The Official Manchester Millrats to Saint John, New Brunswick Thread

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ABARedWhiteBlue
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Post by ABARedWhiteBlue » Tue May 04, 2010 2:07 pm

[quote=""formerlyknownasfells""]I have no idea. That is something you would have to talk to Ian about. 99% of the time I keep my head in my own league, but I saw this and had to chime in.[/quote]

That's OK - I didn't necessarily expect you to know; but your post had the travel comment, so I latched on to it...

Now, back to your own league... :D
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Post by millratsgm » Tue May 04, 2010 2:10 pm

Mike,

Thanks for that. Apology accepted. If we do indeed move, we can't separate ourselves from our own history, but then again we are also part of NH history and what has gone on there. What the name, logo, mascot would be is yet to be determined and is premature to speculate on.

I have always been willing to help other groups as I originally consulted with the group in Toronto that led to Halifax getting started. I introduced the Puerto Rico team to the PBL (for good, bad or indifferent), and as well I did the same for the new Fall River group.

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Post by CHris902 » Tue May 04, 2010 2:11 pm

[quote=""ABARedWhiteBlue""]Just curious, but would the PBL require St. John to cover the travel expenses for opponents like Halifax does? And how would that added expense impact the transplanted franchise?[/quote]

My assumption is that travel to Halifax/Saint John is going to be more complicated than either a team or the league paying for it since teams will likely be playing in both Halifax and St John in a weekend. My guess is that some sort of formula will be worked out so that both Halifax and the new team will pitch in with Halifax taking on more of the cost... but that's just a guess.

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Post by misenern » Tue May 04, 2010 2:54 pm

For a lot of reasons that I don't feel like getting into right now, I really think this could be a great move for the Millrats and the PBL, providing it's done right. Here are a few of my thoughts:

The Millrats have to make sure they don't try to create a head on competition with the Sea Dogs, but other than that Saint John has no real sports entertainment options serving the market. Canada actually has a ton of potential as a hot spot for minor league ball. The country isn't saturated with NBA and college teams. CIS basketball isn't a draw and the whole country only has one NBA team. In a lot of ways most of Canada is underserved as a basketball market.

Plus, Harbour Station is a great mid-sized arena. I saw an AHL game there 8 to 10 years ago and it wold be a great PBL venue.

And New Brunswick is not really that isolated. It fits the PBL footprint much better than Halifax or LFS. They are a GREAT travel partner for Halifax, Quebec and still even Vermont. It will make for a huge rivalry with Halifax too.

That being said, I hope they stay tight with either the Irvings or McCains. They essentially own the province and I don't know how far you can get without their blessing.

Either way, I see this having a lot of potential. Whether they pull it off is another thing.

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Post by a1sports » Tue May 04, 2010 3:00 pm

That would be a great move, The AHL team had great attendance and if it wasnt for the fog problems there still would be a team there. The Millrats will do well there !

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Post by The Sweeper » Tue May 04, 2010 4:04 pm

I will be a little sad to the Millrats relocate, if they do. When VT isn't playing at home, I'm a frequent visitor to the Millrats' games (I'm usually there in my Wreckers jersey). But, if they do relocate, and Ian want to get rid of the Millrats uniforms, I'd be willing to buy one.
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Post by misenern » Wed May 05, 2010 1:42 pm

From Metro Halifax:
Competition for the Rainmen
New Hampshire-based basketball team close to making a new home in Saint John
MATTHEW WUEST
METRO HALIFAX
May 05, 2010 1:13 a.m.

The Halifax Rainmen could have a Maritime rival by the end of the month.

The Manchester Millrats, who have spent three seasons in New Hampshire, are close to finalizing a deal that would relocate the Premier Basketball League franchise to Harbour Station in Saint John, N.B., for the 2011 season.

Owner Ian McCarthy said the Millrats are “30 days from this move being 100 per cent” and hope to have a lease agreement signed within a week.

McCarthy said the Millrats have essentially outgrown Southern New Hampshire University’s 2,000-seat fieldhouse and are unable to move to the 10,000-seat Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester because of scheduling problems and cost.

He called Saint John and its 6,603-seat facility “an ideal fit for minor-league basketball.”

“It’s an opportunity that is too good, potentially, for us to pass up,” McCarthy said.

Rainmen owner Andre Levingston, also the PBL’s director of Canadian business development, encouraged McCarthy to investigate Saint John. The move has been in the works since November.

“I was impressed by how much they really wanted us to play there,” McCarthy said of his initial meetings with arena officials.

McCarthy said he is encouraged by the success of the minor-league basketball franchise in Halifax and hopes a Saint John franchise would establish a natural rivalry with the Rainmen similar to the one between the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Sea Dogs and Mooseheads.

“The next step is to establish a legal entity in Canada and round out our ownership group,” he said. “We have some very strong owners now but would like to have some local ownership represented as well.”

The Millrats were founded in 2007 and spent one season in the American Basketball Association and the past two in the PBL.

The Rainmen and Quebec Kebs are the only Canadian teams currently part of the nine-team PBL. Levingston told Metro last month he is also investigating expansion to Ontario in Guelph and Hamilton and will consider Moncton, N.B.

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Post by Minor League Man » Wed May 05, 2010 4:32 pm

The more I think about this, the more I think it's a step in the right direction...(I think they should add Moncton, Cape Breton, St. John's, and maybe even Charlottetown)

Of course Newman will likely put a team in Manchester and then say McCarthy has no ethics or morals blah blah blah...However, I do think Manchester will get another PBL team for the 2012 season (if not sooner)
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Post by tops804 » Wed May 05, 2010 8:28 pm

[quote=""Darrenpuppa""]

Another market would be Jamestown, NY but they do not have a court[/quote]

Oh ye of little faith...They are pragmatic people in Jamestown, always looking
to putting something else in the JSBA....

Problem is, I just don't know if they could get enough fans out there to support it.
Adios, OSC message boards. (2007-2017)

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Post by CHris902 » Fri May 07, 2010 11:14 pm

Sounds like it's getting pretty close to official. Three more articles:

Two in NB:
Interview with Ian and some other stuff.
Andre talking about expansion in Canada.


One in Manchester.

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