NLL players set to strike

[Snarf]

http://www.lacrosse-network.com/outsidersguide/news031204.htm

This is not good, really not good. Lets hope things get worked out before the start of the season. I could not wait for the season to start, but this really puts a downer on the whole thing.

[BanditsRock11]

Yea i was just reading about this, its really blows. There set to be a exhibtion game tonight with Vancouver playing Calgary, i don't know it the game will be played? Probably not because their on strike, i really hope things get worked out.

[Bandit]

The exhibition game between Calgary and Vancouver actually did happen last night. (yeah, I was kind of surprised too ... since the PLPA advised against playing) Vancouver won, 13-10.

In other strike news, the PLPA and the league were supposed to meet this weekend for negotiations in NYC, however, the PLPA called off the meetings due to snow. Banidts GM Kurt Silcott was able to make it to NYC, along with Rochester GM Jody GAge and some others from the league side. Since the PLPA has limited negotiations to only weekends, it is unknown when they will resume talks. The league has stated that their latest offer is only good until Monday night, and teams will begin signing players after that time, regardless of whether an agreement is made or not.

Things could get ugly with this!

Bandit

[halfcent]

The PLPA did not advise the players not to play in the Van - Cal. game. That is why the strike started at 12.01 A M Sat morrning after the game was completed.

[manuel]

So do I. Going on strike now would be bad for their business plan and especially since they are trying to get 3 new team of the ground in San Jose, Anaheim and Phoenix.


I only became a fan, when the rock fiirst came to the leugeu the more I watched the more I liked the game. So if they go on strike new fans that they're trying to make in the new markets would be lost even before it gets started.

[willis2113]

lets hope things work out. i really am lookin forward to this season. its gonna be a good one.

[manuel]

can someone tell mey why the bandits don't draw as well as they used do. I once was told it had to do with the rock coming to toronto and the canadian fans who used to go to buffalo now go see the rock. Is it true?

[Bandit]

Manuel,

I'm sure the Bandits did lose some of the Canadian fans to the Rock, just like they lost some American fans to Rochester when they got their team. But, we still have quite a few Canadian fans who's loyalty remains with the Bandits, as well as s ome from Rochester.

However, I don't believe for a minute that Toronto coming into the league was the sole (or even the biggest) reason that attendance has dropped here in BanditLand. I credit our former owner's lack of memory ("Oh? Do I own a lacrosse team? When did I buy that?????) along with some really really bad seasons for that.

When the team was winning championships in the early and mid-90's, word was everywhere that we had a championship lacrosse team. When Lew Bartley left Buffalo to coach the Rock, the new coach changed the team's style of play completely ... lacrosse was no longer an exciting game in Buffalo ... and the team started losing. Buffalo sports fans are notoriously fickle when it comes to a losing team, so attendance started to drop.

That's to be expected to a degree with almost any team, however, if you ocntinue to market the team, maybe step up your marketing efforts a bit, you can minimize the losses a bit by hopefully getting some new fans to the arena. When the team was winning, marketing wasn't necessary, the media did that for them, but as media exposure slowed during the lean years, instead of picking up the marketing, they did none. None at all.

I've even had people ask me if the team even still exists! One person I worked with said that he used to be a season ticket holder, but one year he never got his renewal information, so along with the lack of media coverage, he assumed the team had folded.

You can't expect to keep your attendance numbers up if you don't sell your product to the fans. Simple as that.

With new ownership in place, a winning product on the floor and some pretty good marketing going on, expect to see Bandits attendance rise again. It began to go up to go up towards the end of last season, and I expect it will continue to get higher as this season goes on. Maybe we'll be able to sell tickets in the upper bowl again sometime in the near future.

Bandit

[manuel]

thanks for the info.

[Snarf]

Yeah, I have known a few people that never got a renewal form for their season tickets, so they said screw it if the team can not even remember to send out out a form. Things seem to be better, because I went down to get another season ticket on Tuesday and Wednesday I got the tickets in the mail.

[MacRazor]

To expand a bit on Bandit's post. When the Bandits first came into the MILL the leage had a heavyweight sponsor in Coors Light. Well Coors Light is pretty big here apparently (why pay for water?) and they tossed out so many freebie season seats the 1st season or 2 there was actually a waiting list for season tickets. The Knox family was well aware of the Bandits but must have forgotten to tell Johnny Rigas about " The Championship team" that comes along with the Sabres. So now we have senile ownership thinking golf-courses and $$$ when Les Bartly decides it's time to stay closer to home coaching Ontario/Toronto. Someone in charge decides another Les is more and here comes Wakeling. Mann cup winning coach but no pro experience. We the fickle ones scream WTF and bail. Out goes Les(s) in comes Ted Sawicki, no big PR blitz, just buisness as usual and a crappy team again. Rigas get's busted, Sabres and Bandits future very cloudy but someone has a monster idea. Lets nudge Teddy out and bring in the nastiest Bandit to ever take the floor! Enter Darris Kilgour. True Bandit fans believe that salvation has finally arrived and Darris comes close to delivering. Hammister looks like a good fit to get the Sabres and Bandits but then asks NYS to ponie up a couple 20 mil in $$$. Now we have Mr. G at the controls and he KNOWS. The marketing has been stepped up, combo deals are out there and in the works, the city of Buffalo will have another World Championship delivered unto them courtesy of the Bandits and we'll have 40,000 fans saying " I was there for that game". So now we have this little "strike" issue to deal with. We'll get through it I'd bet. JT will be out there with more new tricks, Ryno will bouce around like Tigger after each and every goal he nets, Accursi will dish the sweetest passes to shooters like Susheski and Derks. Stienhuis will run the legs off anyone trying to keep up. McCready, Langdale and Couling will be the "triple the fun" patrol. All this will happen, soon. And the fans will come back in force, like the good ol' days.

Mac da long-winded poster today!:D