New York City Marathon will not be held this Sunday

After days of growing pressure from politicians, residents and runners themselves to cancel the New York City Marathon,  city officials and the event's sponsors have decided that the race will not be held this Sunday.

Details on whether or not the race would be postponed or cancelled are unclear and how the New York Road Runners — the organization which sponsors the run —would handle the change.  It's too early to know how popular the news will be among the field of nearly 50,000 runners expecting to compete — thousands who have traveled to New York to run and have trained for months.

The move comes just as the city announced that power has been restore to huge tracts of the East Side and Lower Side of Manhattan and the criticism of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision to hold the race swelled.

Bloomberg issued the following statement moments after news of the cancellation came out:

"The marathon has been an integral part of New York City's life for 40 years and is an event tens of thousands of New yorkers participate in and million more watch.  While holding the race would not require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division."

"The marathon has always bought our city together and inspired us with stories of courage and determination.  We would  to want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it.:

"We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event — even one as meaningful as this —to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track.  The New York Road Runners will have additional information in the days ahead."

Bloomberg repeatedly said the race would go on for the good of the city's economy despite the prospect of participants running through neighborhoods ravaged by the storm.

He finally made the right decision.

Goodell checked with NJ Gov. Christie about playing Giants-Steelers game

New Jersey and the storm-ravaged tri-state area is still reeling from the effects of the Hurricane Sandy but MetLife Stadium has been given the okay to host the Giants-Steelers game this Sunday by none other than state Gov. Chris Christie himself.

A Sports Illustrated report said that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell contacted Christie Thursday to make sure holding the 4:25 p.m. game would not divert resources away from Sandy relief efforts.  Christie confirmed that it would not and gave his blessing, reports The Star-Ledger.

Christie "was pleased the game is being played," NFL Greg Aiello wrote in an e-mail message, and that "the Giants and the NFL will be saluting first responders at the game and contributing $1 million plus extensive promotional time on all out games to the Red Cross for the relief effort."

While the debate continues over New York City's plan to hold the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday and the Knicks-Heat game at Madison Square Garden Friday night, the course of action at MetLife Stadium was to play the game as scheduled.

The NFL determined that there was no significant damage to the stadium and kept in touch with local authorities, said an NFL spokes person.

Goodell reached out to Christie during the rescue and relief efforts and it was agreed that the game would not be moved despite statewide power outages and gas shortages.

Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw said he thinks fans need something to "spark New York" after all the devastation.

"Hopefully, we can take care of New York," he said, "And it will be a good Sunday for everybody."

NYC politician calls mayor's refusal to cancel marathon 'idiotic'

The number of New Yorkers calling for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to call off Sunday's ING New York City Marathon in the wake of Hurricane Sandy is growing.

Staten Island,  one of the hardest hit areas in New York City and the starting point for the 26.2-mile race, is still cleaning up their storm-ravaged neighborhoods and the anger in the crippled borough is so high, a local councilman has called the mayor's refusal to call off the race "idiotic" on his Facebook page.

"The notion of diverting even one police officer, one first responder, one asset away from this carnage is beyond irrational," Councilman James Oddo told The New York Daily News.

Staten Island is the scene of some of the most tragic stories and images to come out of the devastating storm.  Just yesterday, two young brothers' bodies were found, after they were swept away from their mother, and numerous photos of trapped residents being rescued from their homes on the South Shore were all over the news.  Residents are still pleading for help from the city.

The thought of tents, food, water and generator-supplied power catering to the perky 47,000 runners at the marathon's starting line — while despondent people go cold, wet and without power nearby — is just one reason Staten Island residents are joining a "Boycott the 2012 NYC Marathon."

Bloomberg, meanwhile, held firm on holding the race.

"This city is a city where we have to go on."

"Keep in mind by Sunday we'll have electricity back downtown," he said.  "That will free up an enormous number of police.  Also, a lot of the transportation needs that we have during the week aren't there on the weekends."

A lot of the registered participants, who have trained for the race, are having second thoughts about running through a course with a backdrop of destruction and despair.

The New York Road Runners Facebook page has been filling up with requests to cancel this year's race — or at least postpone it.

The NYRRC has promised to donate $1 million to the Sandy relief.

Ironically, the runners will begin their run with a carnival-like start at the entrance to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, then jog forward into Brooklyn leaving their disposable clothing and empty water bottles amongst the destruction Sandy left behind.

Maybe some will look back over their shoulders.

Dwyane Wade is upset about Heat playing Knicks during hurricane cleanup

Dwyane Wade and his Miami Heat teammates had a hard time getting into Manhattan Thursday night and the team saw first-hand the residual effects of Hurricane Sandy's damage to the city and how the storm has basically crippled all modes of transportation.

The All-Star guard tweeted that he wasn't too happy about the team's lengthy commute into the city for Friday night's game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

"3 hour traffic just to get into the NY city ... C'mon Man..."

While the unexpected three-hour tour of the wounded city was an inconvenience, Wade later sounded like the thing that really peeves him is the fact that Friday night's game would still be played at all.

Wade tweeted that he loves playing in New York but his heart was with anyone coping with the mess Sandy left behind.

"I luv playing in the garden but cnt do nothing but think abt all the families that don't have power, food, water etc... ths is a tragic hit 4 ths gr8 city"

The Brooklyn Nets postponed Thursday's season-opening game against the Knicks at the Barclays Center because the storm knocked out most means of transportation.

The Garden might be all bright lights and beer on Friday night but, Wade might like to know that only four blocks away from the arena, tens of thousands are still without power and water — and that doesn't include the hundreds of thousands without homes in the tri-state area.

Steelers will fly into Newark on same day as Giants game due to Sandy

Hurricane Sandy will be affecting the Pittsburgh Steelers' travel schedule to MetLife Stadium for Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

The team will leave Pittsburgh on Sunday morning — a day later than it normally would — for the 4:25 p.m. start time and return to Pittsburgh right after the game Sunday night.  The team was booked to stay at the Westin Hotel in Jersey City Saturday night but the hotel is still without power due to the storm — and they can't find any rooms in the area to accomodate the team.

It's basically a 400-mile work commute for the Steelers who will be bussed to the stadium after breakfast, then fly another 400 miles back to Pittsburgh after the game ends.

New Jersey residents affected by Sandy have been grabbing any extra hotel rooms they can find and combined with the New York Marathon bringing an extra 50,000 visitors to the area, it's no surprise the Steelers couldn't find any other accommodations.

The Giants had logistical problems of their own this week due to the storm and didn't have a chance to practice until late Wednesday afternoon.  Some players without power in their New Jersey homes have been bunking at teammates' houses for the duration of the blackouts.

Whether or not the Steelers short road trip disrupts the visiting players pre-game routines and sleep patterns seems likely.  How it affects the Steelers on the field Sunday against the defending champs will remain to to be seen.

The Giants were 3-1/2 point favorites.  I wonder if the spread will change?

Giants' Cruz: Hurricane power outage 'feels like 1990'

Hurricane Sandy has left huge chunks of New Jersey and New York without power and the New York Giants have been affected as much as anyone else.

On Wednesday, Giants players had their first practice since Sunday night's physically draining 29-24 victory over the Cowboys in Dallas.  The slightly altered session was held in the late afternoon instead of the morning to give assistant coaches — who lost power — more preparation time.

The Giants team been improvising since Sandy left a path of destruction across most of New Jersey — where most of the players and coaches live — by bunking together or, in some cases, reverting back to childhood.

Giants wideout receiver Victor Cruz had one of the funniest lines regarding his new lifestyle adjustment.

"We don't have any cable or Internet right now,' Cruz said of his family house's situation, joking, "It just feels like 1990 all over again."

While Cruz's circumstances take him back to being a five-year-old Paterson, N.J. kid — and his biggest problem probably being whether or not to watch Urkel on "Family Matters" or the Olsen twins (years before they became goth-looking millionaires) on "Full House" —  for some players it was more serious.

Giants like Tight end Martellus Bennett and his wife decided to move in with a teammate as Big Blue prepares to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

"I actually stayed at Kevin Boothe's house," said Bennett.  "They had power, we didn't have power, so we went over there."

"It was great having [Martellus]," said Boothe.  "My son loves him.  He thought Martellus was there solely to play with him."

While Boothe's hospitality was evident, some Giants cherish their privacy and weren't so accommodating.

"They can't stay with me," gruffed Jason Pierre-Paul half-kidding.  "I don't like to see 'em after work."

Meanwhile, the salsa-dancing Cruz summed up the mood around Giants practice by paraphrasing head coach Tom Coughlin.

"As Coach Coughlin says, "It's a mid-stream adjust," said Cruz.  "So we have to be able to mid-stream adjust to these things and learn how to prepare throughout any circumstances.  Because I guess it's just the nature of the beast.  But as the term says, the show must go on.  We've got to be ready to play."

Funny, I remember those words coming from Luther or Dauber on that 1990 TV show "Coach."

Eli Manning's flood photo creates meme sensation

The photograph of Eli Manning snapping a picture of the flooded lobby of his Hoboken, N.J. apartment complex during Hurricane Sandy was all over the Internet and has now spawned a site where people can use Easy E's image in a meme.

Deadspin.com has launched a new Tumblr page called "Eli Manning Looking At Things" with the image of the dorky-looking New York Giants quarterback — wearing a red T-shirt and dark sweatpants — in the middle of everything from a bullfight to Derek Jeter lying on the infield after he broke his ankle during the ALCS.

It's hilarious.

The site has even added a cutout of the awkwardly nonchalant Manning pose to make creating your own meme image (some Photoshop skills necessary) easier.

Got to thank Deadspin for helping New Yorkers and Jerseyites get a little laugh from the aftermath of the storm.  Every little bit helps.