Guess who's drunk the Kool-Aid?

[Minor League Man]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3501452

Ask the CEO
07/05/07 - American Basketball Association (ABA)

• Discuss this story on the American Basketball Association message board...
Comments Relating to Previous Ask the CEO Answer
Dear Joe: I appreciated your article in ASK THE CEO concerning "Allowing Teams to Return" to the ABA. In particular your response "However, unlike other leagues, we do not recruit or solicit teams from other leagues. We consider the recruitment of other leagues' teams to be unethical and lacking in sportsmanship." What a profound statement. The world is too big and there are too many people and opportunities to ever need to progress at the expense or degradation of another. I agree wholeheartedly with your position.

In light of this, I thought I would share the below attached email I received from X league. Now they must have heard I just signed on with the ABA. Otherwise, there is no way they would have my contact information and/or have a reason to reach out to me personally. Now, if they had advertised their needs in the local newspaper, radio, etc., I would have seen or heard their ad. I would have responded accordingly as would others. So there is really no need to reach out to teams from other leagues.

I like yourself do not believe or support those who try to build their business in this way. For other leagues to use the solicitation of ABA teams as their primary marketing plan is lazy and businesses that do that will not succeed in the long run. You cannot build your house on another man's foundation. This is what handymen do, but journeymen lay their foundation and build their house from the ground up. Therefore, if anything goes wrong, they know how to fix it. That is why I concur with you that ethics and good sportsmanship count. These are the keys to longevity and being able to stand through any storm.

Respectfully yours, Philadelphia Sounds, LLC. Rev. Duane A. Quamina, President. (Rev. Thank you. Beautifully said. Shame on the other league. Your comments are appreciated. Joe Newman, ABA CEO).

I suppose it wouldn't help if I said for the 500th time...

THEY WEREN'T RECRUITED! THEY LEFT VOLUNTARILY BECAUSE THEY WANTED ALL THEIR SCHEDULED GAMES PLAYED, PLUS THEY WANTED A MORE FINANCIALLY STABLE LEAGUE!

P.S. I think the PBL team he's talking about is the Reading Railers...

[OneBetter]

It says right in the letter that it's from the Philadelphia Sounds, not the Reading Railers. Read the whole article.

[cglue]

Some teams are being flirted with by other leagues though, thats just the nature of the beast. I wouldnt trip too much on it, just say no or yes and go on with your season prep. But the fact is that they do and yes its morally right but it is what it is.

cglue

[DazedAndAmused]

The implication here is that the PBL has recruited this Philadelphia team?

Why would they want that since they just brought the Reading team on?

The PBL model wouldn't seem to be to put teams so close together that they cannibalize each other...especially in an NBA town.

Let's see the original email and who it is from so we can all draw our own conclusions.

Didn't this same CEO suggest that competition is good? If you are providing a strong infrastructure and a good group of teams, there is no need to worry about other leagues.

[Minor League Man]

I would LOVE to see a Philly-Reading rivalry...

Maybe the owner, after seeing the cancellations and foldings, will change his mind and turn to the light side...There's even a slight chance that cglue might go for 2008-09...We'll see...

[TheStandard]

i say this is joes propaganda towards anti PBL.

the message was so cryptic actually sounds scripted and concocted to me.

[cglue]

Didn't this same CEO suggest that competition is good? If you are providing a strong infrastructure and a good group of teams, there is no need to worry about other leagues.

I dont think there is a worry at all, just a concern and a question that why are the ABA teams that make up this horrible league been flirted with by other leagues. That is a legit question, but again as I stated before, its just the nature of the beast and we just have to deal with it.

cglue

[Chuck the Writer]

I dont think there is a worry at all, just a concern and a question that why are the ABA teams that make up this horrible league been flirted with by other leagues. That is a legit question, but again as I stated before, its just the nature of the beast and we just have to deal with it.

cglue

Yes, but one thing you're forgetting is that unlike every other league, the ABA does not have a buyout clause. If a team leaves another league, that team must pay the league it leaves a huge amount of money. That's to keep teams from jumping from league to league, looking for better deals.

The ABA has no such program in place. Nothing in that $10,000 market reservation fee is any sort of buyout clause. If you want to leave, you can leave without fear of going bankrupt buying your way out.

Besides, I'm still kinda suspect that any sort of contact from another league to the Philadelphia Sounds took place at all. If you've got information like that, back it up with facts - a scanned copy of a recruitment letter, for example. Other than that, it's just Crazy Joe flapping his yap and screaming from his bully pulpit another anti-PBL or anti-CBA or anti-D-League rant. It's getting about as old as Howard Judah.

[OneBetter]

That Joe is solely concerned about teams jumping ship shows you first hand the dire situation that the ABA is in right now. If the ABA was financially healthly and primarily concerned about fixing last year's problems and putting a quality product on the court, would you seriously believe you'd see the CEO blasting other leagues for supposedly recruiting "his" teams on almost a daily basis? NO, of course you wouldn't!!!!

And, really, what's the big deal here? As someone else stated, Joe always cries the competition mantra. So, Joe, why is competition here bad? Really, why?

AND.........if Joe cleaned up his league and got it certified by FIBA, teams would have to pay a fee to leave his league. As it stands now, teams and individual players can leave the league at any time without any financial repercussions. This is Joe's own fault.

This really is a moot point. Teams jump from other minor basketball leagues as well (see CBA teams moving up to the D-League). This also occurs in minor league football on a yearly basis due to the lack of quality in some leagues (see NIFL). This occurs all the time. And really, Joe, if you developed a quality league, you WOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TEAMS LEAVING! They would happily stay because of the positive environment. But you've obviously created a HORRIBLE environment where even the best run teams are impacted by the absolutely dreadful ones that do not show up to scheduled games, do not have enough players when they do show up, etc.

Joe, you brought this on yourself. You're shameful.

[OneBetter]

Why would an owners write Mr. Newman via his "Ask the CEO forum"?

What was his question? It sounded more like moral support to me.

So i'll second the propaganda commit. But Mr. Newman is raising a good point.

The PBL dudes don't know about the Rev.Quamina's money situation. I thought they only wanted WHALES as owners. Seems like we gonna give this one to Newman. Why are they recruiting store front ministers?

It's pure proaganda but it's also a valid question. Why are they going after one the questionable start-ups that 6 months ago they were running away from?

You're assuming that the "Ask the CEO" column in question is authentic. That's a BIG assumption.

[cglue]

Why would an owners write Mr. Newman via his "Ask the CEO forum"?

What was his question? It sounded more like moral support to me.

So i'll second the propaganda commit. But Mr. Newman is raising a good point.

The PBL dudes don't know about the Rev.Quamina's money situation. I thought they only wanted WHALES as owners. Seems like we gonna give this one to Newman. Why are they recruiting store front ministers?

It's pure proaganda but it's also a valid question. Why are they going after one the questionable start-ups that 6 months ago they were running away from?


Thats all Im saying.

cglue

[Chuck the Writer]

Why are they going after one the questionable start-ups that 6 months ago they were running away from?

That's assuming that the PBL were the league designated as "League X." For all we know, "League X" could be the Schuylkill River Over-30 Recreational Hoops League and Saturday Night Fish Fry Association.

[cglue]

That's assuming that the PBL were the league designated as "League X." For all we know, "League X" could be the Schuylkill River Over-30 Recreational Hoops League and Saturday Night Fish Fry Association.

I like your style Chuck but I dont appreciate you putting my league on blast like that. Leave the SNFFA out of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LMAO

cglue

[Chuck the Writer]

And for that matter, I'm getting sick of Crazy Joe wringing his hands and rendering his garments and gnashing his teeth over teams leaving his carnival. If, as you say, the PBL is trying to poach your teams, then do two things, Joe - 1, mention the PBL by name and back up your claim. 2, get the lawyers and sue for league in question for restraint of trade, or infringement of property, or heartbreak of psoriasis.

Because we're getting tired of you crying wolf all the time.

[TheStandard]

we ask A1Sports for proof so now im asking for Joe and the Philly owner to show the proof of recruitment. Recruitments always come with a letter. they wont do it because there never was a recruitment. just propaganda and a way to already railroad something good.

[DazedAndAmused]

....the presumption of their being something wrong with taking a better product to a known potential customer base seems to be misguided and anti-American. (We are only one day post July 4 after all.)

Having said that, yes, let's see the letter. Was it (by whichever league) a form letter making themselves known? Was it direct recruitment?

We all know that there is some cross-pollination that occurs in this very shaky buiness.

I still find it hard to believe that the PBL or CBA would, other than making themselves known, be "recruiting" any fly by night ABA teams. Of course, you don't know that they're fly by night until you do the BKG and credit check. All you really know is that they think they want to have/run a minor league basketball team.

[a1sports]

A quick call to Tom Doyle....

Phone answered by his assiatant Mark.

Id like to speak to Mr. Doyle on the topic of PBL and recruiting teams. specifically Philadelphia.

MArks Asnwer...I can help you with that. PBL has not and will not recruit teams from other, teams from other leagues call us to gain entrance.

Which teams if you can say.

Marks Answer: Mostly ABA teams have called to see if they can get into the PBL,and a few USBL and IBL teams. Everyone is told about the process to gain entrance and the funds needed to particiapte. That usually stops the ABA teams from asking anymore questions.

Do you mind if I post your answert on the web?

Marks anwer: GO right ahead.


SO JOJO..keep spnning... I will soon see Jaloza pulling up with a truck to empty out your basement of the ABA license.

[cglue]

So you have cancelled PBL out, thats my dawg. Whats going on with the lawsuit update.

cglue

[The Magician]

care too much about the image of the league?

Instead of coming out with something exciting and beneficial ...

Like, how the Las Vegas Prolyms are playing in the 38 Annual Summer League Presented by Nike

http://www.summerproleague.com/teams_roster.php?team_id=19

He comes out with a ridiculous ASK THE CEO 07/05/07 segment which continues to reinforce the fact that the ABA needs a NEW CEO!

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3501452

The ABA CEO just makes the league look bad all the way around ...

"Way to Go ABA CEO!" :rolleyes: