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

by admin on October 6th, 2009 at 4:41 pm

 

Point Blank on Twitter
Botta on Fanhouse

 

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.

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

  1. avatar Isle_in_LA says:

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

  2. avatar Marc says:

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

    Any chance that FANHOUSE can approve the Lighthouse project?

  3. avatar bergie20 says:

    thanks aol!!

  4. avatar eric says:

    excellent.

  5. avatar The Rivalry says:

    Wow, that’s great CB! Congratulations!

  6. avatar Rich says:

    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.

  7. avatar The New Isles GM says:

    Congrats CB. You Deserve The Recognition.

  8. avatar kevin27NYI says:

    YES!!! nice!

  9. avatar hockeytime says:

    congrats CB!! This is great news!

  10. avatar mtrico says:

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

  11. avatar Josh B says:

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

  12. avatar Crackhead Theo says:

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

  13. avatar Patrick says:

    AOL FTW!

  14. avatar Islesin2010 says:

    YESSSSSSSS awesome news Chris. Thank you American Online

  15. avatar Klynch says:

    So glad to hear it…..

  16. avatar isles14 says:

    great!!!!

  17. avatar pointblank rocks says:

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

  18. avatar DocDuke says:

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

  19. avatar Joe in Massapequa says:

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

  20. avatar BillyIsle says:

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

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

  21. avatar Bobby says:

    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.

  22. avatar JKP on LI says:

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

  23. avatar Brother Rat says:

    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.

  24. avatar Rob says:

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

  25. avatar Lorne Myers says:

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

  26. avatar teddyfusi says:

    thats what im talking about aol hell yeah

  27. avatar Jamerson says:

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

  28. avatar TuxTax says:

    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?

  29. avatar MT says:

    Great news CB! Thank you AOL and Fanhouse!

  30. avatar potvin rocks says:

    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.

  31. avatar lefty says:

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

  32. avatar IslesFanInTN says:

    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

  33. avatar Paul in the 'Cuse says:

    Yippeeeee! Great News CB Congrats! Thank you AOL

  34. avatar Chris Me says:

    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. ( ;

  35. avatar West Coast Fan says:

    Phenomenal. Congrats, CB.

  36. avatar JD (e_godard) says:

    Very glad to hear this Chris.

  37. avatar Lane says:

    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!

  38. avatar Brian G says:

    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

  39. avatar thomaskarl says:

    Congrats CB! Great news.

  40. avatar Frrrunkis says:

    I don’t like this news, Chris…

    I LOOOOOOOOVVVVEEEE ITTTTT!

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

  41. avatar Isles Fanatic says:

    outstanding!!!!!!!!!

  42. avatar dose says:

    whoa nellie!
    fanfreakintastic!

  43. avatar Jeff W. says:

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

  44. avatar zeike says:

    Congrats CB – this is great news.

  45. avatar Scott, East Meadow Long Island says:

    Great news! Congrats!!

  46. avatar Jack says:

    thank you AOL. this season is going to be AOK

  47. 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.

  48. avatar KO21 says:

    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…

  49. avatar big dog says:

    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.

  50. avatar pattyb94 says:

    this just made my day

  51. avatar jt says:

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

  52. avatar Jeff says:

    YES! CONGRATS!!

  53. avatar MattNC says:

    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.

  54. avatar joe says:

    Grats man

  55. avatar Steve says:

    A rare bit of positive news for us isles fans…

  56. avatar Will C. says:

    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!!

  57. avatar Bob says:

    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

  58. avatar Gutty34 says:

    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.

  59. avatar Cary says:

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

  60. avatar Froggy says:

    Congrats CB! Great news!

  61. avatar Mike says:

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

  62. avatar Phil Strum says:

    Outstanding news. Congratulations.

  63. avatar viper says:

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

  64. avatar nystrom23 says:

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

  65. avatar DavidNYC says:

    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!

  66. avatar Blizzard says:

    ….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.

  67. avatar BC says:

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

  68. avatar mw147 says:

    Great news! Made my day.

  69. avatar JT says:

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

  70. avatar hextall72 says:

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

  71. avatar TwistedWrister says:

    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!

  72. avatar OlTimeHockey says:

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

  73. avatar Vukota76 says:

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

  74. avatar Brett says:

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

  75. avatar Leo says:

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

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

  76. Thank you FanHouse! Thank you CB for staying!

  77. avatar matt says:

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

  78. avatar Staten Islander says:

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

  79. avatar Jethro09 says:

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

  80. avatar CMB says:

    Woohoo! This is wonderful news.

  81. avatar Wald says:

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

  82. avatar Pat says:

    Awesome, Great news. Thanks AOL and Fanhouse.

  83. avatar Willis says:

    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!

  84. avatar Paul in ABQ says:

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

  85. avatar DP says:

    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.

  86. avatar Mike says:

    THANK YOU AOL!!!!!!!

  87. avatar Jerky says:

    Congrats CB!

  88. avatar HilbertSnipe says:

    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!

  89. avatar Vlad from Brooklyn says:

    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.

  90. avatar beatlebailey says:

    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.

  91. avatar Lee says:

    best thing AOL has ever done for me

    great news!

  92. avatar StevieL says:

    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!!

  93. avatar Warren says:

    POINT BLANK AND CHRIS BOTTA

    SCORESSSSSSSSSSSSS!

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

  94. avatar Alex G says:

    Congrats CB!

  95. avatar rob76 says:

    congrats – well deserved

  96. avatar Bossy22 says:

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

  97. avatar Concerned Citizen says:

    Great!

  98. avatar Kevin Fitz says:

    Awesome news!!

  99. avatar Shoogah says:

    Wow! Fantastic news! I love you, IPB!

  100. avatar dmen77 says:

    Excellent news CB!

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

    As always, a big THANK YOU!!!

  101. avatar Isle Be Damned says:

    great news. Thanks AOL

  102. avatar Islander505 says:

    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?

  103. avatar Ethan K says:

    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.

  104. avatar JonnyBoston says:

    Great news – congrats and good luck.

  105. avatar O. Bender says:

    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.

  106. avatar Frank nyc says:

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

  107. avatar Mike from Philly says:

    Wonderful news Chris. Best of luck!

  108. avatar Matt says:

    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!

  109. avatar Joe in Massapeqa says:

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

  110. avatar Metalcoconut says:

    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.

  111. avatar Pure Slaughter Value says:

    Good for you and well deserved!

  112. avatar CM says:

    Great news!! Win-win-win.

  113. avatar Dominic says:

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

  114. avatar Isles fan Ken says:

    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?

  115. avatar The Beautiful Bow-Tie says:

    Congrats Buddy!

  116. avatar GZ says:

    Waaahooooo!!

  117. avatar Brett says:

    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.

  118. avatar Chris A says:

    Great news CB congrats

  119. avatar Devon says:

    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.

  120. avatar Matt33 says:

    Awesome! Big thanks to AOL. Congrats CB!

  121. avatar Thomas says:

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

  122. avatar EdTurner says:

    This is HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE!

  123. avatar Sarge says:

    Awesome news!

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

  124. avatar avolp55turgeonfichaud says:

    YES!!!!!!

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

    Now… Let’s Go Islanders!

  125. avatar TimQ says:

    Great News!

    Time to play the goal song to celebrate.

    Wait – We don’t have one …

  126. avatar Alex says:

    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.

  127. avatar Chris TMC says:

    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.

  128. avatar a REAL hockey fan says:

    ..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++++++

  129. avatar Rachel G says:

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

  130. avatar Numbers65 in Ohio says:

    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!

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

  132. avatar Daniel says:

    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.

  133. Thank You CB

    Thank you NHL Fanhouse

    I’m a happy camper!

  134. avatar Jeff Kuntz says:

    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)

  135. avatar Ben H says:

    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.

  136. avatar Strummer's Army says:

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

  137. avatar Sally Williams says:

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

  138. avatar Doug says:

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

  139. avatar campion101 says:

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

  140. avatar Ethan K says:

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

  141. avatar doc says:

    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

  142. avatar Brian B says:

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

    And congrats CB…this blog is awesome. Very happy

  143. avatar therain93 -- terriers fan says:

    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.

  144. avatar beatlebailey says:

    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..

  145. avatar cusi says:

    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.

  146. avatar cgs878 says:

    This is AWE-SOOME!

  147. avatar Eyes to Sky says:

    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.

  148. avatar BK from the Shore says:

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

  149. avatar mickeyboy7 says:

    OK…now let’s win some games!

  150. avatar 303Joe says:

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

  151. congratulations man, you definitely definitely earned it!

  152. avatar 19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:

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

  153. avatar Isles6 says:

    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.

  154. avatar Mike from Oceanside says:

    GREAT FREAKIN’ NEWS!

  155. avatar Dan says:

    Great news Chris- Lets party at the Lighthouse…

  156. avatar 19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:

    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!

  157. avatar Andrew T says:

    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.

  158. avatar Andre says:

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

  159. avatar Tim F. says:

    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 . . .

  160. avatar Merrick says:

    Congrats and peace be with you and your family.

  161. avatar Barbara says:

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

  162. avatar Travelchic59 says:

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

  163. avatar Scoundrel says:

    Great news, Chris — congratulations!

  164. avatar Jen says:

    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!

  165. avatar BillyBC says:

    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!

  166. avatar JPinVA says:

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

  167. avatar german islesfan says:

    Congrats Chris! and thanks to AOL.

  168. avatar Swan says:

    Great news, Chris. Congratulations on the new arrangement.

  169. avatar MattyB says:

    Congrats CB….Meet me at the Lighthouse!

  170. avatar the1gwiz says:

    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.

  171. avatar Ed J says:

    Congrats!!!! and ty AOL :)

  172. avatar TM says:

    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.

  173. avatar UIF says:

    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.

  174. avatar Bob Bassen says:

    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!

  175. avatar Bri On LI says:

    Thank you CB, and thank you Fanhouse!

  176. avatar Pnut says:

    @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!

  177. avatar ziggs16 says:

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

  178. avatar gary says:

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

  179. avatar Tony F. says:

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

  180. avatar Julie says:

    This is great great news!!

  181. avatar Dan from Westchester says:

    Awesome news. . great way to start the day!

  182. avatar Isles81 says:

    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.

  183. avatar John says:

    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!

  184. avatar Rob says:

    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!

  185. avatar billy says:

    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!!!

  186. avatar Original Rob says:

    Aiiiiite

  187. avatar Jon Mac says:

    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!

  188. avatar Billy O says:

    To AOL, Fanhouse and CB:

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

  189. avatar JP39 says:

    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!!!!!

  190. avatar Tom says:

    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!

  191. avatar mapisles2025 says:

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

  192. avatar Joey303 says:

    SUPER!!! AOL rocks!!

  193. avatar whalersconvertedtoisles says:

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

  194. avatar jimfromstjames says:

    NICE…

  195. avatar Phil says:

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

  196. avatar 318J1 says:

    ats gr8 news cb thanx 4all yur hard work!

  197. avatar Marc N. says:

    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.

  198. avatar Ed from Philly says:

    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.

  199. avatar Spud 31 says:

    I’m amped, congrats CB!!!!

  200. avatar Chris s says:

    Awesome CB, great news for all of us.

  201. avatar Gabe says:

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

  202. avatar Yippy Yappy Uwe says:

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

  203. avatar Danielle says:

    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.

  204. avatar Kevin M. says:

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

  205. avatar Adam B says:

    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.

  206. avatar Isles fan in CA says:

    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!!

  207. avatar Ryan T. says:

    Congrats, CB! Looking forward toward to it.

  208. avatar Islebethere4u says:

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

  209. avatar Potvin5 says:

    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!

  210. avatar bryan c says:

    Thank goodness, congrats CB!

  211. avatar kingbet123 says:

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

  212. avatar Dennis says:

    Awesome news…how to thank aol?

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