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UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

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  • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

    Originally posted by Chuck Murray View Post
    Great idea, Hux. And BTW, with both fields (@ UNH and New Balance Field) being used primarily for field hockey these days, the old-fashioned phony turf (Astroturf) gets some increasingly rare usage. God, I do hate that stuff ... but apparently it is still THE preferred surface for that sport. I'm sure some company out there is only too happy to be able to rid themselves of some otherwise obsolete inventory. IMO that's taking this whole "green" movement too far.

    Speaking of "obsolete inventory" (wait for the *amazing* transition on this one ) ... this past weekend, almost 100,000 baseball fans turned out at Stade Olympique in Montreal for two meaningless exhibition games. In today's shameless "Bring Back Les Expos" plug, I figured I'd post some links to some nice photos of a sold-out Big Owe, which is something I haven't seen myself for about 15 years now. Does bring back some fond memories, though.

    Sorry to post here, but it looks like the old Expos thread in the Cafe has joined Nos Amours in oblivion these days.

    https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...10308469_o.jpg

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/in-photos-baseball-returns-to-montreal/article17727755/#dashboard/follows/
    Chuck, I never mind when you bring up the Expos. Although I never made it to Jarry Park (Park du Jarry), I went to several games at Olympic Stadium in the early 80's. The park was beyond horrible, maybe even worse that the big hefty in Minnesota. But the play was great. The Expos had a lot of great players back in those days - Dawson, Raines, Cromartie, Randy Johnson, et al. I've often wondered if the lack of support for the team was due to the awful stadium or the fact that the population in Montreal is just so consumed with the Canadiens that anything else is going to be on the far back burner.

    Obligatory UNH reference on parking. Who in their right mind would pony up $2-3,000 to shorten a walk to the arena by 5 minutes at most. UNH just doesn't get how to build loyalty to the team or the school. Of course, I've been told by friends that they don't do much of a job at BU either.

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    • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

      Originally posted by Greg Ambrose View Post
      Chuck, I never mind when you bring up the Expos. Although I never made it to Jarry Park (Park du Jarry), I went to several games at Olympic Stadium in the early 80's. The park was beyond horrible, maybe even worse that the big hefty in Minnesota. But the play was great. The Expos had a lot of great players back in those days - Dawson, Raines, Cromartie, Randy Johnson, et al. I've often wondered if the lack of support for the team was due to the awful stadium or the fact that the population in Montreal is just so consumed with the Canadiens that anything else is going to be on the far back burner.
      In retrospect - it's funny, with 10 years' separation, you do have time to ponder - I'm absolutely convinced the issues were at least 90% down to crappy, undercommitted ownership. The Expos never really had attendance issues until Charlie Bronfman got cold feet in the mid-1980's about the creeping payroll expenses, after he'd just given Gary Carter (RIP) what I believe was the biggest contract up 'til then in MLB history. And up through that point, Montreal was drawing better than average crowds to the Owe, and were up over 2 million attendance a few times - which was a big deal at the time. But Bronfman got a bad case of buyer's remorse, sent Carter (and his salary) to the Mets, and the fans slowly but surely began to lose faith in it all.

      But once Bronfman lost his financial cojones - in fairness, also during a time when the Quebec separatist movement was very close to succeeding - that was the beginning of the end. Selling to Brochu and the consortium of owners - none of whom was the leader, and Brochu (the leader) not having his own money to really take charge - was the worst thing possible, and when the 1994 strike hit, they threw in the financial towel for the first of several "fire sales", which totally alienated the fans. You can see from that point forward, attendance went into a death spiral until Jeffrey "Carpetbagger" Loria swooped in at MLB's beckoning to finish the job, which included nuking a well-developed downtown stadium plan.

      The stadium *could* have been better located, and turning it into an enclosed stadium in the late '80's once the retractible roof stopped working didn't help things. It's certainly never been a "baseball" venue, but I guess I always thought that was overblown. The Alouettes (CFL) and the Impact (MLS) are doing just fine attendance-wise, so I don't buy the hockey obsession argument either. There were dozens of other factors out there then (and some remain to this day), but at the top of the list, I say it's down to a bunch of undercommitted owners who increasingly crapped on an increasingly cynical fanbase.

      96,000+ fans for two exhibition games in an outdated non-baseball stadium (pretty much all of the stadiums built around that same time have been imploded, no?) tells me all I need to know about how much the fans up there miss baseball. I mean, when DC was wandering in the wilderness for 30-something years, and they started hosting exhibition games like these, they weren't packing out RFK to the tune of about 100,000 fans for a weekend.

      Off my soapbox in defense of my home-away-from home, for now at least. Thanks for tolerating.

      Originally posted by Greg Ambrose View Post
      Obligatory UNH reference on parking. Who in their right mind would pony up $2-3,000 to shorten a walk to the arena by 5 minutes at most. UNH just doesn't get how to build loyalty to the team or the school. Of course, I've been told by friends that they don't do much of a job at BU either.
      It looks like the folks running the show at UNH have been reading from Monsieur Brochu's 1990's playbook on how not to build loyalty with your fanbase ... ... it's amazing, in just about 10 years, the vaunted multi-thousand fan 'waiting list" is a memory, sellouts are a rarity, and the old atmosphere is pretty much gonzo. Let's not forget when our boy BS35 decided to micromanage the whole fan experience at The Whitt, eliminating certain songs and cheers, etc. How well has that worked, eh? Maybe he should just stick to doing what he does best instead, which would be ... err ... ummm ... ahhh ... ... dunno, I give up.
      Sworn Enemy of the Perpetually Offended
      Montreal Expos Forever ...

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      • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

        Never saw a baseball game in that dome, but did see a concert up there on one occasion. Was a bit late getting to the venue and never really noted where I was parked. Spent a loooooong time searching for my vehicle afterwards.
        UNH Hockey: From "Why Not Us' to "Woe is Us"

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        • Originally posted by Greg Ambrose View Post

          Obligatory UNH reference on parking. Who in their right mind would pony up $2-3,000 to shorten a walk to the arena by 5 minutes at most. UNH just doesn't get how to build loyalty to the team or the school. Of course, I've been told by friends that they don't do much of a job at BU either.
          Hence the need for an express elevator. Think Willie Wonka.
          Last edited by Hux; 04-07-2014, 12:55 AM.

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          • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

            Originally posted by Chuck Murray View Post
            it's amazing, in just about 10 years, the vaunted multi-thousand fan 'waiting list" is a memory,
            Ten? You give too much credit. One could walk up to the box office as early as 2007 and buy season tix (and quite possibly a year or two before).
            113-162-27 .419

            252-113-40 .672

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            • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

              Originally posted by Snively65 View Post
              Might be cheaper to build a six-level parking deck BEHIND the Whitt, next to the alum building, you know, partially hidden behind the trees. Then, we would be just like BC; high-end "NHLer" recruits would come flocking to UNH, the whole nine yards. What do you say, BS35?
              Only if they can find a way to make it look like a brick building from the early 1900s.
              113-162-27 .419

              252-113-40 .672

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              • Originally posted by freak View Post
                Only if they can find a way to make it look like a brick building from the early 1900s.
                True; gone is the brick yahd in Eppin'

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                • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

                  Originally posted by Snively65 View Post
                  True; gone is the brick yahd in Eppin'
                  Epping no longer has the brickyard. But it has added a Starbucks. Says something right there about the decline of our society.
                  UNH Hockey: From "Why Not Us' to "Woe is Us"

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                  • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

                    Originally posted by Felger View Post
                    Epping no longer has the brickyard. But it has added a Starbucks. Says something right there about the decline of our society.
                    Another sign of that decline (if not the impending apocalypse ) can also be found in Epping.

                    Three words: The Holy Grail

                    Mind you, not a bad place. But quite a *statement*, looking at the big picture and all ...
                    Sworn Enemy of the Perpetually Offended
                    Montreal Expos Forever ...

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by Chuck Murray View Post
                      Another sign of that decline (if not the impending apocalypse ) can also be found in Epping.

                      Three words: The Holy Grail

                      Mind you, not a bad place. But quite a *statement*, looking at the big picture and all ...
                      Love da Grail. :-)

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                      • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

                        Got your "crest" on the wall?

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                        • Originally posted by sonar View Post
                          Got your "crest" on the wall?
                          I think so. Mom's side is Marriott; unfortunately not the hotel chain founding side, but rather stone cutters. :-)

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                          • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

                            For those of you wanting big Marty to grab the mic, the Rutgers AD gave us a nice example today of why sometimes silence is golden. :-)
                            Signature line intentionally left blank.

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                            • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

                              http://www.tnhonline.com/news/crunch...9#.U0NW07HD8qQ

                              " “Our hope is to stabilize the student fee,” Marty Scarano, director of UNH Athletics, said."

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                              • Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

                                Originally posted by Snively65 View Post
                                http://www.tnhonline.com/news/crunch...9#.U0NW07HD8qQ

                                " “Our hope is to stabilize the student fee,” Marty Scarano, director of UNH Athletics, said."
                                1k dollars per student is pretty steep since at least 90 percent of the students don't even attend a game during their days in Durham. At least you can say the Campus Rec fee, can be used by the students.
                                Yes I am the former member known as Zlax45

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