Xplosion at Mellon Arena

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

I spoke with someone in the Mellon Arena group sales department today, and asked about thr availability of Xplosion tickets. According to him, they had just had a meeting this morning, and that meeting was the first the staff had learned about the 'potential' ABA team playing at the arena. Apparently, nothing has been agreed upon yet, and the dates have not been reserved.

They open on 10/30, and have been advertising Mellon Arena on their website for weeks. Joe even came out and said that Mellon was so excited about the ABA, it was willing to partner with the league and host the NBA/ABA charade game. And the staff at the arena was not even aware of the team playing there until this morning?

Also, yesterday Nashville said they were still looking at possible venues (including area high schools), but they would open on November 4 and anounce their schedule tomorrow.

So far, these 'mandatory requirements' are working really well, aren't they? :roll: :roll: :roll:

[hoopsjr]

it's impossible to think that the pittsburgh aba team would play in mellon arena...250 people in an 18,000 seat arena (basketball seating) would look terrible...

i have been following the mellon arena website, looking for scheduling info, or even a mention of the team...nothing to date...

minor-league basketball teams wonder why they can't make it...too many of these owners think they are going to 'hit it big'...for every arkansas rimrockers (success), there are 100 teams or more that fold...

[Chuck the Writer]

Even the old Pittsburgh Piranhas (1994-95 CBA) didn't play at the Mellon Arena. They played at the A.J. Palumbo Center, which seats 5000 and change. And the Piranhas only lasted one season - and even though they made it to the CBA finals, poor attendance meant that the team didn't even stick around in the Steel City for a second season.

And Unca Joe thinks that he's going to pack 18,000 bodies in Pittsburgh's largest arena? Memo to Unca Joe - lay off the hippie lettuce.

[nksports]

And I thought it was just the players who were having problems with the hippie lettuce. Apparently everyone in the ABA is taking a toke or two.

Maybe they need the Bob Marley Division

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

I called Mellon Arena again today, and was told that they won't have anything final for at least a week or two. The opener is supposed to be on 10/30, and the venue has still not signed off on the agreement.

Also, I asked the Mellon rep if he was aware that Joe had said that his building was so excited to get involved that they had given the ABA a great deal for the ABA/NBA charade game. My comment to him about the game was the FIRST ANYONE IN THE OFFICE HAD HEARD OF SUCH AN AGREEMENT.

Did Joe tell a fib?????

[Sam Hill]

Joe wouldn't lie, and you are an idiotic person for even suggesting it. You're troubled and meanspirited and mentally unbalanced. Don't you have anything better to do.?


:D


Meanwhile this article (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05277/582114.stm) says the Xplosion will play at Mellon, and it's dated early last week.

This wouldn't be like the articles that were written last year that dropped in "ABA games will be carried on ESPN," would it? How'd that work out?

[barkley34]

I called the Mellon Arena and spoke to a women there that said....SURPRISE, SURPRISE that there MAYBE a hiccup or problem she believes, not confirmed yet on her end, that the Xplosion and/or league have with their Ahem, ahem...."financials". Apparently the team or Joe's credit or "background" is a little shaky. She wouldn't get into specifics and mentioned that is what she heard, but said that was all she was hearing. Joe bad credit? A team without the financial resources? Come one now.

"Idiocy is not all that bad, I am an idiot and I turned out OK" Sam Hill

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

from today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Smizik: Another pro basketball failure likely
Saturday, October 15, 2005

By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Professional basketball is back in Pittsburgh, and, of course, we say that with a chuckle.

In truth, pro basketball never has been a part of Pittsburgh. It has been here many times in many forms in many leagues, but never has been embraced by enough fans to make it worthwhile or even remotely worthwhile.

But, now, another group -- men who should know better -- are front and center with a plan to present a pro basketball team to the Pittsburgh market. The team is the Pittsburgh Xplosion, and it's a member of the American Basketball Association -- one of 50 members.

The guess here is there will be an implosion of the Xplosion by the end of the year.

Pro basketball won't work in Pittsburgh. It didn't work as the Ironmen in the 1940s, the Rens in the 1950s, the Pipers in the 1960s, the Condors in the 1970s and the Piranhas in the 1990s.

All teams had varying degrees of on-the-floor success and no degree of off-the-floor success.

The Rens, of the American Basketball League, had the great Connie Hawkins, who went on to an NBA Hall-of-Fame career. The Pipers, who also had Hawkins, and the Condors had Johnny Brisker, an NBA-quality player with a flair for showmanship, and brought opposing greats such as Julius Erving and Rick Barry to the Civic Arena. The Piranhas, the only one to admit it was a minor-league team, had one player who went on to NBA success and several others who were well known in the Pittsburgh market.

It made no difference. Pittsburgh never has gone for pro basketball, not even when it had almost double the population it currently has.

But this group, headed by businessman Richard Hershperger, is plunging forward. Freddy Lewis, from McKeesport and a standout in the ABA, is the general manager. Dwayne Woodruff, the former Steelers defensive back who is a candidate for an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judgeship, also is involved.

Present plans call for the Xplosion to play most of its 18 home games at Mellon Arena, which seats about 17,000. When Mellon is not available, the team is tentatively scheduled to play at the Petersen Events Center on the Pitt campus, a 12,500-seat facility. Those are major-league sites, but neither deal is contractually in place.

Although the season begins Oct. 30, Jay Roberts, the general manager of Mellon Arena, said, "We are trying to finalize the details of the negotiations right now."

That is cutting it close.

The previous pro team to attempt a go of it in Pittsburgh was the Piranhas of the Continental Basketball League -- a long-established minor league that fed players to the NBA. The owner of the team was Bob Murphy, a successful local businessman and sports entrepreneur. Murphy wisely had his team play at the Palumbo Center on the Duquesne campus, where small crowds wouldn't look lost and where the overhead was considerably less than Mellon Arena.

Palumbo wasn't available to the Xplosion, which felt Mellon Arena was its next best option, although it costs about $15,000 to $20,000 every night just to open the doors there. Even with low salaries, that kind of rent is a major impediment to financial success.

If the Piranhas are any indication, the Xplosion will dawn to major indifference. The Piranhas were little more than an afterthought to the ticket-buying public. The team averaged 1,635 customers and folded after its first year.

The franchise was professionally run, and the product wasn't bad. It included Jaren Jackson, who went on to be a key player on San Antonio's 1999 NBA championship team, and Brian Davis, a starter on Duke's 1992 national championship team.

That level of talent figures to be considerably higher than what the Xplosion will offer. They're talking about going with Armon Gilliam and Myron Brown as their marquee players. Gilliam was a standout NBA player, but he's 40 and well past his prime. Brown, who had a brief NBA career, played at Slippery Rock in 1991, which would place him also not quite in his prime.

Contacted yesterday, Murphy, the owner of the Piranhas, cut to the heart of why anything short of a competitive NBA team won't go in Pittsburgh.

"The reception for our team, after the first game, wasn't real good because of the great Division I basketball programs that are here and have been here for years."

Certainly, Pitt doesn't think of itself as a minor-league team. It has been an elite member of Division I of the NCAA for several seasons. Still, in the grand scheme of things, college basketball is a minor league to the NBA. It's where the NBA gets most of its players.

As long as there is a Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris, anything short of the very best pro basketball won't make it in Pittsburgh.

[Sam Hill]

I called the Mellon Arena and spoke to a women there that said....SURPRISE, SURPRISE that there MAYBE a hiccup or problem she believes, not confirmed yet on her end, that the Xplosion and/or league have with their Ahem, ahem...."financials". Apparently the team or Joe's credit or "background" is a little shaky. She wouldn't get into specifics and mentioned that is what she heard, but said that was all she was hearing. Joe bad credit? A team without the financial resources? Come one now.

"Idiocy is not all that bad, I am an idiot and I turned out OK" Sam Hill

You know - even the idiots among us have figured out how to do a signature. You haven't, which is why you have to type that every time, and every time it's different, and occasionally you mis-spell stuff.

Remind me again of who the idiot is?

[barkley34]

Remind you who the idiot is again? Ahhhhh, pretty obvious isn't it? Sam and Unca Joe, all though Unca Joe has at least accomplished something in the basketball world.......and you Sam? Pretty curious how you know so much about minor league basketball but have done, oh so very little. Plenty of time on your hands Sam. Too bad. Some of us have a life. In any event Sammy, I haven' t got the oodles and oodles of time to sit on my ass in front of the computer and learn all the nuances and tricks that go along with writing replies. Sorry. I guess I will have to type it in each time.
"Idiocy is not all that bad, I am an idiot and I turned out OK" Sam Hill......and I actually made that quote.

[hoopsjr]

well, i don't know how they did it....

the aba pittsburgh xplosion have rented mellon arena for 14 of their home games...the evidence is at www.mellonarena.com

check out the ticket prices...

$55.00 - 1st Row Floor, 6-10, 15, 17 & 22-26; 2nd Row Floor 6-10 & 22-26
$27.50 - East & West Igloos 1-4
$22.50 - A & B 5-6, 10-11, 21-22 & 26-27; C 7-9 & 23-25
$12.50 - C 5-6, 10-11, 21-22 & 26-27; All of D Level

Price includes a 5% Facility Maintenance Fee.

Games played at Mellon Arena

this will NEVER work...i think it costs around $15,000 per night to rent the arena...but, even if it costs $12,000, they need 1000 fans at the $12.50 price to break-even JUST for the building...

[Pounder]

well, i don't know how they did it....

the aba pittsburgh xplosion have rented mellon arena for 14 of their home games...the evidence is at www.mellonarena.com

check out the ticket prices...

$55.00 - 1st Row Floor, 6-10, 15, 17 & 22-26; 2nd Row Floor 6-10 & 22-26
$27.50 - East & West Igloos 1-4
$22.50 - A & B 5-6, 10-11, 21-22 & 26-27; C 7-9 & 23-25
$12.50 - C 5-6, 10-11, 21-22 & 26-27; All of D Level

Price includes a 5% Facility Maintenance Fee.

Games played at Mellon Arena

this will NEVER work...i think it costs around $15,000 per night to rent the arena...but, even if it costs $12,000, they need 1000 fans at the $12.50 price to break-even JUST for the building...

Affordable family entertainment, eh?

[nksports]

Prediction:
With ticket prices like that, this team doesn't last two weeks. After a quick look at some NBA teams' web sites, you can get into the nose bleed sections for under $20.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

Prediction:
With ticket prices like that, this team doesn't last two weeks.

I disagree.

It will last, but they will begin playing games outside of downtown Pittsburgh - in smaller venues (as they did for preseason games) - to "bring the games to the fans" in those areas. It won't be that they left Mellon Arena; it will be spun that they are going to these other locations to capitalize on the fan-base in the surrounding areas.

They have 14 scheduled games at Mellon. I put the over/under at 7 games played there.

[barkley34]

They will play NO MORE then three at Mellon, put some spin on the situation, instutute a buy out clause in their rent agreement, pay a penalty, move to a low class arena in order to "appease" their fan base or the fact that they didn't like the "concession" deal they were getting with Mellon, and make some inane comment that they want to "continue to provide affordable family entertainmment", the marketing geniuses that they are. But look for NO MORE THEN THREE games, maybe two. At $15,000 a game rent (all though I am sure it is closer to $9K or $10K with escalation clauses if certain benchmarks are hit), with the amount of fans they will generate (1,250-1,750 game 1....750-1,000 in game 2 and 500 +/- in game three) and the giveaway tix added, there is no way cashflow wise that they can stay any longer.
"Idiocy is not all that mad, I am a Joe Newman protege and I turned out ok" Sam Hill, OSC Legend

[Sam Hill]

Remind you who the idiot is again? Ahhhhh, pretty obvious isn't it? Sam and Unca Joe, all though Unca Joe has at least accomplished something in the basketball world.......and you Sam? Pretty curious how you know so much about minor league basketball but have done, oh so very little. Plenty of time on your hands Sam. Too bad. Some of us have a life. In any event Sammy, I haven' t got the oodles and oodles of time to sit on my ass in front of the computer and learn all the nuances and tricks that go along with writing replies. Sorry. I guess I will have to type it in each time.
"Idiocy is not all that bad, I am an idiot and I turned out OK" Sam Hill......and I actually made that quote.

That's funny.

You have absolutely no idea what I've accomplished. None.

And no one has any idea WTF you've done because all you do is come on and bash people who happen to be right. You still haven't pointed out what I've said that's factually incorrect or what makes me an idiot.

Now I could say that what makes you an idiot is the fact that you can write, or spell, or do anything but just bash me without coming up with any specifics about what makes me an idiot. I could say that you spent more time typing your last post than it would take you to figure out how to do a signature.

I could say that, but I don't have time because I have a life.

You're a moron, barkley. I don't know who TF you are, probably some jackass like Chichester or a bit-owner in some jackass team, or some other bitter guy who maybe has or had something to do with a team at one point, but they wouldn't let him do anything other than answer the phone because he's an idiot.

F*** you. Until and unless you're going to show me some specific instances of something I've posted here about the ABA that's wrong, something about sports marketing that's wrong, something I've said that's wrong about how to sell tickets or how not to f*** over potential fans and players and marketing partners, then do everyone a favor and shut the f*** up. You have no credibility, you have no relevance, you have given no one any reason to believe that you know absolutely anything about this. You just showed up one day and started bashing me without providing any specifics.

You actually sound a little like Chichester, which would be both sad and funny. It would explain a lot, considering how many times I ripped ol' TC to shreds on the old board. But I can't believe he'd come back for more.

So I have to believe there's some other moron who can't back up what he says, who gets touchy when the truth about the ABA is pointed out and who won't do anything but bash without backing it up.

So tah-tah little barkley. I'm done with you. And everyone else should be, too, because you have nothing.

[barkley34]

LOL.....all Sammy Boy is angry. WHo is the one that belittles people at the end of his statements? Not me? If you don't want people to tease your sorry a** why not take out quotes from me at the end of yours? How long have you had them there? A year? Cannot think up anything else you genius? Go back to sitting at your computer, whining of your non accomplishments, or take a hike. Either way, I could give a damn. Accomplish something FIRST, THEN give your take on hoops. Otherwise, shut the F**k up you pea brain. "Not so fast", ABAredwhiteandblue and TEN seem to have a knowledge of basketball and have actually DONE something. I have been associated with the NBA and CBA for 17 years now from a marketing standpoint and payroll with the league before that. You? LOL......not so much. So change your name from Sam Hill to "Not so much". Not so fast is taken, but if you use "not so much", we'll understand your meaning. Don't worry Sammy.
"My name is Sam Hill, I have no idea what I am talking about, but it sounds good DON'T IT?" Sam Hill, Colorado

[nksports]

Can't you just feel the love
:roll: :roll: :roll:

[Chuck the Writer]

Accomplish something FIRST, THEN give your take on hoops. Otherwise, shut the F**k up you pea brain. "Not so fast", ABAredwhiteandblue and TEN seem to have a knowledge of basketball and have actually DONE something. I have been associated with the NBA and CBA for 17 years now from a marketing standpoint and payroll with the league before that.

Okay, barkley34, tell us. What HAVE you done with the CBA and the NBA? Which teams have you worked for, and in what capacity? Put your cards on the table, if you're so proud of your accomplishments.

The argument that only people who have "done" something with basketball should be allowed to speak in OSC is specious at best. Sam Hill is only pointing out what has been published in previous locations, including OSC and ABAlive.com. Half the time your posts either defend Joe Newman because he has so many teams in a league (arguing quantity over quality), or you trash him with a venom worse than anything Sam Hill ever could create.

I did a little experiment this morning. I googled Sam Hill's "quote" about you in OSC and found that you did indeed say what you said (the "moronic idiot" quote). However, I googled your "quote" about Sam Hill ("Idiocy is not all that bad...") , and found that he never said what you said he said. So you're not really quoting Sam Hill, you're just making up an arbitrary statement and crediting it to him for the purpose of bashing him. Unless you can show all of us the exact quote Sam used, all you're doing is starting flame wars. And that is SO usenet.

You know, whoever you really are, your handle "barkley34" is appropriate. Because like you, Charles Barkley was known for shooting off his mouth and never stepping up when it counted (i.e., no rings).

[barkley34]

First off, Sam Hill has had the same quotes at the bottom of his reponses for 2-3 years now, regarding me and Marc (spelling) McClure. If he wants to continue to ridicule people by doing this, keeping quotes there that are redundant then I will put my own quotes at the end of my responses; if he does not want to move on, then neither will I. Number 2, the guy really is a jackass with very little expertise in hoops and it does anger me to hear arm chair quarter backs give their advice ONLY after situations have occured!!! Sam Hill being the number one Dr. Phil! You only hear his TAKE on a situation AFTER it is well pubicized or another OSC member has published, at this point WHO CARES! As for my experience I have 8 years CBA experience and 9 years in the NBA, including NOW on the compensation side.

I help in assisting with the compensation plans for NBA executives in the league office and 17 other teams at this point. I put together matrixes of performance scenarios based on a particular person's duties, what they should achieve, what they did achieve, their peers accomplishments and what they should be paid in relation to the matrix and their colleagues performance. That is the simplified version. I have done players matrixes as well, which have been used in salary negotiations with most of the top players over the past 6 years.

I am in contact DAILY with the NBA family and have a vast, vast, vast knowledge of the CBA and NBA components, much more then some blowhard like Sam Hill. As I stated, (sorry I left you out of my original post, but you too have made valid points in the past) TEN, Not so Fast, ABA RedWhite are great to listen to, or read for that matter, and refreshing to see points from people that have PART or ARE part of the basketball culture and have firsthand expertise. As for Joe Newman, I have NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER been as venomous as Sam Hill. EVER! EVER! While I totally disagree with Joe Newman's way of conducting business as do 99% of the NBA (from what I hear from them), AT LEAST he is a risk taker and is doing something he loves. Secondly, I do NOT believe, when he does screw up, that he is doing it intently on hurting people. That doesn't seem to be his nature, in contrast to blowhard Sam Hill.

Sorry for the long post. I like OSC, the posts are great and the people knowledgeable, but as long as Sam Hill continue to keeps his hateful quotes on his posts and continues to give us his warped expertise, well I am entitled to respond. I will not be venomous. As for Barkey34, Charles Barkley was one of the Top 5 Players of all time and a great all around human being.
"Idiocy is not all that bad, look at me, I am an idiot and I turned out okay" Sam "Hello Newman" Hill

[Sam Hill]

Still not telling me what I'm wrong about, jackass.

And I have pointed out many of the ABA problems before they came up.

You have no effing idea what I've accomplished in sports. Ever sold a ticket in your life? I have. Ever run a team? I have. You have some tenuous connection to the NBA (I guess you watch games on TV, that counts, huh?) and the CBA.

So you haven't really worked at the team level, huh? You're a number cruncher? A pencil pusher? You've never tried to market a team? You've never tried to do operations for a team? You've never signed players, come up with housing for players, negotiated deals with sponsors....all you do is crunch numbers? And you're telling me that I'm wrong about how the ABA goes about its business?

That's rich.

I really don't know what your problem is - we both know the ABA is a joke. Since you know my posting history so ******* well, you'll know that I haven't said anything about the CBA or the USBL. It's the ABA I have a problem with.

And I have a problem with people whose intelligence level is so demonstrably lower than that of a potted plant telling me that I'm a moron.

Go fvck yourself, barkley. You're a fvcking plague on this discussion board. Stick to talking about what you know and not bashing people who know more than you, or I'll be forced to just shred your ass every single fvcking time you say something.

You're an idiot. You're a waste of a sperm cell.

When it comes to the operations of a team and a league and the marketing of both, you have no idea what you're talking about.

And if you'd like, go back and check my posts and see how many times I said that something was going to turn out badly and it did - and then dare to tell me that all I can do is second-guess.

[barkley34]

LOL.....damn Sam you do get mad don't you. Bottom line, I am far from a number cruncher, as a matter of fact I couldn't balance my checkbook to save my life. The NBA uses me because I understand how the agents negotiate, and either validate the players and agents and negotiating points or shoot them down. Me, and me alone are why tricky negotiations move so smoothly and wh you never see "sit outs" like the NFL. I am fvuking good, no REAL good at what I do and FULLY UNDERSTAND the thinking and way of life of the NBA. I am a ******* Mensa genius for lack of a better phrase and for the most part the players love me....as do the management. You? Well you sit on a discussion board pretending,......I am actually DOING. Nuff said.
"My name is Sam, I am may be an idiot, but Sean Penn played me real well in my life story aptly titled I AM SAM"...Sam Hill Osc Resident Moron.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

Meanwhile, back to the Xplosion (from the Beaver County Times):

Owners of the Pittsburgh Xplosion may be wondering what possessed them to invest in an American Basketball Association franchise.

The team is splitting its home games between Mellon Arena and Pitt's Petersen Event Center, but they don't need that many seats.

Spies at the Arena report the gate sale for last Wednesday's game was nine tickets.

The Ricardo Richardson marketing system seems to be working wonders for one of the league's 'flagship' franchises... :wink: