UConn to play Army at Yankee Stadium

[Carl Spackler]

I wouldn't have had any problems with Manuel if UMass got this game. But Army wasn't looking for another MAC game. they have 3 already, plus 2 1AA games. They needed a game against somebody a little better, or at least perceived as better and whatever we are we're perceived as a higher level than UMass and the MAC generally. I'm not against this game, at all. But let's not pretend we're playing the 1945 Army team with Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. this is the equivalent of playing a MAC team and it is pretty much what we are looking for to "balance" our schedule. A road game that isn't too far away and that we should win. There is a bit of a nice touch that its in New York, but that's again more nostalgia than fact since the current Yankee Stadium is not the same place where say Army and Notre Dame battled to a 0-0 tie as the #1 and #2 teams in 1946. Again, this is a nice get, fits the profile for what we want, gives us another game in 2015 when we needed another home game and again it matches our need in teerms of the level of the opponent. Makes all kind of sense. if you guys want to get all mushy about playing the Cadets, don't let me stop you by any means.

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Debbie Stick ™

 

[Husky25]

I wouldn't have had any problems with Manuel if UMass got this game.

Who are you trying to kid? Given past postings regarding Manuel, I'm inclined to rank this a little higher on the BS meter than how you think you would react. There would be VR riots here, and given past postings and in the absence of fanDan, you would more than likely be a the forefront. There would be things written like:

Even UMass, with it's 10k average home attendence can get a game in NYC.
UMass out worked UConn.
There wasn't a donut to be had in the deal, so Manuel wasn't interested.

I can buy into the rest of your post, sans the 1st sentence.

 

[freescooter]

I fully expected us to get a MAC/Subelt/CUSA team for the 4th non-conference game of 2014. Maybe a Western Kentucky or Old dominion or UMass or somebody who would come to UConn or maybe another one of those MAC games like Western Michigan. Army is better. With what we had on the schedule already, we weren't likely to be looking for a major game anyway, unless we landed either a 1-off against a real name on the road or got a real cream puff at home. Since we already had 7 home games we had some flexibility on this one. So if UMass got the Army game, since I wasn't looking for it,I wouldn't have been upset. You can't be upset when someone else gets something you weren't looking for. Warde in my mind is an incompetent buffoon. That said, he did a fine job here. Landed a nice winnable game Neutral site and home. I give him credit for the ocassional thing he does right.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I fully expected us to get a MAC/Subelt/CUSA team for the 4th non-conference game of 2014. Maybe a Western Kentucky or Old dominion or UMass or somebody who would come to UConn or maybe another one of those MAC games like Western Michigan. Army is better. With what we had on the schedule already, we weren't likely to be looking for a major game anyway, unless we landed either a 1-off against a real name on the road or got a real cream puff at home. Since we already had 7 home games we had some flexibility on this one. So if UMass got the Army game, since I wasn't looking for it,I wouldn't have been upset. You can't be upset when someone else gets something you weren't looking for. Warde in my mind is an incompetent buffoon. That said, he did a fine job here. Landed a nice winnable game Neutral site and home. I give him credit for the ocassional thing he does right.

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Debbie Stick ™


(hint: just leave it at : "Warde in my mind is an incompetent buffoon." ....and you won't keep getting hit with the Debbie Stick)

 

[UConn Dan]

What's the debbie stick?

 

[BlueDogs]

I hate playing Army. You just can't root that hard against them.

 

[whaler11]

I hate playing Army. You just can't root that hard against them.

You can when Todd Berry is coaching them and they are taking free shots at your punt return guy.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

What's the debbie stick?

aka a Debbie Downer stick. Used to lump a kucklehead who continuely , constantly throws a wet blanket over or pisses on everything. Some one who would trash Cindy Crawford because of her "beauty mark" or a Salma Hyak because she is "too short".

 

[junglehusky]

It's funny because free was being about as positive as he gets in this thread and he still gets the Debbie Stick ™ ... but I fully support Carl on this because he's found an economical way to express his opinion in under 15 characters.

 

[Palatine]

It's a great opportunity to spend a week end in New York and see a UConn football game. There is no down side.

Another tiny plus, we have been recruiting New York fairly heavily. We have double digit players form New York. The Bronx is closer to Fairfield county than Hartford. And it is an easy trip from NJ. I would expect the we would bring in some recruits.

 

[Carl Spackler]

What's the debbie stick?

 

[BlueMAB]

It's a great opportunity to spend a week end in New York and see a UConn football game. There is no down side.

Another tiny plus, we have been recruiting New York fairly heavily. We have double digit players form New York. The Bronx is closer to Fairfield county than Hartford. And it is an easy trip from NJ. I would expect the we would bring in some recruits.

Can we bring recruits to an away game? I'm sure we can invite them to attend, but can we provide them with tickets? (honest question)

 

[UConn9604]

I am as disappointed in the prospects of playing an AAC schedule as the next fan, but a schedule that includes seven home games, including those against Boise State and BYU, as well as an eighth game in New York within a brief train ride is far from the worst schedule we've ever had. It's difficult to dislike this addition.

 

[Husky25]

Can we bring recruits to an away game? I'm sure we can invite them to attend, but can we provide them with tickets? (honest question)

Didn't Rutgers do that?

 

[BlueMAB]

Didn't Rutgers do that?

I heard they had recruits there, but I don't know the details, that's why I was asking.

I suppose if the school purchases the tickets from the home team, they can distribute them however they want?

 

[Husky25]

I am as disappointed in the prospects of playing an AAC schedule as the next fan, but a schedule that includes seven home games, including those against Boise State and BYU, as well as an eighth game in New York within a brief train ride is far from the worst schedule we've ever had. It's difficult to dislike this addition.

It really is a head scratcher. Some fans would rather play Indiana, Duke, Washington State, Kentucky, and Iowa St. just to say they played teams in the "Power 5" conferences, when BYU and BSU are better competition and could run circles around those teams like Barry Sanders to Harlan Barnett, circa 1996.

 

[Husky25]

I heard they had recruits there, but I don't know the details, that's why I was asking.

I suppose if the school purchases the tickets from the home team, they can distribute them however they want?

I don't know the details either, but I'm pretty sure I remember this happening. My seats are 4 rows behind the visitor's bench.

 

[UConn9604]

I don't know the details either, but I'm pretty sure I remember this happening. My seats are 4 rows behind the visitor's bench.

Mine too. They all had Rutgers jump suits, gear, etc., on -- and a great view of a rout.

http://www.scarletknights.com/ck/stats/football/2011/ru12.htm

Maybe there's no limit on the number of people a team can designate as part of its sideline crew?

 

[Carl Spackler]

I really don't know what kind of avenues would be available, but I think it would be very smart for the athletic ticketing office to maintain continued communication with Army, and run some kind of advertising and promotion to get a solid headcount and commitment on purchasing tickets to this game.

My suggesting was to tie it to season ticket renewals for 2014 somehow. I have no way of knowing, but rough estimate, if 15-20% of current season ticket holders, renewed with a commitment to buy that game too, it would be approx. 3,750-5000 seats sold right away well in advance of the game. If we got somewhere around 40-50% of current season ticket holders to commit to purchase a ticket - 10-12k right off the bat. Obviously, more season ticket holders commiting to buying a ticket there too with each of their season ticket packages, the better.

I know I would add the Yankee Stadium game to my renewal package.

You go then and start building a whole thing around getting first time Fairfield county buyers into the stadium, and I think it's very realistic to set a goal, right now, of generating 20,000 commitments to seats to Yankee stadium. That's if we're still a middling team struggling to get to .500 come November 2014.

If we're winning? Ranked? We'll see.

It would take a long term coordinated effort and good will and communication though w/ Army athletic department and Yankee Stadium management to get it done right, since it being an away game, we really have no say at all in how ticket sales are going to be handled directly, aside from what they would decide to alot normally.

Filling that stadium, for this game, I think, is a very realistic goal, and I think it's an important thing for the athletic department ticket office to work toward. The kind of showing that we put forth in that stadium, the interest we can generate around it, will most certainly be noticed by the people in the Big10, and the ACC that are looking to get market share in NYC.

I've been waiting for a game in NYC for awhile.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I heard they had recruits there, but I don't know the details, that's why I was asking.

I suppose if the school purchases the tickets from the home team, they can distribute them however they want?

There is a whole branch of the athletic department called "compliance" who's entire job is to research things like this.

 

[CTMike]

Carl, I don't know how best to communicate your idea to the AD, but it's gotta happen. Very simply : when I'm getting ready to cut my check for my tickets next year, I'd rather do it once and be done with it. Then come fall, I just attend and enjoy, the tix have long since been paid for. It's a lot easier to just go and not have to think about dipping in to the well again for another ticket expense.

 

[freescooter]

It really is a head scratcher. Some fans would rather play Indiana, Duke, Washington State, Kentucky, and Iowa St. just to say they played teams in the "Power 5" conferences, when BYU and BSU are better competition and could run circles around those teams like Barry Sanders to Harlan Barnett, circa 1996.

I don't think anyone is saying that this wasn't a good game to play, nor that BYU and Boise State aren't good series. Pretty much everyone agree that 2014 will be a very nice schedule at least as for as the non-conference portion goes. The issue is that at some point we need to get games against the power conferences. If you ask me, though, I like the 2015 schedule better...Tennessee, BYU and Army. If 2014 had been maybe Boise, Big 10 and Army, something like that, I think it would have been better. Not that Tennessee is better than BSU or a B10 team is better than BYU necessarily, just I'd rather play at least 1 P5 conference team each year. And now our man Warde has shown the ability to schedule 3 independents and zero P5 teams of any level, I worry that he'll get addicted and we'll be seeing New Mexico State and Idaho* in future years.

* Idaho might be joining the Sunbelt in 2015 so this might take them off the table.

 

[Exit 4]

I don't think anyone is saying that this wasn't a good game to play, nor that BYU and Boise State aren't good series. Pretty much everyone agree that 2014 will be a very nice schedule at least as for as the non-conference portion goes. The issue is that at some point we need to get games against the power conferences. If you ask me, though, I like the 2015 schedule better...Tennessee, BYU and Army. If 2014 had been maybe Boise, Big 10 and Army, something like that, I think it would have been better. Not that Tennessee is better than BSU or a B10 team is better than BYU necessarily, just I'd rather play at least 1 P5 conference team each year. And now our man Warde has shown the ability to schedule 3 independents and zero P5 teams of any level, I worry that he'll get addicted and we'll be seeing New Mexico State and Idaho* in future years.

Idaho might be joining the Sunbelt in 2015 so this might take them off the table.

My guess, the P5 is no longer scheduling OOC games with non P5 schools....at least until more is known about D4.

 

[freescooter]

Exit 4, if that is correct it will be a huge problem for UConn going forward. On that did anyone notice that WAC and CUSA have made it plane that they intend to sue if necessary to keep their access to the BCS/Playoffs and get the others for breach of contract if they go D4 and try to freeze those leagues out. Iron Mike has made no such comments.

 

[Exit 4]

Exit 4, if that is correct it will be a huge problem for UConn going forward. On that did anyone notice that WAC and CUSA have made it plane that they intend to sue if necessary to keep their access to the BCS/Playoffs and get the others for breach of contract if they go D4 and try to freeze those leagues out. Iron Mike has made no such comments.

I have no idea. I rely on fellow boneyarders for much of my limited NCAA knowledge and insights. We should monitor the OOC scheduling issue globally as I think and my fear is that the P5 has put non P5 scheduling on unwritten hiatus for the time being. And, I look forward to being on wrong on this one....

 

[Carl Spackler]

Carl, I don't know how best to communicate your idea to the AD, but it's gotta happen. Very simply : when I'm getting ready to cut my check for my tickets next year, I'd rather do it once and be done with it. Then come fall, I just attend and enjoy, the tix have long since been paid for. It's a lot easier to just go and not have to think about dipping in to the well again for another ticket expense.

I don't think that would be possible to do that, because UCONN - to my knowledge - will have absolutely no control over ticket pricing and allocation. What UCONN needs to do, is be proactive and get involved with this somehow to generate sales directly, and not through secondary market sources. Pretty much all sales direct, would go through the Army athletic ticket office, Yankee Stadium box office, and indirect - but direct through tickets allocated by either of those sources directly to the UConn athletic department.

I could be wrong about this, just giving my thoughts.

No matter what, Army will have to allocate a certain amount of tickets, directly to UCONN athletic office, that I'm sure is in the contract already. Every time we play away game, UCONN gets a small allocation of tickets. This is why I wrote that it's essential that we maintain good communication and good will with the Army athletic department and Yankee Stadium management.

What I think would need to happen, is that UCONN would collect "commitments" - hopefully well above and beyond what is already allocated in the contracts. Hopefully we would have established a ticket price by then. Then with those commitments in place, the tickets would be released to UCONN and then the transactions completed.

Getting this done, I think would be HUGE, because if we can demonstrate the ability to move tickets in the quantity that I'm discussing, directly - that shows a certain amount of revenue that is going to be hard value for future scheduling.

FWIW: When we went to the Fiesta Bowl in 2010, I truly believe, that had we had an athletic department, and university leadership structure in place, that truly knew what was happening, that we would have had no problem moving a huge chunk of tickets for that game, in our allocated ticket sales package of 17,500, and not have bought up as many seats as were bought up secondary market, and had to deal with media windstorm.

What happens with this game, and if we are able to do anything like what I'm discussing, we are able to figure out ways to move tickets, directly through the ticket offices and not on the secondary market, will go a long way to provide evidence to whether or not my belief is correct or not.

and the people in the college football world, that really matter, are going to pay attention. Because Syracuse, Rutgers, etc. haven't done it.

It all hinges on personal relationships, and connections and communication though. If we can generate huge numbers of commitments to buy tickets, and Army or Yankee Stadium is unwilling to allocate tickets directly, there's nothing we can do.......... except publicize the hell out of it.

 

[Husky25]

I don't think anyone is saying that this wasn't a good game to play, nor that BYU and Boise State aren't good series. Pretty much everyone agree that 2014 will be a very nice schedule at least as for as the non-conference portion goes. The issue is that at some point we need to get games against the power conferences. If you ask me, though, I like the 2015 schedule better...Tennessee, BYU and Army. If 2014 had been maybe Boise, Big 10 and Army, something like that, I think it would have been better. Not that Tennessee is better than BSU or a B10 team is better than BYU necessarily, just I'd rather play at least 1 P5 conference team each year. And now our man Warde has shown the ability to schedule 3 independents and zero P5 teams of any level, I worry that he'll get addicted and we'll be seeing New Mexico State and Idaho* in future years.

Idaho might be joining the Sunbelt in 2015 so this might take them off the table.

fanDan was saying it...then he apparently got banned (I don't think for this, but still).

 

[Carl Spackler]

I don't think anyone is saying that this wasn't a good game to play, nor that BYU and Boise State aren't good series. Pretty much everyone agree that 2014 will be a very nice schedule at least as for as the non-conference portion goes. The issue is that at some point we need to get games against the power conferences. If you ask me, though, I like the 2015 schedule better...Tennessee, BYU and Army. If 2014 had been maybe Boise, Big 10 and Army, something like that, I think it would have been better. Not that Tennessee is better than BSU or a B10 team is better than BYU necessarily, just I'd rather play at least 1 P5 conference team each year. And now our man Warde has shown the ability to schedule 3 independents and zero P5 teams of any level, I worry that he'll get addicted and we'll be seeing New Mexico State and Idaho* in future years.

Idaho might be joining the Sunbelt in 2015 so this might take them off the table.

I promise not to bring out the Debbie Stick ™ again, as long as you promise to make a huge bold face post saying how wrong you are, about all of this, once Manuel schedules his first future opponent that is currently in a BCS-AQ conference.

If for some reason, you're going to hold on to some kind of judgement call as to what current BCS-AQ team is worthy vs. who isn't (say Indiana vs. Ohio State), and pee on the schedule if the BCS-AQ team is good enough for you, then you're going to get a quadruple dose of the Debbie Stick ™.

Because the fact is that until now, it's been a scramble, and unbelieveable scramble to fill the schedules that Manuel inherited, and every move so far has been good, logical, realistic, balanced competitively, and successful.

Now is the time, that the immediate schedules are filled, that the future opponents, that are going to bring the strength of schedule up (BCS-AQ conferences) needs to be focused on.

I have no reason to think that is won't be the case.

 

[huskymedic]

Can we bring recruits to an away game? I'm sure we can invite them to attend, but can we provide them with tickets? (honest question)

No - my understanding is that schools can only give a maximum of three complimentary tickets to recruits for home games only .

 

[rw005]

Awesome