This is not an "I told anyone so" or an "I knew this was going to happen," but I -- and probably many others -- have been saying for a while now that the idea behind playing a big-time basketball game outside, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in a huge-and-windy harbor seems really silly.
There has been talk for days about the court being very wet and needing to be dried off frequently throughout the game. This must have made others, including some who post here, wonder about the logic behind playing a basketball game in this location and under such potentially extreme conditions.
I awaited this game eagerly, like so many others. But after having read plenty about the deck-top court, the unavoidably wet conditions and, most recently, the tremendous winds in Charleston Harbor, I have been thinking for days that the whole concept is ridiculous.
And all agree, I am sure, that such unpredictable conditions demand a "Plan B," especially for teams that traveled half a country to get there.
What a ridiculous letdown.
Except if this game happened your pants would be fitting a bit tighter because of how cool it would have been. It's easy to pile on when things don't go well.
Quote from: MU Avenue on November 09, 2012, 08:44:04 PM
This is not an "I told anyone so" or an "I knew this was going to happen," but I -- and probably many others -- have been saying for a while now that the idea behind playing a big-time basketball game outside, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in a huge-and-windy harbor seems really silly.
There has been talk for days about the court being very wet and needing to be dried off frequently throughout the game. This must have made others, including some who post here, wonder about the logic behind playing a basketball game in this location and under such potentially extreme conditions.
I awaited this game eagerly, like so many others. But after having read plenty about the deck-top court, the unavoidably wet conditions and, most recently, the tremendous winds in Charleston Harbor, I have been thinking for days that the whole concept is ridiculous.
And all agree, I am sure, that such unpredictable conditions demand a "Plan B," especially for teams that traveled half a country to get there.
What a ridiculous letdown.
So can you link directly to the 'talk for days about the court being very wet and needing to be dried off frequently throughout the game' sources?
You're an idiot.
Quote from: MU Avenue on November 09, 2012, 08:44:04 PM
This is not an "I told anyone so" or an "I knew this was going to happen," but I -- and probably many others -- have been saying for a while now that the idea behind playing a big-time basketball game outside, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in a huge-and-windy harbor seems really silly.
There has been talk for days about the court being very wet and needing to be dried off frequently throughout the game. This must have made others, including some who post here, wonder about the logic behind playing a basketball game in this location and under such potentially extreme conditions.
I awaited this game eagerly, like so many others. But after having read plenty about the deck-top court, the unavoidably wet conditions and, most recently, the tremendous winds in Charleston Harbor, I have been thinking for days that the whole concept is ridiculous.
And all agree, I am sure, that such unpredictable conditions demand a "Plan B," especially for teams that traveled half a country to get there.
What a ridiculous letdown.
THANKS SO MUCH, CAPTAIN HINDSIGHT. Totally useful commentary. Go away now.
(http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/shows/southpark/vertical_video/season_14/sp_1411_clip05.jpg)
Quote from: lab_warrior on November 09, 2012, 09:17:04 PM
THANKS SO MUCH, CAPTAIN HINDSIGHT. Totally useful commentary. Go away now.
(http://southparkstudios.mtvnimages.com/images/shows/southpark/vertical_video/season_14/sp_1411_clip05.jpg)
Well done.
To PTM and lab_warrior and, to a lesser extent, Bocephys: Your replies to my original post here, and to at least one other post on a similar topic, are oddly hostile and appear to have been replies in search of a thread.
Nothing I have written here is anything but factual. We have all read and heard reports for days about the wet, windy conditions in and around Charleston Harbor, conditions that are hardly conducive to playing a basketball game on an outdoor, wooden court, especially atop the deck of an aircraft carrier.
Coach Williams has spoken in at least two interviews of the wet, harsh conditions.
This has only prompted some of us to think that playing a basketball game on this ship in this harbor makes no sense. I am among those who think the concept is silly -- whether or not Marquette is one of the teams.
And having no alternative site for the game is ridiculously bad planning, especially given the significance of the event -- opening day for each team -- and the distances the teams had to travel.
I love Marquette University and its basketball team as much as anyone here. I also welcome the exchange of opinions and a good debate.
Your replies to my original post here make about as much sense to me as playing a big-time collegiate basketball game outside, on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in a huge-and-windy harbor.
People have opinions all the time -- before and after an event. You might know that we have just re-elected a president and that the commentary about him, his Republican challenger and the 2012 campaign continues to flow with abundance.
It is OK to have opinions. And it is just as OK to share those opinions after something goes wrong, such as the doomed Carrier Classic.
If you disagree with a post, tell us why you disagree. The "idiot" and "go away now" nonsense bring nothing to the discussion.
And to Bocephys: The "your pants would be fitting a bit tighter" line is really creepy. And it is not "piling on" to write here that basketball is best played indoors, not on wet aircraft carriers in wet, windy harbors.
If anyone thinks the Carrier Classic is a great idea and that the 2012 version was an outstanding success, please feel free to make your point. ...
You are making sh!t up. It wasn't horribly windy. The conditions weren't wet and harsh. It was a beautiful sunny day with a high near 70 degrees with 0% chance of rain, so the real conditions were actually the exact opposite of what you are describing.
Should they have realized that condensation would be an issue? Yes. Should they have had a tenable backup plan? Yes.
So say that, rather than trying to make it sound like they were in the middle of a hurricane.
Agree with OP. There definitely should have been an accessible Plan B considering they saw all this coming days ahead of time.
And if you don't have anything meaningful to add to the thread, why kill it with useless images and insults? To me that's a silly concept.
All joking aside, these special events are always messed up due to the temporary nature of their existence. They are essentially made for TV events that are fun to kickoff the season that draw fan interest. The Paradise Jam is played in a high school sized gym...the fire alarm was going off during the game, and the satellite feed went dead. At Disney, where they are more used to handling games, the electronics system went haywire. Maui may be more seasoned, but my guess something will go wrong. In the end, they are what they are.
Unfortunately in this case, the charity suffers, the full TV money for the schools will not be paid, the network will have to refund/credit ad dollars, the major sponsor Wal*Mart will end up in a dispute with the organizers, the attendees will be in a fight to get their refunds, the city of Charleston will have a black eye, the local contractors won't be paid, and the organizers will have declare bankruptcy. The insurance companies will have to pay some of these bills. Nike suffers. Worse, NBC and Wal*Mart may question their investments in college hoops with all the negative publicity. FUBAR
Quote from: MarsupialMadness on November 10, 2012, 09:27:25 AM
Agree with OP. There definitely should have been an accessible Plan B considering they saw all this coming days ahead of time.
And if you don't have anything meaningful to add to the thread, why kill it with useless images and insults? To me that's a silly concept.
They did have a backup location planned but they didn't have time to move to that location.
They also knew prior that condensation maybe an issue as they setup fans to circulate the air;however; they couldn't put the fans back as there was space with the attendants. There was no wet or harsh conditions which led to the condensations but nature science. When cold meets hot then there is condensation. This was all bad timing and could have been avoided if the played the game on Sat afternoon.
The decision had to do more with ratings then what would be the best time. They didn't want to compete with football nor play during the middle of the work day. This is why the west coast games have been better. The Syracuse game was cancelled due to weather not condensation.
^^ I totally agree, that it was a ratings thing. Kinda a little bit like the Titanic, where the iceburg could have been avoided, but the captain was more concerned with making the front page of the newspaper than actually doing it right.
Play the game in the afternoon on a Saturday with a suitable alternate site if have rain. The evening/night stuff just does not work much of the time.
http://www.muscoop.com/index.php?topic=34146.0
For what it's worth Hunt Thursday night said:
But if there are any concerns during the game Friday night, a Marquette spokesman said the game could be stopped and declared a "no contest."
Quote from: MarsupialMadness on November 10, 2012, 09:27:25 AM
Agree with OP. There definitely should have been an accessible Plan B considering they saw all this coming days ahead of time.
And if you don't have anything meaningful to add to the thread, why kill it with useless images and insults? To me that's a silly concept.
Hello, MarsupialMadness, and thank you.
Pleasure to make your acquaintance.