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Larry -

You know that the proof is in the pudding. The only way the ABA has any sort of a successful season is if everybody comes through with flying colors. If one team - only one team - stumbles, it causes a ripple effect that can tear through the entire league. You saw that happen last year, and you saw it happen the year before.

There's no plan in place to protect teams that do the right thing from teams that don't.

There's also no plan in place to protect teams from getting their players signed by other clubs in other leagues. Let's say you've got a scorer that can hit the outside jumper 50% of the time. He's on the Takers on Monday - but by Wednesday he's playing under contract to Rio Grande Valley in the CBA or Tulsa in the D-League and the Takers get nothing. The ABA has no plan to keep players from moving out of the ABA in mid-season without any benefit of a transfer fee (see the DayShawn Wright scenario).

And let's face it - the ABA has too many teams in too many locations, with too short a season. A 30-game season works in college, where teams actually play in clusters and are eventually selected into a 65-team knockout tournament. With a 36-game schedule (ha!!) and no guarantee that every team will show up for its games, or for that matter that a flexible, working schedule will exist that won't give Peoria 7 games and Mississippi 45 (see 2006-07 schedule), and a playoff schedule that is so flimsy it should have "two-ply" written on the wrapper the paper came in, you're looking for another disaster.

You can give me all the "you'll see, I'll prove you wrong" statements you want, but after a while it just gets comical. And you can't blame it on mildew or bad weather or travel difficulties or the phases of the moon. No more than you can run out press releases about building 25,000 bicycles, starting up a minor league basketball print monthly, signing Howard Judah (god rest his soul) to a players' contract, and having your toughest opponent be Hank's Hustlers.

I'll give you this, though - if you can play a full 36-game season (with 36 box scores against 36 ABA opponents, not made-up games played on a strat-o-matic simulator), I will be the first one to stand and clap with both hands for you. But right now, all you're going to hear out of me is the sound of one hand clapping.

And you're lucky that you're at least getting one hand. There are some other people whom I would just give a finger.

[quote=""cglue""]7/19/08
Q as president is doing a great job and no its not a puppet show. Some of the ideas that he has brought to the table make business sense and I want to be around when those things are done and complete. My number one concern this season really is our division. My first season we had a couple of teams that wasnt right and that hurt us in the long run. Last season we only had 3 teams and nothing is fun about that. This upcoming season we are projected to have at least 7 teams and so Im a little excited. There are things in place to make sure what happened last season doesnt happen again. I just hope its truly followed through.

Thanks and just wish us luck make this thing turn around.[/quote]

...From this

//www.oursportscentral.com/boards/showpost.php?p=71017&postcount=15

11/24/07
Im sorry my good friends who arent too fond of the ABA right now. When these games actually take place, the league will be funded so much money from TV contracts that are already in place. Aoshen made over 10 million dollars from cctv alone and thats why they are paying us to play there, it makes alot of sense to them and us. And yes we will be plaing in a 15,000 seat arena and the plac will be jumping and exciting.

There were 38,000 people watching the Vermont home game on PlayOn and so trust me we are going to be ok. As much as you may deny it, you will be one of the millions watching the game over seas as well and we will make mone off of the profits. If you dont believe me then ask my dear friend Standards and he will confirm everything that I am saying.

Good day and oh Chuck, thanks again for that laugh. I was really feeling down today and I clicked on the site and it cheered me up. Thanks buddy.

Besides the eight months that have past? Larry, as much as I appreciate
your coming to the boards, what happened between December and now?
Has it taken you this long to get over the mildew?

Its curious that Q has been so absent when it comes to ABAlive posts. It
leaves one to wonder if Joe has handed anything over for him to handle.
Except to the inevitable crash that always occurs once the regular season starts.

"Shanna, they bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve McCroskey: [to Mrs. Oveur] "Now your husband and the others are alive, but unconscious."
Johnny: "Just like Gerald Ford."

[quote=""cglue""]Q as president is doing a great job and no its not a puppet show. Some of the ideas that he has brought to the table make business sense and I want to be around when those things are done and complete. My number one concern this season really is our division. My first season we had a couple of teams that wasnt right and that hurt us in the long run. Last season we only had 3 teams and nothing is fun about that. This upcoming season we are projected to have at least 7 teams and so Im a little excited. There are things in place to make sure what happened last season doesnt happen again. I just hope its truly followed through.

Thanks and just wish us luck make this thing turn around.[/quote]

Larry, can you let us know some of the new president's ideas that have been implemented? It's all well and good to talk about more teams, but what's the difference if a three-team division stops playing games or a seven-team division does the same?

[quote=""tops804""]...From this

//www.oursportscentral.com/boards/ ... stcount=15



Besides the eight months that have past? Larry, as much as I appreciate
your coming to the boards, what happened between December and now?
Has it taken you this long to get over the mildew?

Its curious that Q has been so absent when it comes to ABAlive posts. It
leaves one to wonder if Joe has handed anything over for him to handle.
Except to the inevitable crash that always occurs once the regular season starts.[/quote]

Good questions, even better research.

[quote=""tops804""]...From this

//www.oursportscentral.com/boards/showpost.php?p=71017&postcount=15



Besides the eight months that have past? Larry, as much as I appreciate
your coming to the boards, what happened between December and now?
Has it taken you this long to get over the mildew?

Its curious that Q has been so absent when it comes to ABAlive posts. It
leaves one to wonder if Joe has handed anything over for him to handle.
Except to the inevitable crash that always occurs once the regular season starts.[/quote]

Fells called me up and we had a great conversation on why am I still here and my take on last season. If you like to call me and talk then thats cool. I give you guyssome information and then someone turns mildew into a joke. Thats something that is very dangerous and I wasnt happy that my players experienced that. A lot happened between Singapore and the end of the season, things that I wasnt too pleased with. But all I can do is pray that Q do his thing and we benefit from it.

You wont here me sugar coating last season because I wasnt happy at some things that went on myself.

Larry -

Remember these words, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." I have a feeling it will be the theme of your team this year. Nothing has changed from last year. Newman is promising to be more restrictive in who becomes an owner, just as he takes $10,000.00 checks at a record rate. Nothing that has been promissed at the league meetings in terms of guaranteeing team success have been enforced. There is no "turning the corner".

Another thought. "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, and continue playing in the ABA".

Your like a gambler in Vegas trying to get back to even after loosing a big hand, only to find yourself deeper in debt at the end of the day. Just dont take any of the people who try to do business down with you.

Let's see...
2001: Fool me once....shame on you.
2002: Fool me twice...shame on me.
2003: Fool me three times...shame on...the schedulemaker (because he scheduled too many darn games in too long of a season! Why should we play 40 something games into the month of April when we can shut it down in February because Fox Sports Net will televise our Championship Game)
2004: Fool me four times...shame on...Fox Sports Net (because wasn't there supposed to be a TV deal? Again?)
2005: Fool me five times... shame on...Joe Newman again (because he can never be shamed enough)
2006: Fool me six times....shame on...Unca Joe's hairpiece (because it elevated above the top of his head and spun around...hypnotizing prospective owners into parting with their 10 grand.)
2007: Fool me seven times...shame on...The Vermont Frost Heaves (because they ran a very solid, professional franchise....thus duping hundreds of owners, give or take, into thinking they could do the very same thing...for the bargain basement price of just $10,000)
2008: Fool me eight times...shame on...cglue (because there are countless more idiots with $10,000 dollars burning a hole in their pocket that are reading this thread and thinking...damn, I can do that! What a great league! And it will only cost me my life savings....$10,000)

[quote=""TEN""]Let's see...
2001: Fool me once....shame on you.
2002: Fool me twice...shame on me.
2003: Fool me three times...shame on...the schedulemaker (because he scheduled too many darn games in too long of a season! Why should we play 40 something games into the month of April when we can shut it down in February because Fox Sports Net will televise our Championship Game)
2004: Fool me four times...shame on...Fox Sports Net (because wasn't there supposed to be a TV deal? Again?)
2005: Fool me five times... shame on...Joe Newman again (because he can never be shamed enough)
2006: Fool me six times....shame on...Unca Joe's hairpiece (because it elevated above the top of his head and spun around...hypnotizing prospective owners into parting with their 10 grand.)
2007: Fool me seven times...shame on...The Vermont Frost Heaves (because they ran a very solid, professional franchise....thus duping hundreds of owners, give or take, into thinking they could do the very same thing...for the bargain basement price of just $10,000)
2008: Fool me eight times...shame on...cglue (because there are countless more idiots with $10,000 dollars burning a hole in their pocket that are reading this thread and thinking...damn, I can do that! What a great league! And it will only cost me my life savings....$10,000)[/quote]

As David Byrne once sang (from "Once in a Lifetime"):
"Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was."

Larry, I can't see anything of substance has changed. The ABA does indeed appear to be the same as it always has. Sure, some of the names change year after year (John Salley's the leader we need, no now it's Brad Hester, wait Quentin Townsend...), but the method of operations remains the same.