guru
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Post by guru on Feb 26, 2016 10:59:11 GMT -5
This discussion saddens me. Friday night in NYC for the Big East Tournament WAS one of the tickets of the year on the NY sports scene. Those days are gone and not likely coming back. Have been to every BET since 1987 save one (for emergency dental surgery). Not going this year. Wasn't even tempted. It's a shell of its former self. Can't imagine it keeps the Garden much longer (and yes I know there are contracts, but at a certain point it makes sense to buy the BE out and put a better product in there). Makes me sad, but nothing lasts forever.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Feb 26, 2016 12:08:16 GMT -5
This discussion saddens me. Friday night in NYC for the Big East Tournament WAS one of the tickets of the year on the NY sports scene. Those days are gone and not likely coming back. Have been to every BET since 1987 save one (for emergency dental surgery). Not going this year. Wasn't even tempted. It's a shell of its former self. Can't imagine it keeps the Garden much longer (and yes I know there are contracts, but at a certain point it makes sense to buy the BE out and put a better product in there). Makes me sad, but nothing lasts forever. There is no buyout--all the ACC and Disney lawyers could not break it. So unless you're arguing GU should leave the Big East for parts unknown, or upgrade to a more expensive conference, it's our home. The Big East will literally be there longer than the MSG lease runs out at Penn Station (2024), which is a good thing. And remember, amidst the middling BE attendance, there is one phone call Fox needs to make to Storrs, CT and that's solved.
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guru
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Post by guru on Feb 26, 2016 12:14:18 GMT -5
Have been to every BET since 1987 save one (for emergency dental surgery). Not going this year. Wasn't even tempted. It's a shell of its former self. Can't imagine it keeps the Garden much longer (and yes I know there are contracts, but at a certain point it makes sense to buy the BE out and put a better product in there). Makes me sad, but nothing lasts forever. There is no buyout--all the ACC and Disney lawyers could not break it. So unless you're arguing GU should leave the Big East for parts unknown, or upgrade to a more expensive conference, it's our home. The Big East will literally be there longer than the MSG lease runs out at Penn Station (2024), which is a good thing. And remember, amidst the middling BE attendance, there is one phone call Fox needs to make to Storrs, CT and that's solved. Don't believe that on the buyout front - and even if (probably not) true that no buyout is possible (money talks, after all) after several years of pathetic crowds, they could easily displace the Big East to the previous week in March and put one of the Big Boy conferences in there the weekend before Selection Sunday. I guess given our options that might be fine. I like the phone call to Storrs idea. But why hasn't it already happened? Larger point is this is not a conference that merits MSG as a host anymore, nor is it a weekend that merits altering schedules to attend - and we're a big part of the reason why. Can't imagine other long term Gtown BET attendees don't at least partly agree with my take on attendance this year.
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NCHoya
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Post by NCHoya on Feb 26, 2016 13:55:30 GMT -5
Have been to every BET since 1987 save one (for emergency dental surgery). Not going this year. Wasn't even tempted. It's a shell of its former self. Can't imagine it keeps the Garden much longer (and yes I know there are contracts, but at a certain point it makes sense to buy the BE out and put a better product in there). Makes me sad, but nothing lasts forever. There is no buyout--all the ACC and Disney lawyers could not break it. So unless you're arguing GU should leave the Big East for parts unknown, or upgrade to a more expensive conference, it's our home. The Big East will literally be there longer than the MSG lease runs out at Penn Station (2024), which is a good thing. And remember, amidst the middling BE attendance, there is one phone call Fox needs to make to Storrs, CT and that's solved. Why are we so sure MSG would not try to buy the BE out of the contract? I could definitely see that as a possibility. MSG signed a horrible contract with the BE and they could do much better than the BET. Why not offer the BE a nice sum of money to part ways? As for Uconn, that call will come if the Big 12 decides not to pursue UConn this summer. Once all pathways to big time football are closed, UConn would be smart to move on and place their football team in the MAC. The football attendance is a joke anyway.
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Post by aleutianhoya on Feb 26, 2016 14:19:53 GMT -5
There is no buyout--all the ACC and Disney lawyers could not break it. So unless you're arguing GU should leave the Big East for parts unknown, or upgrade to a more expensive conference, it's our home. The Big East will literally be there longer than the MSG lease runs out at Penn Station (2024), which is a good thing. And remember, amidst the middling BE attendance, there is one phone call Fox needs to make to Storrs, CT and that's solved. Why are we so sure MSG would not try to buy the BE out of the contract? I could definitely see that as a possibility. MSG signed a horrible contract with the BE and they could do much better than the BET. Why not offer the BE a nice sum of money to part ways? As for Uconn, that call will come if the Big 12 decides not to pursue UConn this summer. Once all pathways to big time football are closed, UConn would be smart to move on and place their football team in the MAC. The football attendance is a joke anyway. It would have to be a huge sum of money. The other part of this is that I don't think there's another major conference clamoring to hold their tournament at MSG every year. The ACC isn't, right? They'd never leave NC forever or anything approaching it. They're at Verizon this year; Barclays the next two; and then back to NC for two. I'm guessing they'll look to move things around all over from here on out. Same with the B10 (who is at MSG in a few years, as you may recall, but a week before our tournament -- a huge win for the BE). Would either of them be interested in MSG even more often than once every three or four years? I doubt it. So, the BE as a consistent tenant for MSG may not actually be as bad as we think it is for MSG. Just a thought....
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Post by JohnnyJones on Feb 26, 2016 14:37:10 GMT -5
There is no buyout--all the ACC and Disney lawyers could not break it. So unless you're arguing GU should leave the Big East for parts unknown, or upgrade to a more expensive conference, it's our home. The Big East will literally be there longer than the MSG lease runs out at Penn Station (2024), which is a good thing. And remember, amidst the middling BE attendance, there is one phone call Fox needs to make to Storrs, CT and that's solved. Don't believe that on the buyout front - and even if (probably not) true that no buyout is possible (money talks, after all) after several years of pathetic crowds, they could easily displace the Big East to the previous week in March and put one of the Big Boy conferences in there the weekend before Selection Sunday. I guess given our options that might be fine. I like the phone call to Storrs idea. But why hasn't it already happened? Larger point is this is not a conference that merits MSG as a host anymore, nor is it a weekend that merits altering schedules to attend - and we're a big part of the reason why. Can't imagine other long term Gtown BET attendees don't at least partly agree with my take on attendance this year. I have a similar streak going - went to my first BET in 1989 and have been to 25 of the last 27 (missing only 1993 and 1994). While I understand your frustration, I am surprised you are taking a pass under these circumstances. While I understand very unlikely this year, BETs where we have done well have been some of the best weekends of my year those years. Clearly not the same buzz or crowds as certain years past, but the tournament is still amazing and a great atmosphere in my view. If SJU and the Hoyas can right the ship, it can get back to something really special. Even this year, a semifinals of Nova, Xavier, the Hall and maybe a PC (or us??) I think would do just fine. I also have the issue of maintaining BET "seniority" over some of my college roommates who poorly timed the birth of their children and other life events and have had to miss a GU BET game or two over the years.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Feb 26, 2016 17:23:37 GMT -5
Ah 1989 where your namesake had the saddest dunk attempt ever...
Good times.
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Post by JohnnyJones on Feb 26, 2016 18:50:34 GMT -5
Ah 1989 where your namesake had the saddest dunk attempt ever... Good times. Trust me, we remember. We were convinced that blown dunk is what killed our mojo the following week. Maybe ever since? That 89 team was really, really good.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Feb 26, 2016 19:01:52 GMT -5
What killed the 89 team was Phil Henderson's cram in Alonzo's face.
Two programs were never the same after that very play. One won a number of titles. The other is us.
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Post by michaeldm9 on Feb 26, 2016 20:44:16 GMT -5
What killed the 89 team was Phil Henderson's cram in Alonzo's face. Two programs were never the same after that very play. One won a number of titles. The other is us. That's wasn't the reason. Coach K. kept recruiting hard. JTII sat on his a$$.
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Elvado
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Post by Elvado on Feb 26, 2016 20:47:14 GMT -5
What killed the 89 team was Phil Henderson's cram in Alonzo's face. Two programs were never the same after that very play. One won a number of titles. The other is us. That's wasn't the reason. Coach K. kept recruiting hard. JTII sat on his a$$. That was however the moment. It was the moment where Duke rose and we fell. I concur wholeheartedly that Pops was disinterested after the Olympic fiasco and that loss. Count Chocula was emboldened and the rest is some very distasteful history.
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Post by JohnnyJones on Feb 26, 2016 21:14:12 GMT -5
That's wasn't the reason. Coach K. kept recruiting hard. JTII sat on his a$$. That was however the moment. It was the moment where Duke rose and we fell. I concur wholeheartedly that Pops was disinterested after the Olympic fiasco and that loss. Count Chocula was emboldened and the rest is some very distasteful history. Easter Sunday. That was my freshman year. While of course devastated, I do remember thinking to myself wow, this is fun - and we are just getting started. 1 BET Title and 2 Regional Finals in the 27 years that followed. Damn.
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SaxaCD
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Post by SaxaCD on Feb 26, 2016 23:35:29 GMT -5
What killed the 89 team was Phil Henderson's cram in Alonzo's face. Two programs were never the same after that very play. One won a number of titles. The other is us. That's wasn't the reason. Coach K. kept recruiting hard. JTII sat on his a$$. What killed the 89 team was Charles Smith turning his ankle badly in a tourney game leading up to that Duke game. Smith just killed people that year, and fully healthy, I think we win the title that year.
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Post by JohnnyJones on Mar 2, 2016 22:06:20 GMT -5
Pretty sure the front page is wrong in saying that we are locked in as the 8 seed. While I understand highly unlikely, if we win Saturday and Marquette loses Saturday, we would be the 7 and Marquette would be the 8. We split with them and the next tiebreaker is who you beat starting at the top of the standings. Our win over Xavier would give us that tiebreaker. Now, of course if PC or Butler were to also lose their final two games we do not fare well in that mini-conference.
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Post by wisconsinhoya on Mar 3, 2016 0:43:10 GMT -5
That was however the moment. It was the moment where Duke rose and we fell. I concur wholeheartedly that Pops was disinterested after the Olympic fiasco and that loss. Count Chocula was emboldened and the rest is some very distasteful history. Easter Sunday. That was my freshman year. While of course devastated, I do remember thinking to myself wow, this is fun - and we are just getting started. 1 BET Title and 2 Regional Finals in the 27 years that followed. Damn. I've always felt that following the 2 NCAA title game losses (1982 & 1985) that this loss to Duke in the 1989 East Regional Final at the Meadowlands on Easter Sunday was the most devastating loss in program history. As it has been stated, one could argue that we have never ever been the same. I think we were either the #1 or #2 overall seed in the entire tournament. JT II never surrounded Alonzo with talent like the 1989 team ever again during his 4 years at Georgetown. Almost impossible to believe that as a program we've only won 1 Big East tournament title, played in 2 elite 8 games, and only made 1 Final Four since 1989. I never realized it, but how many fans know that we've been in more NIT Tournaments since 1989 (eight, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014)than we've made trips to the Sweet 16 (five, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2007). Those sad stats truly show how far we have slid as a program.
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GUJook97
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Post by GUJook97 on Mar 3, 2016 9:36:22 GMT -5
Don't believe that on the buyout front - and even if (probably not) true that no buyout is possible (money talks, after all) after several years of pathetic crowds, they could easily displace the Big East to the previous week in March and put one of the Big Boy conferences in there the weekend before Selection Sunday. I guess given our options that might be fine. I like the phone call to Storrs idea. But why hasn't it already happened? Larger point is this is not a conference that merits MSG as a host anymore, nor is it a weekend that merits altering schedules to attend - and we're a big part of the reason why. Can't imagine other long term Gtown BET attendees don't at least partly agree with my take on attendance this year. I have a similar streak going - went to my first BET in 1989 and have been to 25 of the last 27 (missing only 1993 and 1994). While I understand your frustration, I am surprised you are taking a pass under these circumstances. While I understand very unlikely this year, BETs where we have done well have been some of the best weekends of my year those years. Clearly not the same buzz or crowds as certain years past, but the tournament is still amazing and a great atmosphere in my view. If SJU and the Hoyas can right the ship, it can get back to something really special. Even this year, a semifinals of Nova, Xavier, the Hall and maybe a PC (or us??) I think would do just fine. I also have the issue of maintaining BET "seniority" over some of my college roommates who poorly timed the birth of their children and other life events and have had to miss a GU BET game or two over the years. The BET is awesome and people are just being melodramatic. Enjoy your time up there. I always have a blast. I admit, it's harder to justify going when there is a chance we wont even get to Thursday, but that's just about us. I said this before, but keep tabs on how the ACC does in the Verizon Center. My guess is that they wont have 18K at 10 games. Call me crazy.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Mar 3, 2016 9:48:34 GMT -5
Don't believe that on the buyout front - and even if (probably not) true that no buyout is possible (money talks, after all) after several years of pathetic crowds, they could easily displace the Big East to the previous week in March and put one of the Big Boy conferences in there the weekend before Selection Sunday. I guess given our options that might be fine. It's not a matter of a buyout--the parties have signed an enforceable contract to rent MSG on that specific weekend for the next ten years. This is why the Big Ten will be there a week early during their sojourn east--MSG has already committed the second week of March through 2026 and they will be held to it. And since MSG gets paid in full whether there are 1,900 or 19,000 in the building, there's no incentive to do otherwise.
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