Manassy Quoted in New York Times about Bleeding Green

A big thanks to The Jets Blog’s Brian Bassett who was guest writing for the New York Times this week for including me in this article.    Follow him up on twitter @brian_bassett .

I had received a call from my good friend Brian Bassett during my lunch break yesterday to talk about if I feel any different about the HOME OF THE JETS now that we are out of the that other building that started with that G word.  I love the new stadium and I really never liked to refer to the old stadium by the name that was fixed on the stadium in that blue color, in fact I still refer to mention it.

If people ask me if I’m going to the new stadium MetLife, I’m sure to correct them that we like to call it JetLife.

The Jets have always been nomads. From the Polo Grounds to Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium.

Until last year, there was never a true home for Jets fans. Giants Stadium might have provided succor, but always at a high price. Many Jets fans refused to invoke its dreaded name, often referring to it simply as the Meadowlands.

The Jets were merely tenants of Giants Stadium, while now they are equal partners in the operating company that runs MetLife Stadium. The game-day experience for fans reflects the arrangement. The concourses, sight lines, food choices and multimedia displays have all improved significantly, and for Jets fans, the red seats and blue paint are gone.

This was OUR Home when the Jets played at Home!!

Fans do pay more for the experience, and some nostalgia remains for well-worn seats and old neighbors.  The personal seat license shuffle precipitated new faces and traditions, but many will remember the days of Giants Stadium as a badge of courage.