Madison Square Garden reopens for business, and almost everybody’s really fired up
Madison Square Garden has unveiled the results of a three-year, $1 billion renovation program, and as you can see from the ladies above, it's a thrilling overhaul that has the entire city of New York entranced. #alreadybored
Let's dig a little deeper into the remade icon, shall we?
The Garden opened 45 years ago. Think about that: in a world where teams start crying for new stadiums after barely a decade in their current digs, the Garden has been around for nearly half a century. Of course, it carries the weight of history and tradition, which in New York is as omnipresent, and as potentially disease-laden as the pigeons.
Still, as old as it is, the Garden hosts Knicks and Rangers home games, concerts, circuses, and other assorted gatherings almost every night of the year. And even though the New York City Council is trying to shut it down by 2023, it's still a viable and necessary facility for now. And that meant it was time for New York's A-Listers to step up, be seen, and take credit for the project.
That's Knicks icon Willis Reed at far left, looking like he'd like to limp out of the Garden rather than into it. Alongside him are Hank Ratner, MSG CEO, New York governor Andrew Cuomo, Knicks/Rangers head honcho Jim Dolan, and Rangers legend Mark Messier. Here, Cuomo and Dolan are chopping everything at Madison Square Garden but the prices. Oh, those are gonna be sky-high.
One of the major new facets of the Garden transformation is "Gardenvision," the new video scoreboard. The renovation includes upgraded suites, concourses, and food options. At the recent grand opening tour, the media were allowed to storm the court because, well, someone has to and it ain't gonna be Knicks fans any time soon.
The most fascinating elements of the transformation are the twin bridges running high above the court connecting the tenth floor and giving those brave enough to walk out on its span an unprecedented view of the court/rink. As for the people who have those seats way up that high (i.e. people like you and me), well, at least the view of the court won't be obstructed, and there are new television screens to give you all the scoring info you'd need. Besides, if the Knicks return to the form they've shown the last two decades, you wouldn't want to be any closer to that court than you have to be.
Finally, the grand re-opening included dignitaries, sports legends, actors, models who didn't seem to have a clue exactly where they were, and musicians who have a special connection to New York City. That's Mike D of the Beastie Boys. Yes, he's old, but that means so are you, and he can still rock a mic better than anyone in the five boroughs.
The Rangers will kick off at home on Monday having played their first nine games on the road. The Knicks' first preseason game at the Garden is Friday night. Later this season, the newly renovated Garden will host the NCAA East Regional, and in 2015, the NBA All-Star Game. Start saving for tickets now.
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is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
