tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post5137824349224385799..comments2024-03-17T21:09:46.268-04:00Comments on The Peerless Prognosticator: I'm Sick, I'm Tired, and I'm DoneThe Peerlesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10293195514553989436noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-16284377371955022952021-05-31T18:42:07.157-04:002021-05-31T18:42:07.157-04:00Testimony on how i received my loan at 2% ( Frank ...Testimony on how i received my loan at 2% ( Frank Loans Services ) E-mail: k.frankloans@gmail.com<br /><br />I would without reservation recommend working with Frank Loan Services, If you are in the market for a home mortgage. I have spoke to many brokers while shopping for my mortgage loan online, From the first contact, I could tell he's the type of person I could trust to help me make the best decision for me and my family, They offer both short and long terms loan off within 1-30 years loan duration, with or without collateral but no credit check and their services are fast, Reliable and trustworthy because they have been tested and trusted by me unlike other companies.<br /><br />Their services include Refinancing Loans, Truck Loans, Education Loans, Student loans, Personal Loans, Car Loans, Debt consolidation Loans, Business Loans, secured and unsecured loan, Mortgage Loan, Home Loans, kindly contact them today for further inquiries via E-mail: k.frankloans@gmail.comSusan Codyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16931421286465893612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-65466020923380911382013-01-15T13:50:56.709-05:002013-01-15T13:50:56.709-05:00I canceled my season tickets today. I too gave th...I canceled my season tickets today. I too gave the matter far more thought than it was worth; waffling back and forth in my mind had kept me awake at night for days since the lockout was resolved. Canceling was a 1-minute phone call with my Rep, with zero effort on her part to change my mind. To me this confirms the idea that fans are nothing but credit card numbers - "done with you; now your tickets go to the next person on the alleged waiting list."<br /><br />I just can't believe that the Caps will be able to sustain high attendance with their always-escalating ticket prices, given how poorly we've been treated this season.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-41298862325658128382013-01-15T12:45:21.684-05:002013-01-15T12:45:21.684-05:00Peerless (or should I say “Cheerless”?)
Let me fi...Peerless (or should I say “Cheerless”?)<br /><br />Let me first say <b>thanks</b>. I've been happily lurking, reading and enjoying your well-written and informative posts for the past few years, and I don't recall letting you know how much I appreciate your work. So first and foremost I would like to thank you for the obvious effort you put into this excellent blog. <br /><br />I both sympathize and empathize with the effect of this latest lockout upon your psyche. As others have said, this was another great piece from you, and one that captures my feelings as well—even though I don't have season tickets to relinquish. For what little it's worth, I applaud the difficult decision you and other season ticket holders have made to give up your tickets in order to send a message to ownership and the league. <br /><br />This <b>ambivalence</b> seems widespread, and I share it. On one hand I'm delighted the lockout is over, and the league with which I'm most familiar (NHL) and the team for whom I cheer the most (Caps) can resume play. On the other hand, “frustrated” doesn't begin to describe how upset I am with this absurd and unnecessary lockout. (And if one more owner/league statement “apologizes” to fans for the “inconvenience” cause by the lockout, I may run shouting into the hills.) I too place blame to a far greater degree on the side of the owners who took the unilateral decision to lockout players and cancel games, who chose to take this decision so far along in the process, and who demonstrated repeated failures to negotiate in good faith. While Brooks Laich may say “we just punched our sport in the face,” I would say that it seems <b>the league assumes</b> its collective salad will be tossed by the fans no matter what.<br /><br />For those attending games in person—particularly the first home game—who may wish to demonstrate their frustration with the lockout, I respectfully share a suggestion I believe comes from comments at another Caps blog, RMNB (http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/, I apologize, but I cannot find the link to the comment): attend the game, but spend the <b>entire first period</b> either at local bars/restaurants or on the concourse. The idea is that you contribute to the economy of the local businesses and/or blameless Verizon Center staff, while the empty stands would be a rather significant and visual statement. I know, technically Phonebooth concessions contribute to the bottom line of MSE—but tips, words of appreciation, and smiles for the staff seem worth it to me.<br /><br />Cheers. <br /><br />Will aka aphidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-19889675032532441132013-01-15T11:03:12.980-05:002013-01-15T11:03:12.980-05:00I just wish there was a way for ALL fans at ALL Ga...I just wish there was a way for ALL fans at ALL Games to get up out of their seat at the 5 minute mark of the 1st period and wlak out to the concourse for the rest of the period. Playing to an empty center for just 2 minutes would make a statement and show the fans destain for how they were treated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-75732563990641584942013-01-15T04:01:17.007-05:002013-01-15T04:01:17.007-05:00That would be news to my ticket rep, with whom I s...That would be news to my ticket rep, with whom I spoke on Friday to cancel.The Peerlesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10293195514553989436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-57854781168419130862013-01-15T00:51:54.718-05:002013-01-15T00:51:54.718-05:00Good thing you still purchased season tickets -_-Good thing you still purchased season tickets -_-Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-42342038345011536862013-01-14T22:30:26.776-05:002013-01-14T22:30:26.776-05:00Reading this article I felt like I could have writ...Reading this article I felt like I could have written it. I actually posted the exact same sentiment on a cbc forum last week just to vent a little. The sad thing is that the NHL doesn't' -truly- care about me. I' live too far away from a NHL city to go regularly but you know what? I was pumped for the center ice package, I was looking forward to going to Nashville (closest team) for some games with my two kids, I had planned to do some Christmas shopping on nhl.com. But no more. I'm done. The NHL has lost not only me but my teenage kids as well. In truth they have likely lost my kids forever. They are teenagers and by the time this rift is healed, if it ever is, they will be out own their own and never ever miss the NHL.<br /><br />Some years down the road the league will look at their revenues, smile, and talk about how great they are doing. They will never know what they missed, what it could have been, and now will never have.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-36258442333374125352013-01-14T19:21:15.417-05:002013-01-14T19:21:15.417-05:00So NHL, we are all just supposed to come running b...So NHL, we are all just supposed to come running back to you after all this? I have been a hockey guy my whole life! I still play twice a week and let me tell you, there are other hockey games around to watch! You are going to have to earn me back! $60 for 400 section seats (Not like the days at US Air)? After all is said and done, that's me shelling out 5 notes to take my family to a game. Get bent! The 100 sections have been taken over by a a bunch of money people with no love of the game. They are there to be seen, that's it! Well guess what? Until you figure out where your true base is at, you don't get anymore of my money! Now, I am off to play pickup with a bunch of guys who still love the game.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-56007177975762220602013-01-14T19:14:03.701-05:002013-01-14T19:14:03.701-05:00Well put and it has been shared on the Just Drop I...Well put and it has been shared on the Just Drop It boycott page. <br /><br />They need to feel the pinch. This season is a write off and the NHL should not recover any money from this sham of a season.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-74501734427033433872013-01-14T19:04:51.710-05:002013-01-14T19:04:51.710-05:00As a huge fan of the Ottawa Senators, even this ye...As a huge fan of the Ottawa Senators, even this year after the strike or labour unrest I have had enough. The bottom line is my money deserves more respect. These players are overpaid, and the contract terms are ridiculous. I'll go back to supporting live music which is entertainment, not a sport trying to be entertaining.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-19997217911105919312013-01-14T18:12:27.903-05:002013-01-14T18:12:27.903-05:00Well said. I am a Sabres fan who lives in the DC a...Well said. I am a Sabres fan who lives in the DC area, and I spent plenty of my hard earned dollars to the league between going to games in DC, Buffalo, Raleigh, Boston, etc. Three lockouts since the mid-1990s is something fans should never put up with in any sport. <br /><br />I hope the Just Drop It campaigners get their message through. The lockout was a slap in the face to fans over our money.<br /><br />Shout out to the Just Drop It following who posted your article on Facebook.CrossIceFeedhttp://crossicefeed.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-27188454073052492542013-01-12T13:53:52.496-05:002013-01-12T13:53:52.496-05:00I was a Shark's season ticket holder since the...I was a Shark's season ticket holder since their inaugural season back in 91. I actually gave up my tix at the end of the last season. Since the prior lockout - when Gary Bettman actually was quoted stating that it was in part due to the spiraling costs of season tickets - my ticket prices jumped almost 40%. This past year my tix went up two-fold. They went up because I was on the side of the ice where the Sharks shoot twice AND because I was in the first few rows of my section. I was done! They priced me out. I also knew that the lockout was coming. The sheer arrogance of both sides finally reached its limits for myself. I now attend a few MLB games in Oakland and I spend alot more time doing things around the house. So it has worked out well for me. I will miss attending the games but I refuse to supposrt them financially in any way any longer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-25438404530903763462013-01-12T11:02:11.213-05:002013-01-12T11:02:11.213-05:00I started watching the KHL on a more or less regul...I started watching the KHL on a more or less regular basis during this lockout & discovered that I actually enjoy the style of hockey there much more. You constantly see great, creative passing plays, one on one moves, puck possession, spectacular goals, goalies having to constantly flop post to post. The NHL has become primitive again. Just dump & chase, crash & bang. Most goals are on tips from point shots or shoveled into the net during a crease melee. It's just primitive. The NHL has brainwashed everyone in North America to think that it's the best hockey you'll ever see, but that simply isn't true. Size, strength & primitive play is rewarded at the expense of skill. I'd rather watch a 5'7 skilled, fast player than some 6'5 closet on skates who can barely receive a pass. So yeah, I'm gonna continue to be a huge hockey fan & will watch on occasional NHL game (Capitals are my team as well), but for the most part I'll get my hockey fix elsewhere. International events, the K, maybe some other Euro leagues. For free.ranndinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00719813166832378725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-59887971697092762602013-01-12T10:39:28.066-05:002013-01-12T10:39:28.066-05:00This video will still remind everyone of how much ...This video will still remind everyone of how much fun we had during the lockout.<br /><br />http://www.thedarkranger.com/2012/12/i-care.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-38404251444917925862013-01-12T10:35:31.053-05:002013-01-12T10:35:31.053-05:00F-J,
Thanks for a well written post on no longer ...F-J,<br /><br />Thanks for a well written post on no longer being a season ticket holder. It was honest, fair, logical and maintains a certain level of integrity that lockouts could never match. <br /><br />I've been a lifelong NY Rangers fan (sorry) and I've taken heat over the last week from friends and fellow bloggers over taking a similar stance as you. I will remain a fan - and watch them on tv - but I will also no longer be a season ticket holder as well. Some would say, "If you watch them on tv you are still supporting them..", which is an extreme response because through the thick of it I still love hockey and cannot do without. But...it's like during a Presidential election when folk tell you that your single vote doesn't have an impact. It has to - because our personal private protests have a long reaching effect - we are the foundation of hockey fans rumbled. My season tickets were non-refundable to me and were used as leverage by MSG/NHL as a bargaining chip against the NHLPA - my rep told me that the small clause that I agreed to stipulated "in the event of a lockout..." (HEY BUT I WAS MAKING 1% ON MY MONEY!!!!! hurray). From that moment, it was over. <br /><br />I guess historically lockouts and strikes are meant to strengthen the workers, but this was about billionaires fighting millionaires - and with my money held, I paid more attention to the details of how this would be resolved. I just wanted hockey. Everyone around me just wanted hockey.<br /><br />But for fans like me who are no longer handing our wallets over, think about the part-time hockey goers and how this mess lost them.<br /><br />Happy truncated season - see you on the boards...<br /><br />DARKThe Dark Rangerhttp://www.thedarkranger.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-35774346321825845932013-01-12T09:36:20.117-05:002013-01-12T09:36:20.117-05:00Looks and sounds like a minor rebellion. I say we ...Looks and sounds like a minor rebellion. I say we ought to turn it into a major one. Pass it on; make some noise; boycott the Verizon Center. After 5 years, I too gave up my section 100 season tickets. The combination of galloping price hikes and the contempt for fans and the game I felt from NHL owners, especially TL, in this lockout made my blood boil. I bought a large HD tv and still saved a pile over what they were charging me as a STH. Now I'll watch the games from my living room, knowing TL will never get another cent from me, ever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-75324472148420952522013-01-12T08:59:23.567-05:002013-01-12T08:59:23.567-05:00Can't beat much of what was said above or in t...Can't beat much of what was said above or in the comments but thanks for writing this and expressing what a lot of us are feeling.katzistannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-5200422516244942152013-01-12T08:07:46.427-05:002013-01-12T08:07:46.427-05:00Great, well-written article.
The point that reall...Great, well-written article.<br /><br />The point that really struck home for me was the mention a number of times about the bizarre, self-destructive behaviour of the NHL. <br /><br />The only pro sports league in North America that had already lost an entire season to a labour dispute and the wackjobs take this path again.<br /><br />Like many, I was hoping to see the entire season gassed if only for the prospect of seeing contraction or struggling franchises moved other cities. <br /><br />As for Bettman, the unctuous, vile turd absolutely radiates phoniness. <br /><br />It will be interesting to see what the crowds look like on opening night. It would be nice to see some empty barns and some well-hurled projectiles from the people who do attend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-19140604099992041442013-01-12T00:01:20.617-05:002013-01-12T00:01:20.617-05:00I feel like I have beaten wife syndrome and the NH...I feel like I have beaten wife syndrome and the NHL is the abuser. I keep coming back for more hoping it will get better. I am keeping my season ticket for now, but I admit I do have feelings of wanting to just tell them all to shove it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-71119924239922639582013-01-11T22:29:05.077-05:002013-01-11T22:29:05.077-05:00http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/...http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/post/the-caps-have-some-wealthy-fans/2011/06/03/AGsW84HH_blog.html?wprss=dc-sports-bog<br /><br />I decided not to renew my season ticket last spring - I didn't even order 2012 playoff tickets. I wasn't pleased when this story came out in June 2011. During the 2011 - 12 season, I got very tired of "the sellout streak" (especially during periods when there were more empty seats in my row than there were Capitals shots on net.) My takeaway was that if I wasn't satisfied, and wasn't willing to pay the higher ticket price, Ted and Monumental were satisfied that someone on the waiting list would. I also was fed up with dealing with Metro after games - and, no, driving to games was never an option.<br /><br />I had zero sympathy for the owners going into the lockout. While I understand that the players are getting played to play a game - I also understand that the owners couldn't or wouldn't manage the business of team ownership so that they can honor their contracts with their players, and their commitment to their fans. And they seemed completely oblivious to cost of the lockout to other employees and businesses who rely on hockey fans support to make their living. <br /><br />I can be patient with a team that's developing and finding their way (I've been a Nats fan in several 100+ loss seasons.) But I'd like to feel that the organization values me as a fan - not just a number in a sellout streak. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-91367871051470677512013-01-11T20:16:54.367-05:002013-01-11T20:16:54.367-05:00Beautifully said, as always. You've managed t...Beautifully said, as always. You've managed to so eloquently capture what many of us are thinking and feeling about the NHL. The league and its owners are businessmen first but they're also entrusted with being stewards of the game we love. Instead, they've made a mockery of it by causing financial hardship to those who rely on it for their livelihoods and alienated a loyal fanbase. They should be ashamed but if they feel any remorse, I fear it will be fleeting.<br /><br />I've been a STH since before the last lockout (that's what we've been reduced to, differentiating between the last and latest lockouts) and I started to doubt my commitment the last couple of seasons. The game experience has steadily deteriorated at Verizon Center, the blaring music, the canned attempts at fan participation, inedible food and lack of hot water in the restrooms have become increasingly intolerable. All of this is exacerbated by the soaring ticket prices and a product on the ice which is, frankly, not much fun to watch.<br /><br />Most of us have a finite entertainment budget and I found some new ways to spend it during this most recent lockout. That said, my unhappiness with Monumental Sports hasn't reached critical mass, yet. It's fans like us that serve as the backbone of their STH base so they best hope the defections aren't too widespread while figuring out a way to keep their restive fanbase from deserting them.<br /><br />I admire your convictions and hope to keep reading your insights on Capitals hockey for many years to come.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-29611136871045700902013-01-11T20:16:43.725-05:002013-01-11T20:16:43.725-05:00Peerless, the real shame is that we don't have...Peerless, the real shame is that we don't have a hockey alternative here in DC to watch live. I would be happy spending my money to watch junior, ECHL, AHL, NCAA whatever, I love live hockey. Having said that, I canceled my season tickets at the end of last season after 5 years and a 250% increase in my cost. Hopefully Ted reaps what he's sown. Steve Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-72533767133902483162013-01-11T19:29:01.365-05:002013-01-11T19:29:01.365-05:00Well said and I agree with you. I to a season tick...Well said and I agree with you. I to a season ticket holder of more than 10 years I am no longer. I too am sick and tired of the money hungry individuals.....my pockets are not that deep this was a luxury for me a place to go an enjoy a sport from an early age. I hope they are happy with how they treated the fans it truly saddens me. There was a large tug at my heart. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12769716916536254059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-66065167123467843152013-01-11T17:46:15.460-05:002013-01-11T17:46:15.460-05:00I assure you that you are not the only long-time C...I assure you that you are not the only long-time Caps season ticket holder to cancel. My dad took me to my first game in 1974 and I fell in love -- I was 12. I won't go on and on about the thrills and disappointments -- it would do a disservice to your wonderful piece, but I want you to know you are not alone.<br /><br />After the last lockout, I didn't renew my season tickets and a Caps called me and asked: "what will it take to get you back?" I said: "Ted pays." At first the Caps rep balked. When he said I was being ridiculous, I said: "wait a minute: you called me. You asked what it would take to get me back. I told you. You can say 'no," YOU are the one who is being ridiculous. I just gave you free market demographic information."<br /><br />Three weeks later he called back. Ted Leonsis actually wanted to pay for my tickets -- if I paid them as a customer of the Capitals, he would reimburse me. (I have a copy of the cancelled check from him and his wife, Lynn.)<br /><br />I accepted Ted's check with one caveat: "Do this again -- lockout or strike -- and I am gone."<br /><br />I cancelled my seats the day this most recent lockout was announced. I told the team that I knew my decision wouldn't make a hill of beans difference to Ted, the team, to OV, the players, Bettman, or the league. And, I predicted: 99% of the fans will come back. But: not me.<br /><br />In my mind, the only thing more "ridiculous" than the NHL going out every few years on a 'work stoppage"...? Me, coming back behind them. Again and again... and again. After decades with the team, I was done.<br /><br />Where you and I differ, Peerless: I am no longer a Caps fan or NHL fan. Why? My grandma in Montreal played goalie with phone books strapped to her legs - she was the youngest in a family of seven boys. Our extended family has had Canadiens tickets since they started playing. The Stanley Cup was everything.<br /><br />Today's owners are, as you say, stewards of the game. And nothing in hockey is more sacred, to me, than the game. You can't get to The Cup without The Games.<br /><br />In the end, for me, it came down to 2 things:<br /><br />1. If the league doesn't care about how sacred its games are, why should I?<br /><br />2. Why continue to make a priority out of something that continually treats me as an option?<br /><br />Seven years ago, I told Ted and his reps: "do this again, and I am gone." Turns out only one of us in that conversation kept his word.<br /><br />I'll continue to read your blog, Peerless. I've always said it's the best. Today, it was better writing on the fan's view of the lockout than I've read -- anywhere.<br /><br />And I'm with you: I'm not angry. But: it's sad. And none of it was necessary.Warrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14971098.post-23133301206143542222013-01-11T17:22:01.505-05:002013-01-11T17:22:01.505-05:00dYNAMO#32
I can understand the anger. This was a ...dYNAMO#32<br />I can understand the anger. This was a very nasty lockout, to say the least. I'm a long time fan but only a relatively recent STH since I had been so busy raising kids, but with them now grown, I could start going to games again. I'm not ready to cancel my tix yet but if they do another lockout when the next CBA expires, well I'll be reaching retirement age anyhow and won't be able to afford tickets.<br /><br />For now, I'll wear a KHL jersey to games and not even one that's associated with any past or present member of the Caps. Nope. for a fellow I got attached to, because of following the KHL by default.<br /><br />You're an excellent writer, Peerless, and it's a shame the Caps have lost you as a customer. Dianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14234179410280791548noreply@blogger.com