Janae Pierre: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Monday, January 13th. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill.
Michael Hill: Police in Montclair, New Jersey say schools in town were shut down today because of a threat against a district staff member, but they say there's no danger to students. The police department says a teacher who's on administrative leave has been arrested and charged with making terroristic threats against the other staff on social media. Other charges are pending. Police say the teacher was placed in custody at around 8 o'clock this morning after being found at a residence in Philadelphia. More to come on this. Taking the PATH train across the Hudson is costing a bit more. WNYC's Phil Corso has more.
Phil Corso: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has raised the price of a single ride from $2.75 to $3, the first fare increase for the system in over 10 years. Prices for 10-trip and 30-day passes are also going up. This follows last weekend's toll hike on Port Authority bridges and tunnels, coinciding with the launch of the MTA's congestion pricing program. Drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street now face a $9 toll under the new congestion pricing rules.
Michael Hill: The fares went up yesterday. Public parks cover 14% of New York City's land but get a tiny fraction of the city's multi-billion dollar budget. Now the Center for an Urban Future wants lawmakers to add a small surcharge to sports and music tickets to boost the park's budget. The group says even a 1% surcharge could raise almost $40 million a year, which could lead to fixing busted water fountains and opening bathrooms. The Parks Department says it appreciates the spirit of the report and is always looking for new ways to generate revenue. 40 and partly sunny now, mostly sunny today, and 43 and gusty. Tomorrow, mostly sunny, turning colder, a high of 32 and feeling like the mid-teens.
Janae Pierre: Stay close. There's more after the break.
Michael Hill: New York Giants fans don't have a whole lot to cheer about these days, but 17 years ago in Super Bowl 42, the Giants unexpectedly won the Super Bowl, upsetting Tom Brady and the Patriots dynasty. Four years later in 2012, they did it all again. The quarterback for both championships was Eli Manning, who as of this year is eligible for football's Hall of Fame. Is he a Hall of Famer? That has sparked quite a debate. Let's talk about this now with Gary Myers. He's a former New York Daily News columnist.
He's also one of the people who will be voting on number 10, whose fate will be revealed February 6th. Gary Eli Manning is a prominent former quarterback for the Giants and is probably one of the better-known players, even to non-football fans. Why is deciding on Eli's fate been so complicated?
Gary Myers: I've been on the committee for about 15 years now, and I am anticipating the most contentious discussion that we've ever had. I think it's strictly because he had such a interesting career, which has really polarized the voters. In that postseason, he was a tremendous player. He won two Super Bowls, has two Super Bowl MVPs. The regular season, which obviously makes up an overwhelming majority of his career. He had a 500 record, he threw a lot of interceptions, was never really considered one of the two or three best quarterbacks in any particular year.
You have voters who are saying, ''Wait, if we're judging a guy strictly on the entirety of his work, how is Eli Manning a Hall of Famer when he's only a 500 quarterback?''
Michael Hill: Conversely, when the biggest game, as you mentioned, in America, is on the line, twice in Super Bowl 42 and 46, Eli really showed up. The underdog Giants. How advantageous is that?
Gary Myers: Well, I do anticipate, and I know I will speak up for Eli in the meeting, and what I'm going to say, quite frankly, a little preview, is how else will you define a Hall of Fame quarterback then, not once, but twice in the Super Bowl with the Giants trailing and the game on the line, he went down and took the team on a winning drive to get the touchdown that got the Noel Marty Trophy. Isn't that the very definition of a Hall of Fame quarterback?
Michael Hill: Does longevity factor in? Eli played 210 straight games, third longest in NFL history. Does that matter?
Gary Myers: Yes, you hear a lot of players and coaches say, the best ability is availability. Eli never missed a game because of injury, which is startling considering the pounding that he took, especially in the second half of his career. Then in his final year when Pat Shurmur was the coach and Daniel Jones was a rookie and the Giants had gotten off to a poor start. They just decided that was the time to make a transition from Eli to Daniel Jones. He never lost his job or missed a start, rather, because he was hurt. Boy, I don't know that there's any other quarterback that you can say that about, especially someone who made over 200 starts in his career.
Michael Hill: Fan perception of Eli Manning. Does that have any impact on you, the other voters, as to whether Eli gets in and gets in now?
Gary Myers: Giant fans love Eli. He is a hero to them. You can just tell anytime he gets introduced at MetLife Stadium for any event, he always gets the biggest ovation. Around the country, they don't feel that way about him. They tend to look at his career and say, like we've mentioned, just an average quarterback with mediocre stats. Whether those voters ultimately represent that feeling will determine whether Eli gets in.
Michael Hill: Our guest has been former New York Daily News columnist Gary Myers. He's also on the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee. We'll find out if Eli Manning made it into the Hall of Fame or not, as well as the rest of the class of 2025 on February 6th. Thank you, Gary.
Gary Myers: Thank you very much, Michael.
Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a day, for the latest news headlines and occasional deep dives. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back this evening.
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