ABARedWhiteBlue
03-26-2005, 09:41 PM
The body of this message has been sent to multiple outlets. I feel that Mr. Newman (respectfully) should be called out for what he truly is as a human being. I apologize for its length, but not for its content.
Mr. Newman
The response you sent to me below may be one of the most vicious and rude emails I have ever received. You do not know me personally on any tangible level, but to level the charges that I am too dumb, laughable and “smoking something” (I paraphrase) is offensive on a number of different levels. It rightly deserves a similar scathing, hate-filled response; however, my mother raised a gentleman, and I was taught to respect my elders.
Let’s discuss your email point by point. Anyone who has read my postings, spoken with me, or knows me knows that I support the SkyCats and the ABA. My loyalty is to Ron Eford and the rest of the hard-working people who donated hours of their time (in some cases, hundreds of hours) to make the SkyCats the best possible organization it could be, especially under trying circumstances. The people who worked side by side with me would go through a wall for Ron, having the utmost respect for his integrity and passion for the franchise. The fact that the ABA has so many problems – and head in the sand or not, there are a great many of them – is troubling to many people involved in the league, not just me, and not just the SkyCats.
The article posted by Josh was factually inaccurate, which, had you read all the words in my message, you would see that I alluded to just that. My suggestion was that you, as the CEO and primary voice of the league, respond to the reporter to correct his statement and seek a retraction. There were a great many issues referenced by the reporter in his story – not just the Utah snafu. This would have been a perfect opportunity to address a critic head-on to set the record straight. Instead, you chose to threaten Josh – someone old enough to be your grandson – for posting the article.
The postings by me and many others, along with the articles posted online on other web boards as well as in newspapers around the country, do indeed address many of the troubles that afflict the ABA. You say that my postings “are designed to ridicule the league, its teams and its owners”. You have already replied favorably to many of my emails and postings, and I think people reading my message may look at me, if anything, as leaning TOWARD you and the ABA.
You also state that if I “had any ideas, which (I) have had none, the open forum was not the place to share them - at least not from an ABA team employee”. OK, let’s look at that point. Which of the following postings did NOT present an idea toward improving the league?
Was it this one?
I think it is important for everyone here to understand that the people who are posting to this board raise very valid concerns about
the league and its teams. I think that Sam and Anonymous would like to see the ABA succeed as a strong, viable minor league. Their
passion for minor league sports is obvious in many of their posts, and they raise very real issues that can only serve to drag down the
efforts of those teams who are truly making an effort to build a quality program.
That many of their posts have a negative or sarcastic tone seems to come from many of the replies they receive here and other places.
Granted, both are probably incredulous when one thing after another just piles on to the list of the ABA's less positive events,
including: teams dropping out, coming back, and dropping again; multiple ownership/name changes; teams with no venue to play, or
playing in a middle school gym; published reports in newspapers around the country citing lawsuits, lack of organized front offices,
little/no pay, insurance issues, and teams "choosing" not to travel; a season schedule that was at best a rough guess; and less than
exemplary ownership groups. If only one or two of these occurred, perhaps the tone or perception would be different. However, taken
as a whole, it can make for a very negative felling for the league.
The perception is that the league (no finger-pointing, but the ABA as a whole) has not addressed these issues head on to stem the tide;
rather, the league seems more inclined to throw good money after bad - so to speak - by bringing in another high number of teams
without stabilizing the teams already in the ABA. Of the teams that started the season this year, is there a definitive list of the
teams that were still active and operating by season's end? Teams such as Philadelphia, Carolina, Colorado, Cincinnati, Detroit and
Louisiana (off the top of my head) seem to play only as guests to fill holes in another team's schedule.
The events in Nashville and Utah are an entirely different issue, if only for how unique each was. However, some of the cause can be
traced back to many of the issues laid out above.
To create a truly nationwide, regional basketball league is a great idea. For anyone who may have heard my interview with Randy Cross, I likened the ideal to NCAA basketball, where each conference plays among themselves, then sends its best to compete against everyone else. I think the ABA can work in much the same way, but there are real, practical issues that absolutely must be addressed in order to be successful.
First and foremost, I believe that only one team announced in the last two years had a signed deal in place for a venue WHEN THE
FRANCHISE WAS ANNOUNCED - Ron Eford's New Jersey franchise. While many were able to find a place to play, there were still so many homeless teams even during the season. Harlem was forced to play it's first few games in any gym they could find, including one home game against New Jersey in NJ's practice gym (with an indoor skating park just behind one of the baskets). High schools, community centers and (dear god) middle schools are nowhere to play a game.
Joe, as a public service, would it be possible to list all the active teams for next season, and include their facility? It would seem to me that there should be a minimum standard set for any team to enter the ABA, and those standards should include adequate facilities to play games. While it may be tough to do, I would suggest a committee made up of owners in the league to establish the standards for the league. If any team is unable to comply by a specific date - say, 90 days before opening day - then they don't play for the year, and they forfeit their fee. I feel the league would benefit from a smaller, yet stronger group of owners who are committed to seeing the league succeed.
As a public relations move, this can only be perceived as a plus, bringing positive reaction and feedback to a league which sorely needs it. I think even Sam and Anonymous would approve.
Sorry for the length - but I felt I wanted to say my piece.
I look forward to any feedback from the rest of the board. If there is one item someone may not agree with, I would hope that they would consider the rest of my message, and not just dwell upon a couple words that didn't sit well with them. To do that would be to ignore the numerous other issues discussed, and would not get around to answering the question.
As I said in my post yesterday, I worked very hard for my ABA team this year - virtually from the day it was formed. Can I retire on
what I made? Not unless I wanted to live out my years in a large cardboard box somewhere. But I did it because I have an undying
passion for sports, and the desire to see a franchise and league run the way I have imagined one could run for years.
Joe, Josh and everyone else - I look forward to your input as well.
Respectfully (to keep an open communication),
Adam Colaizzi
VP Operations
NJ SkyCats
**COMMENT - you replied to thanking me for my input. You never actually answered me, other than to say the “ABA has addressed every issue brought up in these postings and every problem it had in 2004-2005 and has remedied every problem with new basic requirements. For that reason, the league will expand from its 30 teams to more than 70 next season - good strong teams.”
Maybe you meant this one:
Aaron, Joe, and others:
Going forward to create a solid, viable basketball league is the ultimate goal. However, we can not build an elaborate addition to the house until the foundation has been secured.
As Hardhat says, the NBDL and the ABA are not on an even plane. Example: two small stores - selling pretty much the same merchandise - open in town. One is financed by Wal-Mart, with guidance from Wal-Mart's corporate office, and has a set schedule, pricing, and advertising in the local papers. The other, an independent facility who needs to finance its own day-to-day operation, tends to close on certain days without notice, has trouble getting product in the store regularly to sell to the public, and is forced to set up shop in the back corner of a warehouse somewhere because they came to town without securing a building to lease. Which store is going to succeed?
I am not expecting the ABA to be the equal of the NBA - nobody involved with the league can honestly say that is even remotely possible - however, it is important that the ABA operate on a level at least equal to other minor leagues. The CBA, USBL, and NBDL have posted and played full schedules each year of the ABA's existence. While the incomplete schedule is just one issue that detracts from the viability of the ABA, there are other issues - which have been discussed ad nauseum on this site - which also absolutely must be addressed in order for the ABA to succeed.
I posted a very long document on what I perceive as some of the issues that must be addressed. Aaron, I would welcome your response to that thread ("Ideas..."), along with any other thoughts you may have to expand upon it. There have been other postings which raised a number of issues that have, unfortunately, been shouted down in the haste to post a negative reaction to the writer, rather than addressing the content.
Aaron, you used a basketball analogy. I have coached for years, and will propose one for you as well to illustrate my position. During the first half of a game, your team is having difficulty handling the opponent's full-court press, you are 6 for 37 from beyond the arc, and they have a backcourt who is shooting lights out. In order to play better in the second half, as a coach (or GM, owner, or league CEO) your job is to understand these issues - which the players (or fans, or teams, or members of an ABA board) see happening, but they are looking to you to make the necessary adjustments so that the team (or league) can come out in the second half and compete for a victory.
Right now, it is halftime, the team is behind (in double digits) and adjustments HAVE to be made. Until you can devise a way to beat the press and fix your defense to slow down or stop their guards, all the new players and uniforms you can come up with won't matter.
**COMMENT - Granted, no real proposals presented, but an invitation once again for you – and others – to give input. Nothing offensive here, though…
Perhaps you meant this one:
Chris and Aaron
I hope you didn't take my post the wrong way. There was no 'down
talk' intended toward either of you.
There were real, negative issues surrounding the league this year
(which have been listed numerous times). Venues were one of the
most glaring, since there were some teams who didn't have one.
I understand that it takes a while to secure a site, and I
appreciate that you each have been working diligently to find a
home. However, how many of the other announced teams have
progressed as far as you have? For that matter, how many of the
teams who ended 04-05 know where they will play in 05-06?
As far as securing dates, this is something where I think the league
office may be better able to control. Barring a change in the
calendar, the league will play from November through March (I
understand it has not played a full schedule yet; bear with me).
The league office should be able to go to each team - now, since
earlier is no longer an option - and require them to secure 25-30
possible dates throughout that time frame. This way, venues can be
locked down NOW, and teams are not moving games to someone's
oversized family room due to a lack of a lease.
I know making the schedule was a headache last year - I think we saw
three or more versions - and the schedule wasn't released until very
close to opening day. Have a list of dates available six months in
advance, and the schedule could be finalized well before the season,
in more than enough time for teams to market their opener and
schedule.
If at the time a team looks to come aboard they are required to
provide 25-30 possible dates for home games, I think it is a
positive step. The teams will already have been able to find
somewhere to play, and the league could announce - with some degree
of certainty - the addition of a prepared franchise.
Teams have to look for a place to play either way; I just think that
most of the legwork should be completed prior to coming on board.
Keep in mind, I am not negative toward the ABA - heck, I worked for
the SkyCats, even sticking around after the other partner dropped
out after only three months with the Jaguars (taking the name with
him), forcing a name change. I want to see this league do things
better to benefit the players, staff and fans.
Many of the gung-ho posts here revolve around marketing. What I am
trying to get ideas about are issues directly affecting the product
on the court and in the league office. Marketing is make-up. It
will draw attention to you, and can make you look good, but lipstick
on a pig does not hide the fact that it is, indeed, a pig
underneath. My goal is to address the pig, not the shade of
lipstick it is wearing.
**COMMENT - Fairly direct, with some ideas actually spelled out regarding scheduling and new team viability. Again, no offensive names, phrases or suggestions.
Owners involved in your league, potential investors, and other fans have replied positively to these and other postings. You have also been singled out by at least one owner for trying to “censor” the ABA board. Why do your replies to critical comments only include vitriol and hate, without giving guidance to others who are looking at the league? You outright refuse to reply to any questions from ‘Anonymous Hardhat’ because you feel he hides behind his identity. I post similar questions, including my name, and you blast me as well. There is no consistency, other than your desire to out-shout any unfavorable comments.
I have spent time going over many of these points here and elsewhere. Not once have I called you a derogatory name, questioned your mental capacity, or worse. I gave a great deal of my time and passion toward a franchise and an opportunity to have an influence and provide the sort of sports experience I would be proud to bring my kids to watch. It is painfully obvious from your reply to me that you take ANY league criticism very personally. A discussion board (discussion - n 1: an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic; 2: an exchange of views on some topic) will have members on both sides of a particular issue. There is an old phrase that says “If two people agree on everything, only one person is doing the thinking.” On the ABA site, there are many people doing the thinking – fans, front office staff, owners, and yourself. It is virtually impossible to expect everyone who posts an idea or opinion on the board to agree with you. Rather than shouting them down with racist comments, or posting a comment to a third party which blasts another member, address the issues. It is funny how when I said neutral or positive things about the league, you were effusive in your thanks and praise; however, now that I have listed comments which question the veracity of the league, you choose to reply to me ‘privately’ to tell me how horrible I am.
Two final things – First, at the end of the day, I only have to answer to my wife, my children, and my God. All the name calling in the world doesn’t change that fact. Will my life go on if the ABA fades away? Very well, thank you. I don’t need the ABA to justify myself to my family and friends (among whom, by the way, I include Ron Eford). The SkyCats were a chance to get involved in a professional sports franchise at the ground-floor level, and to build it in to something to be proud of. Did we do that? In spite of the issues we had to face, I think we as a franchise were successful in doing just that. Ron is aware of the passion I have to work with him, and knows that I will work with him again at the drop of a hat.
Secondly, I suppose you were being sly in sending your reply to my SkyCats email address, rather than posting it on the board. I’m not sure if your intention was to keep your words out of view of anyone but the two of us. However, you sent copies of your message to others, including Ron. I guess you did so to try to embarrass me, and shine a bad light upon me and my commitment to the ABA in the hopes that Ron would fire me (of course, you may have said just that in a separate email just to them). Unfortunately, you sent it to them as a cc:, and not a blind carbon copy (which, of course, I would not have seen). As such, a discussion by more than two parties is considered public, so I have forwarded this message, which includes your highly offensive comment toward me, to a number of interested parties. If your goal was to embarrass me on my small level, I see you and raise you one.
Shame on me, Mr. Newman? On the contrary. I can sleep well at night knowing my intentions are good, and that my goal is to help the largest amount of people I can, whether via coaching and mentoring children, raising a family, or donating my time to a professional sports franchise. I have nothing to be ashamed of, sir. Do you?
Respectfully
Adam Colaizzi
VP-Operations
New Jersey SkyCats
ABA Basketball
adamc@jerseyskycats.com
abaredwhiteblue@yahoo.com
************************************************** ************************************************** **********
Adam. Thank you for the email. Starting the email off "With all due respect" is
laughable. You have shown no respect and have shown no loyalty to the ABA or the
New Jersey Skycats with your postings. I did not threaten Josh. I made a suggestion that he not post emails that included misstatements and misrepresentations if he wanted the ABA to take his chat room seriously. That reporter wrote an article about a lie that was retracted and for which Maryland, Bellevue and the ABA received an apology. Reprinting without that apology added to the misrepresentation and hurt the league. The threat made was by Maryland that a lawsuit would follow without an apology from Utah - and by running that article, aware of its misrepresentation and lies, would have exposed Josh. You, in your know-it-all wisdom, are too dumb to under the importance of this issue - and worse, don't even take the time to find the facts yourself.
Why you would believe the reporter who stood by his use of my quotes, I don't know. But the fact is, they were not quotes. They were not even close paraphrases. And like you, he should be ashamed of himself.
The idea that these emails could come close to identifying problems with the league and how to remedy any problems is also laughable. They are not designed to help, they are designed to ridicule the league, its teams and its owners. However, it is particularly offensive that they come from you, a person who signs his emails – Adam Colaizzi, NJ Skycats. Your being a contributor to this is shameful. You are asking me to "take the time to address the myriad of issues." I don't know what you smoke Adam, but I'd suggest trying another brand. If you had any ideas, which you have had none, the open forum was not the place to share them - at least not from an ABA team employee. Shame on you.
Joe Newman
ABA CEO
-----Original Message-----
From: New Jersy <abaredwhiteblue@yahoo.com>
To: ABABasketball@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 17:32:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: [ABABasketball] Re: ABA asks: What if we had a playoff and nobody played?
Joe
With all due respect, I think you are out of line to include a threat like "I would
suggest very strongly that you screen postings like this. Am I clear?" Josh
deserves more respect than that. This isn't a league-controlled site, and Josh
posts articles both positive and negative toward the league. Was the matter
resolved to the satisfaction of Utah and the other two teams? Apparently so.
However, the discussion after this article was posted should have been that the
reporter failed to fact-check before doing his article. Any venom should have been
directed at him, not Josh in any way.
We already had one issue in the past few days with your dispute of a reporter's use
of your 'quotes' in a story. The reporter was contacted by myself and other members
of the board for clarification, and stood behind his story. I would suggest that
you contact the reporter with the resolution of the matter, and ask for a retraction
or clarification of the reporter's claims.
There have also been some very long posting (some, admittedly, by me) in the last
few days about issues with the league, ideas on how to fix them, and talk of
requiring a venue for a team to be considered a team, and not just a logo on paper.
The scheduling for the league was discussed as well.
The bottom line is, perception is reality, and what the writer put in his story went
beyond just the frustrating Utah episode. He listed many of the ills that were
discussed in these earlier threads, merely adding to the low esteem in which the ABA
is held by many people.
I am asking you to take the time to address the myriad of issues (located in a few
threads from early this week), and how the league feels about each going forward.
There are owners, front office staff, players, fans and media who regularly read
here, and would greatly value the consideration of answers to these issues.
I will make the pledge to personally forward your responses to EVERY newspaper
reporter who has published an article about the ABA during this season - which won't
be all that hard, because A) unfortunately, there was not a lot of coverage about
the league, and B) OSC has a pretty good archive of news articles published. This
would be the ABA's chance to address the markets in which they are trying to gain a
foothold to present a "state of the league" release about how far the league has
come, and where it is going.
I invite any owners who frequent this board to go point by point on mine and other
posts as well - it took a room full of men with ideas to write the Declaration of
Independence; certainly a message board full of people with a similar passion can
move a basketball league forward.
A simple reply along the lines of "We have planned some changes for the upcoming
season" is not what the members of the is site are looking for. I'm pretty certain
that my questions, along with many of the posts from Anonymous, Sam, Josh, Johnny,
and the owners who have contributed, are not exposing 'state secrets' which can only
be discussed behind closed doors.
I have not hid behind my name. I think everyone here knows my intent is to see the
many ills of the ABA addressed and cured. Paraphrasing an early comment I made, we
can put all the makeup on we want; it still won't change that fact that there is a
pig underneath it all. We need to address the body, not the shade of mascara.
Adam Colaizzi
NJ SkyCats
Mr. Newman
The response you sent to me below may be one of the most vicious and rude emails I have ever received. You do not know me personally on any tangible level, but to level the charges that I am too dumb, laughable and “smoking something” (I paraphrase) is offensive on a number of different levels. It rightly deserves a similar scathing, hate-filled response; however, my mother raised a gentleman, and I was taught to respect my elders.
Let’s discuss your email point by point. Anyone who has read my postings, spoken with me, or knows me knows that I support the SkyCats and the ABA. My loyalty is to Ron Eford and the rest of the hard-working people who donated hours of their time (in some cases, hundreds of hours) to make the SkyCats the best possible organization it could be, especially under trying circumstances. The people who worked side by side with me would go through a wall for Ron, having the utmost respect for his integrity and passion for the franchise. The fact that the ABA has so many problems – and head in the sand or not, there are a great many of them – is troubling to many people involved in the league, not just me, and not just the SkyCats.
The article posted by Josh was factually inaccurate, which, had you read all the words in my message, you would see that I alluded to just that. My suggestion was that you, as the CEO and primary voice of the league, respond to the reporter to correct his statement and seek a retraction. There were a great many issues referenced by the reporter in his story – not just the Utah snafu. This would have been a perfect opportunity to address a critic head-on to set the record straight. Instead, you chose to threaten Josh – someone old enough to be your grandson – for posting the article.
The postings by me and many others, along with the articles posted online on other web boards as well as in newspapers around the country, do indeed address many of the troubles that afflict the ABA. You say that my postings “are designed to ridicule the league, its teams and its owners”. You have already replied favorably to many of my emails and postings, and I think people reading my message may look at me, if anything, as leaning TOWARD you and the ABA.
You also state that if I “had any ideas, which (I) have had none, the open forum was not the place to share them - at least not from an ABA team employee”. OK, let’s look at that point. Which of the following postings did NOT present an idea toward improving the league?
Was it this one?
I think it is important for everyone here to understand that the people who are posting to this board raise very valid concerns about
the league and its teams. I think that Sam and Anonymous would like to see the ABA succeed as a strong, viable minor league. Their
passion for minor league sports is obvious in many of their posts, and they raise very real issues that can only serve to drag down the
efforts of those teams who are truly making an effort to build a quality program.
That many of their posts have a negative or sarcastic tone seems to come from many of the replies they receive here and other places.
Granted, both are probably incredulous when one thing after another just piles on to the list of the ABA's less positive events,
including: teams dropping out, coming back, and dropping again; multiple ownership/name changes; teams with no venue to play, or
playing in a middle school gym; published reports in newspapers around the country citing lawsuits, lack of organized front offices,
little/no pay, insurance issues, and teams "choosing" not to travel; a season schedule that was at best a rough guess; and less than
exemplary ownership groups. If only one or two of these occurred, perhaps the tone or perception would be different. However, taken
as a whole, it can make for a very negative felling for the league.
The perception is that the league (no finger-pointing, but the ABA as a whole) has not addressed these issues head on to stem the tide;
rather, the league seems more inclined to throw good money after bad - so to speak - by bringing in another high number of teams
without stabilizing the teams already in the ABA. Of the teams that started the season this year, is there a definitive list of the
teams that were still active and operating by season's end? Teams such as Philadelphia, Carolina, Colorado, Cincinnati, Detroit and
Louisiana (off the top of my head) seem to play only as guests to fill holes in another team's schedule.
The events in Nashville and Utah are an entirely different issue, if only for how unique each was. However, some of the cause can be
traced back to many of the issues laid out above.
To create a truly nationwide, regional basketball league is a great idea. For anyone who may have heard my interview with Randy Cross, I likened the ideal to NCAA basketball, where each conference plays among themselves, then sends its best to compete against everyone else. I think the ABA can work in much the same way, but there are real, practical issues that absolutely must be addressed in order to be successful.
First and foremost, I believe that only one team announced in the last two years had a signed deal in place for a venue WHEN THE
FRANCHISE WAS ANNOUNCED - Ron Eford's New Jersey franchise. While many were able to find a place to play, there were still so many homeless teams even during the season. Harlem was forced to play it's first few games in any gym they could find, including one home game against New Jersey in NJ's practice gym (with an indoor skating park just behind one of the baskets). High schools, community centers and (dear god) middle schools are nowhere to play a game.
Joe, as a public service, would it be possible to list all the active teams for next season, and include their facility? It would seem to me that there should be a minimum standard set for any team to enter the ABA, and those standards should include adequate facilities to play games. While it may be tough to do, I would suggest a committee made up of owners in the league to establish the standards for the league. If any team is unable to comply by a specific date - say, 90 days before opening day - then they don't play for the year, and they forfeit their fee. I feel the league would benefit from a smaller, yet stronger group of owners who are committed to seeing the league succeed.
As a public relations move, this can only be perceived as a plus, bringing positive reaction and feedback to a league which sorely needs it. I think even Sam and Anonymous would approve.
Sorry for the length - but I felt I wanted to say my piece.
I look forward to any feedback from the rest of the board. If there is one item someone may not agree with, I would hope that they would consider the rest of my message, and not just dwell upon a couple words that didn't sit well with them. To do that would be to ignore the numerous other issues discussed, and would not get around to answering the question.
As I said in my post yesterday, I worked very hard for my ABA team this year - virtually from the day it was formed. Can I retire on
what I made? Not unless I wanted to live out my years in a large cardboard box somewhere. But I did it because I have an undying
passion for sports, and the desire to see a franchise and league run the way I have imagined one could run for years.
Joe, Josh and everyone else - I look forward to your input as well.
Respectfully (to keep an open communication),
Adam Colaizzi
VP Operations
NJ SkyCats
**COMMENT - you replied to thanking me for my input. You never actually answered me, other than to say the “ABA has addressed every issue brought up in these postings and every problem it had in 2004-2005 and has remedied every problem with new basic requirements. For that reason, the league will expand from its 30 teams to more than 70 next season - good strong teams.”
Maybe you meant this one:
Aaron, Joe, and others:
Going forward to create a solid, viable basketball league is the ultimate goal. However, we can not build an elaborate addition to the house until the foundation has been secured.
As Hardhat says, the NBDL and the ABA are not on an even plane. Example: two small stores - selling pretty much the same merchandise - open in town. One is financed by Wal-Mart, with guidance from Wal-Mart's corporate office, and has a set schedule, pricing, and advertising in the local papers. The other, an independent facility who needs to finance its own day-to-day operation, tends to close on certain days without notice, has trouble getting product in the store regularly to sell to the public, and is forced to set up shop in the back corner of a warehouse somewhere because they came to town without securing a building to lease. Which store is going to succeed?
I am not expecting the ABA to be the equal of the NBA - nobody involved with the league can honestly say that is even remotely possible - however, it is important that the ABA operate on a level at least equal to other minor leagues. The CBA, USBL, and NBDL have posted and played full schedules each year of the ABA's existence. While the incomplete schedule is just one issue that detracts from the viability of the ABA, there are other issues - which have been discussed ad nauseum on this site - which also absolutely must be addressed in order for the ABA to succeed.
I posted a very long document on what I perceive as some of the issues that must be addressed. Aaron, I would welcome your response to that thread ("Ideas..."), along with any other thoughts you may have to expand upon it. There have been other postings which raised a number of issues that have, unfortunately, been shouted down in the haste to post a negative reaction to the writer, rather than addressing the content.
Aaron, you used a basketball analogy. I have coached for years, and will propose one for you as well to illustrate my position. During the first half of a game, your team is having difficulty handling the opponent's full-court press, you are 6 for 37 from beyond the arc, and they have a backcourt who is shooting lights out. In order to play better in the second half, as a coach (or GM, owner, or league CEO) your job is to understand these issues - which the players (or fans, or teams, or members of an ABA board) see happening, but they are looking to you to make the necessary adjustments so that the team (or league) can come out in the second half and compete for a victory.
Right now, it is halftime, the team is behind (in double digits) and adjustments HAVE to be made. Until you can devise a way to beat the press and fix your defense to slow down or stop their guards, all the new players and uniforms you can come up with won't matter.
**COMMENT - Granted, no real proposals presented, but an invitation once again for you – and others – to give input. Nothing offensive here, though…
Perhaps you meant this one:
Chris and Aaron
I hope you didn't take my post the wrong way. There was no 'down
talk' intended toward either of you.
There were real, negative issues surrounding the league this year
(which have been listed numerous times). Venues were one of the
most glaring, since there were some teams who didn't have one.
I understand that it takes a while to secure a site, and I
appreciate that you each have been working diligently to find a
home. However, how many of the other announced teams have
progressed as far as you have? For that matter, how many of the
teams who ended 04-05 know where they will play in 05-06?
As far as securing dates, this is something where I think the league
office may be better able to control. Barring a change in the
calendar, the league will play from November through March (I
understand it has not played a full schedule yet; bear with me).
The league office should be able to go to each team - now, since
earlier is no longer an option - and require them to secure 25-30
possible dates throughout that time frame. This way, venues can be
locked down NOW, and teams are not moving games to someone's
oversized family room due to a lack of a lease.
I know making the schedule was a headache last year - I think we saw
three or more versions - and the schedule wasn't released until very
close to opening day. Have a list of dates available six months in
advance, and the schedule could be finalized well before the season,
in more than enough time for teams to market their opener and
schedule.
If at the time a team looks to come aboard they are required to
provide 25-30 possible dates for home games, I think it is a
positive step. The teams will already have been able to find
somewhere to play, and the league could announce - with some degree
of certainty - the addition of a prepared franchise.
Teams have to look for a place to play either way; I just think that
most of the legwork should be completed prior to coming on board.
Keep in mind, I am not negative toward the ABA - heck, I worked for
the SkyCats, even sticking around after the other partner dropped
out after only three months with the Jaguars (taking the name with
him), forcing a name change. I want to see this league do things
better to benefit the players, staff and fans.
Many of the gung-ho posts here revolve around marketing. What I am
trying to get ideas about are issues directly affecting the product
on the court and in the league office. Marketing is make-up. It
will draw attention to you, and can make you look good, but lipstick
on a pig does not hide the fact that it is, indeed, a pig
underneath. My goal is to address the pig, not the shade of
lipstick it is wearing.
**COMMENT - Fairly direct, with some ideas actually spelled out regarding scheduling and new team viability. Again, no offensive names, phrases or suggestions.
Owners involved in your league, potential investors, and other fans have replied positively to these and other postings. You have also been singled out by at least one owner for trying to “censor” the ABA board. Why do your replies to critical comments only include vitriol and hate, without giving guidance to others who are looking at the league? You outright refuse to reply to any questions from ‘Anonymous Hardhat’ because you feel he hides behind his identity. I post similar questions, including my name, and you blast me as well. There is no consistency, other than your desire to out-shout any unfavorable comments.
I have spent time going over many of these points here and elsewhere. Not once have I called you a derogatory name, questioned your mental capacity, or worse. I gave a great deal of my time and passion toward a franchise and an opportunity to have an influence and provide the sort of sports experience I would be proud to bring my kids to watch. It is painfully obvious from your reply to me that you take ANY league criticism very personally. A discussion board (discussion - n 1: an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic; 2: an exchange of views on some topic) will have members on both sides of a particular issue. There is an old phrase that says “If two people agree on everything, only one person is doing the thinking.” On the ABA site, there are many people doing the thinking – fans, front office staff, owners, and yourself. It is virtually impossible to expect everyone who posts an idea or opinion on the board to agree with you. Rather than shouting them down with racist comments, or posting a comment to a third party which blasts another member, address the issues. It is funny how when I said neutral or positive things about the league, you were effusive in your thanks and praise; however, now that I have listed comments which question the veracity of the league, you choose to reply to me ‘privately’ to tell me how horrible I am.
Two final things – First, at the end of the day, I only have to answer to my wife, my children, and my God. All the name calling in the world doesn’t change that fact. Will my life go on if the ABA fades away? Very well, thank you. I don’t need the ABA to justify myself to my family and friends (among whom, by the way, I include Ron Eford). The SkyCats were a chance to get involved in a professional sports franchise at the ground-floor level, and to build it in to something to be proud of. Did we do that? In spite of the issues we had to face, I think we as a franchise were successful in doing just that. Ron is aware of the passion I have to work with him, and knows that I will work with him again at the drop of a hat.
Secondly, I suppose you were being sly in sending your reply to my SkyCats email address, rather than posting it on the board. I’m not sure if your intention was to keep your words out of view of anyone but the two of us. However, you sent copies of your message to others, including Ron. I guess you did so to try to embarrass me, and shine a bad light upon me and my commitment to the ABA in the hopes that Ron would fire me (of course, you may have said just that in a separate email just to them). Unfortunately, you sent it to them as a cc:, and not a blind carbon copy (which, of course, I would not have seen). As such, a discussion by more than two parties is considered public, so I have forwarded this message, which includes your highly offensive comment toward me, to a number of interested parties. If your goal was to embarrass me on my small level, I see you and raise you one.
Shame on me, Mr. Newman? On the contrary. I can sleep well at night knowing my intentions are good, and that my goal is to help the largest amount of people I can, whether via coaching and mentoring children, raising a family, or donating my time to a professional sports franchise. I have nothing to be ashamed of, sir. Do you?
Respectfully
Adam Colaizzi
VP-Operations
New Jersey SkyCats
ABA Basketball
adamc@jerseyskycats.com
abaredwhiteblue@yahoo.com
************************************************** ************************************************** **********
Adam. Thank you for the email. Starting the email off "With all due respect" is
laughable. You have shown no respect and have shown no loyalty to the ABA or the
New Jersey Skycats with your postings. I did not threaten Josh. I made a suggestion that he not post emails that included misstatements and misrepresentations if he wanted the ABA to take his chat room seriously. That reporter wrote an article about a lie that was retracted and for which Maryland, Bellevue and the ABA received an apology. Reprinting without that apology added to the misrepresentation and hurt the league. The threat made was by Maryland that a lawsuit would follow without an apology from Utah - and by running that article, aware of its misrepresentation and lies, would have exposed Josh. You, in your know-it-all wisdom, are too dumb to under the importance of this issue - and worse, don't even take the time to find the facts yourself.
Why you would believe the reporter who stood by his use of my quotes, I don't know. But the fact is, they were not quotes. They were not even close paraphrases. And like you, he should be ashamed of himself.
The idea that these emails could come close to identifying problems with the league and how to remedy any problems is also laughable. They are not designed to help, they are designed to ridicule the league, its teams and its owners. However, it is particularly offensive that they come from you, a person who signs his emails – Adam Colaizzi, NJ Skycats. Your being a contributor to this is shameful. You are asking me to "take the time to address the myriad of issues." I don't know what you smoke Adam, but I'd suggest trying another brand. If you had any ideas, which you have had none, the open forum was not the place to share them - at least not from an ABA team employee. Shame on you.
Joe Newman
ABA CEO
-----Original Message-----
From: New Jersy <abaredwhiteblue@yahoo.com>
To: ABABasketball@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 17:32:45 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Re: [ABABasketball] Re: ABA asks: What if we had a playoff and nobody played?
Joe
With all due respect, I think you are out of line to include a threat like "I would
suggest very strongly that you screen postings like this. Am I clear?" Josh
deserves more respect than that. This isn't a league-controlled site, and Josh
posts articles both positive and negative toward the league. Was the matter
resolved to the satisfaction of Utah and the other two teams? Apparently so.
However, the discussion after this article was posted should have been that the
reporter failed to fact-check before doing his article. Any venom should have been
directed at him, not Josh in any way.
We already had one issue in the past few days with your dispute of a reporter's use
of your 'quotes' in a story. The reporter was contacted by myself and other members
of the board for clarification, and stood behind his story. I would suggest that
you contact the reporter with the resolution of the matter, and ask for a retraction
or clarification of the reporter's claims.
There have also been some very long posting (some, admittedly, by me) in the last
few days about issues with the league, ideas on how to fix them, and talk of
requiring a venue for a team to be considered a team, and not just a logo on paper.
The scheduling for the league was discussed as well.
The bottom line is, perception is reality, and what the writer put in his story went
beyond just the frustrating Utah episode. He listed many of the ills that were
discussed in these earlier threads, merely adding to the low esteem in which the ABA
is held by many people.
I am asking you to take the time to address the myriad of issues (located in a few
threads from early this week), and how the league feels about each going forward.
There are owners, front office staff, players, fans and media who regularly read
here, and would greatly value the consideration of answers to these issues.
I will make the pledge to personally forward your responses to EVERY newspaper
reporter who has published an article about the ABA during this season - which won't
be all that hard, because A) unfortunately, there was not a lot of coverage about
the league, and B) OSC has a pretty good archive of news articles published. This
would be the ABA's chance to address the markets in which they are trying to gain a
foothold to present a "state of the league" release about how far the league has
come, and where it is going.
I invite any owners who frequent this board to go point by point on mine and other
posts as well - it took a room full of men with ideas to write the Declaration of
Independence; certainly a message board full of people with a similar passion can
move a basketball league forward.
A simple reply along the lines of "We have planned some changes for the upcoming
season" is not what the members of the is site are looking for. I'm pretty certain
that my questions, along with many of the posts from Anonymous, Sam, Josh, Johnny,
and the owners who have contributed, are not exposing 'state secrets' which can only
be discussed behind closed doors.
I have not hid behind my name. I think everyone here knows my intent is to see the
many ills of the ABA addressed and cured. Paraphrasing an early comment I made, we
can put all the makeup on we want; it still won't change that fact that there is a
pig underneath it all. We need to address the body, not the shade of mascara.
Adam Colaizzi
NJ SkyCats