The real shame is that it could have been done relatively cheaply when the Klotsche was expanded (which is what Bud wanted). As it is though there were still threats of lawsuits from the neighborhood over building the Pavillion.
One guy wrote Bud a letter telling him he was glad they used asphalt for the lot because it will be cheaper to tear out the asphalt after a court orders them to take the whole thing down.
I don't care what anyone says....I'd love to see an areana. I just see all the money spent on the Klotsche a bit disconcerning...because they could've just made it much larger to host a 8,000 plus seat areana
Bud tried to convince the powers that be to expand the Klotsche into a 7,000 seat arena. But the powers that be were concerned about the uproar from the neighborhood and nixed the idea.
The storm that would erupt over the very thought of putting an arena in Lake Park will make anything we've seen over using Downer woods look like a picnic.
As much as I would like to see us have an arena, I couldn't support using one of the nicest green spots in the city for one.
I disagree, Milwsport. this would not be "lakefront" land per se. It's west of LMD and already recreational space in the park.
Furthermore, the slippery slope would not be an issue (IMO) because we are talking about a "public" university, not a private company.
It's not as if the Bucks are asking to do this. This is one public entity assisting another for the greater good.
Oh God, did I just say that?!?!?! I will now light myself on fire. ;D
ANYTHING on either side of Lincoln Memorial Drive is considered to be the Lakefront. People use land on both sides for picnics, walks, hikes etc along the lake. The fact that the land on the west side is seperated by a road makes difference.
Look at it as you would a driveway on your property. It goes through your property but that doesn't mean whatever is on either side isn't your property.
There is NO way, a UWM arena will ever be built along the lakefront. The public, and county officials have always felt that the lakefront land is held by the County as a public trust to ensure access for everyone.
There've been numerous proposals to put things along the lakeshore and they always get shot down because of the feeling that once you let someone put something up, you have to let others do it too and soon you don't have a lakefront left. Hell, they almost didn't build the Maritine museum because of that.
Meanwhile more can be done with the facility we are in now. It seems that the concession stands are not up to snuff. Last night they were out of the souvenior cups (at least the one I went to was) and didnt' have lids for the cups they did have. The game before they were out of RC.
Now I could understand that if there was a huge crowd and they were overwhelmed but that was not the case. Then there is the merchandise stand.
We look bush league when you can't even get a cola one game or a decent cup to drink it out of the next game. Then there's the merchandise stand, which while somewhat improved is still short of what it could and should be.
While winning is important, so is the overall fan experience. Whoever the AD has designated to handle these things needs to step up.
Show me a hotel, restaurant, or any business that provides food, that is going to allow you to bring in food from the OUTSIDE to serve to people.
If they do, they are charging you some type of fee for it. That is lost revenue to them...pretty simple.
Actually the Brewers allow you to bring your own food into Miller Park. They will look into the bag and any beverage containers must be unopened but they do allow it. (Cans aren't allowed)
I took advantage of that for just about every game I went to last year. A sub or homemade sandwich, a bottle of Dew and a bag of snacks was way cheaper than what we'd have paid at the stands. We saved enough to go to an extra game or two.
Another concession issue is that they only take cash. With only 1 ATM in the building that's just plain dumb. More than once I didn't have the cash and the ATM was either out of money or not working.
If you think the Cell is outdated try going to Butler's Hinkle fieldhouse sometime. We are light years ahead. But no one is calling for major renovations at Hinkle and rightfully so. There's something about an old basketball venue that many find attractive.
Putting in boxes at the Cell would cost millions. It's not like an outdoor stadium where just add on another tier (as they did at Camp Randall).
The bottom line is that we can all look at the negative or at the positive. The Cell has great sightlines from just about every seat. It's located right off the freeway. There are a number of nice restaurants and bars in the area for pre-and post- game get togethers.
The seats are comfortable, there are plenty of entrances and exits and the acoustics allow a smaller crowd to sound like a packed house. Plus it has a comfortable feel to it that newer facilities just don't generate.
Sure there could be some improvements, more ATM's, a better floor and concession stands that don't run out of stuff, but all in all it's a great place to attend a game.
I wish I could say that Detroit played a great game but I can't. We just stunk more than they did
The blame for this lies mostly with the players. With an exception or two they didn't play up to their capabilities.
Just keep in mind though that even with our NCAA teams, we always had a loss or two that where we simply stunk. Hopefully we won't see another stinker like this one.
You may be right. I just think that in this case the mess up was so bad and the results after their departure were so drastically different that it's hard to blame the coach. I do agree with you that Tim has a better chance at getting another shot than KJ does.
I don't think so. Any coach is going to look at how much better the team played after they left, the fact that they stopped going practice so early in the season etc and see them as problem players he's better off without.
Might there be a coach who will take that kind of chance? Maybe if he's desperate enough, but even then it's more likely to be a walk on offer and almost certainly going to be a low mid-major.