Re: Dave Kindred, Who needs the players

["Michael J. King Sr." <kingpin@primenet.com>]

At 12:27 10/8/98 , Mark Piotrowski wrote:

>
>Owners greed for more profit + Players wanting huge salaries (deserved or
>not) + ridiculous "operational costs" like Pat Riley or Rick Pitino making
>$15 million/year = pricing the fan like me and my friends & neighbors out
>of being able to watch pro basketball live. And I think that sucks.

I have to ask why is it that if the owners want more money you equate it to
greed but when players want more money you just write it off as them
wanting huge salaries? None of us like to be priced out of seeing live
games Mark but to deny the owners right to make profits is naive at best.
They and the players both have the right to get what they can but when the
bottom starts falling out they will both lose and so will we. There are no
angels in this scenario IMO and the farce by the players association of a
few days ago of sending the # 10 -12 guys of each team to training camps to
sign autographs for free because they care about us the fans was pathetic.
I have been following the Celts for as long as I can remember (Reality
1959) and i will miss seeing them if this stupidity continues but i will
devote my love of basketball to the NCAA and High School games. This
alternative may equate to your Cuba analogy where people play for the love
of the game(Yes some play only to get a big NBA contract) and will probably
help to fill your hoops jones. I have season tix for my now local team the
Arizona State Sun Devils and my son and I have a ball going to the games
and just following them in general. We also go to one High school game a
week so as to check out up and coming kids and have been rewarded with some
great moments over the years including watching the maturation  of Mike
Bibby from a awkward yet talented kid to a # 1 draft pick in the NBA. Yup I
will miss the NBA big time but I'll survive as will we all and maybe just
maybe the owners and players will notice that the attendance of College and
High school games are up and they are the real losers not us the basketball
fan. Just my thoughts and YMMV. Later.Mike