Hey there yall…sorry about the delay it’s been a real busy week. Yes we did what most people think we could not – we beat Rochester in Rochester in the playoffs – a place where they were 57-1 previously. Not only that, but we came from 18 points down in the 3rd quarter to win by 6.
Game 3 was supposed to be on Tuesday night, so we were out there staying in the hotel awaiting the game when we received the news that the game was being moved to Saturday night at 7pm.
There was a mention of a failed hydraulics part on one of the backboards as the reason – I don’t know you can figure it out. But we basically had no choice but to bus all the way back to NH, and then bus back to Rochester on Friday. It’s crazy – it really messes up this weekend as far as the PBL championship round goes.
—oh yeah, and congratulations to Terry Sare and the Battle Creek Knights…who everyone I heard from said they had no chance against either Wilmington or Vermont. But yet they proved their naysayers wrong and advance to the PBL Championship series.
Anyway, I think we’re going to have head back out to Rochester and pull off the improbable again. We really feel confident for this game 3. We experienced firsthand that when we play our defense, and we move the ball on offense, we can beat Rochester every time. But they are a great team, don’t get me wrong, so if we are turnover prone or make mistakes they will definitely capitalize on that.
So tune in Saturday night at 7pm on www.atsportstv.com and catch the decisive game 3!!!
Tags: Rochester Manchester PBL Hoops Minor Leage Millrats Razorsharks keith friel
April 11, 2009 at 3:46 am |
Yeah, it sounds like Rochester didn’t want the challenge of selling tickets for a weeknight game, not on the original schedule, that no one knew would be played 48 hours earlier. (But if we beat them, we’ll be in a similar situation for the PBL finals.) Otherwise, they could have run down to Canisius and borrowed the backboards that the Buffalo Stampede used.
A dread that someone expressed on OurSportsCentral is true: A PBL finals with one or two games at an arena that never televises games. Someone at the league office should be using this delay to arrange an ad-hoc solution so we can watch the games in Battle Creek. For Battle Creek’s last win, there was no press that it was either postponed or played (the night of the NCAA finals) and CREZ didn’t even have a line describing the game until it was over. There was no way to follow it.
April 11, 2009 at 8:35 pm |
I’ll be watching tonight. Go ‘chester!
April 18, 2009 at 10:08 pm |
My previous post is overtaken by events. The league office did view the Battle Creek TV situation and reacted by throwing out the rulebook and pulling a new one out of a bodily orifice. There is no best-of-three but a single-game finals tomorrow (Sunday, April 19) in–where else?–Rochester. In other words, even if we could have come back in Game 3 of the semis, we wouldn’t have been allowed to bring one championship game home to Manchester.
I understand the league’s reasons–the commercial partnerships and the desire to sell a high-quality broadcast in Europe and China–but I don’t understand Mr. Doyle’s statement that the PBL’s interests make the decision necessary. There are other interests too: the interests of the participating teams, and of the fans that everyone play by the rules.
Millrats games were good value and good family entertainment, but fans also believed we were seeing part of a Championship Season, and this is at risk if the PBL keeps making up rules as it goes along. Despite a couple teams folding, it was much more stable than last year in the ABA, but the PBL needs to work on being more impartial.
April 19, 2009 at 10:04 pm |
Welcome to the RBL (Rochester Basketball League). Our motto is “Our league. Our Rules. Same champion every season”.
April 20, 2009 at 2:50 pm |
People in the chat room during the finals said Vermont and the Millrats are talking about scouting and recruiting together to build stronger teams for 2010. This is neat, but not enough. The process that produced these last-minute rule changes could produce any desired level of treachery. Battle Creek was not so much robbed by biased game administration but demoralized by the process. Two of three coaches staying home? “Playing with a short bench”? One star with a European contract that won’t wait for the playoffs of his previous commitment?
Whether it’s decisions that convince Coach Spon and the players that the refs are trying to take a game away from us, or manifest evidence of stage-management by the PBL, or even the alleged global white-against-black invisible conspiracy, nothing gets in your head worse. There is no reason to hustle, train, risk injury, and come home early from the tavern, if you can be convinced that things are prearranged against you.
I don’t mind that the PBL pursues maximum profit, but put your criteria in the rulebook and obey your own rules. The Millrats should try to get assurances this will happen in 2010. Otherwise, the Champlain Cup could become more serious than the PBL Regular Season.
But should we look for another league, or start one? The PBL did give us more stability than last year’s ABA, and the centralization that takes away opponents’ excuses for not traveling to Manchester is wise. A lot of us benefited by having CREZ stats of every game, usually live, and sometimes being able to “follow” a game by CREZ when there was no webcast. The last time I checked the ABA, the only stats available were weeks-old “power rankings.” The PBL is a large step forward; now if it could just resist the tendency to give the impression it is fixing games!
April 20, 2009 at 3:19 pm |
Spike and Sweeper, as a fan I agree with your points and understand where you are coming from. Many many other fans from Manchester and other cities such as Battle Creek have expressed the same point of view.
However, the Millrats had a chance to win in Game 3 despite whatever odds were stacked against them. Had we won who knows whether there would’ve been a best-of-three series or perhaps just one game championship also in Rochester – ?
I do know that the PBL has stated that they are attempting to generate revenue from TV and other media, and if this can be accomplished, it will benefit all the teams long range futures. Further the league currently covers a chunk of expenses for each team, as a part of their business plan, and therefore it is at their discretion how these expenses are incurred and what risks they choose to take and how – all to put them in the best possible situation to make such revenue deals.
My hope is that once the league is generating enough revenue to cover expenses, or sooner, that the basketball operations will be handled by a neutral entity. That would put to rest all of the conspiracy theories and help each team’s coaches, players, and fans feel like they are getting a fair shot.
May 1, 2009 at 6:08 pm |
I remember reading about you guys looking into changing venues last year. Is that still in the cards? Not knocking where you play right now, but playing in a nicer venue gives you instant credibility and can really help your team in the media and with casual fans. I know that if they Rainmen played in a smaller gym like the Fieldhouse they would not get near the same type or amount of coverage.
May 1, 2009 at 6:19 pm |
We are hoping to play in the Verizon Wireless Arena next season…more details to come as they develop. Thanks for your interest!
May 1, 2009 at 7:50 pm |
That’d be great. Good luck!
May 10, 2009 at 10:23 pm |
Moving to the Verizon Wireless would put the Millrats on the map and guarantee media coverage. But I’ve appreciated the convenient edge-of-town location, the free parking, and the great job the crew at SNHU do in helping the Millrats with the game-day production. You’ll do what’s best for the team, but I’m hoping we find you back at the Fieldhouse in 2010.