Hey folks, welcome back to the Birdcage. It's been a really tough year to be a Rangers fan and the playoffs have been full of surprises. My 'Nucks are gone, and the Ducks are in the finals........what a cruel world this can be. Well, as promised, here is the first part of the interview with Larry Brooks of the NY Post. I have to admit that I was surprised to read his e-mail after I had posted an invitation to Mr. Brooks on the front page of Hockeybird. I mean, we haven't been really nice to Mr. Brooks over the years. And why would he want to waste time talking to a dumb goalie on a little website like Hockeybird.....I mean, he's Larry Brooks fer crying out loud. Well, thanks to his nephew Eric, who stood up for his Uncle Larry, we'll get to ask that question.....and a bunch more. So sit back, crack a beer.....we're gonna talk Ranger hockey and hockey writing with the man himself, Larry Brooks.

Uncle Larry

Bird:
Uncle Larry,....may I call you Uncle Larry ? Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. I'm sure you could be doing just about anything else with your time. Why in the hockey gods names are you doing this interview ?

LARRY:
Uncle Larry? Quite all right. I've been called far worse...by you, I believe. Why have I consented to this interview? I'm in the communication business.

Bird:
I guess I'd like to first ask about how you found the game of hockey, what drew you to it and how you got to earn a living writing about it.

LARRY:
I attended my first hockey game in 1955 (I was five) and immediately fell in love with the sport. Used my GO card for 50-cent admission to sit--or stand, is more like it--in the side balcony of the old Garden, where we'd play "hockey" in the stairwells during intermissions. And believe me, given the state of the Rangers in the mid-60's, our games were often more entertaining than the ones on the ice. I then had a season ticket in Section 419, Row B when the new building opened in 1968.

After working at The Post as a clerk for six months, I was given the opportunity to cover the Islanders at the start of the 1976-77 season. That's my background.

Bird:
Describe for our readers how you got this prime gig as a Rangers beat writer for the N.Y. Post and the difference between how it was when you started and now.

LARRY:
The Ranger beat? After returning to The Post in 1993 after an 11-year hiatus during which I worked for the Devils in various positions including VP of Communications, consultant to the President and as radio color commentator, I covered the Devils for three seasons. I was asked to switch to the Rangers beginning with the 1996-97 season.

The business has changed dramatically from the mid-70's. It was more a game then, less a business, and the interraction between players and writers was far more informal and enjoyable. In fact, I (and my fiancee/wife) socialized regularly with the players I covered, with the implicit understanding that off the ice stayed out of the paper. In fact, many of the guys I covered those years, both on the Islanders and Rangers, remain friends of mine today. And they understood that they'd receive no favoritism from me.

Bird:
I am convinced that during Neil Smiths' tenure as Rangers GM, you as a writer had more access to inside info on possible story lines as a result of Smiths' openness with the media. Is this accurate ? If so, explain how that showed up in your columns. I admire Glen Sather for his policy of not "floating things out" to the media to judge public opinion. I assume that Glen is not as forthcoming as his predecessor was. How does this effect your ability to gather enough info for your columns ? Also, do Glen Sather and Donald Rumsfeld seem as similar to you as they do to me ?

One in the same?

LARRY:
You are correct. Neil was prone to providing off-the-record information to writers covering the team. Glen is not. While some inside information is obviously helpful, I would much rather deal with a general manager who never goes off the record than with one who feeds "favored" reporters. And I see no similarity whatsover between Sather and Rumsfeld.

Bird:
Let's talk about the Rangers themselves for a bit. I would love to hear your thoughts on a few players who you got to see and talk to all season. I have to start with Moose. I wonder what you think about his possible return next season. In addition, how is it that most of us can see that Messier was only effective when limited to a fourth line, 12 minute a game role but somehow, Ron Low, Bryan Trottier and Glen Sather couldn't see that ? All three have got to know more about the game than I do....what the hell are they seeing that I'm not ?

LARRY:
As I wrote on April 6, I believe it's time for the Rangers to move forward without Messier. Why his last three coaches haven't seen the obvious is as much a mystery to me as it is to you.

Bird:
Mike Richter. A lifetime Ranger and a real nice guy.....your thoughts on what he's done and what you think his future might be ?

LARRY:
I'd be shocked if Richter--who was still experiencing intermittent headaches and other post-concussion symptoms at least a couple of weeks ago--plays next season.

Bird:
Bobby Holik is a walking quote machine and must be the best source for the writers. What do you think about his season, was he used properly ? Was he hurt more than announced ? Did he just have a bad year ? And, what is he thinking about now ? I mean, it seems that NYR land is quite the culture shock for him.

LARRY:
As I wrote dozens of times during the season, the Rangers' misuse of Holik was shocking, tantamount to signing Mariano Rivera in his prime and using him as a starter. Baffling. What he's thinking now? Check all of the clips.

Bird:
Eric Lindros. This guy has had more ink thrown his way.......I get tired just saying his name. But really, he played in every game the NHL allowed him to, increased his shots on goal over last season, plays where and with whoever the current coach asks him to, and yet he gets booed at MSG. What was the reason for his sub-par numbers and do you have a feel for his game in the coming year ?

LARRY:
Eric has to accept responsibility for a bad year. But I think he suffered from a lack of compatible linemates--not signing Martin Rucinsky was a terrible Sather mistake--from being moved to right wing for a large part of the season, and from a succession of baffling penalty calls against him early in the year for nothing more than being too big and hitting too hard. I believe Lindros was targeted by the league. I think Eric needs a coach who believes in him, he needs to be the team's first-line center, and he needs a winger who can carry the puck through the neutral zone.

Bird:
Pavel Bure. How bad is the knee, will he play again and can you ask him if it's ok that I call Anna from time to time. We're just friends.....really. Nothing more than that, friends.

LARRY:
Pavel has no idea whether he'll be able to play next season. From what I understand, you should probably ask Enrique Inglesias for Anna's number.

Bird:
Who will coach the N.Y. Rangers this coming season ? Has Slats given any reason why it wouldn't be him ? I'm thinking he may be the only guy for the job.

LARRY:
I don't think Glen intends to coach. I know he intends to speak to Larry Robinson, but I don't know who will coach if Robinson doesn't. Craig MacTavish is a possibility.

Bird:
OK, you knew this would happen....I have to ask about some of the articles you write that include trade rumors. First, on June 28th, 2002, you declared Mike Richter a Flyer with terms and everything. We know that didn't happen. And that is just one of many. How is it that you have been so wrong on so many of these ?

LARRY:
I didn't declare Richter a Flyer. I reported that a source--a team owner, by the way--had told me that the Flyers were preparing to offer Richter a contract. On the larger scale, when I report that the Rangers are interested in a player, or talking to a team about acquiring a player, that doesn't mean the trade (or signing) is assured. I think the only time I've ever characterized a trade as being imminent was the three-way for Keith Tkachuk a few years ago...and it was until Carolina owner Peter Karmanos killed the deal that would have featured Tkachuk, Petr Nedved and Keith Primeau.

Editors note: Let it be known that Mr. Brooks does not select the headline or the photos for his NY Post articles. This means that his story might say that Lindors could be had for the right offer but the headline reads "Lindros On The Block". Two totally different thoughts.

Bird:
Second, on March 16, 2003 you said and I quote, "These are six years that have soured New York's taste for hockey. Equal parts farce, drama and calamity, these last six Ranger seasons have all but eliminated hockey from the consciousness of the ontinent's most influential marketplace. Whether the rest of the league understood it or not, it was critically important for the blueshirts to make the playoffs this time. Unfortunately, it does not appear that it was so critically important to the Rangers, themselves, to make the playoffs this time."

I went nuts on that one. Being a player, (ok not in the NHL but I took it damn seriously) how can you say that ? The Rangers lost the day before, 3-1 to the Devils. No, they didn't win and they didn't do the things needed to win but how is that translated into the players not feeling it was important ?

LARRY:
Sorry, I didn't get any sense of urgency from the Rangers in their play that afternoon. As they then conducted an immediate series of team meetings, neither did they.

Bird:
Third, many of you articles include information from an NHL official or some other way of saying, "I can't say who told me but....". I know you have to protect your sources as a writer....but these guys have fed you a lot of crap over the years, have you considered new sources ?

LARRY:
Again, we're talking about hypothetical trades here. Hundreds are discussed. Few are completed. And official denials of players being available mean nothing to me. I trust the people I trust. Are they wrong from time to time? Yes. Am I wrong from time to time? Yes.

Editors note: Let it also be known that Bird himself has been wrong on many occations as well as some of the other Hockeybird writers.

Bird:
Fourth, I posted this back on July 8th, 2002:
"The Post's Larry Brooks is crying foul. He also suggests that some players defer money so there is enough for Amonte. Three words....Shut up Larry. If 4 NY Rangers deferred $500,000 each....that's two million. Are you trying to tell me that the Dolan's can't sign Amonte because they are short two mil ? Not a chance.....or you haven't seen my cable bill."

Your reaction ?

LARRY:
Believe it or not, even the Rangers budget a certain amount for their team payroll. Signing Amonte would have taken them over the budget. Simple as that. Why else wouldn't they have signed him--or for that matter, Billy Guerin?

Bird:
Back to the team but related to an earlier question, what in the hell is going on around here ? This Rangers team has an owner with deep pockets, a GM who has a great track record, players with Hall of Fame credentials and a loyal fanbase that rivals any other.......how is it that the Rangers failed to make the post season in six consecutive tries ?

LARRY:
No chemistry, no player development, few role-players, lackluster coaching...no concept of team, not terribly surprising considering the roster is filled with players who arrive with their game developed and established elsewhere.

Bird:
I asked some of the writers here to submit questions for you. Here are a few.....

Rocha, who writes our popular Rangers Report Card asks:

The fact that the league tried to annul the contracts of Holik and Kasparaitis last summer, and also their refusal to rescind Lindros' match penalty on an erroneously called boarding penalty from an early season game against Toronto are just two pieces of evidence that would suggest the NHL HQ has "something against" the Rangers. Do you perceive this bias, and if so, why, and in what other ways has it manifested itself?

LARRY:
Yes, I think the league does have a bias against big-spending clubs, and
specifically against the Rangers, though it's impossible to document beyond anecdotal evidence such as you present. The stream of penalties against Lindros adds to the case.

Another Rocha question was submitted only after I agreed to pay for his beer:

What is your opinion on the role of the fans as it relates to the success of the team? More to the point, is there an undercurrent among the players that they don't feel at home or welcome on the Rangers because of the Ranger fans quick propensity to boo and behave negatively almost any time things go wrong?

LARRY:
No, I've never heard any Ranger over the last number of years say he's been made to feel unwelcome by the fans, though the booing certainly put a strain on Petr Nedved...and didn't help Lindros this year. As do I, the team believes the fans have been remarkably supportive through this six-year descent to hockey's netherworld.

Bird:
That reminds me....what are your three favorite beers and why ?

LARRY:
My three favorite beers are the three you--or anyone--are buying. I like Anchor Steam, actually.

Gabe writes the Fact or Fiction column here at Hockeybird and is a big fan....um, he asks:

Does you feel pressured to not be overly critical of Messier because of his stature within the organization and with the fan base?

LARRY:
There's a sense of respect for Messier, not because of his stature within the organization, but because of his stature, period. Writing as I did about him beginning last summer and through the season was not particularly pleasant for me, though Mark never once treated me any differently than he had in previous years.

Gabe:
Did the team look into moving Malakhov at the deadline? Seeing the return for Schneider from Detroit, it seems almost criminal if they didn't.

LARRY:
The Rangers would have moved Malakhov had there been interest in him, but there wasn't.

Gabe:
Any "almost" deals that took place this season that we should keep our eyes on this summer?

LARRY:
Before the Rangers consider "almost deals" for the summer, they need to hire a coach. And they need to give the coach input into personnel. They'll almost certainly try to sign Todd Marchant as a free agent.

As you can see, Uncle Larry is plugged into all things Ranger and his passion for the game is clear. I have a new respect for the guy and the job he does. That doesn't mean we won't call him out on his articles in the future but we'll try and do it with a little more respect as I believe he's earned that....at least from me. Stay tuned for part two......we'll be asking some more questions and look forward to Uncle larry's answers.

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