FANHOUSE TO SPONSOR POINT BLANK
Back for another season, thanks to AOL

October 6th, 2009 by admin 215 Comments

 

 

Thanks to a very kind offer of support from my employers at FanHouse, Point Blank will be in business for another year. My deepest gratitude goes to my editors at FanHouse, and especially the PB reader/AOL executive who introduced my work to the sports department.

 

Thanks also go to Chris Dey of the Islanders for creating this venture, Islanders players and coaches for their accessibility and cooperation and, of course, to the readers who keep on coming back to Point Blank.

 

Since I have the day/night job as national hockey writer at Fanhouse, needless to say Point Blank could not possibly remain the obsessive source of useful and useless information it was when the Islanders sponsored it. There will be plenty of times when scheduling conflicts will prevent me from covering news and even some home games.

 

The team also has made a policy of giving all news first to Newsday. This became official when myself and two other writers were at Iceworks for practice ten days ago, and yet we still learned from Katie Strang - on her day off and using Twitter - that Kyle Okposo had been cleared to skate. I don’t want Islanders fans to miss out. If you haven’t signed up by now, let this be my 100th plug for Katie’s blog. Go there if you want the facts first 99.9% of the time. She’s doing a very good job there and on Twitter and will only get better.

 

So it is what it is, but Point Blank will still feature at least one article on the Islanders almost every day of the season and will still be a community for Islanders fans to learn and talk about their hockey team. I’ll continue to get to practices whenever possible - like tomorrow - and grind in the corners. The opinion pieces will hopefully be as strong as ever. Prospect rankings in Bridgeport and juniors/colleges/Europe will also remain.

 

Now that I’ve started to get a hang of this CoveritLive thing, we’ll have to try some live chats. Maybe even Thursday night when the Islanders are in Ottawa. Game? If you’ve been okay with the blog since the Islanders returned from Saskatoon, that should give you a fair idea of what Point Blank will be like this season.

 

As a bonus, the Islanders are covered by NHL FanHouse more than ever. In addition, because of a content-sharing agreement with our Time Warner partners, the Sports Illustrated website (si.com) often picks up my work. For everything AOL has done for this blog, I hope you’ll continue to support my colleagues and I at NHL FanHouse.

 

Again, my thanks to all the readers out there in the Country of Islanders.

Filed under: News
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215 Responses to “FANHOUSE TO SPONSOR POINT BLANK
Back for another season, thanks to AOL”  

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  1. 1 Isle_in_LA on Oct 6th, 2009 16:43:06 said:

    Woo Hoo!!!! Great news. Congrats CB!

  2. 2 Marc on Oct 6th, 2009 16:45:57 said:

    AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thanks again for making this happen, Chris.

    Any chance that FANHOUSE can approve the Lighthouse project?

  3. 3 bergie20 on Oct 6th, 2009 16:46:19 said:

    thanks aol!!

  4. 4 Sumo Goalie on Oct 6th, 2009 16:46:22 said:

    Cool, congrats!

  5. 5 eric on Oct 6th, 2009 16:46:23 said:

    excellent.

  6. 6 The Rivalry on Oct 6th, 2009 16:46:28 said:

    Wow, that’s great CB! Congratulations!

  7. 7 Rich on Oct 6th, 2009 16:47:36 said:

    Chris, keep it going and yes, your live go at it, during the Isle game on Thursday would probably be worthwhile.
    Please don’t let up, we’re hungry for information and a forum to hear from true Islander fans.

  8. 8 The New Isles GM on Oct 6th, 2009 16:47:37 said:

    Congrats CB. You Deserve The Recognition.

  9. 9 kevin27NYI on Oct 6th, 2009 16:48:05 said:

    YES!!! nice!

  10. 10 hockeytime on Oct 6th, 2009 16:48:12 said:

    congrats CB!! This is great news!

  11. 11 mtrico on Oct 6th, 2009 16:49:13 said:

    Glad to hear this came to fruition Chris. I am sure that this blog will continue to be THE SOURCE for Isles information.

  12. 12 Josh B on Oct 6th, 2009 16:49:52 said:

    Best news I’ve heard since JT’s first goal :) WTG Botta!

  13. 13 Crackhead Theo on Oct 6th, 2009 16:51:30 said:

    YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  14. 14 Patrick on Oct 6th, 2009 16:51:43 said:

    AOL FTW!

  15. 15 Islesin2010 on Oct 6th, 2009 16:51:51 said:

    YESSSSSSSS awesome news Chris. Thank you American Online

  16. 16 Klynch on Oct 6th, 2009 16:51:52 said:

    So glad to hear it…..

  17. 17 isles14 on Oct 6th, 2009 16:53:15 said:

    great!!!!

  18. 18 pointblank rocks on Oct 6th, 2009 16:53:52 said:

    thats just great news CB and thanks to fanhouse and yourself for making this site very enjoyable to read

  19. 19 DocDuke on Oct 6th, 2009 16:53:52 said:

    Congrats dude, you just made my hockey season!!!

  20. 20 Joe in Massapequa on Oct 6th, 2009 16:54:25 said:

    GREAT NEWS!! Congrats CB and I look forward to another year + of your work!! Thanks FANHOUSE!

  21. 21 BillyIsle on Oct 6th, 2009 16:54:41 said:

    Draft JT:Check
    Save IPB: Check
    Approve Lighthouse Project:…

    Awesome news, if only it could keep going! Thank you AOL!!

  22. 22 Bobby on Oct 6th, 2009 16:54:43 said:

    Even though you constantly take down my comments and seem to have me on a tight leash, i applaud your efforts & congratulate you on this wonderful news.

  23. 23 JKP on LI on Oct 6th, 2009 16:56:55 said:

    The crowd goes wild! (Cue Gary Glitter, leave out the “you suck.”)

  24. 24 Brother Rat on Oct 6th, 2009 16:58:07 said:

    Congrats, CB! Of course we’ll follow you wherever you’re writing, but especially if you’re writing on IPB. AOL, what a savior. And increased coverage–good, as no other NHL franchise can match our level of crazy and crazy sells.

  25. 25 Rob on Oct 6th, 2009 16:58:50 said:

    Great news CB! Congrats! Looking forward to another season of great reading.

  26. 26 Lorne Myers on Oct 6th, 2009 16:59:00 said:

    This is the perfect way to end a work day, this is excellent news. Congrats CB.

  27. 27 teddyfusi on Oct 6th, 2009 16:59:11 said:

    thats what im talking about aol hell yeah

  28. 28 Jamerson on Oct 6th, 2009 16:59:24 said:

    Fantastic news! By the way, the Fanhouse live chat during the Washington/Boston game was really great.

  29. 29 TuxTax on Oct 6th, 2009 16:59:47 said:

    There is a (Hockey)God! Congrats CB! Start scheduling the next IPB Night so we can buy you a congratulatory beverage. Saturday was such a tease, can we please continue this hockey season already?

  30. 30 MT on Oct 6th, 2009 17:00:16 said:

    Great news CB! Thank you AOL and Fanhouse!

  31. 31 potvin rocks on Oct 6th, 2009 17:00:23 said:

    It should really be the Islanders stepping up and doing this, but it is good news that IPB is sticking around.
    It is not shocking with what happened to the radio division. The Isles are not making money yet.

  32. 32 lefty on Oct 6th, 2009 17:03:20 said:

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  33. 33 IslesFanInTN on Oct 6th, 2009 17:05:21 said:

    Awesome news, Chris! Great to hear that. Who would have thought AOL of all places would be sponsoring this blog. I have to give AOL credit for the support they give to you and hockey in general. They just earned my business back.
    Paul

  34. 34 Paul in the 'Cuse on Oct 6th, 2009 17:05:49 said:

    Yippeeeee! Great News CB Congrats! Thank you AOL

  35. 35 Chris Me on Oct 6th, 2009 17:06:50 said:

    Thank you for your dedication to delivering the goods. Great to have you back for another year. We really have to figure out how we can iron out a long term deal or perhaps trade you at the deadline for draft picks or prospects like BD Gallof. ( ;

  36. 36 West Coast Fan on Oct 6th, 2009 17:09:33 said:

    Phenomenal. Congrats, CB.

  37. 37 JD (e_godard) on Oct 6th, 2009 17:09:37 said:

    Very glad to hear this Chris.

  38. 38 Lane on Oct 6th, 2009 17:10:37 said:

    I read this blog multiple times a day but rarely post. I had to post now to congratulate CB and all the Islander fans on a great thing here!

  39. 39 Brian G on Oct 6th, 2009 17:11:17 said:

    Thanks FanHouse…Boo Islanders

    CB - any reason why family fun packs were raised $30 ?…they went from $99 to $129..talk about inflation….they should get rid of the merchandise credit, they will not sell half of what they sold last year

  40. 40 thomaskarl on Oct 6th, 2009 17:11:35 said:

    Congrats CB! Great news.

  41. 41 Frrrunkis on Oct 6th, 2009 17:11:57 said:

    I don’t like this news, Chris…

    I LOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEE ITTTTT!

    Congratulations…we will continue to support your blog and Fanhouse! WooHoo!

  42. 42 Isles Fanatic on Oct 6th, 2009 17:12:25 said:

    outstanding!!!!!!!!!

  43. 43 dose on Oct 6th, 2009 17:12:55 said:

    whoa nellie!
    fanfreakintastic!

  44. 44 Jeff W. on Oct 6th, 2009 17:13:09 said:

    Congratulations! Great news for us and well-deserved for you.

  45. 45 zeike on Oct 6th, 2009 17:13:39 said:

    Congrats CB - this is great news.

  46. 46 Scott, East Meadow Long Island on Oct 6th, 2009 17:14:06 said:

    Great news! Congrats!!

  47. 47 Jack on Oct 6th, 2009 17:14:47 said:

    thank you AOL. this season is going to be AOK

  48. 48 Isles Fan in Ulster County on Oct 6th, 2009 17:15:15 said:

    Glad to see PB will continue. Glad to see that SI.com picks up your pieces sometimes. I never go to SI.com for hockey because the last time I went their Islander page (last season) still have pictures of players from 2 seasons prior. If you can’t update, then I have no use for your website.

  49. 49 KO21 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:15:17 said:

    Thats just wonderful news…Too bad the Isles don’t see the value in Poinblank…Seems to me like a no brainer but maybe they just didn’t like that Botta was so thorough and truthfully critical, which scared them…They need to control their PR, I guess…

  50. 50 big dog on Oct 6th, 2009 17:16:32 said:

    Thanks to AOL!!!

    CB I look forward to reading your stuff throughout the year. Im now a big fan of aol..

    Isles please step up to the plate next year and sign CB.

  51. 51 pattyb94 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:16:39 said:

    this just made my day

  52. 52 Will C. on Oct 6th, 2009 17:17:19 said:

    SWEET.

  53. 53 jt on Oct 6th, 2009 17:17:26 said:

    CB, Congrats! And thanks to AOL as well. This is great news. Best of luck.

  54. 54 Jeff on Oct 6th, 2009 17:17:55 said:

    YES! CONGRATS!!

  55. 55 MattNC on Oct 6th, 2009 17:18:07 said:

    Excellent news!!! CB’s hard work (and the passion of Isles fans and NYIPB visitors) has been rewarded.

    That bit about Katie Strang getting all the info first is bush league, though. It makes the Isles look small and desperate. Maybe Newsday said “no one else covers you with a dedicated beat writer. If you want us to keep a writer on, you need to give us exclusive info.” Result? A novice writer with limited knowledge of hockey or the Isles gets all breaking news, while the no. 1 person to write about the Isles (CB) has to play catch-up and wait on Newsday. Not an ideal situation. However, as Katie is the only Isles beat writer, we need to support her blog more actively.

  56. 56 joe on Oct 6th, 2009 17:19:04 said:

    Grats man

  57. 57 Steve on Oct 6th, 2009 17:19:29 said:

    A rare bit of positive news for us isles fans…

  58. 58 Will C. on Oct 6th, 2009 17:21:21 said:

    I can’t help but also thank the readers here who signed the petition I created. We knew we had something when it got mentioned in the NY Times. Us readers have tremendous pull and clearly the Isles nation pays attention to what happens on CB’s site. Lets keep it going!!

  59. 59 Bob on Oct 6th, 2009 17:23:28 said:

    I guess sometimes there is a rainbow after a thunderstorm. Great news keep up the good work.
    PS you beat Katie with the Rechlitz to BPort

  60. 60 Gutty34 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:24:24 said:

    Thank f’in god. I thought there would come a time when I actually had to work a full day. Not for at least another year baby. Congrats CB. See how things work out for great people if theybjyst keep acting that way. Thanks AOL. Boo Isles. They cut ties with all media outlets. Created this cult website. Were willing to just walk away and leave us hanging. Not so thanks to AOL.

  61. 61 Cary on Oct 6th, 2009 17:24:28 said:

    Woo hoo! Way to go CB and thanks!!!

  62. 62 Froggy on Oct 6th, 2009 17:25:12 said:

    Congrats CB! Great news!

  63. 63 Mike on Oct 6th, 2009 17:25:35 said:

    Thank god I love this site and I visit it at least three times a day WOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

  64. 64 Phil Strum on Oct 6th, 2009 17:26:01 said:

    Outstanding news. Congratulations.

  65. 65 viper on Oct 6th, 2009 17:26:18 said:

    Yes!!! Exciting news! Thanks so much to AOL and Fanhouse, great move!

  66. 66 nystrom23 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:26:49 said:

    Awesome newssss…this just made my day…congrats CB!

  67. 67 DavidNYC on Oct 6th, 2009 17:28:04 said:

    Woohoo! I was saying to myself today that this season was not going to be the same without PB. Job well done, thanks CB and thanks Fanhouse!

  68. 68 Blizzard on Oct 6th, 2009 17:28:17 said:

    ….a mentor once told me….” The cream always rises to the top ” I held true to that belief and it has served me well in my professional life. What we have here is more evidence. Congradulations to you CB, and all of those who frequent and appreciate this blog.

  69. 69 BC on Oct 6th, 2009 17:29:28 said:

    Thank god for some good news! I am a Packers fan so after last night I needed this

  70. 70 mw147 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:29:57 said:

    Great news! Made my day.

  71. 71 JT on Oct 6th, 2009 17:30:26 said:

    Thanks to Chris for his dedication and perseverence, and to AOL Fanhouse for its generosity.WOO HOO!

  72. 72 hextall72 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:30:59 said:

    Lead us the way chris, we’ll follow..

  73. 73 TwistedWrister on Oct 6th, 2009 17:31:13 said:

    CONGRATULATIONS CB! Huge thanks to AOL and the Fanhouse for keeping this alive, and a big ty to CB for working hard on this blog. I’m sure more appealing options came along, and we all appreciate the work you do here!

    Best of luck this season!

  74. 74 OlTimeHockey on Oct 6th, 2009 17:32:42 said:

    CB, this is great news. You’re my #1 source for all things NYI!!!

  75. 75 Vukota76 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:34:28 said:

    There is a GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great news Chris. I look forward to reading your work throughout the season. GO ISLES

  76. 76 Brett on Oct 6th, 2009 17:35:00 said:

    Thanks for all you do CB. You are a great writer, and I wish you the best of luck in the future!

  77. 77 Leo on Oct 6th, 2009 17:37:27 said:

    ::collective sigh of relief from isles fan base::

    with all the turbulence surrounding the team its good to hear PB will be around

  78. 78 IslesFanInBkNY on Oct 6th, 2009 17:41:32 said:

    Thank you FanHouse! Thank you CB for staying!

  79. 79 matt on Oct 6th, 2009 17:42:34 said:

    glad to see this is staying…thanks for the work youve done so far and i am looking forward to next years work

  80. 80 Staten Islander on Oct 6th, 2009 17:43:34 said:

    this is the best news i’ve had in a long time, congrats cb, very well deserved

  81. 81 Jethro09 on Oct 6th, 2009 17:44:09 said:

    Excellent news. Best place for Isles info on the net. Contrats, CB!

  82. 82 CMB on Oct 6th, 2009 17:45:28 said:

    Woohoo! This is wonderful news.

  83. 83 Wald on Oct 6th, 2009 17:48:02 said:

    Awesome. Just made my day!!! Thanks for everything CB!

  84. 84 Pat on Oct 6th, 2009 17:49:21 said:

    Awesome, Great news. Thanks AOL and Fanhouse.

  85. 85 Willis on Oct 6th, 2009 17:49:57 said:

    That’s GREAT! Congrats and thanks for all of your hard work CB….and blood, sweat and tears. And congrats to us Islander fans too, this is a great site and the comments can be a real hoot sometimes - and they still can now!

  86. 86 Paul in ABQ on Oct 6th, 2009 17:50:06 said:

    SWEEEEETT!!! Congrat Chris! Thanks for everything. Thanks AOL!

  87. 87 DP on Oct 6th, 2009 17:53:41 said:

    Fantastic news! Thank you Chris for plugging away at this venture. I will continue to read you here and at Fanhouse, although its much easier to add comments here. Thanks again for all your hard work! PS: you blow away the Newsday coverage (doesn’t matter if they get the news first–the stories there read like the AP newswire (the words staid and boring come to mind) writing with passion about ones subject cannot be faked, IMO that is.

  88. 88 Mike on Oct 6th, 2009 17:54:23 said:

    THANK YOU AOL!!!!!!!

  89. 89 Jerky on Oct 6th, 2009 17:55:58 said:

    Congrats CB!

  90. 90 HilbertSnipe on Oct 6th, 2009 17:56:16 said:

    Jesus I haven’t thanked AOL since 4.0… haha Thanks AOL and Time Warner. & a big thanks to you CB for never giving up on it and us!

  91. 91 Vlad from Brooklyn on Oct 6th, 2009 17:57:23 said:

    The only difference between you, Chris, and NewsDay is: they only give us dry facts with no opinions or insights. That is why this is the best news we (fans and readers) can get! I thank YOU for not giving up on our addiction. And as for AOL - smart business decision to attract more readers. Numbers don’t lie.

  92. 92 beatlebailey on Oct 6th, 2009 17:57:51 said:

    My only source for the real story on the isles lives on! Congrata cb! This is even better than if the isles sponsored you. Zero conflict of interest now or even the perception of it by those who don’t read you daily like we do. Awesome news.

  93. 93 Lee on Oct 6th, 2009 17:58:37 said:

    best thing AOL has ever done for me

    great news!

  94. 94 StevieL on Oct 6th, 2009 18:00:41 said:

    OMG!! Great News!! Congrats CB!! I am an Islander fan , I don’t even know how to celebrate good news!!Look forward to the live chats!!

  95. 95 Warren on Oct 6th, 2009 18:01:04 said:

    POINT BLANK AND CHRIS BOTTA

    SCORESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

    AND OF COURSE NEW YORK ISLANDERS
    SCORE ALSO. KEEP IT CLEAN FANS.

  96. 96 Alex G on Oct 6th, 2009 18:08:58 said:

    Congrats CB!

  97. 97 rob76 on Oct 6th, 2009 18:10:05 said:

    congrats - well deserved

  98. 98 Bossy22 on Oct 6th, 2009 18:13:34 said:

    Great news CB…congrats. Now lets get this Lighthouse approved

  99. 99 Concerned Citizen on Oct 6th, 2009 18:14:08 said:

    Great!

  100. 100 Kevin Fitz on Oct 6th, 2009 18:17:03 said:

    Awesome news!!

  101. 101 Shoogah on Oct 6th, 2009 18:17:29 said:

    Wow! Fantastic news! I love you, IPB!

  102. 102 dmen77 on Oct 6th, 2009 18:18:51 said:

    Excellent news CB!

    Congratulations and I’m glad you are being rewarded for the tremendous work you do.

    As always, a big THANK YOU!!!

  103. 103 Isle Be Damned on Oct 6th, 2009 18:21:08 said:

    great news. Thanks AOL

  104. 104 Islander505 on Oct 6th, 2009 18:21:38 said:

    Well done Chris Botta. The overall relationship established through all of this (IPB, Fanhouse, SI) can only be good for the Islanders and Islander fans everywhere.

    BTW….in other news….anyone else notice that MAB signed a one year contract with Les Habitants today?

    How bad are things in Montreal?

  105. 105 Ethan K on Oct 6th, 2009 18:23:44 said:

    I’m so so so happy to hear this. This is the best news in the world. Congratulations Chris, you did it. I’ll remain a daily, loyal reader and supporter forever.

  106. 106 JonnyBoston on Oct 6th, 2009 18:24:03 said:

    Great news - congrats and good luck.

  107. 107 O. Bender on Oct 6th, 2009 18:25:51 said:

    Congratulations Chris! Thank you for finding time and desire to provide us with this unparalleled Isles coverage. Thanks to AOL, Fanhouse, and the executive/PB reader for recognizing the talent and dedication. When is the next PB outing? We need to celebrate.

  108. 108 Frank nyc on Oct 6th, 2009 18:27:23 said:

    YESSSSSS! Thank you AOL! i cant be without my PB. That would
    have sucked!

  109. 109 Mike from Philly on Oct 6th, 2009 18:28:32 said:

    Wonderful news Chris. Best of luck!

  110. 110 Matt on Oct 6th, 2009 18:34:09 said:

    great news Chris! this blog is so great for all of us and I look foward to reading it for a long time! keep up the good work and congrats!

  111. 111 Joe in Massapeqa on Oct 6th, 2009 18:35:16 said:

    nah na nah na NAH NAH NAH nah… HEY!!!

  112. 112 Metalcoconut on Oct 6th, 2009 18:36:25 said:

    Thanks to AOL and thanks Chris for doing the job that no one else can do. No offense to Katie Strang but I hope that Newsday can see it in their hearts to give the Isles a little more coverage being that the Islanders are on Long Island and Newsday is a Long Island paper…not to be confused with the Rangers who are in the city and have several papers of their own. That is just a hint that I’m sure has been made many times. I hope the Dolans read IPB for that matter.

  113. 113 Pure Slaughter Value on Oct 6th, 2009 18:38:59 said:

    Good for you and well deserved!

  114. 114 J on Oct 6th, 2009 18:41:42 said:

    Congrats!

  115. 115 CM on Oct 6th, 2009 18:43:10 said:

    Great news!! Win-win-win.

  116. 116 Dominic on Oct 6th, 2009 18:45:42 said:

    no one better to cover the Ice and the Isles than you CB!

  117. 117 Isles fan Ken on Oct 6th, 2009 18:50:57 said:

    Yes! Great news CB, well deserved. Thanks AOL/Fanhouse for making it possible! That Newsday first-dibs thing sounds a little bush league, but whatever, now is a time to celebrate, another year of PB! Hey AOL/Fanhouse, can you also help us with this little Lighthouse issue?

  118. 118 The Beautiful Bow-Tie on Oct 6th, 2009 19:02:12 said:

    Congrats Buddy!

  119. 119 GZ on Oct 6th, 2009 19:09:27 said:

    Waaahooooo!!

  120. 120 Brett on Oct 6th, 2009 19:15:00 said:

    Great news! I will be more than happy with one story a day. Ridiculous that the Isles will give all their stories to Newsday first.

  121. 121 Chris A on Oct 6th, 2009 19:18:33 said:

    Great news CB congrats

  122. 122 Devon on Oct 6th, 2009 19:22:18 said:

    CB, this is some of the best news I’ve heard all day. I’m currently missing classes because I have the flu, but this news has me feeling great. You deserve it, bro.

  123. 123 Matt33 on Oct 6th, 2009 19:26:03 said:

    Awesome! Big thanks to AOL. Congrats CB!

  124. 124 Thomas on Oct 6th, 2009 19:30:36 said:

    Congratulations…well earned..I want to meet you at a game this year!

  125. 125 EdTurner on Oct 6th, 2009 19:31:06 said:

    This is HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!

  126. 126 Sarge on Oct 6th, 2009 19:34:31 said:

    Awesome news!

    Let’s start a rock and roll part 2 chant now to celebrate!

  127. 127 avolp55turgeonfichaud on Oct 6th, 2009 19:34:50 said:

    YES!!!!!!

    This just made my year. Congrats CB, and thank you to AOL! My support is yours.

    Now… Let’s Go Islanders!

  128. 128 TimQ on Oct 6th, 2009 19:41:34 said:

    Great News!

    Time to play the goal song to celebrate.

    Wait - We don’t have one …

  129. 129 Alex on Oct 6th, 2009 19:45:30 said:

    Welcome! We’ve got PB! Probably the best thing AOL has done in 10 years. At least not everybody felt the way the Isles did about this blog.

  130. 130 Chris TMC on Oct 6th, 2009 19:45:52 said:

    This is great news, Im really happy for you- and for us! Now if only I didnt have such a tough time logging in over at Fanhouse (it keeps wanting me to use my work email that I no longer have access to and I dont know how to change it!) I even have an aol email, youd think Id have an easier time lol.

  131. 131 a REAL hockey fan on Oct 6th, 2009 20:02:26 said:

    ..GREAT NEWS CHRIS!!!!

    Thanks to AOl and continued success and happiness to all and a BIG THANK U for this great site!!! Keep up the great work!

    A++++++

  132. 132 Rachel G on Oct 6th, 2009 20:07:06 said:

    Great news!! Thanks Chris, and thank you AOL. Lets Go Islanders and Kristin McElroy.

  133. 133 Numbers65 in Ohio on Oct 6th, 2009 20:14:33 said:

    WOW! YES! This is GREAT news!!! It’s gonna be a great season!!! Your awesome work has been deservingly rewarded. What a relief. Not only are you doing great work there (and here), but you have also brought them even more participating viewers CONGRATS!
    GOD BLESS!

  134. 134 ExtraButterRVC on Oct 6th, 2009 20:17:30 said:

    This might be worth actually getting my old AOL screen name back up again!
    Congrats!!

  135. 135 Daniel on Oct 6th, 2009 20:22:51 said:

    Wow this is great news! Congratulations Chris! Thank you to AOL and the reader who got you the connection. I look forward to your work all season long here at point blank and also on fanhouse.

  136. 136 Brian from Massapequa on Oct 6th, 2009 20:36:45 said:

    Thank You CB

    Thank you NHL Fanhouse

    I’m a happy camper!

  137. 137 Jeff Kuntz on Oct 6th, 2009 20:41:28 said:

    AOL would not have done this without evaluating the one month (or so) of value that Chris Botta brought to Fanhouse.

    There may have been a lucky break with the initial contacts with Fanhouse, but beyond that and especially this strengthening of the partnership is clearly an indication that AOL sees a high level of value in IslandersPointBlank.com, and CB.

    AOL: 1
    NYI: 0
    (Newsday: -4)

  138. 138 Ben H on Oct 6th, 2009 20:41:44 said:

    This is the best thing I’ve heard since Garth Snow announced “with the first overall pick, the Islanders select … John Tavares!”

    If only you could have televised the response of all your faithful followers at the time they read your post, it would have been much like the Colisseum on draft day!

    Good for you Chris, and much better for us.

  139. 139 Strummer's Army on Oct 6th, 2009 20:47:13 said:

    Wonderful news! I told you you found what you were meant to be doing in life.

  140. 140 Sally Williams on Oct 6th, 2009 20:56:38 said:

    Now that doesn’t suck!!!!!!
    Congrats CB!!!
    WOOHOO!!!

  141. 141 Doug on Oct 6th, 2009 21:00:46 said:

    The best Islanders blogger ever is back for another season! Amen to that!

  142. 142 campion101 on Oct 6th, 2009 21:02:01 said:

    Congrats CB! Our thanks to Fanhouse & to you for your hard work.

  143. 143 Ethan K on Oct 6th, 2009 21:06:32 said:

    Also I wanted to add that a live chat would be a great idea! I’d certainly join in.

  144. 144 doc on Oct 6th, 2009 21:10:53 said:

    Great news…!

    I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t check for IPB updates at least 10 times a day.

    DOC

  145. 145 Brian B on Oct 6th, 2009 21:12:44 said:

    Welcome…you’ve got point blank…thanks AOL.

    And congrats CB…this blog is awesome. Very happy

  146. 146 therain93 -- terriers fan on Oct 6th, 2009 21:12:52 said:

    Congratulations CB! Cheers for another year of IPB! When it comes to renewal next year, tell them to run a “Source of Traffic” report from Nielsen or ComScore, just so they can apreciate how much traffic fanhouse gets from IPB!

    It’s also noble to plug Katie at newsday, but for some of us, it’s a matter of principle to refrain from using newsday. I don’t mind if she breaks news first, you give better insight and ask better questions anyway! ( ‘ :

    Congrats and best of luck.

  147. 147 beatlebailey on Oct 6th, 2009 21:13:26 said:

    typical islanders to suck up to newsday, that rangers rag, instead of giving the scoop to you..especially now that you have no $$ ties to the isles…for every good thing the isles do they do TWO stupid things..

  148. 148 cusi on Oct 6th, 2009 21:17:06 said:

    What a great story. One of the faithful readers helps CB, the petition from willc, the hits from all of us, some of us since the start, and the overall growth of your following it has been fun to witness. Thank you AOL for taking a gamble on CB and all of CB….plus a smart biz move. I go to Fanhouse every day now.
    Now for the Isles off the ice - sad. No sponsor of CB was one thing, but giving Newsday info first, handing out signs made by fans to those only near cameras, no radio, etc….WTF!!! Just bad moves by Wang to control the flow of information via CB’s replacement his own son in law.
    But I love our team and can not wait to see them grow one more year. The same goes for Point Blank.

  149. 149 cgs878 on Oct 6th, 2009 21:17:23 said:

    This is AWE-SOOME!

  150. 150 Eyes to Sky on Oct 6th, 2009 21:19:01 said:

    Great News!!!!
    Chris, the more stories and info on the prospects the better!I’ll be following their progress just as much as the Isles this year.

  151. 151 BK from the Shore on Oct 6th, 2009 21:24:44 said:

    just changed AOL back to my homepage/search engine … Congrats to you CB

  152. 152 mickeyboy7 on Oct 6th, 2009 21:42:10 said:

    OK…now let’s win some games!

  153. 153 303Joe on Oct 6th, 2009 21:51:19 said:

    Great news to have Point Blank around another year. Congrats Chris!

  154. 154 battery jackson on Oct 6th, 2009 21:56:36 said:

    congratulations man, you definitely definitely earned it!

  155. 155 19 ISLE in NJ 22 on Oct 6th, 2009 22:16:41 said:

    Thank You Fan House!! Thank You AOL … and most of all Thank You CB!!! Congrats Chris … and thanks for keeping IPB alive!

  156. 156 Isles6 on Oct 6th, 2009 22:18:31 said:

    Awesome…now when AOL takes the money out of my checking account every month, I can feel like it is going to something worth paying for.

  157. 157 Mike from Oceanside on Oct 6th, 2009 22:23:57 said:

    GREAT FREAKIN’ NEWS!

  158. 158 Dan on Oct 6th, 2009 22:29:50 said:

    Great news Chris- Lets party at the Lighthouse…

  159. 159 19 ISLE in NJ 22 on Oct 6th, 2009 22:33:05 said:

    CB … I gotta shamefully admit … I never heard of Fanhouse until you started writing for it… I now find myself going there every day … Now I have a reason to really keep it up.

    I may have to dust off my old AOL screen name… if I can remember the password… LOL!

  160. 160 Andrew T on Oct 6th, 2009 22:38:22 said:

    This is great news CB. Congratulations! Here’s to the second season (hopefully with many more to follow) of checking Point Blank for my daily dose of Islanders news/interviews/etc.

  161. 161 Andre on Oct 6th, 2009 22:52:13 said:

    This is amazing news! Congrats CB! Look forward to reading all of your work.

  162. 162 Tim F. on Oct 6th, 2009 22:52:57 said:

    Great news! Thanks to AOL for keeping PB alive. I will be a regular at Fanhouse.

    Now for the Islanders “official policy” of giving team news to Newsday first: Isn’t Newsday owned by Cablevision? Doesn’t Cablevision own the Rangers? I know, I’m a broken record . . .

  163. 163 Merrick on Oct 6th, 2009 22:53:11 said:

    Congrats and peace be with you and your family.

  164. 164 Barbara on Oct 6th, 2009 23:02:25 said:

    Wooo Wooo Woo score one for Real Islander Fans! Yeah Chris!

  165. 165 Travelchic59 on Oct 6th, 2009 23:19:37 said:

    WOO HOO!!! You made my night!! Congrats, CB. You keep writing and I’ll keep reading.

  166. 166 Scoundrel on Oct 6th, 2009 23:23:55 said:

    Great news, Chris — congratulations!

  167. 167 Jen on Oct 6th, 2009 23:45:10 said:

    EXCELLENT!! Congrats CB! Thank you AOL Fanhouse! This is the best news for Isles fans! PB is the first place I check everyday for Isle’s news / stories. Thanks for keeping this going and working so hard CB! Wooooohooooo!

  168. 168 BillyBC on Oct 7th, 2009 00:19:53 said:

    Good stuff, congrats CB!

    Thanks for all the work and effort you put into the site. Glad to see those kinds of things get rewarded. And thank you to AOL, I am now a fan!

  169. 169 JPinVA on Oct 7th, 2009 01:25:53 said:

    Congrats! I’m already looking forward to the “True Value” series. :-)

  170. 170 german islesfan on Oct 7th, 2009 01:41:48 said:

    Congrats Chris! and thanks to AOL.

  171. 171 Swan on Oct 7th, 2009 02:09:44 said:

    Great news, Chris. Congratulations on the new arrangement.

  172. 172 MattyB on Oct 7th, 2009 02:50:55 said:

    Congrats CB….Meet me at the Lighthouse!

  173. 173 the1gwiz on Oct 7th, 2009 02:56:11 said:

    CB, I have a feeling most of us are feeling more grateful to AOL that we can keep reading and participating here than we are happy for you right now. And I guess that’s as good a compliment as we can give you and the site you’ve created.

    Thanks AOL! (First time I’ve ever said that without sarcasm.) Looking forward to more Point Blank for as long as we can get it.

  174. 174 Ed J on Oct 7th, 2009 03:02:50 said:

    Congrats!!!! and ty AOL :)

  175. 175 TM on Oct 7th, 2009 03:43:35 said:

    Thank You AOL and Fanhouse. I prefer this non Isles sponsored version the last month as there isn’t as much Kool Aid and it’s more honest in criticism of NYI. Bad job by Dey and Wang to control/limit the flow of information here and terrible job with the radio situation.

  176. 176 UIF on Oct 7th, 2009 05:29:09 said:

    Great news. I always check out CB’s links to the Fanhouse articles, but now I’ll be sure to comment more frequently as well to support this arrangement. A big thanks goes to AOL from all Isles fans.

  177. 177 Bob Bassen on Oct 7th, 2009 07:17:13 said:

    Wonderful news! This is still the best Islander related site until it isn’t.
    Thanks so much CB and Thank You AOL and Fanhouse!
    Your writing style and attitude is refreshing and unique…keep up the good work and Congratulations!
    Go Isles!

  178. 178 Bri On LI on Oct 7th, 2009 07:39:00 said:

    Thank you CB, and thank you Fanhouse!

  179. 179 Pnut on Oct 7th, 2009 07:48:10 said:

    @91(Vlad) exactly!
    Dry opinions or opinions that are obviously biased are not good(not from Katie Strang but a few others at Newsday with their less than level reports of the meetings and wangs deadline)
    Chris thank you for continuing to write this blog and thank you AOL!

  180. 180 ziggs16 on Oct 7th, 2009 08:25:23 said:

    Thank you AOL! Love it!!!! Congrats CB!

  181. 181 gary on Oct 7th, 2009 08:28:22 said:

    Thanks for the Isles Files link. Since Newsday changed their internet format it’s real user Unfriendly from a Blackberry

  182. 182 Tony F. on Oct 7th, 2009 08:34:20 said:

    Yipee!, Thanks AOL and congratulations Mr. Botta. Shame on you Islanders front office.

  183. 183 Julie on Oct 7th, 2009 08:42:58 said:

    This is great great news!!

  184. 184 Dan from Westchester on Oct 7th, 2009 08:52:34 said:

    Awesome news. . great way to start the day!

  185. 185 Isles81 on Oct 7th, 2009 08:59:10 said:

    Great news Chris. AOL see’s the value of the site! I look forward to continuing to use this as my main site for Isles news.

  186. 186 John on Oct 7th, 2009 09:06:18 said:

    It doesn’t matter who gets the news first because you give it to us the best! Congratulations and a big Thank You to AOL. You’ve got IPB!

  187. 187 Rob on Oct 7th, 2009 09:08:36 said:

    Very happy for you, Chris. I still say that the Isles dropped the ball on this, but thankfully AOL recovered the fumble.

    Thanks to Chris, AOL and the exec that bridged the gap between them!

  188. 188 billy on Oct 7th, 2009 09:20:55 said:

    Thanks to AOL! even if the blog doesnt have 4 posts a day this year it will still keep us informed.

    as an early xmas gift my gf is getting me the centre ice package

    the good news keeps on rolling in!!!

  189. 189 Original Rob on Oct 7th, 2009 09:22:25 said:

    Aiiiiite

  190. 190 Jon Mac on Oct 7th, 2009 09:28:23 said:

    This is awesome news. Thank you AOL and Fanhouse for your support of Point Blank. Chris: I can assure you I will click on your fanhouse articles as much as possible and even click some ads to support their sponsors. Congrats on the great news!

  191. 191 Billy O on Oct 7th, 2009 09:38:32 said:

    To AOL, Fanhouse and CB:

    “THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
    You just made my week!!!!

  192. 192 JP39 on Oct 7th, 2009 09:54:34 said:

    This is GREAT NEWS!!!!

    Congrats, CB! A BIG “Thank You” to you for all of your dedication and hard work, and to you and AOL for making this happen!!!

    LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!!!!

  193. 193 Tom on Oct 7th, 2009 09:56:51 said:

    Great news Chris. I’m happy for me, but I’m REALLY happy for you. Getting caught in the Islanders latest salary-dumping debacle must have been hard to take & pretty scary. I’m personally happy for you that you landed on your feet! Keep up the great work!

  194. 194 mapisles2025 on Oct 7th, 2009 10:07:04 said:

    Up next: AOL donates to Kate Murray’s campaign. LHP Approved.

  195. 195 Joey303 on Oct 7th, 2009 10:22:38 said:

    SUPER!!! AOL rocks!!

  196. 196 whalersconvertedtoisles on Oct 7th, 2009 10:23:43 said:

    congrats chris. i look forward to following another season with you, you do an awesome job.

  197. 197 jimfromstjames on Oct 7th, 2009 10:25:48 said:

    NICE…

  198. 198 Phil on Oct 7th, 2009 10:31:28 said:

    Excellent CB! Thanks for the outstanding work you do. I’ll look forward to checking Point Blank and Fanhouse daily. Congrats!!!

  199. 199 318J1 on Oct 7th, 2009 10:34:22 said:

    ats gr8 news cb thanx 4all yur hard work!

  200. 200 Marc N. on Oct 7th, 2009 10:34:44 said:

    Nice…
    The breaking news was also secondary anyway.It’s the prospect rankings, opinion pieces and unique perspective from someone who spent so much time on the inside that makes this the best blog around.

  201. 201 Ed from Philly on Oct 7th, 2009 10:48:45 said:

    This is great news CB. Congrats and I’m really looking forward to reading your work both here and at Fanhouse for the remainder of the year.

  202. 202 Spud 31 on Oct 7th, 2009 10:56:46 said:

    I’m amped, congrats CB!!!!

  203. 203 Chris s on Oct 7th, 2009 11:51:01 said:

    Awesome CB, great news for all of us.

  204. 204 Gabe on Oct 7th, 2009 13:07:03 said:

    Congrats CB!!! Psyched that PB continues!!!

  205. 205 Yippy Yappy Uwe on Oct 7th, 2009 15:42:31 said:

    Woohoo! I may just have to visit other Fanhouse stories to show my support.

  206. 206 Danielle on Oct 7th, 2009 16:44:35 said:

    This is great news, and a really smart move by AOL. They can only benefit by all the PB traffic that you’re now bringing into Fanhouse. It’s a win-win.

    Also, to quote #200
    “The breaking news was also secondary anyway.It’s the prospect rankings, opinion pieces and unique perspective from someone who spent so much time on the inside that makes this the best blog around.”

    100% true. The straight up facts I read from newsday or Katie’s twitter honestly do nothing for me. It’s not katie’s fault, that’s the job she was hired to do. But the fact remains that this is the ultimate source for the best news, even if it’s not the first news.

  207. 207 Kevin M. on Oct 7th, 2009 18:02:42 said:

    Glad to hear it, CB. Hockey season on the Island wouldn’t be the same without your hard work here on Point Blank.

  208. 208 Adam B on Oct 7th, 2009 19:02:36 said:

    I know the trickle-down effect is not lost on a witty mind like your own: Your coverage and “in the corners” mentality with Point Blank took a laughable franchise (albeit my beloved) and made them relevant. Flash forward to Fanhouse on AOL, and you’re taking a “supposed” number four ranked sport and invigorating new life and perspective into it.

    I’m so happy that an educated, skillful, hard-working man still has a place in this world.

  209. 209 Isles fan in CA on Oct 7th, 2009 20:33:19 said:

    Thanks AOL! Recently, I was seriously debating closing my AOL account. Though, I will definitely at least hold onto it another year just because they backed your blog. Stoked!!

  210. 210 Ryan T. on Oct 7th, 2009 22:09:40 said:

    Congrats, CB! Looking forward toward to it.

  211. 211 Islebethere4u on Oct 8th, 2009 02:03:51 said:

    Thank you AOL for keeping the best blog ever, around for another year!!!! Congrats CB, we’re all looking forward to it!

  212. 212 Potvin5 on Oct 8th, 2009 08:34:18 said:

    This is incredible!! It’s nice to know that someone can still bring passion to their job and get rewarded for it. Congrats Chris! Thanks to NHL Fanhouse for recognizing a good thing when they see it!

  213. 213 bryan c on Oct 8th, 2009 10:44:00 said:

    Thank goodness, congrats CB!

  214. 214 kingbet123 on Oct 8th, 2009 10:50:47 said:

    Super news, CB. Point Blank is a great source of news and info for Isles fans.

  215. 215 Dennis on Oct 9th, 2009 22:03:18 said:

    Awesome news…how to thank aol?

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