanders spend a little above the salary floor. Then I thought, "That's easy for you to say, Mr. Moneybags, spending Charles Wang's hard-earned cash like that." So I decided to crunch the numbers and try to determine how much I more I want the team to spend, and what would need to happen to cover that extra investment. It's ...

While the rest of the free world stands vigil awaiting the decision made by LeBron James as to where to next collect his basketball millions, NHL fans themselves are geared up for the silly season. The free agency period began July 1, and there was a landslide of activity . But not on Long Island. Islanders fans have come to learn that when the clock strikes midnight ...

Long Islanders love their casinos. We fly to Vegas (cheap, one-way flights from Islip!), drive to Atlantic City (or take the bus—it's practically free!), or head up to Connecticut for Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods (high-speed passenger ferries from Orient Point!). It's all very convenient and loads of fun. But a casino right in our own backyard? How gauche. Shinnecock Nation, however, has seen how much more money a tribe ...

Last summer I was at a birthday party at a friend's house when I ran into a mutual friend who had formerly worked for the Islanders. We talked about the draft, John Tavares, and what the future held. He felt the hockey operations were in good hands. Garth Snow, Scott Gordon, Ryan Jankowski, Bryan Trottier, and Ken Morrow had the team pointed in the right direction, and with young ...

I have a friend who is a gambler. In addition to college and pro football and basketball, he's been known to put money on U.S. Open women's semifinal matches. That's hardcore. Like most gamblers, he'll tell you all about his winnings—the three-team parlays and the close covers—and then little or nothing about the bad beats. But that's the gambler's prerogative. You always want to believe you're up more ...

You know the guy at work who does nothing but convert oxygen to carbon dioxide? We all know a guy like this. The guy who has somehow been able to hold down a job despite little to no evidence of productivity? The guy who displays no aptitude or discernible skills yet continues to collect a paycheck? Colin Campbell is that guy. The NHL's chief disciplinarian brings cluelessness to new levels with each ...

The Olympics are over, Canada got its gold medal, and the Russian president is about to roll some heads. But there's no time to bask in the Olympic glow (or, if you're Team USA, wallow in the disappointment). The stretch run for the NHL season is here, and the trade deadline is just a day away. Which means teams have decisions to make.For the Islanders and GM Garth Snow, there ...

Maybe it's just me, but when I hear 'Finland,' I think of the Monty Python song . I should probably think about Teemu Selanne or Saku Koivu or Mikka Kiprusoff, because those guys could very well knock off the U.S. in the semifinals this afternoon. Finland is a funny team. When the Olympics roll around, all the talk is about Russia, Canada and Sweden, with an eye on ...