by Frank Maduri

NFL To Los Angeles Update: More Twists & Turns

The ongoing quest of the NFL relocation process to Los Angeles took a few more twists and turns recently following a set of meetings between the league, the owners, and the parties from three NFL teams interested in gaining a foothold into the nation’s second largest media market.

 

Those meetings took place in the Chicago area and presentations were made by the Chargers, the Raiders, and the Rams regarding potential relocation to Los Angeles and their respective stadium proposals. I have reported on this topic for a few years now and I can attest that the situation is an evolving one, to put it diplomatically.

 

In order to provide some backdrop for readers who are not aware of the relocation scenario with the NFL and Los Angeles it essentially boils down to back room politics within one of the most profitable sports leagues in the world. The Rams, who initially played in L.A. and moved to St. Louis for a sweetheart deal on a new stadium in the mid-1990s, are now positioning themselves for a move back to Southern California. Their owner, Stan Kroenke, has made a huge land purchase in Inglewood on the site of the former Hollywood Park horseracing track (see my earlier article which focuses exclusively on this deal) with the aim to build a world class football stadium on the site.

 

The Chargers and Raiders moved quickly following Kroenke’s land move to secure land for a joint stadium project in Carson, California which has been fast tracked through the government permit and environmental review stages to be a more “shovel ready” project at this point than the Rams proposal. The Chargers have worked with San Diego (though some in San Diego municipal government claim the Chargers never worked in good faith) on a new stadium for 15 years with no progress being made in that time period.

The Raiders have worked with Oakland for a similar time frame (if not longer) to find an acceptable proposal to replace the aging Coliseum but with no success. The Raiders have positioned themselves well in the “race to L.A.” because they do not want their own stadium, they prefer to be a partner or a tenant in whatever stadium bid gets accepted by the NFL.

 

The NFL would prefer to have two teams in the market and not three, so somebody is going to be left out of this equation, and it is looking more likely that it is not going to be the Raiders. In the mainstream media press conference after the Chicago meetings regarding the L.A. relocation, an NFL Vice President was quoted as stating that the Raiders have no viable way of staying in Oakland.

 

Horse Race

 

The horse race to L.A. was viewed prior to the meetings in Chicago by NFL insiders as scenario where the Chargers/Raiders proposal in Carson being the lead proposal for acceptance by the league ownership. The rationale being that both teams are based in California and have worked diligently to remain in their current markets with no progress seen in that regard.

 

The view prior to the meetings was that Kroenke’s move with the Hollywood Park land purchase was too bold and aggressive. It also should be noted that St. Louis has put together a viable option for a new stadium on the waterfront for the Rams to remain in Missouri that has intrigued NFL owners and league executives.

 

However, according to sources in the mainstream sports media, after the meetings in Chicago it appears that the Rams proposal for the stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood has gained significant traction. There is also some movement by San Diego to put together a proposal for a new facility to keep the team from relocating.

It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out between now and the expected official decision on which teams will be in L.A. which is expected in January 2016. The Giants owner, John Mara, stated to the media that he expects a team to be playing in L.A. by 2016 in a temporary venue.

 

Alternate Plans

 

Once the two teams that are approved by the NFL to relocate to Los Angeles are announced, the issue becomes finding a temporary home for the teams while the construction of their long term home is being undertaken. The Rose Bowl has, according to mainstream reports, told the NFL that they are not interested in temporarily hosting a NFL franchise. The LA Coliseum apparently is willing to serve as a temporary venue for a relocated franchise to the city.

 

Then, on Monday, in a strange turn of events, San Antonio has stepped up and announced that they would be willing to host the Raiders temporarily if they get relocated to LA because their lease with Oakland ends at the end of this season. The Carson stadium will not be ready for another two years and the Inglewood stadium could take three years to construct.

 

My first thoughts when I saw this news earlier was that it was strange, but the more I thought about it, it represents a really smart move by San Antonio. The Raiders owner, Mark Davis, has already visited San Antonio and met with officials there as a potential relocation site for the franchise (see my earlier article on the Oakland stadium) though that turned out to be a maneuver to gain leverage so that Oakland would approve funds for a new facility for the team.

 

The scenario in Oakland between the municipal government, county leadership, and the Raiders executives has gone downhill rapidly from bad to worse. The Coliseum is known throughout the league as the worst facility and the appetite in Oakland for spending public funds for a stadium is tepid at best. The NFL beat writer for the Raiders reported to CBS Sports that Mark Davis went to the Oakland officials with a reduced stadium plan purposing an intimate venue with 50,000 seats versus some other NFL stadiums which have close to 70,000 capacity. The smaller facility would have a reduced price tag and environmental impact, the two sides could not come to agreement on that proposal.

 

The Raiders may need a temporary home for a few years until the move to L.A. and it may need to be outside of Oakland with the state of the relationship between both parties. In the hypothetical scenario that the Rams and Raiders are both awarded L.A. relocations by the league, the Rams would most likely play at the LA Coliseum on a temporary basis. It may be difficult to schedule two teams to play at that facility, so that is where San Antonio is making their sales pitch at this point.

 

When you think about it, it makes sense for both sides. The Raiders could gain exposure to a whole new demographic of fans and due to their success earlier in their franchise history they already have a national following, they could add to that fan base by playing in Texas. The NFL let a study gain media attention a couple of weeks ago where there was a survey done of Raiders fans, and the majority said that they would support the team regardless of where they based their operation. It was an obvious placement by the NFL to soften the ground for the LA relocation of the franchise, but it could also play a role for San Antonio to appeal to both the Raiders and the league that they can be a viable temporary home.

 

It makes sense for San Antonio because they would gain tax revenues from the team operations, game days, and an increase in tourism/ hotel stays from the team playing there temporarily for two to three years. The Alamodome would be the site for the games and that facility is undergoing an over $40 million dollar renovation including wider concourses, a new scoreboard, larger locker rooms, and other amenities in preparation for the stadium to host the NCAA basketball Final Four in 2018. The Raiders would be able to play games indoors in an upgraded facility that is far nicer than Oakland Coliseum at this point. The local fans in San Antonio would get NFL football for two to three years right in their city, and the city would be able to show the NFL that they can handle an expansion or other relocated team on a permanent basis down the line.

 

Switching Places

 

On Monday night a report emerged regarding the Chargers – Raiders joint project in Carson. The NFL has reported that if that stadium initiative is accepted by the league, then the teams will no longer remain in the same division, the AFC West in this case, or the same conference. The NFL would realign the teams so that one would most likely join the NFC West.

 

In that scenario, in order to keep the conferences and the divisions evenly balanced in the four divisions with four teams in each conference, another team would have to change conferences as well. Carmen Policy, who is heading up the NFL to LA movement at this point and was heavily involved in the presentations in Chicago related in this report that several intriguing realignment options are on the table at this point.

 

I had thought about this scenario while writing an earlier article on this topic. In many ways, approving the Inglewood project is a much more streamlined process for the NFL because the Rams would relocate to Southern California and remain in the NFC West, and the Raiders would most likely be their co-tenant and remain in the AFC West with no realignment of the league being necessary.

 

However, that still leaves the Chargers in a potentially untenable situation in San Diego, which the NFL certainly internally knows much more about just how dire that situation is, certainly more than I do. That may be the impetus behind the drive for the Carson project, to resolve the Chargers stadium issue  as well as the Raiders issues all in one bold sweeping move.

 

I know that Jason LaComfora of CBS Sports first reported this several months ago, and it is an intriguing idea. He thinks that if the Rams move to LA and the Inglewood project goes ahead and the Rams leave St. Louis, then the team that is left out of the LA market could wind up moving to St. Louis and playing in the new proposed riverfront stadium. In light of recent events, with the NFL open to realignment, all options could be on the table. The Chargers could wind up moving to St. Louis and staying in the AFC West where they would have a regional rival in their division in the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers would also still play the Raiders and Broncos in that scenario twice per season as they currently do.

 

In my view, that would be the biggest issue with the Carson project is having to shift multiple teams and realign the league. That would eliminate the rivalry games that NFL fans look forward to from back in the old AFL days, fierce rivalries between the Broncos and Chargers or the Raiders and Chiefs.

 

The other point that I have to mention here is that the NFL does not want 3 teams playing in the Los Angeles market, and if they decide to keep the Rams out (it seems Kroenke is set to go there) how will the league prevent a billionaire from moving the operation of his team from St. Louis to the nation’s second largest media market and the entertainment capital of the world?

 

The issue is further complicated when consideration is given to the fact that the Rams once played in Los Angeles and they have a passionate following and supporters there that want the team to return to Southern California.

 

In that scenario, what happens to St. Louis and their plans for a new riverfront stadium? Some within NFL circles question whether St. Louis deserves another shot at a team because they lost the Cardinals previously, so if the city loses the Rams as well, are they the right market for an NFL team?

 

This situation certainly is a delicate one for the NFL and for three franchises who are vying to gain entry into a coveted and largely untapped marketplace. It will be interesting to see how the NFL, the owners, and the executives from the three teams involved handle the next steps in what has become a race to get NFL football back to Los Angeles.

 

(Some background information courtesy of CBS Sports.com)

 

by Frank Maduri

The Transfiguration

I was reflecting today on this warm Thursday afternoon about a number of writing assignments in my queue, some on short turn-around times, and I was wondering how I was going to get it all done between now and Monday of next week. In those times of great stress and feelings of being overwhelmed I did today what I usually do: I stopped to pray.

 

In my prayer break I began to contemplate the fact that today is the Feast of the Transfiguration in the Roman Catholic Liturgical calendar. My thoughts shifted then to that event that is captured so poignantly in the Gospels, in the New Testament contributions of Saint Peter, and as one of the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

 

In this miracle in the New Testament, for those who are unfamiliar, Jesus takes three of his disciples: Peter, James, and John up to the top of a mountain to pray. While they were there Jesus is transformed before them and his clothes turn dazzling white and his appearance is transfigured or metamorphosed before them. A voice from the heavens proclaims that this is “My Son” and that we should “listen to Him”.

 

This is a powerful event and a poignant image to ponder. In the Gospel of Luke and his account of this event, Jesus is speaking to the disciples about exodus, which he will achieve in a few short days because they had stopped at this mountain shortly after the Lazarus miracle and shortly before they were going to arrive on Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

 

A priest once told me when I asked about the importance of the Transfiguration that it is a symbol of hope. Jesus was providing the disciples, and by extension, all of us with a sign that even though He was going to suffer and die a horrible death on Good Friday He would overcome it all. Jesus was displaying that He would be with them and with all of us forever. That is a hopeful message indeed!

 

At the same time during the course of my own day today, I learned that I was accepted as a contributing writer to a financial news website. I was very happy about this development and when I went to check the headlines in the financial news I saw the summary of the report on job layoffs at a four year high.

 

This made me think about all those people who were just laid off and those who might know that they will be laid off imminently (this afternoon McDonald’s announced a couple of hundred job layoffs). The retail as well as the financial sector looked to be some of the most heavily impacted segments in the report and those two areas are a very big part of the economy here in my home state of New Jersey. I said a prayer for all of those people and asked that they be comforted in this time of despair.

 

I know the pain of job loss and the desperation it can cause in the human psyche, I also know the impact it can have on families, and that financial burdens are a problem for most people (the whole 90% movement comes to mind) and I know others who are disabled and cannot work right now. In all of those situations we all need a reminder, myself included, that we can get worried about all the stuff of the world but as Jesus taught us to be not afraid because He overcame the world.

 

The Transfiguration of Our Lord reminds us of that as Jesus displayed His glory in a powerful display on the top of a mountain. He showed to us all that He is the Way to Eternal Life. Furthermore, this account links to another miracle involving Jesus (which I have written an article about for Catholic365.com) The Baptism of Jesus where Our Savior rises from the waters of the Jordan River and a voice from above proclaims “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”. In both of these accounts a voice from above can be heard and reaffirms Jesus as the Son of God. This is very powerful and hope-filled messaging which we can take solace within when the pressures of society leave us feeling unfairly burdened.

 

The Transfiguration is a reminder that when all else fails, we can turn to Jesus and ask for help because He has overcome all of the mental, physical, and emotional anguish of the human condition. His transformation on the top of that mountain serves as demonstration that Jesus unites Earth and Heaven and His sacrifice on Calvary paid our sin debt so that we can be free.

 

So when the news is too hard to watch, the bills are piling up, the car needs a costly repair, or you do not know when the next pay check is coming in – turn to Our Lord – remember His message of hope in the Gospel. It is in those times where He longs for us to turn to Him and say: “Jesus I Trust In You”.

 

May the Lord Jesus bless all of you and your families.

 

(Frank J. Maduri is a freelance writer and journalist with publishing credits for numerous websites, local newspapers, and large news organizations. His commentary writing on Catholic doctrine is well regarded and resulted in thousands of link shares on social media. He attributes all of his success to his strong Catholic faith and relationship with Jesus Christ.)

 

by Frank Maduri

The Desert Drama: The Battle Between The Arizona Coyotes and Glendale

The Arizona Coyotes hockey franchise and the City of Glendale agreed recently to a new 2 year arena maintenance deal following another round of acrimony in what has been a saga surrounding the team and the city for years. The City of Glendale voted recently to terminate the team’s lease on the Gila River Arena in order to renegotiate the terms of the agreement with the team.

 

I have covered this debacle for a few years now, and if you strip away all of the other minutia to the situation it comes down to money, like any other negotiation. Under the terms of the new agreement, the amount that Glendale will pay to the Coyotes is trimmed from $15 million per year to $6.5 million annually. The team gains $6 million in revenue from parking, ticket sales, and naming rights that originally had gone to Glendale in the prior deal. The team is staying put for now, but the length of the new lease is shorter and raises speculation about the future of the team. Both sides are saying they are committed to making hockey work in Glendale.

 

However, it does raise the distinct possibility that the franchise could be relocated to another city in the near future. The new agreement provides the Coyotes ownership with an out-clause in June 2017, which is a full year earlier than the mechanism that would have triggered that clause in the original lease.

 

The NHL recently opened the process for expansion and groups from Las Vegas and Quebec City submitted formal bids. The now infamous exclusion of the expected Seattle bid from the process made headlines. The NHL has strong interest in the Seattle market and it would help balance the league which has two less franchises in the Western Conference. The main issue though is a lack of an arena suitable to host an NHL team for 41 games a season.

The three groups potentially interested in bringing hockey to Seattle have different plans for getting an arena built in that marketplace. Since none of the proposals were progressed far enough it is the reason given for their absence from the expansion process this past week.

 

I could see a scenario where the Coyotes are potentially relocated in a couple of years to the Seattle market once they have the financing and approval as well as begin construction on a new arena.

 

Valley of the Sun

 

In recent weeks, another potential option has emerged which could resolve this issue between the current ownership group of the team and the City of Glendale while allowing the team to remain in Arizona.

 

That resolution revolves around a proposal which was introduced recently in the state legislature regarding the construction of a new arena in downtown Phoenix. The proposal originally was targeting the use of the arena as an upgraded facility for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, but now some politicians have floated the idea of including the Coyotes as a co-anchor tenant for the new arena.

 

In the event that this proposal is acceptable to all sides involved and the respective league officials involved this could be a win-win situation for the Valley of the Sun. The State of Arizona would keep both their NBA and NHL franchises, the teams would get a new building to call home, the fans would keep their teams, and the leagues -in particular the NHL- would not lose a top TV market.

 

Phoenix also could solve the attendance problems which have plagued the Coyotes because any area resident will tell you that rush hour traffic issues getting to Glendale coupled with the fact that the area around the arena in Glendale never properly developed, are two main reasons behind the difficulties with drawing fans to NHL games in that market.

 

The downtown arena in Phoenix would solve the issue because it would be far more accessible to fans travelling in from the suburbs or coming from work, especially for weeknight games. The NHL would probably support this move because they have been dogged in their determination to keep the Coyotes in the Phoenix market for years.

 

Alternate Plans

 

The situation surrounding the Coyotes future in Arizona gets far more uncertain if the public funding for a new downtown arena in Phoenix fails to gain passage in the state legislature. The current arena in Phoenix which houses the Suns is not a viable option for hockey because it requires an odd configuration to fit the ice sheet which causes many seats to have obstructed views, it is the reason why the Coyotes moved out to Glendale in the first place.

 

The alternative plan some have suggested of relocating the Coyotes to Las Vegas in two years certainly makes some degree of sense especially given the geography of the move. The team could stay in the same division and play within driving distance of their former home territory which could translate into a crossover fan base.

 

Conversely, the NHL would not be too keen on this idea because they would stand to gain a lot less revenue from this maneuver. The difference between a current team relocating and the addition of an expansion team is that the NHL can charge a new expansion team with an entrance fee. The entrance fee if the NHL expands into Las Vegas with a new franchise is said to be around $500 million which would then be split between the league and the owners.

 

A relocation of the Coyotes to Las Vegas would translate into a forfeiture of the entrance fee, and therefore, would probably not receive league approval. The same could be said for a relocation to Quebec City, which the NHL plans to ask for a potentially larger expansion fee based on the popularity of the sport in Canada.

 

I know someone who recently mentioned to me that the relocation of the Coyotes could be to a second team in the Toronto market. The issue with that move though is the outlandish fee that the NHL will make that team pay to the Maple Leafs to be able to share the market with them. That has been cost prohibitive to other efforts to add a second team to hockey’s largest market in the past. That scenario could work if they were to share the arena because the owners would save on that cost, but I think the NHL would prefer to have a team expand into that market for the same reasons I outlined earlier: the expansion fee would be much larger than a relocation of an existing team.

 

Therefore, if the Phoenix plan falters, the remaining move on the board, at least at this point is for the Coyotes to move their operation to the Seattle market. I think it will take two to three years for the Coyotes to make a determination on whether a move to downtown Phoenix is enough to save hockey in the desert. In that same vein, it will take Seattle two or three years to get their arena situation squared away.

 

The more information that comes out about the Seattle groups and the arena plans they have, it seems more improbable that it will get done unless something changes along the way. The Tukwila proposal would cost $500 million total financed privately by the business community and the potential ownership group. The Coleman group bid is connected to the downtown arena proposed to be built for an NBA team that may not ever happen (see my article on the new Bucks arena which was the best chance for Seattle to get a relocated NBA team and now is vanquished) because any change to make the arena project for a hockey team would require a change in the MOU between the city and the investors who own the land which is not happening.

 

The third ownership group has a plan for an arena in Bellevue but the issue is quite simple, they do not own the land to build it. The land in that suburb is not readily available and is not cheap. It could take four or five years to get the project done. The NHL is said through sources to prefer the downtown arena option over the suburban plans, but they all have issues on one level or another.

 

In the end analysis, as I wrote in the beginning this is all about money. The future of the Coyotes franchise will be wherever they can maximize revenues, if that is in Arizona they will stay. The more likely scenario is that in a few years this team and hockey in the American desert will be gone, and I feel terribly for their fans, it will be reduced to nothing but memories.

 

by Frank Maduri

Connections Surround Us

The Diocese of Trenton held their annual seminarian retreat for those men in the process of discerning the call to the priesthood at Stella Maris Retreat Center in Elberon, NJ from July 20 – July 24. The Monitor which is the newspaper for the diocese was invited to some of the events on July 23, and I was blessed to receive the assignment to represent them as a correspondent at this event.

 

The Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, David O’Connell was scheduled to celebrate Mass and spend the day with the seminarians on Thursday, and Wednesday night the news of his mother’s passing at the age of 89 was released. I was unsure of what to expect when I arrived at Stella Maris in the morning, and those working there shared that sentiment in telling me that the Bishop may not attend.

 

A short time later, we learned that the Bishop would be making the trip Stella Maris to spend the day with the men preparing for the priesthood. It was this dedication by the Bishop coupled with the fact that he had relationships with many of the seminarians that began my thinking about connections.

 

Father Michael Whalen, the retreat master, or as he told me he rather be known as the “retreat facilitator”, went to the seminary at the same time as Bishop O’Connell and the two were roommates at one point in the process. That connection has lasted over thirty years.

 

The connections between the seminarians was evident as well especially in the down time between the activities and particularly with the men who have been in the process for several years. Several of them spoke of that bond as one of “brotherhood” or “comradery” and referred to the importance of spending time with men who “will be fellow priests in the Diocese of Trenton together for the rest of their lives”. It is that type of commitment which is under scrutiny by our secular society a commitment to anything for a lifetime, as evidenced by the societal view of marriage.

 

I spoke about that with Father Whalen and he agreed, “Our culture is mired in secularism so the commitment to God and to celibacy are challenging for these men because our culture is cynical about that and cynical overall”. We also spoke about the connection of the Bishop and the seminarians, “He’s unique. Ideally that should be the role of the Bishop. Your Bishop is very hands on”.

 

Father Whalen and I spoke about the connection between the seminarians and the local parishes, he said: “These men are more involved in parish life than my generation. They’re much more plugged in than we were.” He made a good point about how they will be better prepared when they become priests because of that experience on the parish level during their formation.

 

Bishop O’Connell spoke about the connection between preparation and being ready to succeed at a particular job. The Bishop referenced a doctor without the proper medical training, a lawyer without background in the Constitution, or a dentist without the proper schooling all being negative for society. In the same way he was encouraging the seminarians that all of the years of preparation have a purpose and will provide them with the proper preparation to serve God and God’s people.

 

I made a connection with a seminarian, Jim Smith, who is about halfway through his formation journey to being a priest. We spoke for a while about the elements of the workshops at the retreat. I then mentioned that I had recently received some opportunities that changed the course of where I thought certain things in my life were going in the short term. He then said something wonderful, “God has a plan for our lives, its amazing the difference between our plans, the way we think our life should go, and God’s plan” that ties into my most recent commentary piece about Hurricane Sandy recovery in Union Beach.

 

In that piece, I wrote about the importance of discerning God’s plan for our lives, and my attempt to connect with that message by going to Union Beach and gaining a new perspective on my own life.

 

In the days prior to my assignment, I was given some background on the retreat and I learned that the group contained four men in their first year of the seminary. One of those four newcomers, Ray Patsky, made a connection with me in that he saw during a break in between sessions that I was looking to speak with one of the members to gain information for my feature article. Ray is a local guy to the area where I grew up, so we had a lot in common. I asked how he got on the path to the priestly vocation and he explained that it was through a program at his parish.

 

His parish participated in the Spiritual Adoption of the Unborn Child and Ray got involved with setting it up and organizing members of his parish around this effort. Those who are unfamiliar can gain valuable further information at www.godslittlelamb.org and it was during this process where he gained the insight that he was being called to the priestly vocation. It was “part of his journey” as he put it and he went through a discernment period which lasts nine months. In that program he visited a new parish each month for nine months. Ray was very interested in how diverse the Diocese of Trenton was from the cultural perspective as well as the differences in the land area. It includes rural, urban, mountain and beach areas which present new and unique challenges in each circumstance for the parishes in the diocese. He was very outgoing and personable I could see God’s talents at work within him.

 

I made another connection while walking down a hallway with Jim Smith at the Stella Maris center, I noticed a plaque on the wall to Saint Katherine Drexel. The house and the grounds were, at one time, the summer home of the Drexel family and it is there where Saint Katherine was thought to have discerned the decision to become a nun, and the rest is history. My connection is that my family prayed to Saint Katherine Drexel while my mother battled with cancer for four years. My mom was being treated in Philadelphia, where Saint Katherine and the Drexel family kept their primary residence. I was not aware that Stella Maris was formerly the summer home for the second American saint. I shared the story with Jim Smith, who showed me some rooms saying this “would have been the foyer” where the Drexel family would have greeted guests. It was an amazingly unexpected connection to make.

 

After the celebration of Mass, Bishop O’Connell approached me and provided me with the text of his homily to the seminarians for use in my article. I thanked him and also offered my condolences on the loss of his mother, explaining that I had lost my mother years ago. I could see that he was suffering and he replied, “You understand what I am going through”. He went on to explain that while others have expressed sorrow and he appreciated that, he knew that I understood what he was feeling. We made a connection over a shared experience. We also talked about my parish and the priests there and what a truly blessed place the parish community is at Saint Mary Mother of God parish.

 

It was time for lunch and I made connections with several of the seminarians. Some knew my pastor from their time at other parishes, some knew a newly ordained priest who came from my home parish, and others knew people from St. Catherine’s, which is another local church my wife and I attend at points as well. One of the seminarians, Roy, mentioned that he was going to be staying at St. Catherine’s rather than going home for a few weeks. We connected over the shared experience of knowing certain people which helped my interviews with them for the feature story I submitted on the event.

 

I had some time in between a session they were in privately, and I was waiting in a room with some windows overlooking the beach. I began talking to a lady who was there because she worked with the diocese and Father Thomas Vala came walking through, and immediately came over to see me and say hello. Father Thomas was assigned to a parish my wife and I were a part of when we lived on the beach before Hurricane Sandy. He helped us get through some challenging times in dealing with being displaced from our home and with trying to determine where God wanted us to be in our lives. Father Thomas got transferred to a parish close to Trenton, and it ends up that was the parish this lady I was speaking with attended, so we all had a common connection.

 

It just so happened that Father Thomas had to preside over a funeral in the area near the retreat house, and he decided to drop by and see someone there before heading to my former parish where he was going to say hello to some former co-workers. I believe that our paths were supposed to cross that day, and it was great to see him again.

 

Then, this past Saturday evening, my wife and I were talking about my assignment covering the retreat and the progress I was making on the feature article (which was due on Monday) and we decided to go to St. Catherine’s for the Vigil Mass because we were at a local park nearby. We sat down and just as Mass was starting, in comes the seminarian I mentioned before, Roy, he sat two rows in front of my wife and I. During the handshake of peace, he saw me and remembered my name and gave me a big smile, we had made a connection. After Mass, we spoke with the pastor there and Roy and he was able to meet my wife and we talked about the retreat and his plans for the time he would be staying there.

 

In life there are no coincidences, and that is what I thought about again that evening as my wife and I drove home, the lasting connections that we make through seemingly every day routine situations. It is important that we make and keep these connections, it will serve as a reminder of how truly blessed we are for each day we are given in this life.

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Return To The Playground: The Stalled Recovery of Union Beach

This article was originally published elsewhere locally – I share it with you all here on my blog:

I had a rather difficult week on a number of fronts last week, so I set out for Union Beach last Friday because it always helps me to gain perspective. When I have problems, and some of them are significant, going to Union Beach and seeing the remains of homes still damaged from Hurricane Sandy helps to reorder my outlook. It serves as a reminder that if things seem bad, they can always be a lot worse.

 

I drove down Florence Avenue past many homes that had been repaired and restored and past businesses that unfortunately have not. I turned onto Front Street where many empty lots and active or inactive construction sites are scattered along the waterfront. I parked the car and got out to look at the New York City skyline which was slightly obstructed by haze on this hot summer afternoon. I walked out to the end of a short pier next to the beachfront area and the breeze picked up which felt like such a welcome change from the humid air I just drove through further inland.

 

I looked down briefly at my buzzing smartphone to check an email related to some of the disappointing news I had received earlier that morning. I did not notice that a man had joined me at the end of the pier until his deep baritone voice bellowed, “Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where that amusement park down there is called?” He was pointing toward the Waterfront Park in neighboring Keansburg which is visible in the distance to our right, directly east of our location. “Yes sir that is the Keansburg Waterfront Park. It has water rides, amusement park rides and a boardwalk area with games and food as well as stuff for the kids. You should check it out sometime” I replied.

 

The man smiled back at me, “Yes I plan to come down with my kids, I am on a break from work right now. I drive a delivery truck” he told me while rotating his head around as if on a swivel, trying to take in as much as he could of the scenery around us on this beautiful summer day. I noticed the golf type shirt with the logo of his company on it earlier and assumed he was a route delivery driver. “My wife’s cousin does that same job, it is not easy” I said as the wind blew sand on the people on the beach next to us. “Yeah it can be tough at times, but when I get route stops on the Shore I try and take 10 minutes or so and catch a break, especially on days like this” he said as he fixed his baseball cap. “Oh yeah absolutely you have to do that. I think we are all entitled to a break, that is what I am doing out here too” I explained.

 

The man pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and said “I have to head all the way up to Warren after this to make a delivery stop” I asked: “How far away is that from here like 45 minutes” He smiled shook his head and said “Yes sir exactly right 45 minutes on the nose” He motioned to his phone and said, “Pretty soon they are going to be calling me wondering where I am, so I better go. It was very nice talking with you sir” I smiled shook his hand and said “Yes it was nice to chat with you, safe driving” and with that he went off down the pier to head north to Warren.

 

I reflected on the many jobs and occupations that people have and the skills that it takes to be successful at them. I thought about some of my friends and how they have expressed that they would not be able to be a writer like I am and put together all types of articles and creative work. I guess we are all called for different functions and to use our gifts and talents to achieve different objectives.

 

I walked back toward the street and talked to a lady who was walking a dog, she smiled and asked how I was doing. She told me, “You should head toward the park it is shadier there, this Sun can get hot”. I told her that I was heading that way and to enjoy the rest of her day. I proceeded to head to the park, one of my usual stops in Union Beach.

Jack’s Playground

 

The Fireman’s Park area in Union Beach features a playground named in memory of Jack Pinto, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. I covered the dedication of the playground back over two years ago, and I have written several stories about the recovery of the Shore from Hurricane Sandy that feature the playground.

 

I stop at the playground nearly every time I come into Union Beach whether it is for a story or just for some leisure time. I went that day under sunny beautiful skies and first stopped at the area where Jack Pinto’s handprint is on a plaque. I noticed immediately that two teddy bears and some flowers were left there with a ribbon tied around them to attach them to the stone which bears the handprint. I thought it was very kind that someone brought him these items, and I said a prayer for him and for all the victims of the Newtown tragedy as well as the survivors and their families.

 

Under the gazebo sat two ladies talking in gorgeous weather and sharing stories. Some children were playing on the slide and I walked over that way and I was greeted by a little boy who ran and jumped in the air. He landed right next to me and yelled, “Hi!” with the youthful exuberance I once remember that I possessed. I replied back to him, “Hi there buddy. How are you?” He yelled while running toward the slide, “I’m great!!” He started to climb the ladder and I got nervous and his mother rushed over, grabbed his arm, and scolded him for trying such a bold feat.

 

I began to talk with both of his parents who were really nice people, “I have never seen him act like this he never would try something like that” his mother explained. “He is probably just showing off in front of me” I replied and we all laughed. The boy’s father introduced me to the family dog and explained that they are from out of the area and stopped to visit a friend who lives in town on their way to the Shore for the weekend. “This park is great, really nice” the boy’s father said while looking around. “I was here the day they dedicated it. It was really sunny and warm just like today” I explained. “How do you think the recovery is going?” he asked. “Not very well. You have so many people still waiting for money for their homes or they ran out of money trying to pay their mortgage on their unlivable home while paying rent on their current residence for close to three years” I commented.

 

We spoke for a few minutes about Sandy and how many people think that everything is recovered and great down in New Jersey on the Shore. I likened the relief effort to a car that keeps on stalling before it gets into second gear. They liked that analogy. Then the kids were going wild so I let them get back to parenting and I moved on to another part of the park where I bumped into a man on his break from a construction job.

 

Across The Bay

 

He noticed I was wearing a New York Knicks shirt and he immediately said “I am sorry” and we both chuckled (the Knicks had the worst record in the league last season) and he said “If it makes you feel any better I am a Mets fan so I know heartache” and we both started laughing again. He told me that he was working on the rebuilding of a property across the street from the park. “Progress is slow but this town got hit hard” he remarked. “I know I was here the day after Sandy came through and I was totally shocked at the level of destruction. It was like a nuclear bomb got dropped here” I explained.

 

We talked about the slow recovery or stalled recovery of homeowners here and in the area. Then he had to get back to work. I remained and listened to the calm rush of the water against the shore line. There is something so soothing to that sound. I watched the boats out in the Bay and listened as the birds chirped in the trees behind me. I walked past a property where building materials were tied up and unused seemingly for months, and the lot where the home was torn down had pilings of cement put in to elevate a house, yet nothing was there. I remember this lot was in the same condition five or six months ago when I was there. The reality that it will most likely remain in that condition haunted me. This was a home for a family that is now somewhere else, another reminder of the true toll Sandy took on my beloved Jersey Shore.

 

The homes on either side of that lot were in similar disrepair or in stages of unfinished construction. One house where the siding was half finished on the sides and the owner obviously ran out of money, had plywood sealing off the back of the lower level with graffiti spray painted on it. One message read: Smile You’re on camera referring to the news coverage of the destruction.

 

I mentioned earlier that my trips to Union Beach, if nothing else, yield two things: perspective on my own “problems” and interactions with really kind people. I experienced both again today at a time when I was sorely in need of it to remedy my soul. I watched the white puffy clouds move across the sky and looked out across the Bay to the Manhattan skyline where I could see the Freedom Tower, or as they call it now, One World Trade Center. It was towering above the other buildings like a giant looming over midgets.

 

I always think when I look at this grand new building about the former World Trade Center and the 9/11 terror attacks. I reflected again as I stood there in the afternoon sun now so many years later, and felt very small, but at the same time very lucky to have the blessing of a brand new day of life. The park behind me was dedicated to a boy who was killed at 6 years old by a very sick young man in a horrific tragedy. He and others that day never got the chance at life that I have received.

 

I looked back across the Bay and remembered those who tragically lost their lives on 9/11 and so many of those victims were young people in the prime of their lives and careers. So many of them were firefighters, police, and brave first responders who continued to climb up as others fled down and out of the buildings.

 

I returned to the same fact: I am still here and I am blessed to have the chance at life that so many others did not receive. I am surrounded by homes destroyed by a horrible storm which I also lived through and survived. I am here, we are all here for a unique purpose. It is these days and times in Union Beach where I gain the perspective to keep pushing forward down the road of life to find the answers and to determine God’s plan for my life. I hope that this article inspires you to do the same.

 

(Frank J. Maduri is a freelance writer and journalist who has numerous publishing credits for magazines, websites, and major news sources. He has covered Hurricane Sandy, the recovery effort, and social justice issues for years. He continues to use his talents to raise awareness of issues and is searching for God’s plan for his life.)

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Entenmann’s Teaming With The Salvation Army

Entenmann’s Bakery announced that they are teaming up with The Salvation Army for a sweepstakes on June 5th to mark National Donut Day which will benefit the millions of people helped by that charitable organization.

 

The Salvation Army actually started National Donut Day to pay homage to the “Donut Lassies”, volunteers of the organization who provided donuts to the soldiers during World War I. That simple but important gesture of compassion and service to the men in combat became the impetus for the incorporation of the donut into the American snack food mainstream.

 

National Donut Day provides recognition to those who served our country then and those who live a life of service today whether it is through the military or in a charitable service capacity. The Salvation Army continues to strive to serve those who are underserved in our society.

 

The sweepstakes with Entenmann’s will feature a $1 donation by the bakery giant for each sweepstakes entry posted on June 5th going to The Salvation Army. The sweepstakes has a website set up with full details on the donations and how you can help The Salvation Army serve the disabled, the poor, the ill, and the homeless in our communities.

 

The Salvation Army provides services to 30 million Americans each year and is a vital resource for those who often have nowhere else to turn. The organization provides 10 million nights of shelter and 58 million meals to the hungry each year. They need your help to continue this critical service to those in desperate need throughout America.

 

The Salvation Army was particularly important in the Jersey Shore area following Hurricane Sandy in providing crucial services to those in need of food, clothing, shelter, and other basic necessities.

 

Entenmann’s Bakery was originally founded in 1898 in Brooklyn, NY and expanded rapidly over the years to become the preeminent bakery in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the Northeast. They are famous for their “all butter loaf cake” which they have sold over 700 million of that product since the inception of the company.

 

Entenmann’s has over 100 products and is currently part of Bimbo Bakery Systems. The company has numerous donut offerings including “Pop Ems” and the ubiquitous chocolate covered donut.

 

In order to learn more about how you can enter the sweepstakes or make a donation to The Salvation Army please visit www.entenmanns.com or visit www.salvationarmy.org to help make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate as well as honor those volunteers and service members from World War I.

 

by Frank Maduri

What The Cam Newton Deal Means For Eli Manning

The Carolina Panthers agreed to a contract extension with their star quarterback, Cam Newton, today which will pay him $67 million guaranteed and potentially up to $103.8 million over the life of the contract based on incentives being met. The guaranteed sum over the first three years of the deal is a NFL record, and averages out to around $22 million per season.

 

The NFL world is very much divided on this deal for Newton; some feel that Carolina overpaid and others feel it was a great move to lock in your franchise player through 2020. The debate will rage on in the next few days as well as the next few years, as the Panthers are banking that their star will continue to flourish in the years ahead.

 

The fans of that team will look at this deal three years from now, and depending on what happens in that time, will either celebrate the deal or scrutinize the front office of the team for making it. The undisputed fact here is that regardless of what happens with Newton, this deal impacts the market for quarterbacks in a profound way.

 

Since I am a New York Giants fan, first and foremost, I was interested about the way in which this deal will impact the status of Eli Manning and his next contract. The New York signal caller and two-time Super Bowl MVP is about to embark on the last year of a six year contract he signed, which at the time, made him the NFL’s highest paid player.

 

That contract, six years for $97.5 million with $15.3 million in guaranteed money, is now dwarfed by other contracts signed in the subsequent years. In the world of NFL contracts, for those fans who are unaware, the guaranteed money is the most important figure due to the language of the contracts and the metrics established for reaching the other figures in a given deal.

 

Playing It Out

 

In this case, Manning, who has stated that he feels comfortable playing out the 2015 season and then negotiating an extension, certainly looks like he has played his cards right. The situation is similar to the Joe Flacco contract extension with the Ravens back a few years ago. The Baltimore quarterback decided to play the 2012 season, his last under contract, and then negotiate a new deal in the offseason. It was a risk for both sides, if Flacco had a great season, his negotiating leverage was improved; if he got injured or played poorly, he would be in a position of weakness at the bargaining table.

 

We know now that, in hindsight, Flacco made the right choice because he had a very productive season while leading the Ravens to the Super Bowl championship. He was able to leverage that into a huge contract extension, which to some degree, has hamstrung the ability of the Ravens to add premium free agents in the years that followed.

 

This is a good segue into a similar concern I have for the New York Giants with Eli Manning’s next contract. He is coming off a season where he put up big numbers but he is 34 years old, and his next contract is going to tie up cap space as he enters a period of time where most players begin to decline. Eli has been very durable which is a double edged sword, he certainly has shown his toughness but he has played 11 years and his body could start to break down.

 

The Giants could be faced with a situation where they have a player on the decline who at the same time is tying up a lot of salary cap space. That is not an enviable position to be in. The factor that will offset some of these concerns is that fact that NFL revenues continue to increase and show no signs of reversing anytime soon. This will translate into salary cap increases in the future.

 

The Cam Newton contract puts Eli in a position to potentially leverage the Giants into a very lucrative deal. If Newton got that much guaranteed money without a Super Bowl win on his resume, we could be looking at the very real possibility that Manning could command up to $75 million in guaranteed money over his first three years of his next contract.

 

That will have a negative impact on the Giants salary cap flexibility resulting in a limited number of ways the team can improve the roster during that three year period. I am cautiously optimistic that Eli may not want to put the Giants in that type of situation because he may realize that his window to win another Super Bowl will decrease in each passing year. I also recognize that the Giants front office has a very good business sense and they are very practical and pragmatic in their approach to these contracts.

 

In the end, I hope those attributes prevail so that the Giants have the ability to compete every year for a Super Bowl championship.

(Some background and salary data courtesy of CBSSports.com)

by Frank Maduri

Fast Food Recipe Changes: Smart Science or Smart Marketing?

One of the bigger news stories over the past few weeks in the mainstream media cycle was the series of announcements by fast food chains regarding the removal of artificial preservatives and other recipe changes. The news rides a trend of increased focus by the American consumer on natural foods and healthier eating.

 

However, at the core of the debate is the question whether this set of changes was smart from a food science perspective or is it a case of smart marketing? Will the changes to the recipes make the food taste different?

 

These questions will be explored as well as the background to the decisions from an executive level. This news follows the introduction of new chicken offerings by fast food giants McDonald’s and Subway recently that feature the removal of preservatives and artificial ingredients. Those changes made consumers, such as myself, pause and wonder what was in the chicken in the first place, if the chains had to pronounce the new supply basically as “real” chicken.

 

I have covered the natural foods trend for a while now, but I am still surprised at how some people within the media feel it is a “fad”. Where that label is a misnomer is that fads do not last as long as this trend has within the American food landscape. The sales of organic foods were at an all-time high in 2014, this “fad” is not slowing any time soon, and now you see the bigger players across the industry getting on board.

 

The most recent of those big players to drop into the recipe change trend came just before the Memorial Day holiday weekend, when Taco Bell and Pizza Hut announced changes to make their food offerings “more natural”. Both chains are experimenting with the revamped recipes at this point. Taco Bell mentioned in the press release to the media that they are focused on removing ingredients such as natural black pepper flavor and replacing it with real black pepper.

 

I have prior industry experience in the flavor industry and this trend of replacing flavor systems, whether they be natural or artificial flavors (Panera Bread is removing all artificial flavors and ingredients from their menu by the end of 2016) will damage the flavor ingredients industry which has already been slowed by other factors. The chief factor in the downturn being the decreased number of new products being developed in many segments of the food industry by the large food production companies.

 

These changes to the menu offerings of several major fast food operators will have a dramatic impact on the supplier side of the food industry across many segments from preservatives, sweeteners, and other industrial products. It is similar to anything else, it is a relationship of cause and effect.

 

Taste and See

 

The big question at the forefront of this debate is whether these changes are smart from a food science perspective or whether they are just simply an exercise in smart marketing? I think the “jury is still out” on the answer. In my view the new recipes will have to be rolled out first and then be subjective to public opinion before we know the answer.

 

In a related issue, it remains to be seen whether the taste profiles of some of these menu items will be altered based on the changes made to the recipes to make them more natural in orientation. Some industry experts seem to feel that the changes to the recipes being proposed by these restaurant chains will inevitably alter the taste profiles of those menu offerings in some way.

Panera Bread, for instance, has already completed the most painstaking of the menu changes at hand: the removal of artificial sweeteners and chemical ingredients from their salad dressings. They believe that the taste profiles are similar to the original line of dressings for their extensive salad offerings.

 

However, in the end, as the food expert featured on Fox Business explained relative to Panera Bread and I am paraphrasing: all these changes are all well and good but at the end of the day their main product is still bread, and bread is still inherently unhealthy.

 

Other restaurant chains have publicly stated that they will only make these recipe changes if it makes sense from both a taste and a cost perspective. In the event that the executives at a given company feel that the taste profile is too dramatically altered, or if the cost of the alterations to an all-natural recipe are cost prohibitive, then it will be scrapped.

 

Smart Marketing

 

I mentioned earlier that I have industry experience in the flavor industry working on product line extensions with the largest food companies in the world. I also have experience in marketing in a variety of other industries and I can tell you, and some other industry experts agree with this assessment, that most of these announced recipe changes from the large fast food restaurant operators are based on smart marketing more than any other variable within this equation.

 

Taco Bell, for instance, took a hit back several years ago when it was discovered that they used GMO corn in their tortilla shells and other corn based menu items. They took another hit when they had issues with their supply of beef for their menu items back about five years ago.

 

The net effect of those two public relations nightmares caused the executive team at Taco Bell and other fast food operations to look to the natural foods trend to bring some positive marketing and media coverage to the often negative feedback loop which is the fast food industry.

 

In the case of a chain like Panera Bread it is smart marketing more than smart food science and for two reasons: it appeals to the purchasing habits of their core demographic customer base, and it distracts somewhat from the fact that their main offering is still bread based products loaded with calories.

 

It is also true in the case of Pizza Hut, which is trying to stave off fierce competition from a resurgent Domino’s and a stalwart in Papa John’s, their executive team looked at this angle as a potential avenue to gain a point of difference with the customer. If they can tout that they are using natural products in their pizza offerings they are trying to win over a general public that is very much in tune with that natural products messaging.

 

This is a developing story and one where I am sure we have not seen the end. I am confident that more companies will come forward with pledges to change their recipes or their product offerings to reflect a change to more “natural” ingredients. It may, in some cases, end up costing the consumer more money for the same products before the changes were indoctrinated.

 

In the end, this whole scenario is more about smart marketing than anything else as these major food producers and restaurant chain operators all vie for one thing and one thing only: your money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Red Nose Day – Lifting Communities From Poverty

Walgreens and NBC are teaming up to bring Red Nose Day to America, the telethon starts tonight at 8 PM. This event has been held in the United Kingdom since 1988 and will be held in the U.S. for the first time. The goal of the event is to raise funds to be used by several of the world’s leading non-profit charitable organizations in order to lift communities out of poverty.

 

Some “A list” Hollywood talent has been recruited to participate in the program this year, and social media has been very active with pictures of people wearing red noses to signify the event. A source told the media that Walgreens sales of the red noses far outpaced their anticipated demand.

 

The event has characteristically done well in the past in raising money in Britain for several charitable organizations. The U.S. telethon has a website where you can find out plenty of information about the event and the charities involved: www.rednoseday.org

 

The importance of the work done by these organizations cannot be emphasized enough. The money raised has three goals for children and families: keep them safe, educate them, and ensure that they are healthy. The proceeds from tonight will be split with half going to the U.S. domestic based charitable programs and half going to programs to aid the poorest countries in the world.

 

The recent earthquake in Nepal, rising terrorist activities in Africa, and human rights issues throughout Asia underscore the need for these programs at this point for the international community. The poor communities in the world are threatened by drought conditions, economic stagnation, and political instability. The funds raised tonight will dramatically assist these organizations in helping those in need throughout the world.

The domestic side of the fundraising effort will help assist several notable charities such as Oxfam America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, LIFT, Feeding America, and the United Way. The stagnant job market, flat wages, and increased reliance on assistance programs such as food stamps have left so many American children hungry and families struggling.

 

You can make a difference in helping the communities located right in your own city or your home state to combat the perils of poverty. You can help these communities find a way to provide healthcare and educational opportunities so that they can thrive once again.

 

National Red Nose Day is an effort to raise awareness to the work that is done by these organizations, work that is critical to helping our communities and to helping children and families in need throughout the world. It is meant to be a starting point for other efforts toward education, fundraising, and volunteerism to continue throughout the year.

 

Please tune in to NBC tonight at 8 PM for the telethon and to help these communities both at home and abroad to make our world a better place for those most in need of our care and support. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to support this effort.

 

 

by Frank Maduri

Earth Day

Today as we commemorate Earth Day, I am reminded of some of the functions and activities I have participated in throughout my life. During that participation I was amazed by the generosity of others either through their giving of time, money, or their talents to help make those events have even greater impact.

 

In my college years at Marist, the school always had a number of activities going on through the course of the day. I learned a great deal about the environmental issues effecting the Hudson River and the surrounding Hudson Valley communities. I participated in a variety of activities to volunteer my time with different environmental organizations in the area.

 

The pollution in certain areas of the Hudson River as a result of a variety of commercial and industrial activities going on there was an area of great concern to me. I assume that interest could have been driven from my time growing up on the New Jersey Shore and seeing the effects of water pollution first-hand. The pollution and garbage on beaches and in parks along the coast also bothered me a great deal growing up and still does today. I have offered my time in beach clean-ups with local organizations and I know my neighbors have done the same.

 

It is that spirit that I came to have a great affinity for with regard to Earth Day: it is a grassroots movement that organizes itself every year on the local level. It is the collection of many people doing many small things which collectively have a large impact on our environment and how we come to perceive our environment as part of our community.

 

Earth Day 2015 has been marked by a few key news stories from President Obama’s visit in the Florida Everglades to speak about the fragility of the ecosystem and climate change, to the man in Brooklyn who planned to swim the Gowanus Canal, to Google having a contest “what type of animal are you?” based on a short quiz. In addition the Gallup poll numbers regarding climate change were released today, which continues to be a highly divisive issue in the American national discourse.

 

The President urged greater awareness of the impact of carbon emissions on the environment. The EPA and several doctors warned the man in New York not to swim the Gowanus Canal which is contaminated by 200 years of industrial waste. In fact, I did a whole series on the EPA Superfund that included the planned cleanup of that Canal which was published in January 2014 (see this link: http://frankmaduri.com/?m=201401) and can attest that swimming in that water is not medically advisable. However, the man, Christopher Swain, is trying to prove a point that people should not have to live near such a horribly polluted body of water.

 

In addition, for those of you who are wondering, yes I did take the Google quiz for Earth Day and found out that I am a Pangolin, known to be a practical sort who can fend off predators, well I am from New Jersey so I think I can definitely fend for myself.

 

In all seriousness, Earth Day is a reminder that we have been given the responsibility to be stewards of the natural resources provided to us by God. The issues of deforestation, erosion, drought, and pollution are rampant throughout the world. We need to work together to determine effective strategies to solve these complex problems and safeguard our natural resources and our ecosystem for the generations to follow.