From: patrick@is.rice.edu (Patrick L Humphrey)
Subject: Re: ESPN Followup
Organization: Unrecalcitrant WHA Die-Hards 
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 16:23:22 GMT

In article <1992Sep4.153726.3656@cs.rochester.edu> hoebel@cs.rochester.edu (Lou Hoebel) writes:
>In article <Bu192s.BJM@rice.edu> patrick@is.rice.edu (Patrick L. Humphrey) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep3.122302.27548@cs.rochester.edu>, hoebel@cs.rochester.edu (Lou Hoebel) writes:
>>>In article <Sep03.040044.58615@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> mmb@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Michael Burger) writes:
>>>>Some details:
>>>>
>>>
>>>I could care less if X million homes in Houston, Miami or Atlanta
>>I guess you're not old enough to remember the Atlanta Flames, then?
>>Or Birmingham or Houston in the WHA?  
> Oh, yes I'm clearly old. They died with the same problem The Rockies and
>the Cleveland team had. Lack of fan support. lack of regional support.
>Denver didn't support minor league baseball and wont support major
>league baseball....its a football town..maybe hoops does well too.

You're grasping for straws as regards Denver baseball -- if they didn't
support the minor-league Bears (and later the Zephyrs), why is it that of
the top ten largest single-game attendance records in minor league history,
eight or nine of them are in Denver?  (That's kind of a non-sequitur issue,
anyway -- we're talking about hockey, not baseball...and as far as the
Rockies went, ownership had a lot to do with making fans feel like spending
their money on the Nuggets or Broncos.)  If hockey can't make it in the
South, then how do you explain little anomalies like the Aeros averaging
10,000 per game at the gate in a three-year-old league (granted, this was
before George Bolin screwed up royally in dealing with the Howes), or the
Flames drawing around 14,000 in Atlanta (again, before Nelson Skalbania came
along)?

>>>How many Super Speedways are there in CanadaLand...right. Its a religion
>>>down south...Petty is a diety, the names are Foyt, Earnhardt and Waltrip.
>>
>>Gee, I guess that's why one or two of my relatives -- and I'm a native
>Eastern Kentucky is part of Appalachia. Racing there is "Horse Racing".
>Isn't the track in Lexington called the Big Red Mile? "The "old south" 
>races cars.

That depends on what you call the "old south".  It's pretty clear we've got
different ideas about that.  (That's to be expected, since we *are* two
different people...:-)

>>of eastern Kentucky -- know who you're talking about.  Just how many
> Often enough. I enjoy the area around the pigeon river...good hiking.
>and Mammoth caves was one of the best trips to KY.

The Caves area is more south-central Kentucky -- but at least you've been
there.  (I've only driven through there a couple of hundred times between
visits to different branches of the family at opposite ends of the
Commonwealth, and never have had the time to check things out.  But, one of
these days...)

>>times have you ever found yourself south of the Mason-Dixon line, anyway?
>and we`ll be in Virginia in two weeks. We love to travel pal.

So send us a few postcards.  Not all of us are that lucky.  :-)

>>>Not Igor, Ivan and Mario. Visit Alabama or Texas and tell me if hockey'
>>>is going to make it there...or Arkansas or Tennessee or Georgia or
>>>South Carolina or Arizona...hey gary!..got any ice there?
>>
>>Well, you're talking to someone who's only lived the last 27 years in 
>Well I hope you have your supply of freon in....but sure there are fans every
>place and of every age...27 is a young pup....and for every sport.
>Only not every region will support Big Time ( read $$$$) sports of every color.

I agree, but that's not exactly what we were wrangling over anyway.
(Incidentally, 27 *is* young.  I've lived here 27 years, but I'm not a
native Texan -- even though I got here as fast as I could, that didn't
happen until I was ten years old...:-)

>>Texas, and who only managed to see 60% or so of the home games the Aeros
>>played in their six seasons here...
>>
>>>Orgeon? Washington? Idaho? The NHL could get better viewing numbers
>>>in Europe on tape delay. Do people in Connecticut even watch ESPN?
>>
>>Why should you care if they do or not?  Your mind was made up long ago, so
>>why confuse you with any facts?
>care care...who said anything about caring...this is sarcasm pal.

I thought that was Gary Newell's department...:-)

>>>....now onto my second cup of coffee
>>>->Lou
>>
>>Try a second Valium.  It'd work a lot better.
>Yes it might. It does seem as if all of Houston is on them.

Are you sure that wasn't Dallas? :-)

>But then again it was a cool day...just 90% humidity and 90 degrees.
>When it got warmer and wetter, everyone really slowed down!

You *would* have to come through on one of the coldest and driest days of
the summer...:-)

>But I could use a recommendation of where to getet some 'gator.
>I missed that last trip.

There are probably quite a few homeowners in the Quail Creek parts of
Sugarland, and the First Colony area of Missouri City, who'd be grateful for
your offer of assistance.  :-)

>>Patrick L. Humphrey  (patrick@is.rice.edu)  Rice Networking & Computing Systems
>>
>>    (Season-ticket holder, Houston Aeros, 1973-74 season -- WHA Champions!)
>					  ^^^^^^^^^^^
>You might get the Rangers fans upset with this sort of uncalled for goading.

Why would they worry about that?  It's "1940" that gets them cranky...:-)

>Cheers and lets have a beer at the Houstonian next time.
>->Your pard'ner "Lou"

Better move quick -- it's filed Chapter 11.  A keg of Shiner Bock and two
taps will do just as well, though...:-)


-- 
Patrick L. Humphrey  (patrick@is.rice.edu)  Rice Networking & Computing Systems
     +1 713 528-3626 at Rice. 776-1541 at home. 667-6554 at Palace Lanes. 
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               (If at first you don't secede, try, try again...)