Carl Lewis Running...for Office?

South Jersey Democrats look to be taking a page out of the local GOP playbook by recruiting a well known athlete to run for office.

This morning, PolitickerNJ.com reported that 9-time Olympic gold medalist, one-time Perfect Strangers guest star, national anthemer and South Jersey native Carl Lewis will announce today that he is running for NJ State Senate as a Democrat in Legislative District 8 - coincidentally in a town encompassed in the Congressional District of freshman Republican Congressman (former Philadelphia Eagle) Jon Runyan; and in the same county as failed Assembly candidate (former Flyer) Brian Propp.

Lewis is nothing if not patriotic.

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Could Bernard Hopkins be the Next Obama?

After spending years campaigning in Philly to get rid of Donovan McNabb, the Executioner was in New Jersey's capitol city stumping for city council president Paul Pintella who is one of 372 candidates looking to fill retiring Mayor Doug Palmer's seat.

"People are desperate right now," said Hopkins, moments after signing gloves for a fan at Pintella campaign headquarters.

"People need to feel as though the person they're supporting has the know-how and experience to make a difference in their lives, and that's why I'm up here supporting Paul Pintella."

Said Hopkins:

"People are desperate right now.

"People need to feel as though the person they're supporting has the know-how and experience to make a difference in their lives...

"I think the term 'politician' has such a negative connotation - it's difficult for people to find someone who can defy that - someone who creates his own definition, but that's what people want. When you got a guy who's running with ideas that people can relate to, they're going to vote for him without hesitation.

"I want to do things like this - community organizing."

In a 2008 debate, then-Senator Obama stated: "I can bring this country together. I have a track record, starting from the days I moved to Chicago as a community organizer.”

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Video: Runyan Wants to Toughen Up DC

Jon Runyan made his speaking debut on the campaign circuit last night at a Camden County Republican fundraiser.

Said the former Eagle O Lineman: "I was never the best athlete. I was never the fastest guy. I wasn't the strongest. But you know what? I put my work in and I made a mental decision to be the toughest guy out there. And I think taking that tenacity to Washington, DC is going to go a long way."

On why he's running: "The size of the government is totally out of control. The people are the ones that are going to solve these problems. We have to get government out of the way, put money back in the people's hands and let them solve the problems that we have."

As far as his qualifications, Runyan notes that this public service is an extension of the community work he has done in South Jersey over the last decade; and his passion to change the course our country is headed.

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NJ Senator Tom Kean is Delusional, Wants Super Bowl XLVIII Held Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey

Mr. Goodell, we think yous guys should very much consider Sen. Kean's suggestion a little bit.

The son of the former Governnor introduced a Senate resolution (SR35) in the NJ Legislature on Thursday "urging the NFL to select New Jersey as the location for Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014." According to a press release from his office, "the NFL owners’ Super Bowl Advisory Committee allowed the Meadowlands Stadium Co. to place a bid, waiving the traditional requirement that host stadiums have a minimum outdoor temperature of 50 degrees or an indoor stadium."

Said Senator Kean:

"New Jersey offers the best venue for the Super Bowl, period. We have the image, logistics and ambiance that is unparalleled in the world and the millions of diehard fans in this region would do everything in their power to make Super Bowl XLVIII the biggest, most talked about game in the history of the NFL.

"The NFL championship of 1958 is known as the ‘Greatest Game Ever Played’ and it was decided at Yankee Stadium. It’s time to bring the game of American football back to its roots in the Northeast.

"New Jersey has a new state-of-the-art stadium, easy access to airports, and thousands of hotel rooms, restaurants and other attractions near and in New York City, the most renowned and admired city in the world.

"Having the Super Bowl in New Jersey would not only be great for the league but it would be great for the region. The Super Bowl would provide a unique promotional opportunity for our state’s tourism industry and help spur the regional economy. Studies have shown that cities who host the Super Bowl experience a significant economic impact into the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Plus, East Rutherford is only about an hour up the Parkway from Belmar.

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Video of Giants Stadium Demo

Still no signs of Jimmy Hoffa. From our friends at NJ.com.

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Official Statement from Big Jon Runyan on Possible Congressional Run

This afternoon I received an email from a New Jersey political consultant regarding the earlier post about Jon Runyan possibly running for NJ Congressional District 3:

Mr. Runyan asked me to forward his official statement to you regarding NJ's 3rd Congressional District campaign next year and his potential interest in the race as a Republican candidate.

He will have no further comment at this time, but expects to speak on the record with all of you in the near future. Thank you.

Official Statement from Philadephia Eagles Great, Jon Runyan, Regarding NJ's Third Congressional District Campaign

Mount Laurel, November 11, 2009 – “I am seriously considering becoming a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District. Our great country is headed in the wrong direction, and it’s clearer every day that career politicians are incapable of solving the problems we face.

I am grateful for the tremendous support and encouragement I have received while talking to people throughout South Jersey about running for Congress and I look forward to having more to say on this subject in the weeks ahead.”

-30-

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Chest Bump Worthy? Congressman Jon Runyan

PolitickerNJ.com is reporting that former Eagles Tackle (and currently unsigned free agent) Jon Runyan is a possible Republican candidate for South Jersey's 3rd Congressional District currently held by Freshman Democrat John Adler.

Runyan's toughest challenge - should he enter the race - would more likely come from his own party rather than the incumbent. The seat, which was held by Republican Jim Saxon since 1993 before his retirement in 2008, is widely seen as one of the national GOP's top pick-up opportunities, with Adler having benefited greatly from the immense Obama surge during the presidential year race. Since his election, the 2010 mid-term was recognized as being Adler's "real" challenge.

The district is primarily comprised of Burlington and Ocean Counties, two of the most powerful Republican organizations in the state. With Ocean County producing a 70,000 plurality for Governor-Elect Chris Christie (R) in this year's gubernatorial race, and with Burlington County having put up an unsuccessful candidate in the '08 race, a strong claim could be made for the party's nomination coming from Ocean rather than Runyan's Burlington.

UPDATE: Runyan's Official Statement Confirming Interest in Run

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Jersey Pride: At Least We Still Have the Devils

After the Nets dropped the "New Jersey" from their away unis, prompting a NJ State Senator to propose legislation withholding funding to in-state teams who refuse to recognize the Garden State in their respective names (and threatening an "attitude readjustment), lawmakers "praised the New Jersey Devils for their state pride."

Said State Senator Joseph Vitale, "The New Jersey Devils are a class organization who have made our great state their home. And we share in the pride that the words ‘New Jersey' represents in their name."

Assembly Majority Conference Leader Joan Quigley, "I've got to hand it to the Devils for not only making New Jersey home, but doing it with pride as other teams have kicked New Jersey around, even as they benefited from support from New Jersey fans and taxpayers."

Vitale is also vocal about the large "NY" the New York Giants display on the side of their office building at New Jersey's Meadowlands, "It is my hope that the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority will feel that same level of pride and recognition that we all do by removing the ‘NY' logo from a building that real New Jerseyans have mostly paid for."

Photo: PolitickerNJ.com

Meanwhile, Governor Jon Corzine Assemblyman Michael Doherty could evidently care less about regulating such nonsense.

Corzine: "It would be an overreaction for us to demand that they put the logos on their jerseys. Would there be an advertising value for us if they put 'New Jersey' on their jerseys? Yes."

Said Doherty, "I hope the Nets stay in New Jersey and we should not use any tax dollars to support professional sports teams regardless of whether they use New Jersey of their logo or not."

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Bob Hurley: "Holding Court And Performing Miracles"

Yesterday we published a post agreeing with the Star Ledger's assessment that Bob Hurley, Sr. undoubtedly deserves recognition in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

This past Sunday, prior to the 2009 Hall class announcement, CBS News' Sunday Morning broadcast a piece by Armen Keteyian reenforcing our thoughts on the matter.



I again implore you to pick up a copy of Adrian Wojnarowski's The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty.

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Have You Gotten Your BlogsWithBalls Tickets Yet?

Gentle Ben

As if I didn't already believe the people in my bowling league were totally out of their minds, someone (apparently) is trying to find a suitable home for their Siberian tiger.



The flier reads: "Ben is a loving, 5 year old Siberian Tiger. He is very playful, and great around children. Will negotiate price. Ewing area."

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Joba Impersonator Faces Charges, Ledger Live Investigates as Rollie Fingers

From our good friend Brian Donohue at NJ.com's Ledger Live.

On Today's Ledger Live: Ryan Ward, a 29-year-old Asbury Park man who spent last summer impersonating New York Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the bars and bagel shops of Belmar, goes on trial today for charges related to his hardball shenanigans. What Ward did was no doubt funny, but perhaps he took it a bit too far. Whether it's grounds for him to go to jail is a matter of debate, and really, a matter best left for the judge to decide. But the larger question raised by this story - why everyday people become so star struck at the mere possibility of rubbing elbows with a major league ballplayer - is a question that Ledger Live can tackle head on. To do it, we follow in Ward's footsteps, adopting the countenance of the most recognizable relief pitcher in modern day baseball history, and the guy with the greatest mustache on the mound: Rollie Fingers.

Ledger Live: Joba Chamberlain impersonator bums for bagels

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Cleveland Steamer

Like many Trenton-area sports fans, we watched Hamilton native Kevin Johnson's progression from All-State high school quarterback to his position battle at Syracuse with Donovan McNabb to his conversion to wide receiver and being drafted by the Cleveland Browns.

For a good five year stretch, his #85 Browns jersey stood proudly in Quakerbridge Mall beside Eagles and Giants greens and blues.

And then, it was gone. The jerseys and the player.

Despite being the Browns' leading receiver since being drafted, his inablity to coexist with then-coach Butch Davis lead to his being cut by the team, and subsequent downfall from NFL stardom.

While at first the transacton perplexed football fans, and fueled rumors that he would soon be an Eagle, stints with the Ravens, Jags and Lions proved unfruitful and Johnson, now at age 32, has been out of the game for 3 years.

The best idea anyone had was that he punched his ticket out of the League for being a malcontent.

Thus, I found it disheartening as he channeled his inner Al Bundy to pen a piece for this year's 50th Anniversary of the Hamilton HS West (Johnson's alma mater)/Steinert High School annual Thanksgiving Day game:

I cannot help but smile and laugh thinking of the “We’ve got Kevin, Yes we do, We’ve got Kevin, How about you?” chanted by the Hamilton fans in my senior year or the importance to my teammates and I that we win every Thanksgiving Day game.

His humble reflection on family, tradition and community brings this once bright, shining star back to earth and leaves some locals wondering, "What the hell happened to his guy, that, only a decade after his being on top of the world, he's sitting in Trenton with the rest of us this holiday?"

Bergen Co. (NJ) Official Calls For Giants & Jets to Pony Up PSL $ in Tough Economic Times

Photo: Jets Insider

Bergen County, NJ is the largest populated in the state and home of the Meadowlands sports complex.

County Clerk Kathe Donovan has called for Governor Corzine to ask the "New York Jets and New York Giants [to] share a portion of their windfall profits with the very people who are providing them with enormous taxpayer generated subsidies[.]"

Citing economic hardships and unemployment, in a letter to the Governor dated November 13, 2008, she writes:

Legislative leaders and your administration officials have declared that “everything is on the table” as you grapple with this financial crisis. Everything, that is, except the New York Jets and the New York Giants.

“Everything on the table” means that Trenton’s commitment to return homestead rebates to hard pressed property tax payers may be broken. Aid for schools in suburban, rural and urban districts may be cut and state colleges will be forced to raise tuition costs to make up for reduced state aid. Hospitals here in Bergen County and elsewhere that rely on Medicaid and Charity Care payments will almost certainly see a significant reduction in state aid which could force a cutback in services. And this comes at a time when workers are being forced to switch from high paying to lower paying jobs without health care benefits which will add significantly to the Charity Care burden borne by hospitals at a time when Charity Care payments could be reduced.

It would appear that no one in New Jersey will escape. Except, of course, the New York Jets and New York Giants.

The teams and their billionaire owners will receive approximately $800 million in windfall profits from the sale of Personal Seat Licenses. This comes on top of the exhorbitant economic and other incentives (including development right and zoning) gifted by state officicials.

There are many who believe that the New York Jets and New York Giants provide significant economic and identity (?) benefits to New Jersey. That may be the case. But New Jersey has been more than a gracious host. Officials at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority have said that a contract exists between the New York teams and the Authority. Is that contract any stronger than a commitment to New Jersey taxpayers?

At a time when practically every individual and business in New Jersey will be asked to make a significant sacrifice, is it too much to ask that the New York Jets and New York Giants share a portion of their windfall profits with the very people who are providing them with enormous taxpayer generated subsidies?

Before New Jersey property tax owners are asked to give up their homestead rebate checks, shouldn’t we ask, or better yet demand, that the New York Jets and New York Giants share at least a small portion of their windfall revenue? This isn’t money they worked for. This is money they are in effect “extorting” from their seasonal ticket holders. It is found money. At least some of it should find it’s way back to the public treasury.

Can't Say We Blame Them

Thanks to NJ.com's Shabe for passing along this story that was posted last night by Mike Kinney and Mark Mueller of The Star-Ledger.

Two suburban schools refuse trips to Newark for football

Two suburban high schools refused to play football games tonight in Newark, citing worries about safety after a spate of drive-by shootings in the city Friday left two people dead and another injured.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and Cranford High School balked at playing games rescheduled from last Friday and Saturday. Newark school Superintendent Clifford Janey had suspended all athletic events districtwide while police were hunting for suspects in the Friday afternoon shootings.

Sure, Newark has made strides in reducing violent crime. But fact is, it's still a major issue. For the life of me, though, I can't understand how officials, who are well aware of the area's troubles, can be in such denial in regards to childrens' safety.

The decisions by the suburban schools underscored Newark's struggle to shake its reputation as an unsafe city, even as it has seen far fewer homicides this year than last year. The city has recorded 52 slayings so far this year, compared with 83 over the same period a year ago.

A Newark city spokeswoman, Esmeralda Diaz Cameron, called the schools' choice "unfortunate.":

"This past Friday's shootings were not random acts of violence and did not occur on the premises of any of our schools. Newark is the largest city in the state, and over the past two years we've made dramatic progress in fighting crime. Newark is currently the number one city in the country for violent crime reduction, and we have had a 40 percent reduction in crime compared to last year's statistics."

While Central High School agreed to a neutral field in keeping with a decision by the Mountain Valley Conference of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, Shabazz athletic director Faheem Ellis rejected a similar decision by the NJSIAA's Watchung Conference.

Shabazz athletic director Faheem Ellis: "That's not fair to our home fans and the people of Newark. And it's definitely not fair to our kids. We have plenty of protection at our home games in Newark. It is not an unsafe situation for an opposing team."

In a perfect world, the City teams and the Suburban ones would put aside differences, play their game, band together ala the Wanderers/Del Bombers and take it to these gang bangers Ducky Boy-style.

Giants Stadium II Construction Progress

Fear not. It'll still be in the swamps of Jersey. It'll still be shared by two New York teams. Jet's fans will still have a complex. Springsteen will still sell it out. Bon Jovi will still pretend he's Springsteen.

HHR Is Trenton

On Lalor Street, not far from the Mercer County Waterfront Park, the home of the Yankee's AA affiliate, the Trenton Thunder, I saw the following glossy, new billboard:

I had to laugh.

What are you saying, Troy?

• You rank 327 out of 335 New Jersey high schools?
• You're the 14th overall Most Dangerous City IN THE COUNTRY? 4th among cities with a population between 75,000 TO 99,999?
• You're home to the violent feuding between the Sex Money Murder and the Gangster Killer Bloods factions of Bloods.

Obviously, the organization for which Vincent lends his name and image aim to combat these unfavorable distinctions.

But keep it real, Troy. Sure you grew up in Trenton's public school system, but then you went to high school at Pennsbury in PA. You then hightailed it out to the confines of Wisconsin for college - which you chose not to finish.

For over a decade, your name is always associated with charitable endeavors in the city, but what has ever come from them? Sure your heart is in the right place, but the city continues to fall deeper and deeper into despair.

No disrespect, but it may be time to give up on the philanthropy. Besides, there's a new do-gooder in town.

Jersey Don't Give a F*#@

Gotta love HHR's State University.

First we noted last year that at the one game we made it to against Navy, Rutgers fans felt the need to boo cadets and greet them with chants of "You Suck."

This year, we learn of the Soprano-esq underbelly of the program that, in a state with one of the worst economic situations in the countries, has circumvented public transparency by granting Coach Schiano an additional paycheck "through indirect payments that were never publicly disclosed."

We heard of stadium woes affected by "skyrocketing prices for fuel, concrete and steel."

Well, guess what football fans? We're New Jersey. We do what we want.

Getting drubbed by UNC on national TV?

Eff you.

From FanIQ: Rutgers Students Classy As Always, But Who Doesn't Want To Give ESPN The Finger Sometimes

Shocking! NJ is Corrupt

"I'll take that in unmarked, large denominations."

A few week's back we noted the shady manner in which Rutgers Coach Greg Schiano was wetting his beak. Apparently that's just scratching the surface. The State University's Athletic Department, according to an internal audit (and not surprisingly), may be as crooked as the state's elected officials.

The Star-Ledger via NJ.com reports: "Months before revelations of hidden deals and no-bid contracts sparked two investigations, Rutgers University auditors were warning that no one was watching the money flooding into the school's athletic department. A confidential internal audit issued nearly six months ago criticized the department's fiscal controls -- including hundreds of thousands of dollars in off-the-books spending that never appeared in the Rutgers budget."

Apparently, it's just the burden of "success."

Said Joseph Sikora, the university's director of internal audit, "The leadership and organizational structure over athletics' financial operations show signs of being overextended at a time when the football program is undergoing rapid growth and success."

The 23-page report describes a department suddenly flush with additional sponsorship money and soaring revenues, following the rebound of the once hapless Scarlet Knights football team. At the same time, it details how the department eagerly tapped into those resources with seemingly little oversight.

Auditors found the athletic department subsidized the travel costs of boosters and other VIPs who accompanied the Scarlet Knights on charter flights to post-season bowl games the past three years, at a time when the university was hiking tuition and cutting academic budgets. It also discovered that the department understated its expenses for those games in reports to the administration and concluded the athletic department lacked the ability to collect and reliably report critical financial information "to the president, CFO, the board and the public.

The audit also focused on the university's partnership with a sports marketing company that had exclusive rights to handle radio and television advertising and promotions, funneling millions of dollars into the athletics department.

George Zoffinger, chairman of the audit committee on Rutgers governing board, said the athletics department structured sponsorship deals in a way that deliberately kept the money out of university coffers, and away from direct oversight of administration finance officials.

Zoffinger: "They're basically diverting funds that were sold as sponsorships to pay for other things that are not on the books of the university. This is not the right way to spend public money. The money should come to the university and then be allocated from there. It's inappropriate."

Scarlet Knight DB/WR Now Chief of Staff for Influential NJ State Senator

PolitickerNJ.com reports that "Nkosi Remy is the new chief of staff for state Sen. Kevin O’Toole (R-Essex)." The 6'1" graduate from Cedar Grove failed to record any offensive or defensive statistics during his NCAA career according to scarletknights.com, but appears to have excelled academically at the State University of New Jersey.

A member of Rutger's University's first bowl victory team, Remy was a wide receiver and defensive back during his four years as a Scarlet Knight. He has two Bowl Championship rings, including one from the historic Texas Bowl.

According to O'Toole's office, Kosi has received numerous awards, including the outstanding delegate award at UC Berkeley, a model United Nations conference held at UC Berkeley in San Francisco, and the "Honorable Delegate" award at Worldmun, a model United Nations Conference hosted by Harvard University in Puebla Mexico.

O'Toole serves on the powerful Senate on the Budget and Appropriations Committee, as well as on the Senate State Government Committee, and as the Senate Minority Whip.

Sports Figures Carry Political Clout in the Garden State

We were tipped off that each year PolitickerNJ.com anoints its Political Power List, which "identifies New Jersey’s 100 most politically influential personalities...we eliminat[ing] anyone who currently holds elected office, as well as the Judiciary."

This year's list included a few prominent sports figures, including two team owners and a former Scarlet Knight/Steeler Linebacker.

2 John Mara
President, New York Giants

#1 on the power list has only lived in New Jersey for three years, and #2 is a New Yorker: John Mara, the President of the Giants football team. Under Mara’s control is nearly $2 billion in construction projects in the Garden State – a new stadium, a corporate headquarters, and a training complex in Florham Park. He has demonstrated considerable success at influencing public policy in North Jersey, ultimately convincing government officials to spend enormous sums of public money on his projects – and without making huge campaign contributions. The political elite love to be around Mara and his team, especially with a Super Bowl championship and a new stadium coming soon.

17 Elnardo Webster
Democratic fundraiser
Not every former NFL player winds up on ESPN. The former Pittsburgh Steeler is Cory Booker’s best friend and ex-law partner, and a favorite of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. He’s also a player in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. With a base of Newark and Hudson County, he’s making a ton of money, accumulating a tremendous number of chits, and if his guys – Booker , Healy and Obama – win, he’ll keep moving up on this list.

29 Jeff Vanderbeek
Owner, New Jersey Devils

The Devils owner opens his arena – no small fete – and is a regular host to New Jersey politicians who pay homage to him at the Prudential Center.