Director Kevin Smith says that anyone from Jersey should be a Devils' fan

Amen. Alleluia, praise the lord. I've ranted on this enough. Kevin Smith has said that he doesn't get anyone who doesn't root for the Devils if you live in NJ. Read the Yahoo Puck Daddy Blog here. . . it is worth while if you love Jersey and especially hockey as well.



I will summarize my feelings shortly below:

My father was a Reds' fans and my mom as Cubs' fan - because my dad was from Southwestern Ohio and my mom was from a suburb of the Windy City. Jersey doesn't have a baseball team - so I rooted for the Phillies. I threw my dad's Reds cap out at 4 (when we lived in Ewing) and put on a Phillies' cap - because that was the closest city to us.

Jersey HAS a hockey team and appropriately, I'm a Devils' fan since I have always lived here. My dad and I agree on that (he's not from Columbus). I'm 31, and was 11 when the Devils made their playoff run in 1988.

Ranger fans are allured by the city - pure and simple. The parent argument (like, my father was a Ranger fan - so I have to be) doesn't stick to me for the reasons that I mentioned above. I just tell the Ranger fans who live in NJ (and more importantly grew up here) to remember your Jersey blood when the New Yorkers laugh at you as you board the NJ Transit back to NJ.

My whole point is that I DON'T see how anyone born or raised in NJ UNDER the age of 35 can be a Rangers' fan (with the exception of South Jerseyeans who are Philly fans and can't get the Devils on TV). The Devils were already here. And a Jersey team should be enough . . . especially with 3 recent Stanley Cups! Kevin Smith has come out and said it . . . why can't we all?

Well, up next for me, I'm in the process of creating a joke blog on how we can help our brothers and sisters in NJ, who happen to be Ranger fans, ease their transition . . . and offering them moral support . . . .in their eventual move to New York. That's right, I said it.

DMV links, bridge toll & parking information . . . and even links of reliable movers. Everything to help our dear friends move to where their heart really is - NYC. . . that's why I've been gone from blogging so long, but Devil fans - look at it as a Christmas present coming soon.

Flyer fans - no gripes here - you're safe in South Jersey . . though Smith does have some gripes with you . . . I know . . . it's a long ride up to Newark . . .

What is Central Jersey culture?

If you were to google "North Jersey" or "South Jersey" you can find many quizzes or other lists that start like . . . . "You know you're from North/South Jersey when . ."

There are others that say, "You know you're from New Jersey when . . . ." also.

But I have yet to find one that says "You know you're from Central Jersey when . . ."

Now if some of you think it is hard to convince me there is a Central Jersey, let me tell you that with one of our consultants; it is even harder. This person asked me today, "What is Central Jersey culture? If it is just a mish-mash of the two (North and South). . then I don't call that culture."
OK, and this has no bearing on our line and could be attributed to my native Mercer county pride, but I countered this person and told them that there is no bigger cultural difference in New Jersey than going from Mercer to Burlington. The cable changes, the sports loyalties go from mixed to solid Philly and the newspapers change (somewhat . . still Trenton papers, but the Star Ledger and Philadelphia Inquirer seem to flip flop) and even some voting patterns change.

But my consultant brought up a good point. What IS Central Jersey culture? I have written here before that Monmouth and Mercer county have little in common. I mentioned Kevin Smith (a Monmouth native) in my last posting. And when Clerks came out in 1994 - that movie might have well been set in a foreign country. I didn't know people who tawlked like that and really couldn't call it my Jersey (though I did love the street hockey on the roof). Chasing Amy (a movie I LOVED) also was different. Smith made it seem like every New Jerseyan just hops into "The City" easily; but during my college summers, I was much more likely to go to Philly than New York.
Hence my confusion and feeling like the South Jersey people were never fairly represented when people spoke of New Jersey.

Then, I moved to Margate City after graduating and had people tell me I was from North Jersey. When I argued, they cited the the fact I was an NJ Devils' fan and noted "those long-winded politicians in Trenton." Alas, I had to agree there was a faster pace of life in Mercer compared to Atlantic and even Burlington (that I mentioned earlier) . . .

So, after all of this rambling - the question still remains. What is Central Jersey culture? I challenge readers to come up with a quiz or posting . . . to answer this.

PS - It is acceptable to also say that there is no Central Jersey.

Kevin Smith's NY vs. NJ

Director Kevin Smith did a skit for the Concert for New York shortly after September 11th. The quality isn't great, but it provides some laughs.

I want to go to the beach

And it's not because of the great weather recently. It is because after getting pasted by our cross-river Rivals, the New York Rangers, I am livid. You can read why I love the New Jersey Devils for back information here. But after this series, my feeling is that there are still too many New York Ranger fans who live (and more importantly) grew up in New Jersey for my liking and, admittedly, they did a good job flooding the Rock for the Devil home games (and usually have).

I am writing an Op-Ed on these feelings for an NJ paper and will expand further there.

But I need a vacation. In my observations, it is no surprise that the greatest percentage of Devil fans compared to Ranger (or Flyer) fans is at the North Shore. It is the heart of New Jersey Devils' country.


I could have expanded this map to Middlesex, Somerset and parts of Hunterdon too, but I haven't been convinced of their Devil fan loyalty the way I have with the North Shore.

Considering New Jersey, the North Shore is pretty geographically isolated from both New York and Philadelphia and I am finding the Jersey Pride is the strongest in these areas, in part due to their geographic position. One person told me that their pride is a result of the beaches and the fact that they're not a backwater of any city (though this is debatable).

True, there are Ranger fans in these areas too and all over New Jersey. The romance that people in the northern (and central) areas of the state have for "the city" is tough to ignore (look at me, why do you think I live in Hoboken?)

But I need to be around my fans now without any blue shirts lingering. Read Kevin Smith's NHL blog for more insight why (I recommend his entry on "Live to Hate the Rangers"). By the way Kevin Smith is also from the North Shore.

After playing hockey (in New York) on Wednesday and looking to find a place in Manhattan to watch the Devils-Rangers Game 4 , I was surprised to hear other fans cheering when the Devils scored a goal. It was a punk band, from Asbury Park, catching the game before their gig in the city. It was nice to see and from my whole documentary observations - typical. Right now, I LOVE the North Jersey Shore and am dreaming of the waves to drown out my sorrow.

NOTE: I hold no grudge toward the South Jersey fans of the Philadelphia Flyers, in this instance because, for the most part, they have never been able to get the Devils on Cable TV.

Of Football, lip liner and Wawa

We have a lot of footage and will be shooting much more over the next two months. We have so much that I have to get another external hard drive for all of the video!

I really don't quite know if the stuff that I put on here will make final cut. It will be a long process.

But anyway, listen to Stafford Twp.'s Mayor talk about the North Jersey "push" South in relation to football. This would go along with Bob at West Jersey.org and his Receding Hairline Theory:

Some residents of South Jersey will personally define what is South Jersey by the amount of over-development that occurs. If rural character is used as a yardstick then South Jersey is the area that is less developed than North Jersey. Unfortunately, the hairline continues to recede.

Then, listen as a South Jersey girl who moved North describes her definition and how much she loves Wawa. One thing that we're finding here: South Jersey and Shore people are very loyal to Wawa and people that have moved from the North gladly prefer it over 7-11 and Quick Check.

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