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Nixtreefan
Joined: 14 Nov 2012 Posts: 2539
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22477 Location: NJ
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Posted: 09/13/18 12:30 pm ::: |
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Krystal Thomas clearly isn't returning. Hawkins, I believe, is a FA. This should automatically make them keep Meesseman. And hopefully Hines-Allen. Pick up a FA center to back up Sanders.
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005 Posts: 24368 Location: London
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Posted: 09/13/18 12:56 pm ::: |
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toad455 wrote: |
Krystal Thomas clearly isn't returning. |
Eh. There are worse players to keep around in the 11th/12th spot if she's willing to stay for the vet minimum.
toad455 wrote: |
Hawkins, I believe, is a FA. |
Nope. |
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greg5222
Joined: 03 May 2006 Posts: 725
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22477 Location: NJ
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9644
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Aladyyn
Joined: 23 Jul 2017 Posts: 1560 Location: Czech Republic
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11158
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Posted: 09/25/18 2:26 pm ::: |
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So this is like a high school gym for a small school -- bleachers only on one side?
That is not a good look when there are no fans behind the benches.
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 32336
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63807
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Posted: 09/25/18 4:25 pm ::: |
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myrtle wrote: |
Is it possible this is only a practice gym? |
It is a practice gym.... for the Wizards.
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22477 Location: NJ
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Posted: 09/25/18 4:30 pm ::: |
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Any pictures of the "seats"? Haven't found any.
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 10911
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Posted: 09/25/18 4:50 pm ::: |
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You have to wade through all the pictures to get to it, but the seats looks fine to me. As I understand the area surrounding the arena is concern for Mystics fans, because it has a reputation for being unsafe.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9644
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Posted: 09/25/18 10:34 pm ::: |
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*duplicate*
Last edited by tfan on 09/25/18 10:36 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9644
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 63807
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Posted: 09/25/18 11:17 pm ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
So this is like a high school gym for a small school -- bleachers only on one side?
That is not a good look when there are no fans behind the benches. |
That’s the practice part of the building. The arena is a separate part of the same building.
The whole facility looks pretty nice. The arena part is just “intimate” as they like to say.
_________________ Nnekalonians 1:14 - Thou shalt not accept that which is not earned
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22477 Location: NJ
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Posted: 09/26/18 8:46 am ::: |
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hopefully with their recent Finals appearance, Mystics' fans will fill that 4,200 seat arena. Maybe playoff games will go to the Capital One Arena?
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005 Posts: 11158
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Posted: 09/26/18 9:26 am ::: |
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Definitely better, but still -- eight rows behind the team benches? Not a great look.
That said, if the Mystics pack this place every night, it could be really fun and a tremendous home court advantage.
I'm not optimistic, but I'm hopeful.
_________________ Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā
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toad455
Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 22477 Location: NJ
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Posted: 09/26/18 9:51 am ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
Definitely better, but still -- eight rows behind the team benches? Not a great look.
That said, if the Mystics pack this place every night, it could be really fun and a tremendous home court advantage.
I'm not optimistic, but I'm hopeful. |
agree. just wish the capacity was more. Like around 7k.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010 Posts: 9644
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Posted: 09/26/18 10:57 am ::: |
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ClayK wrote: |
Definitely better, but still -- eight rows behind the team benches? Not a great look. |
They show the team benches on the side opposite the eight rows. But if they can’t get a TV camera up high enough on the eight row side and had to use the other side for it, the eight rows would end up being shown.
Last edited by tfan on 09/26/18 7:34 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Randy
Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 10911
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Posted: 09/26/18 11:17 am ::: |
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If we have learned anything from the Dream going to GA Tech, and the Liberty's moves to WCC (and NJ before that), and other teams moving around it seems that what really matters is Location, Location, Location. The places that are hard to get to or lack parking generally suck when it comes to attendance. If, the new arena is located with convenient transportation in a safe area it should do well. From what ArtBest23 and others have posted that is not the case, so the numbers may be sparse.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 09/26/18 12:40 pm ::: |
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toad455 wrote: |
hopefully with their recent Finals appearance, Mystics' fans will fill that 4,200 seat arena. Maybe playoff games will go to the Capital One Arena? |
One would think that since the whole point of the deal was to try to draw people to an economically depressed and isolated part of the city (in exchange for spending $70M on a free practice facility for the Wizards), the deal wouldn't allow the Mystics to cherry pick the most popular games and move them downtown.
On the other hand, DC politics being what they are, it's possible the politicians are happy just being able to point to the shiny new building and proclaim "See, we care about Ward 8, look what we did for you!" and don't really care what happens afterwards or if anyone shows up. Once they get their pictures taken at the Mary J Blige concert next month, they may consider their job done and go right back to ignoring Ward 8.
Whatever the details of the deal are, though, Ted Leonsis and Shiela Johnson knew what they could and couldn't do when they signed up. I'm not convinced the good of the Mystics or their fans was even a minor consideration in Ted getting for free his long-desired practice facility.
BTW, with respect to new concert venues, The Anthem, recently opened at the big time, expensive, office/condo/hotel/entertainment complex at The Wharf on the waterfront in SW DC, holds 6,000. It opened with a concert by the Foo Fighters. Unlike the St. E's site of the Mystics arena, The Wharf has attracted lots of new restaurants, bars and retail, and a shiny expensive new InterContinental Hotel. Now if they had built the Mystics arena at the Wharf, it would have been a huge success, but then it would have cost a lot more money and the city wouldn't have picked up the tab.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013 Posts: 14550
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Posted: 09/26/18 12:58 pm ::: |
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Randy wrote: |
If we have learned anything from the Dream going to GA Tech, and the Liberty's moves to WCC (and NJ before that), and other teams moving around it seems that what really matters is Location, Location, Location. The places that are hard to get to or lack parking generally suck when it comes to attendance. If, the new arena is located with convenient transportation in a safe area it should do well. From what ArtBest23 and others have posted that is not the case, so the numbers may be sparse. |
It's in an area with a bad reputation, especially among suburbanites considering a trip downtown. Key is parking. It's not a difficult drive, and people went to RFK and the Armory because the parking was easy, close to the venue, and relatively isolated from the surroundings. I don't know the parking situation or plans yet at the new arena. But good parking and a confidence in the safety (both for car and subway travelers) are key to attracting families and kids. I'll be interested to see how that develops.
There's also nothing else there. I had Nationals season tickets when they played at RFK several years, but it was a drive in, go to the game, and get out and get home thing. It's not like going to the Capital One or the new Nationals park where you can go get food and a beer next door with friends before and/or after a game.
There's not likely to be anything of significant interest around the Mystics arena for a long time, if ever.
But, the place is so small that the crowd is probably going to look pretty good. After all, it's just not that hard to draw, say, 3,000, and that will look like a pretty full house in that little shoe box. I expect they will fill up frequently, at least in the beginning.
They really need to focus on security, though. Given the pre-existing doubts, one bad incident could really be a setback.
On the other hand, if the word after a couple months of WNBA play is that people feel safe and comment that there is lots of security and no problems, it will really boost things.
(BTW, I'm not really equating this site to the RFK/Armory site. They're similar in some ways, but crossing the Anacostia river is in the DC mentality like crossing into another land. This site is harder to get to, less well known, and has a worse reputation. People were familiar with going to RFK and the Armory for decades. I'm not sure yet that families who for years didn't hesitate to to take their kids to a Sunday afternoon Ringling Brothers show at the Armory will be willing,at least at first, to take their kids to the St E's arena for a Mystics game.)
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Ay Mate
Joined: 12 Nov 2016 Posts: 1280
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CourtsideTix
Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 4565 Location: Washington, DC
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