AS I SEE IT - 6/25/2002:
It's 32 degrees in Hell... and Raising Hell with Cablevision

by: Bob Magee

It's 32 degrees in hell right now.

It's 85 degrees today in Stamford, CT...although you wouldn't know it.

With very little other comment, WWE.com officially reported Thursday in a one sentence statement:

"World Wrestling Entertainment welcomes back Vince Russo to the creative writing team."

Since the shocking official announcement on Thursday, some sources are reporting that Russo is now merely an "on payroll advisor", not officially a member of the writing team... despite the fact that the article announcing that Russo is on the writing team remained, unchanged, on the WWE website until a flood of King of the Ring stories moved them off the front page.

Let me engage in some speculation:

1) If Russo has, in fact, been made solely an "advisor", I wonder if this change had anything to do with the seemingly universal reaction of horror by online fans.

2) Or, more likely... could it be due to any kind of horrified reaction by say, Jim Ross, Jim Cornette, or any one of the many wrestlers and other WWE staff who have had run-ins with Russo in the past?

Not to mention HHH and his girlfriend, head WWE writer Stephanie McMahon.

Now, if Vince Russo is exactly what WWE.com still says on its website that he is...

1) Is WWE attempting to dodge the above negative reaction by leaking news to internet sources that Russo is merely an advisor?

2) Is it possible that Vince McMahon didn't understand the negative reaction he would receive from his staff, wrestlers, and fans in hiring Vince Russo...and that any leaks suggesting a demotion are nothing more than a form of damage control?

Jim Ross made an especially notable effort to suggest that no problem existed between he and Russo in this week's Ross Report:

"...Vince Russo has returned to WWE in a writing capacity, which has made a few headlines within the Internet community. It is no secret that I personally lost a great deal of respect for Russo because of the way he left our company and for his lame creation of the 'Oklahoma' character in the old WCW, but that was then and this is now."

Actually, I would call the Oklahoma character "sickening", "repulsive", and "despicable", instead of just "lame", but that's just me.

I also find it a bit hard to believe that Jim Ross would harbor no ill feelings toward anyone responsible for such a character. Ross isn't St. Francis of Assisi, after all...nor should Ross be expected to be, given the ridicule that Russo attempted to visit upon him.

Despite my above speculation, and that of other websites; there has been no official word on WWE.com as to what, if any, changes Russo's hiring (in whatever capacity) may result in for existing members of the WWE creative team, including Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman.

Lord knows there will be far more speculation than I just engaged in above...and that such speculation is just beginning.

Now for RAISING hell, and opposed to freezing in it.

Readers in the New York City area have been recently been subjected to Cablevision preventing them from watching the New York Yankees, because of a refusal to carry the YES Channel, which broadcasts Yankee games.

Local consumer groups report that this decision has cost Cablevision as many as 40,000 subscribers as of a month ago.

But it isn't only 3,000,000 customers, many of whom are Yankee fans that Cablevision may be angering.

Joey Styles noted over at 1wrestling.com that even though Cablevision gave the excuse that they weren't going to air the NWA-TNA PPV shows because "there was too much wrestling on", they were airing:

Classic Wrestling- Blackjack Brawl 90 min.
The “Best of Blackjack Brawl” looks back at a 1994 Universal Wrestling Federation card in Las Vegas. Featured matchups included Cactus Jack vs. Jimmy Snuka in a lumberjack match, Steve Williams against Sid Vicious and the Killer Bees taking on Warlord and the Power Warrior.

Too much wrestling? Too much sports entertainment, perhaps...but too much wrestling?

Many of you have opinions about the NWA:TNA PPVs.

Some of those are based on the product. Others are based on some of the people involved with it.

The first is a fair reason. The second may or may not be.

If it's the first reason...

Maybe you think the shows will sucks. So don't buy them.

Maybe you think you'll watch almost anything else, so you'll give it a chance. I'm sort of in that category.

Maybe you think the NWA:TNA PPVs are great. Go for it, buy them.

But regardless of which category you fit into, I think you'd agree with the fact that a viewer should have the right to make the choice as to whether or not they want to pay for and watch these shows.

But Cablevision, the primary cable service in the New York City Tri-State area apparently doesn't.

Cablevision has a history of making decisions based on reasons of their own, regardless of what their customers seem to desire, or might desire if they got the opportunity to make the choice,

For example, this is the very same Cablevision that refused to carry:

And now Cablevision has decided for you that you don't need to see the NWA:TNA PPVs.

Let them know what you think.

First, here's a list of the Cablevision customer contact numbers for various local areas within the New York Tri-State area:

Connecticut

Bridgeport - (Fairfield, Milford, Southport, Stratford) - 203-336-2225
Easton- 203-452-0097
Litchfield - 860-567-3103
Norwalk (Darien, Weston, Westport, Wilton) 203-847-6666
Orange (Woodbridge) - 203-562-4955
Redding (Georgetown) 203-438-7783
Stamford (Cos Cob, Greenwich, New Canaan, Riverside) 203-348-9211

New Jersey

Bayonne - 201-436-2500
Cresskill/Bergen - (Bergenfield, Cresskill, Dumont, Fair Lawn, New Milford) 201-262-8600 M-F 8:00 am-10:00 pm/Saturday-Sunday 9:00 am-10:00 pm
Elizabeth 908-353-0404
Hamilton - (Hamilton, Mercerville, Robbinsville, Trenton, Yardville) 609-586-2288
Hudson - (Hoboken, North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, West New York) 201-798-6060
Matamoras (NJ & PA areas- Branchville, Layton, Milford, Mill Rift, Montague) 973-293-7474 or 570-491-4837 M-F 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Monmouth Millstone - (Cream Ridge, Perrineville, Upper Freehold) 732-780-4868
Monmouth Optimum- (Freehold, Howell, Jackson, Lakewood, Manalapan) 732-367-2582 or 732-780-4868 24/7
Monmouth Seaside - (Chadwick Beach, Lavallette, Ocean Beach, Ortley Beach, Seaside) 732-830-1103
Monmouth Wall/Asbury - (Asbury Park, Farmingdale, Neptune, Ocean Township, Wall) 732-681-4100 2
Morris - (East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Jefferson, Morris Township, Morristown, Mount Olive, Parsippany, Rockaway Township, Roxbury) 973-398-5757/973-884-0027/973-697-2839
Newark - (Newark, South Orange) 973-622-6150
Oakland - (Elmwood Park, Hackensack, Ho Ho Kus, Lodi, Kinnelon, Ramsey, Saddle Brook, Pompton Plains, Upper Saddle River) 201-651-4963
Paterson 973-279-6660
Raritan Valley - (Bridgewater, Edison, North Brunswick, Old Bridge, Piscataway) 732-548-2400/732-583-0606/732-356-1300

New York

Bronx/Brooklyn - 718-617-3500
Long Island East (Babylon, Brookhaven, East Hampton, Islip, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Smithtown, Southold, Southampton) 631-267-6900 or 631-727-6300
Long Island West - (Hempstead, Huntington, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay) 516-364-8400
Matamoras - (Middletown, Port Jervis, Unionville, Westtown) 845-856-7738 M-F 8:00 am-5:00 pm
Ramapo - (Hillburn, Mahwah, Sloatsburg, Suffern, Tuxedo) 201-236-9712/845-624-8200/845-351-2916
Rockland - (Airmont, Chestnut Ridge, Montvale, Nanuet, New Hempstead) 201-236-9712/845-624-8200/845-351-2916
Warwick - (Chester Village, Florida, Stockholm, Sugar Loaf, West Milford) 845-986-2069/973-728-0301
Wappinger Falls- (Parts of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, and Ulster counties) 845-297-3333/800-577-2225/845-782-8206
Westchester, Northern - (Mt. Kisko, Ossining, Peekskill, Putnam Valley, Suffern, Haverstraw) 914-762-8600/914-739-6660/800-577-2225/845-429-4927
Westchester, Southern - (Mamaroneck, Rye, Scarsdale, White Plains) 914-777-9000
Westchester / Yonkers (Dover, North Salem, Port Chester, Yonkers, Yorktown, Wingdale) 800-868-9840/800-869-4909/914-378-8900/800-244-2328/914-937-0774/914-962-4444 24/7

Then there's the Regional Telephone Sales Numbers, available 7:00 am to midnight :

New Jersey

New Jersey - Raritan, Morris, Monmouth, Hamilton, Rockland (NY) 800-333-4857
Mid-New Jersey- (Newark, Hoboken, Elizabeth) 800-333-4857
New Jersey - (Oakland, Paterson, Bergen, Warwick) 201-405-8222

New York City

Bronx and Brooklyn - 718-617-7700
Connecticut 800-783-8885
Westchester/S. Westchester/Wappingers, Ossining 914-777-9033
Long Island- 516-393-0155

You can also contact Cablevision online to offer your opinion at this URL.

Until next time....

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(If you have comments or questions, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)