1. Charles Dolan

He’s been our top dog for two years, but he almost slipped this time. After all, Dolan Sr. has been fighting numerous high-stakes battles and having uncharacteristically mixed success. He has been simultaneously trying to block the West Side stadium, resuscitate his struggling satellite service, drive Warner Brothers to pay more for the Knicks and Mets, and quell a palace uprising led by his son, James. The stadium bid didn’t win—a blow for his precious Madison Square Garden. But MSG isn’t a big moneymaker anyway. And, by starting a bidding war, he forced the Jets to line up $620 million more in private financing than the mayor or governor would have demand- ed. The jury is still out on Voom and Warner Brothers, but Papa Dolan already showed young master Jim who his daddy is by firing James’ buddies from the board of Cablevision and installing his own allies. In the end, it comes to this: Foolish money bets against Charles Dolan. Oh, and he still decides what a million Long Island house- holds will—or won’t—see on television.