Joe trashes Rainmen

[The Sweeper]

This might have been discussed before, but...

http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/sports/article/34695

Rainmen build D-League plan
Halifax team faces April 30 deadline

The Halifax Rainmen have until April 30 to submit their pitch to become the NBA D-League’s newest expansion team.

The Rainmen, who pulled out of the American Basketball Association last month, are moving forward on a proposal to gain entry into the NBA’s top development league.

“We’re in the process of putting everything together for that April 30 deadline,” Rainmen owner Andre Levingston said. “It’s a lot of hard work, and we’re just doing what’s been asked of us and we’ll get it done in a timely fashion. It’s very exciting.”

D-League commissioner Dan Reed has said it “would be premature to comment at this time,” while media relations director Larry Berger directed all questions to an online blog posting from Reed which lists the market, local owners and the arena as the evaluation criteria for expansion franchises.

Levingston said he is having “good conversations” with Reed.

The Rainmen left the ABA after one season, saying they had outgrown it and felt the D-League — a 16-team circuit based in the western U.S. — was the perfect fit.

Levingston appeared to part ways amicably on March 19, but ABA chief executive officer Joe Newman spoke out against him on the league’s All Access podcast on Saturday. He said Levingston “trashed the ABA” and that it was “sick” and “wrong.” He added that Halifax “was a problem from Day 1.”

“I’m flabbergasted by the things he was saying,” Levingston said. “But I’m past that. Like I said in my press conference, I thank Joe for the opportunity to own a professional team.”
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"It's like deja vu all over again"

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

No organization has EVER left the ABA that Joe could not insult.

Wait until Vermont leaves...

[misenern]

He goes on for about ten minutes during the podcast. It's shameful.

[williamhughes11]

For me, the last sentence of the article speaks more about Andre Levingston's character than anything the ABA could ever say about him.

[LightningMan]

For me, the last sentence of the article speaks more about Andre Levingston's character than anything the ABA could ever say about him.
Exactly. In another thread I pointed out that teams that have left the ABA when interviewed have been very restrained and professional in what they say about it.

[Sam Hill]

Who saw this coming?

http://www.lesliehawes.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/raise-your-hand.jpg

Would someone please go back to Day 1 and see what Joe said about Halifax? Or any day up until the day they left the ABA?

[Paul S]

For me, the last sentence of the article speaks more about Andre Levingston's character than anything the ABA could ever say about him.

Very well put. I wish I could find that quote where Joe waxs about how he will never degrade, denigrate or insult anyone.

and then he makes out he is the nice guy by not going after Andre for the 40k Joe claims he is owed. Either Newman is an idiot or his claim on the 40k isn't exactly rock-solid.

[preeths]

Very well put. I wish I could find that quote where Joe waxs about how he will never degrade, denigrate or insult anyone.

and then he makes out he is the nice guy by not going after Andre for the 40k Joe claims he is owed. Either Newman is an idiot or his claim on the 40k isn't exactly rock-solid.

I would guess the league realizes that since it was unable to provide the bare necessities any league should, such as quality opponents and a firm schedule, it does not have any claim to the remainder due on the market reservation fee. I think the NIFL ran into the same dilemma when teams started leaving, even though some had signed a noncompete. If the league doesn't live up to its end of the contract, you can't expect team operators to either.

[CHris902]

I would guess the league realizes that since it was unable to provide the bare necessities any league should, such as quality opponents and a firm schedule, it does not have any claim to the remainder due on the market reservation fee. I think the NIFL ran into the same dilemma when teams started leaving, even though some had signed a noncompete. If the league doesn't live up to its end of the contract, you can't expect team operators to either.

Chad Lucas (chronicle herald sports reporter) left a comment on my blog that clears up some stuff with the 40k.

Appearently the deal was that the Rainmen would pay back the $40k if the all-star game turned a profit. It obviously didn't. Levingston told Lucas that he has a signed contract to prove this.


I think that Newman isn't pursuing this because he knows that the contract exists. He also knows that he can tell lies on a podcast because Levingston just wants this thing to die and for people to forget that the Rainmen were ever in the ABA.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

He also knows that he can tell lies on a podcast because Levingston just wants this thing to die and for people to forget that the Rainmen were ever in the ABA.

And since the weekly audience for the Joe infomercial (outside of OSC members) is roughly equivalent to the crowd that listens to me sing in the shower, there really is nobody who even cares enough to call him on it.

[Paul S]

I would guess the league realizes that since it was unable to provide the bare necessities any league should, such as quality opponents and a firm schedule, it does not have any claim to the remainder due on the market reservation fee. I think the NIFL ran into the same dilemma when teams started leaving, even though some had signed a noncompete. If the league doesn't live up to its end of the contract, you can't expect team operators to either.


Joes version is that "a couple of days before the Halifax All-Star game a travel agent called him to say none of the tickets are paid for, Joe proactively reached out to Andre and with a little digging realized that Andre needed some help, Joe then lent Andre 40k to run the All Star game and Andre never gave him a report. The All-star game had Canadian rock and rollers, the game, a breakfast and a dinner all which had thousands of people come out but Andre never gave him a breakdown or report". That is not a direct quote but my memory of what was said on the ABA All Acce(BS)ss. Robbie even called Joe on it and said are you gonna get the money, Joe just said no. THere was never a mention of the deal about turning a profit, somehow Joe must have forgot to mention that.

And since the weekly audience for the Joe infomercial (outside of OSC members) is roughly equivalent to the crowd that listens to me sing in the shower, there really is nobody who even cares enough to call him on it.

Thats the truth. Outside those of us on this board......I can't see a large market for All Access.

The bizarre thing is that Joe thinks OSC is all a bunch of mean spirited, angry journalists. The league owners and employees can't get any salient information from the league website and probably don't 100 percent trust the information they get from Joe directly............so............THEY COME TO OSC and read the posts simply to figure out what the hell is going on.. Its a weird little league Joe has created.