09/01 — The Atlantic Health Jets Training Center is "The House that Bill Senn Built." That's what it said on a football presented to Senn by Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum at noon today.

If you don't know Senn, he's is the Jets' senior vice president in charge of the AHJTC (nickname suggestions are being accepted), and Tannenbaum, head coach Eric Mangini and the Jets players, with their gifts and applause from their new auditorium, acknowledged his contributions to getting the team to work today, in time for Sunday's start of the regular season.

"We were supposed to be here in January 2009. That was the plan," Mike T told Senn and his audience, which included all the business personnel in the standing-room area above the aud seats, who also reported to work in Florham Park, N.J., this morning. "We're five months ahead of schedule standing here today. It's a tremendous achievement."

Mangini thanked not only the senior veep but all the other departments that made this transition possible and will have the facility ready for the players to begin practicing on their new fields Wednesday for their season opener at Miami.

"The football side," the coach said, "can't thank you enough for giving us this opportunity to move into the best facility in the NFL."

Senn, accepting not only the "gameball" but also a framed white and green jersey with SENN 08 on the back and a framed aerial shot of the facility, also credited Hunter Roberts Construction Group, which accelerated all schedules to get the facility up and running for today's work day and Tuesday's 11:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony for which N.J. Gov. Jon Corzine among many elected officials and dignitaries will be in attendance.

"This truly was a team effort," Senn told the players and coaches. "This building's all about winning. This building has been designed to try to maximize your effectiveness and efficiency both on and off the field."

Personal Travel Note

Senn and company didn't accelerate this project for me, but I can tell you right now, I'm thinking I'm in heaven.

I'd like to say this day was one of the main factors in my leaving daily newspapers for the Jets and the NFL in March 2007. But this was certainly one of the side benefits of my decision.

The main reason is that I have lived in Morris County, Florham Park's home, for most of my life. And my sometimes two-hours-plus commute to Hempstead has been reduced by 75 percent to about 30 minutes — and that will be true even when Route 80 East fills up with rush-hour traffic, which it didn't do today on Labor Day.

Then there is the de facto raise I've just received: no more $8 bridge tolls, fewer $45 fill-ups and less wear-and-tear on the chariot.

No, this move is not all about me, and I gladly shouldered the time and money required to cover this team, because my highest calling for a long time has always to report on the Jets for the region's diehard fans.

But after driving from North Jersey to Long Island regularly from my first year on the Jets beat, 1994, up until today, I want to thank Woody Johnson, Bill Senn, et al., for this new home. And we'll be reporting on how "this building is about winning" today and, in Senn's words, "for years to come."