I'm guessing there will be some surprise names on Wednesday

[ibleedhuskyblue]

No the little leaguer was on the phone and Geno talked to her, even though,I don't believe, he instigated the call.

Exactly. The rules regarding contact are so convoluted, that it might be a total no no.

That said, i would have the compliance office working like heck to find a way if possible...because giving tickets (unsold) is a fantastic way to build a young fan base, and we could use it with our short history.

 

[RioDog]

The Whalers were greatly supported by CT. The owner bailed for more $$ because franchise owners have no loyalty to the folks that support their teams anywhere.

And this is why I don't watch professional sports.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I work in an elementary school in East Hartford. Youth football is HUGE in the town and most of the kids follow the NFL obsessively. None of the kids I know have been to a game at the Rent though. Very disappointing.

 

[Saab04]

I work in an elementary school in East Hartford. Youth football is HUGE in the town and most of the kids follow the NFL obsessively. None of the kids I know have been to a game at the Rent though. Very disappointing.

You should change that. Talk to the administration and see if they can take the kids to a UConn football game field trip. I'm not sure what kind of pull you have at the school, but you should definitely make an attempt.

 

[MattMang23]

LOL. Raleigh! Doesn't make a difference where in North Carolina. They are dead to me.

Yup. Karmanos remains my all-time number one sports villain.

 

[whaler11]

Agreed, the Whalers actually outdrew the Bruins multiple times in the 80's.

Yeah because the Bruins played in the smallest building in the league when the Whalers were at their peak.

Yes, the last year with the threat of moving attendance was higher but only people who skipped 1989-1995 think the Whalers had good attendance.

They played a playoff game 6 in front of 6k in 1992.

UConn's basketball attendance is embarrasing based on their success.

UConn's football attendance the last 4 years put the program in danger.

If you want to pretend Connecticut is a good fanbase for attendance - bully for you it has nothing to do with reality.

Maybe it's just why one of the richest states in the country has the AHL and AAC to choose from.

And if you want to blame lack of success - go to some women's basketball games and let me know if there is any leg space. They will hand out tickets to local hobos again this year for the NCAA tournament so they can fill a 10k venue 75%.

 

[whaler11]

Yup. Karmanos remains my all-time number one sports villain.

His own kids hate him and file lawsuits. Things are going well.

 

[BlueDogs]

Geno sent a letter to a little leaguer and the NCAA came knocking. I wouldn't take this chance

Good job by the NCAA ....man, the idiots in the NCAA are an embarrassment. Forget hostesses, making players ill from over work, stealing their vacation time, allowing a few conferences to steal the college playoffs, lets make sure that kid doesn't get corrupted by some inspiration and a pat on the back.

 

[J187Money]

I'm sorry, but when you're getting smoked by Tulane at home and the sun is down and the wind is whipping and your fingers are starting to go numb...

... eh, I'm just gonna go home. Maybe that makes me less loyal. I don't know. I don't care. At some point, you're really just a glutton for punishment.

It wasn't that cold. Soft

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

It wasn't that cold. Soft

Ha. It just felt cold cause the sun felt so warm. And also sadness.

 

[CL82]

I live out of state so I rarely if ever get to go to a game at the Rent. A decade or more ago I had the privilege to go to a few. I brought my brother who lives in CT, we scalped tickets on the runway. We were in minutes before kickoff. By halftime he was asking when I wanted to leave. He was wanting to be out by at least the start of the 4th to "beat the traffic". Just floored me. We stayed but he was upset the rest of the game. I found others to go with every other time I went.

I've said it before, and I'm pretty much preaching to the choir, but if you hang out after the game watch the band, have a beer and bullsh!t on the runway for a bit, exiting the Rent is pretty easy and stress free. The people who are stuck in traffic are, for the most part, the people who are rushing out to beat the traffic.

 

[kcc1442]

James Robinson. o

Oh wait was this the I can dream thread or the guess at the surprise commit on signing day thread.

RL did recruit him and give him a scholly to Auburn...........I know I know never in a million.

 

[ctchamps]

Exactly. The rules regarding contact are so convoluted, that it might be a total no no.

That said, i would have the compliance office working like heck to find a way if possible...because giving tickets (unsold) is a fantastic way to build a young fan base, and we could use it with our short history.

All someone has to do is demonstrate that gate tickets sales will go up enhancing school revenues, the NCAA will figure a way to cash in on it and voila.

 

[IMind]

UConn's basketball attendance is embarrasing based on their success.

UConn's football attendance the last 4 years put the program in danger.

If you want to pretend Connecticut is a good fanbase for attendance - bully for you it has nothing to do with reality.

Maybe it's just why one of the richest states in the country has the AHL and AAC to choose from.

And if you want to blame lack of success - go to some women's basketball games and let me know if there is any leg space. They will hand out tickets to local hobos again this year for the NCAA tournament so they can fill a 10k venue 75%.

While I do agree with most of what you're saying... I think you're being too harsh when characterizing the support the basketball team gets. Not everything is in a vacuum. Compared to UConn's peers attendance has been strong. Go look at the top 50 NCAA attendance... it's not all that great outside of the top 10. Given the quality of the XL Center, some of our opponents, and the inconsistent play and 10k per game probably is pretty good. The XL Center and Hartford is probably costing the team at least 2k-3k per game. I've been to AHL games at Hershey, The Lehigh Valley, and the XL Center... Hershey and the Lehigh Valley are near the top of the league in attendance. XL Center near the bottom... believe me the arena matters.

I won't even get into how absurd it is to think anyone could bring a NHL team to Hartford with the XL Center. Quite frankly I'm shocked they've held onto an AHL team.

 

[IMind]

I've said it before, and I'm pretty much preaching to the choir, but if you hang out after the game watch the band, have a beer and bullsh!t on the runway for a bit, exiting the Rent is pretty easy and stress free. The people who are stuck in traffic are, for the most part, the people who are rushing out to beat the traffic.

Leaving the Rent has never been a problem for me... it's pretty much the easiest in and out of any sporting event I've ever driven to. I almost always stay until the end of the game... walk to my car... and am on an interstate in 10 minutes. It's pretty much a non-issue. I've never understood the beat traffic people. The one time I had to leave in the 4th... it still wasn't an issue. People are just insane.

 

[huskeynut]

No the little leaguer was on the phone and Geno talked to her, even though,I don't believe, he instigated the call.

Geno was called by someone in the Little league. While on the phone he was asked to talk to the athlete,Mo'ne Davis. They talked about baseball. Davis had stated previously she wanted to play basketball at UConn.

A complaint was filed by an SEC woman's basketbal coach, I believe it was Melody Balcolm. But I have no proof only internet inuendo. The NCAA then changed the rules and slapped Geno's hand with a secondary violation.

So when in doubt of crossing NCAA rules and regs, defintely error on the side of extreme caution.