UA vs. Siena

[Dane Pound]

Purplehaze, Bob and Haggy you guys are going to miss a great party when we win that game! I'll have an extra beer for you.

[Dane96]

I am going to be frank and honest.

 

TO ALL THOSE SAYING YOU WILL SKIP THE GAME-- STOP BEING BABIES. Look, it sucks that Siena is getting the upper-hand, but the people you are hurting by not showing...and NOT CHEERING LOUDLY FOR...are the KIDS....OUR KIDS.

 

In three years...hopefully we will be able to be in a stronger position with wins and fans...but until then...it is not doing anyone any good on the DANES SIDE for you NOT TO SHOW.

[SienaTony]

Not here to talk smack, just thought I’d drop by and say hello. Hope you guys are all having a good spring/summer. I’m glad the contract was renewed. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, I’ll say the game has a lot of positives for both programs. The game gets more publicity for both schools than any other non conference game.. The game is “the” story in the capital district in the week leading up to the game. UA gets a game on the Big stage at the TUC in front of its home fans. The atmosphere in the TUC is great for the game. ( I love the UA, UA chant) Albany fans do a great job of making a lot of noise. Both programs have old time fans, Alumni etc come into town for this game. I know several Siena and Albany fans that make one or two games a year and this is the game they choose for many of the reasons I outlined above.

 

To those of you that choose to skip the game, I say no big deal. If past results are any indications of next season’s game, I’m sure the game will be an enjoyable one to watch. UA is in the position of nothing to lose really, and rivalry games are almost always competitive no matter the relative strength of the two teams. As long as 10,000 plus come to the game, you can be pretty sure the series will continue.

 

 

Just my 2 cents.... have a good summer guys!!

[bob87]

Purplehaze, Bob and Haggy you guys are going to miss a great party when we win that game! I'll have an extra beer for you.

 

 

We will have plenty of games in all sports between now and then in which you could bring me a beer. You missed a great party at our last home lacrosse game.

[bob87]

I am going to be frank and honest.

 

TO ALL THOSE SAYING YOU WILL SKIP THE GAME-- STOP BEING BABIES. Look, it sucks that Siena is getting the upper-hand, but the people you are hurting by not showing...and NOT CHEERING LOUDLY FOR...are the KIDS....OUR KIDS.

 

In three years...hopefully we will be able to be in a stronger position with wins and fans...but until then...it is not doing anyone any good on the DANES SIDE for you NOT TO SHOW.

 

 

 

What a bunch of $iena.

Personally I think all UA teams deserve our support and I go to as many games in as many sports as my work schedule allows. Occasionally I miss a game for other things besides work. When I am not at a game, the rest of you will have to pick up the slack as I try to pick up the slack for you including last Saturday and Sunday down at UMBC lacrosse and baseball which unfortunately were both losses.

 

And I choose to miss a game because I don't want to subsidize the areas $iena team, so be it. Until I see you at every game I am at, you have no right to tell me I can't miss a game.

I'll most likely will still be at about half the road games in addition to the home games.

[Clickclack]

I am going to be frank and honest.

 

TO ALL THOSE SAYING YOU WILL SKIP THE GAME-- STOP BEING BABIES. Look, it sucks that Siena is getting the upper-hand, but the people you are hurting by not showing...and NOT CHEERING LOUDLY FOR...are the KIDS....OUR KIDS.

 

In three years...hopefully we will be able to be in a stronger position with wins and fans...but until then...it is not doing anyone any good on the DANES SIDE for you NOT TO SHOW.

 

clap...clap...clap....

[Dane Pound]

Purplehaze, Bob and Haggy you guys are going to miss a great party when we win that game! I'll have an extra beer for you.

 

 

We will have plenty of games in all sports between now and then in which you could bring me a beer. You missed a great party at our last home lacrosse game.

 

I'm sure I did. I'm the first to admit I don't make every event I'd like to attend and I certainly wasn't questioning your loyalty. I just didn't want to see you kicking yourself if the "upset of the century" happens in December.

 

I understand the sentiment to boycott this game. As long as my ticket money is going to UA I'll go.

[olddog71]

I am going to be frank and honest.

 

TO ALL THOSE SAYING YOU WILL SKIP THE GAME-- STOP BEING BABIES. Look, it sucks that Siena is getting the upper-hand, but the people you are hurting by not showing...and NOT CHEERING LOUDLY FOR...are the KIDS....OUR KIDS.

 

In three years...hopefully we will be able to be in a stronger position with wins and fans...but until then...it is not doing anyone any good on the DANES SIDE for you NOT TO SHOW.

 

I don't know all the terms of the new contract (Didn't know all the terms of tne old ones, either), but I have to admit that on the surface I am disappointed with the new arrangement. The good thing about the new contract is that UA is finally guaranteed better seats. It was ridiculous that we had to sit far behind one of the baskets and barely be able to see the action. Paying twice as much for an inferior seat at the Times Union Center as for a prime seat at SEFCU still bothers me a lot.

 

Perhaps Siena is responsible for all the costs associated with running the event, which would cut into their profits they could gain from the other potential 13,000 seats in the arena. If that is the case, then I hope the costs are very high because it just frankly frosts me that Siena could be profiting a LOT more from the game than UA.

 

It annoys me immensely that Siena still gets to be the home team thoughout the next three years - with all the privileges that that status means - many of them merely symbolic. But to me that very symbolism is very important. I really could care less if Siena fans were to be ousted from their season seats every other year so that UA could become the home team. Siena fans showed they could put up with that scenario this year when they did not receive their same seats for the MAAC tournament.

 

What angers me the most about any arrangement with Siena is the arrogant concept that UA has to "earn" status in order to play them. Their more unreasonable fans insist that because we have lost to them more than not during the last seven years that we are not "entitled" to better seats or more of them. Using that same line of logic, we could then demand from them that we be the host team in every other athletic contest between the two schools because we beat them in every other sport - and usually do so pretty badly.

 

Even well-meaning UA fans have bought into this concept. Why do we have to knuckle under to that team? Does Siena demand the same terms for every other OOC game it plays. For years, for example, Siena has had a home-and-away series with Dartmouth, one of the perennially worst teams in Division I. UA passed them a few years ago; yet, Siena continued to play that "inferior" team every other year up in Hannover, NH.

 

The only legitimate reason why UA plays Siena at the TUC every year is because the TUC is the only venue in the area that can host the expected crowds for the game. If Siena were to play the rest of its home games back at the ARC, then guess where the UA-Siena game would be played. You guessed it, at the TUC.

 

I'm also annoyed that many Siena fans think they are so above us that there is no reason to play us at all. Further, they claim that they don't get much from the game. Asie from the pile of money that they accrue from playing the game, they also become fine tuned enough to play the rest of their schedule. Almost every year UA offers that team some of the stiffest competition they play in their early season. The new arrangement does nothing to dispet that innate Siena attitude of superiority.

 

I'm glad that the series will continue to be played. It is great for the fans of both schools, great for the casual Capital District sports fan, and a wonderful learning experience for the coaches and playes for both teams. I'll admit that I don't know all the ins and outs of the new contract, but I am disappointed that on the surface we have not achieved a more equitable contract. We've already earned it.

[SienaTony]

A few points in response to your post.

 

Siena doesn’t profit anywhere near as much as you guys think. Frankly I’m surprised you guys think so little of your AD that he would enter into an agreement that wasn’t beneficial for UA

 

Don’t forget the TUC is owned by Albany County, if anyone is making a windfall profit its Albany County

 

When Siena has a Dartmouth of whoever come in, they don’t give Dartmouth 2000 tickets to sell @ 20 bucks a pop ( 40K in revenue)

 

I thought Siena and UA alternate wearing the home jersey’s? Not sure what more you want? Every UA fan that wants to see the game can get into the game. Nobody is locked out. And while its true Siena plays its home games in the TUC, UA is 10 min away and plays in front of one of if not the biggest groups of UA fans it plays in front of the entire year.

 

I don’t think UA has to earn anything. If the game makes sense from a financial standpoint for both schools the series will continue, if it doesn’t make sense the series will be killed. Pretty simple really

[Clickclack]

In reading the TU and Schenectady Gazette articles printed today.....both coach Brown and Dr. M appeared to view this deal favorably. As we all know, coach Brown was a very outspoken about the last contract and even though I view his recent comments a bit like putting lipstick on a pig (dressing it up a bit).....we did get something we were looking for and thats seats for the families of our kids and an additional 10K in revenue.

[haggyland]

Olddog:

 

Excellent post. This is the one sport in which Siena arguably holds a bargaining advantage but that does not mean that all of us have to be pleased with what can easily be perceived as very slight concessions in the contract.

 

Chances are this will be another great game but I do not feel the Siena fans and administration are interested in making the terms more equitable. Maybe it is because it is all they have left. In a couple of years I hope that even that is gone.

[uofalbany]

If Brown and McElroy feel it's a good deal for the next 3 years, then I do too.

It certainly isn't much better but... it is better in terms of tickets.

 

I assume except for the few tickets behind the UAlbany bench, the rest are going to be jammed into the endzones again.

 

I wonder exactly how many tickets will be behind the UAlbany bench?

 

Let's hope we get alot more UAlbany fans this year than prior years.

We need more students and alumni to start going.

It would be fantastic to outnumber the siena fans, which means we need to buy non-alloted tickets, regardless of who profits from those tickets. If it came down to it, I would by a regular ticket.

 

The first thing I thought was.... shlitzter, I'm not going... just because I'm pissed that its not as equal as I want it to be.... but bottom line, I will be going to support the team, and hopefully see an azzwhoopin put on siena.

[Clickclack]

Olddog:

 

Excellent post. This is the one sport in which Siena arguably holds a bargaining advantage but that does not mean that all of us have to be pleased with what can easily be perceived as very slight concessions in the contract.

 

Chances are this will be another great game but I do not feel the Siena fans and administration are interested in making the terms more equitable. Maybe it is because it is all they have left. In a couple of years I hope that even that is gone.

 

 

I don't think there is a single poster here who thinks this is an equatable deal. In the business world, contract negotiations are about leverage. If we were to put a gun to their head and say.....SPLIT IT DOWN THE MIDDLE...they would walk and the game would be over. If people feel so strongly about being screwed then simply don't go, if the attendance drops way down the game will be canceled and we can all go our separate ways.

 

I think that would be a shame but thats just my opinion.

[olddog71]

A few points in response to your post.

 

Siena doesn’t profit anywhere near as much as you guys think. Frankly I’m surprised you guys think so little of your AD that he would enter into an agreement that wasn’t beneficial for UA

 

Don’t forget the TUC is owned by Albany County, if anyone is making a windfall profit its Albany County

 

When Siena has a Dartmouth of whoever come in, they don’t give Dartmouth 2000 tickets to sell @ 20 bucks a pop ( 40K in revenue)

 

I thought Siena and UA alternate wearing the home jersey’s? Not sure what more you want? Every UA fan that wants to see the game can get into the game. Nobody is locked out. And while its true Siena plays its home games in the TUC, UA is 10 min away and plays in front of one of if not the biggest groups of UA fans it plays in front of the entire year.

 

I don’t think UA has to earn anything. If the game makes sense from a financial standpoint for both schools the series will continue, if it doesn’t make sense the series will be killed. Pretty simple really

 

SienaTony,

 

I think very highly of Dr. McElroy. He has brought the UA Division I program from out of nowhere to become undeniably the best Division I program in the Capital District - and one of the top programs in the AmericaEast and Northeast, and he has done so with mediocre facilities and a relatively small budget and done so in a short period of time. I am just disappointed with the new contract. And in just about every sport except basketball, the AmericaEast is superior to the MAAC.

 

You simply don't get my comparison with Dartmouth. Every other year Siena is forced to travel to Hannover, NH, and play on the Dartmouth floor. You get NONE of the money from the proceeds of that game.

 

And please don't patronize us. You make it sound like the UA team is the only one that benefits from playing the game. Your comment that we get the privilege of playing you is downright insulting. During the course of our season, we also play the likes of UConn, UCLA, Florida, and Duke, and these schools give us the opportunity to play the best that Division I has to offer. We don't get that same feeling from playing you.

 

Let's turn it around, Tony. Every year when we play each other, you get a chance to get stiff competition from us every year. You get the chance to fine tune your offense and defense to play your conference schedule whenever you play us. The fact that we play Siena just about even every year on YOUR home court gives your team a great learning experience.

 

I'm glad that the Siena series is continuing, but I'm just not thrilled with the new terms.

[UAalum72]

When Siena has a Dartmouth of whoever come in, they don’t give Dartmouth 2000 tickets to sell @ 20 bucks a pop ( 40K in revenue)

Of course not. Instead they give Dartmouth a home game every other year.

 

I thought Siena and UA alternate wearing the home jersey’s? Not sure what more you want?

Center court seats? (if siena fans can give up their seats for the MAAC tournament, they can give them up for a true neutral-court setup). An arena announcer who doesn't say that if a UAlbany fan wins a contest or drawing, the prize is "nothing"? Promotional announcements for both teams, not just one?