Spin

Agreed. But he got quite a bit of (undeserved) bad press over the Whitmer game. Don't forget Whitmer was under investigation for having Michigan residents on the team. Quite the recruiters... Wadsworth has issues, and they will show up again next season. I'm not a Wadsworth native, but my son both played here, and one still wrestles here.

Capital projects like Summa Field at Infocision Stadium and Cub Cadet Field at First Energy Stadium? And that is just one of several possible sources of $... Nobody wants to demolish the JAR, it would still be a useful building. Just as Memorial Hall was.

He didn't have the blocking he needed in big games. He has the talent but came up flat when everyone was watching.

Here's another "Spin" on things. Thinking about KD's comments. If the football tam still practiced by the airport and played at the Rubber Bowl, would Terry Bowden be our head coach now? What kind of recruiting could KD do, what caliber of coach could we attract when he retires, with first class facilities? I'm still of the opinion that renovating the JAR is putting lipstick on a pig.

Sorry, didn't pick up on that. I just left an IndyCar forum because of some of the "clientele" and may be a little touchy.

:wall: I was trying to show you the EVENTS these arenas bring to town. I already showed you seating arrangements (twice) in previous pages. Try to stay within the context of the message.

You're on the right track. You would see the same type of act, during the winter months.

That's a good question, a fair question. I think if you look at http://www.covellicentre.com/ you see more what I'm talking about. Or http://wesbancoarena.com/calendar.php Events that couldn't earn a profit in an 18,000 seat Q, but could do better, in a bigger city, than the 4,000 seat Canton Civic Center. Think of the Aeros in the same market as the Indians and the Scrappers/Captains and the IronMen and Crushers. Each knows its place in the food chain, each does well in its place. And we benefit from that in having a game down the street in a comfortable atmosphere and a major league game up the highway. Maybe you only have time or money for an Aeros game, or the Tribe is on the road. You also have the situation where the Q is booked solid, and someone else coming into the market can't get any decent dates. When the Force folded, the Lumberjacks came in. When the Crunch started up a year later, there were no weekend dates left at the Coliseum because the Cavs and the Jacks had them all. So they played at the Convo (Wolstein). They didn't take away from each other, and they all had weekend dates. Erie, roughly half the size of Akron, has three sports franchises playing in the winter. Add competitive Division I college basketball as the anchor, a couple high school doubleheaders, and maybe an MMA event to the assorted events the other smaller arenas book, and the U has another revenue stream, IMO. FWIW.

Back home again in beautiful suburban Akron. Hopefully with a real keyboard I won't have as many typos, but no guarantees. Driving back, I came up with the best case scenario for all parties. One thing to consider, some of my coursework taught me to see things from a community perspective, how to benefit the most people. Another thing to consider, I live and work in the Greater Akron "community". What benefits the community benefits me. Maybe I would take my grand kids to the circus or monster trucks if it were in Akron. Maybe I would at lunch in a new restaurant brought in by the year round crowds going to the arena and ballpark. Maybe I become a fan of an indoor soccer team in Akron, like I did one in Richfield. Maybe I would go to concerts again. So I look at this much differently than the people who only want to come to Akron for college basketball games. IMO a downtown arena would be a money maker. Not huge profits. But looking at the number of dates places like Covelli and WestBanco and Tullio and Huntington, I'm jealous these other cities has all of this in their communities and we don't. Covelli and Tullio break even at least without sponsorship. Although I doubt one in Akron would have much problem selling naming rights. Where do the profits go? IMO the best case scenario would be for the University build a downtown arena. Go ahead and laugh. Or be pissed about a few rows of gradually rising seats you won't ever sit in anyhow. The University gets a new arena, that can be used during the day for recreational purposes by the students (anyone remember them?). The programs get a nice comfortable quaint venue to play. The University gets all of the revenue from all of the other events. And a much bigger naming rights sponsor because of the number of dates it will have events. The community gets a new centerpiece to a new arena/ballpark district. And the MBB program gets free pub from its banners hanging from the rafters, all that history and permanence, for every circus, minor league game, rodeo, concert, and monster truck derby that's held there. Reality says the U and the city will never work together, the U may or may not get an on campus basketball gym with fancier seats, the city may or may not get a downtown arena that does everything the others have. And by not working together either or both be wasting a lot of our money.

Lot 9 eh? I'm in. We haven't missed a spring game in several years. Always a good time. It's the only time me and all three sons have been able to attend the same Zips event, and the U always makes us welcome. How to get more people, I think it all goes back to marketing. New Coach, New Direction, something of that nature. People are looking for a winner, the Browns haven't won since they came back, the Buckeyes are in for a few more rough years IMO. This is the perfect time to sell TB and the new program. Starting with the spring game.

You guys are looking at this solely through he eyes of the Zips MBB program. Well guess what, that's not where the money is coming from. The city is going to do what it thinksis in its best interest, not necessarily the best interest of 4000 Zips fans. Akron will get what Akron needs. I'm sitting in Erie Pa right now, and their arena has something going on c,onstantly.that's what Akron needs. Get off your bias toward hockey, and take a good look around you. Hockey at the appropriate level (affordable) won't work? Better tell that to Toledo, Wheel8ing, Eried. Wooster. Arena football won't work? Try telling that to Erie, Wheeing, Canton. Minor league basketball? Wheeling, Canton. Monster trucks, arenacross, concerts. That's what Akron needs. Sorry 16 dates fr college basketball is just another tenant to them. If you dontl ike it, get off your ass, donate the money, and spec what you want. We'll put your name on the front. Until you or Luis signs the check, we're just along for the ride.

WHBC has poscasts, but the page is screwed up. All I get is code, with any browser. If anyone can load the podcast page and it has his interview, please post a link.

Repeating post #90... Why limit it to, what, 16 dates a year? Is the city going to pay for that??? When for not much more, they can have an arena capable of handling hockey, indoor soccer, arena football, ice capades, circuses, monster trucks, rodeos, motocross, all of the things that Youngstown, Toledo, Wheeling, and dozens of other cities Akron's size brings in. Hell, Canton. Maybe we get an arena football team, minor league hockey team. Indoor soccer. Minor league basketball. You won't go, so what? Well those events would only help revitalize downtown. The way the minor league baseball team has. Better restaraunts, better bars. Maybe a theater. More places to go. More money coming in to the local economy from the suburbs. More things to do before and after Zips games. wink.gif

Hmmm, how big do we need it to be? Last year our high was 5,019. We had 8,168 for a CSU game in 1986, and 15 games over capacity since the JAR was built. The latest figures I have on the conference show Ohio U averaging 5,289 in 2009-10. This article does show attendance trending up for most of the conference. A downtown location should help attendance too. BUT. We haven't averaged 4000 per game since Bob Rupert was the coach. We haven't drawn 3000 since 07-08. So if we go 8000 and attendance doesn't increase by a great amount, maybe the Q's system of curtaining off the upper deck during Monsters games is needed to keep that atmosphere.

Matt is getting some playing time with the Ohio Vortex down in Canton. I might have to get down there, relive some memories... I wonder if my Canton Invaders jersey still fits...

What you have to remember is the front row of a newer hockey arena are not on ground level. When the boards are removed, more stands are brought in along the sides so there really is only 2-3 rows on the floor itself. That's even more pronounced on the ends where the plexi is higher. In fact some sacrifice lower rows of hockey seating on the ends, to make it more workable for basketball. The ends vary from arena to arena. I know there are places where one end section can be moved out to the floor, but can't find any shots where that is evident. Atmosphere. We're talking a building less than half the size of the NBA arenas. Built to an appropriate size (CSU's blunder) and atmosphere is not an issue. Having lived through many Canton Invaders games with at least part of my hearing, that place ROCKED. It's all about proportion. They could sell 4000 seats, they only had 4000 seats, and it was on!!! Something slightly larger, say 6-8000 for basketball, is going to be equally "packed".

Big Man On Campus Just doesn't have the same ring as Coach Iadon'tknow...

Why limit it to, what, 16 dates a year? Is the city going to pay for that??? When for not much more, they can have an arena capable of handling hockey, indoor soccer, arena football, ice capades, circuses, monster trucks, rodeos, motocross, all of the things that Youngstown, Toledo, Wheeling, and dozens of other cities Akron's size brings in. Maybe we get an arena football tea, minor league hockey team. Indoor soccer. Minor league basketball. You won't go, so what? Well those events would only help revitalize downtown. The way the minor league baseball team has. Better restaraunts, better bars. Maybe a theater. More places to go. More money coming in to the local economy from the suburbs. More things to do before and after Zips games.

and so on and so on and so on

I've posted pictures twice of the Q, the Wolstein, and other arena flooring arrangements. And showed the floor space in B&G's "basketball only" USC example. Obviously visual aids are as much a waste of time on here as explanations are...

Comfort means a LOT. Look at the new ball parks, comfortable seats, leg room, good food, clean comfortable restrooms. Compare that to Thurman Munson, or Cleveland Municiple...

The floor area is not much smaller than needed for other arena sports. If at all...

Hockey/basketball arenas built in the last 30 years are much better about that. What's wrong with the Wolstein that couldn't be fixed with better treatments? It's 20 years old, was great for indoor soccer and even better for basketball. Better than the JAR IMO. Chair back seats top to bottom. Put in a student section where the alumni band bleachers are, lose the stupid curtain, the capacity would be smaller so you wouldn't have to curtain off the empty seats. Without all the dead space, it would make for a great basketball atmosphere. Why go to all the expense and trouble to build a one-trick pony that is useless for anything else spectators want to see? Didn't we learn anything from the JAR? It would be much easier to get the thing approved and built if it would be used more than 16 times a year (everything else is fine in the JAR). It's not 1974 and they're not building the Richfield Coliseum anymore...

I like the shirts and pants being different colors.

And they wonder why newspapers are dying...