Bite me, George Shinn
The New Orleans Hornets' game in the New Orleans Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers is sold out. Sold out in less than a week. This, with no price break like Shinn's giving people in OKC.
Shinn is the worst owner in basketball; Benson is the worst owner in football.
Guess it's good we don't have a baseball team.
And they say we can't support a team. Well, we can, if you follow the words of Al Davis.
Just win, baby.
UPDATE
John DeShaizer of the Times Picayune is telling me that, according to Hornets officials, the game is not sold out. I told him that if you call 1-800-4NBA-TIX, there are no seats available for the Laker game, not even with the 3-game pack. He's not disputing what I say, he's just saying what Hornets officials are saying.
So maybe the Hornets are holding back tickets, possibly for the express reason of saying that the games are not sellouts.
Paranoid? Sure. But maybe it's just what we've come to expect from the worst owners in all of pro sports.
UPDATE 2
Well, now there are some tix available (nosebleeds only). So the Hornets are holding back tickets, this is confirmed. We don't know why, but they are.
Zephyrs?
Posted by:Cade Roux | 31 January 2006 at 10:10 PM
Love the Zs. I remember going to games at Tad and the shrine on airline. But since it ain't MLB, the owner's dicketry isn't painfully obvious.
One time I was at a Zephyr's game, and the pitcher for the opposing team had a no hitter going. So in the bottom half of the 5th, when he walked out to the mound, I made eye contact and said "Hey, great no-hitter you got going there. Keep it up."
The next guy (for the Z's) homered. He beaned the next one and got the hook.
Posted by:ashley | 31 January 2006 at 11:54 PM
Just got off the phone to book my three tix for the Hornets' NOLA games (I'm a Saints guy, but this is a gift to my 11-year-old). Anyway, the guy said everybody's who calling in is buying like 10 tix at a time. Also, they're not selling single-game tix, only the 3-game package (I wanted to buy extra for the Lakers game, but I couldn't).
You're right about the ownership horizon here.
Posted by:Mr. Clio | 01 February 2006 at 10:40 AM
What's the price break given to OKC games? I just looked on Ticketmaster.
Upper Level
New Orleans: $7.00
OKC: $ 10.00
Court Seating
New Orleans: $240.00
OKC: $275.00
Upper level games were 7 bucks last year in Nawlins too.
Posted by:Steve R | 02 February 2006 at 02:56 PM
Maybe I'm dead wrong, but when I watch the OKC Hornets with big crowds, I get the feeling half the people there have "brother-in-law tickets." You know, your brother-in-law who works for X Corp. and gets the tix for free and gives them to you. That's just my impression.
If there are a lot of corporate buys going on up there, then one can be sure there are significant unadvertised tickets discounts going on. I'll bet San Antonio did the same thing with the Saints.
It's easy to do that for a season or two. Over the long haul, it's not so easy.
Hey, if OKC has that kind of corporate money flying around, good for them. I'm just not going to be impressed about fan spirit or loyalty, that's all.
Posted by:Mr. Clio | 03 February 2006 at 09:16 AM
Yeah, they're fucking fucks. Thanks for helping me tear that guy a new asshole on my blog - that kind of ignorant shit really rubs me the wrong way.
Posted by:Aaron | 03 February 2006 at 11:17 PM
For 5 long years, I lived in LA. Went to see about 40 LA Kings hockey games (about 5 pre-Gretzky). I paid for 1 of them. Why? The tickets an individual could buy were nosebleed city. All the good seats were corporate owned.
You know, I think that's what I see as Benson's perfect vision for a football team: playing in Las Vegas, at a stadium with no actual seating capacity at all. It's all corporate boxes, with climate controlled suites, and a conveyer belt of pre-cracked crab legs.
Posted by:ashley | 04 February 2006 at 03:21 AM
First of all, tickets in OKC are not discounted over New Orleans. If you compare ticketmaster prices, OKC's prices range from $1200 to $10. NO's ticket prices range from $400 to $7. The mid range tickets appear pretty similar. There are corporate season tickets in OKC, but probably less than most cities. Many, many of the season ticket holders are individuals. Also, Lakers tickets still aren't sold out in NO, and they sold out in 30 minutes in OKC. What does that have to do with the price of tea in china? I don't know, but I hate to see inaccuracies, even on blogs.
Posted by:Rachel | 27 February 2006 at 05:28 PM
Pay attention, Rachel.
Fact: The Hornets are holding back tickets for the NOLA games.
Fact: When I called 1-800-4NBA-TIX (the only number to buy NOLA Hornets tickets, as they have disconnected all local numbers), I was told that it was a sellout. 3 separate times.
Posted by:ashley | 28 February 2006 at 09:53 PM