Where's Our Stuff?

So the NBA season is resuming July 30 in Orlando. With the Wizards by the way. And maybe no Kyrie Irving. Maybe. And it goes until when? October? Then the next season starts in December? When's that one going to end? Does it go until August of next year? Or is it a shorter schedule? Or compressed so we get tons of back to backs and three games in four nights type things? Will the players union stand for that? Will fans even be allowed in the buildings? Do we have to say see you in October 2021 to our favorite teams? 

So many questions, right? But I have to say the biggest one I have out there is "Where's our stuff?" Not trying to be greedy. Just stay with me here a minute or so. This one's not that long.

So the 2019-2020 season from a fans attending game scenario is done. But what about the free stuff the team had planned to hand out at the games that were cancelled? What happens to all that stuff? And most specifically, what happens to all the bobbleheads??????

So I get there's a ton of irony for me personally here. I've been begging and pleading with the Wizards to go above and beyond the one bobblehead they give away each year and they finally relent and give in and follow other great bobblehead-distributing franchises and then all the games with the bobbleheads have been cancelled? What are they going to do with all those things? What happens to the stash? And why can't loyal season ticket holders get a hold of them?

Before we go further, maybe we need to recap exactly what we fans are missing here. 

• Sunday, March 15 (vs. OKC): Beer Stein
• Saturday, March 21 (vs. Milwaukee): Glow-In-The-Dark Latvian Laser Bertans Socks
• Wednesday, March 25 (vs. Phoenix): Rui Hachimura Bobblehead
• Saturday, March 28 (vs. LAL): John Wall Phone Wallet
• Friday, April 3 (vs. Philadelphia): Black Panther Inspired Bradley Beal Bobblehead
• Wednesday, April 15 (vs. Indiana): Thomas Bryant Bobblehead

Now admittedly, I'm not super enthusiastic about all these giveaways. My phone probably doesn't fit in the John Wall phone wallet and as much as I love the idea of some glow-in-the-dark Davis Bertans socks, I'm not sure they are an essential fashion accessory for me. I still have my Sato socks from last year and I've never ever worn those things.

But a beer stein? And three bobbleheads? Come on...fans have got to be wondering what happens to those goodies, right? Right? RIGHT??

What corner of Capital One Arena is filled with 10,000 Beal and Rui bobbleheads? I'm guessing the same corner of the building that has those 20,000+ Thomas Bryant bobbleheads. I'm an architect and I've never met a client that didn't have enough storage space; they are always asking for more when we are designing their buildings. How about liquidating that inventory by allowing loyal fans to assume possession of all that merch and getting back a ton of closet space. I mean we'd be doing the team a favor.

The cancellation of the NBA season (and all sports for that matter) has been a total bummer. I mean if there's one thing we could have used in a time when those of us fortunate enough to be able to stay at home and work have essentially quarantined ourselves, it would be a team to root for, no matter how hopeful or hopeless the cause might have been. This truncated season was my 20th as a Wizards season ticket holder. I missed the end of the season and my 20th anniversary milestone reward. But most of all, I  miss having a brand new Rui Hachimura, Bradley Beal Black Panther and Thomas Bryant bobblehead securely nestled within my bobblehead collection. After 20 years and many many seasons begging and pleading for more bobbleheads, why can't we just get a package from the Wizards next week with all three of these things?

So here's my proposal to Ted Leonsis: get on a Zoom call this week and get someone or someones (with mask(s) or other sort of face protection of course) down to Cap One and start sending these giveaways out to season ticket holders to reward them for their years and years of loyalty. It's just the right thing to do. Please. Do it. For the fans. Three bobbleheads and one stein per season ticket holder. Throw the socks and the phone wallet in there too if you feel like it. But the stein and the bobbles please.

So for those of you really paying attention, I know I have not addressed the issue of the Isaiah Thomas bobbleheads, which we know exist since IT posted one on his Twitter feed and it's the cover photo of this blog post. If Ted actually reads this thing...come on, man...let us have that one too. Please?

Should I Go Wizards?

So it's April 5, the NBA is considering cancelling the season (if rumors are to be believed) and the Wizards STILL haven't sent me an email about the season being on hold. I find that last point to be unbelievable especially considering the NHL (never bought an NHL ticket in my life) and the Orlando Magic (just attended one game in Orlando ever) have checked in with me about their respective seasons being on hold. 

The Wizards did send me a note reminding me of the season ticket renewal deadline and letting me know they'd extend that for an unspecified period. Priorities.

I have not been watching the simulated NBA games during this suspension of play. I don't see the point. It's not the real Wizards players playing the video games. I can't get that juiced about a video game simulation of reality. Back when I was cooped up in an apartment in upstate New York I can't tell you how dominant the New York Jets were on Madden with me on the controller on my Nintendo and that never translated to reality either.

But a video game tournament between actually NBA players? Count me in!!! At least as long as 13 seed Rui Hachimura is representing himself and the Wizards (OK, maybe not so much the Wizards) is in the action. I spent an hour in front of the TV earlier tonight watching Rui take on Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz in a game Rui was expected (by the seedings) to lose. I don't know who seeded this tournament by the way. The lower seed won three of the four games on day one by 16, 16 and 30 points. I guess there's not much data to go on here which raises the question why bother seeding.

Does this qualify as an esports event? If it does, this is my first time watching that genre of sports. I can't see much more of this in my future even though Rui managed to pull off the upset over Mitchell which I'm obviously thrilled with. The average Wizards fan hasn't had a lot of hope this year. The team's season was essentially over before it started, Davis Bertans gave it a good run in the All-Star Saturday Night Three Point Contest but ultimately came up empty and that's about it. Rui's our great hope here. Let's keep it going.

So here's the scoop: Rui's Los Angeles Lakers team took out Mitchell's Brooklyn Nets team by three. It was a four point game at half and the Nets took a brief lead in the second half only to have Rui bring LA back from behind for the win. If I'm understanding the rules correctly, I think Rui can no longer us the Lakers the rest of the way but I'm really not that sure. The game had a couple of time-space continuum issues: Kevin Durant is good to go despite still recovering from the achilles issue from last season's finals and Kenny Atkinson is still his coach, despite being relieved of those responsibilities by the Nets on March 9.

From an entertainment point of view here, I'm sure ESPN is disappointed that Rui won. Donovan Mitchell's the bigger game and Rui plays with about as much to say as I have when I'm gambling. That is...nothing. Too focused on the game. Mitchell was talking the entire time, more often than not to simulated Jarrett Allen. It worked for Rui I guess since he won.

Best line of the night: The non-response by both Mitchell and Rui to Rui's question "Should I go Wizards?" Silence from both. Rui's probably glad he didn't go Wizards. Stay away from that team please if you want a chance at winning this thing.

Second best line of the night: Donovan Mitchell with "I gotta get someone in the game who can guard LeBron." Yeah, not the first time that's been said I'm sure. Mitchell never solved that problem.

Other issues: (1) Home decor does not seem to be a strength for either player. Rui had some sort of art on the wall on his right side but overall...tons of beige/white painted gypsum board. (2) I have no desire to ever see a MyPillow.com commercial ever again. Why is that fool on my TV? (3) Of course, I wore my Rui Hachimura shirt.

Finally, is Coby White living in an apartment or a townhouse or house? To me, it looks like he's in an apartment. Glad I don't live below him with him doing basketball drills when he gets bored.

Rui's next opponent is either Devin Booker or Michael Porter, Jr. That game's going on right now. I'll be tuning in to the next one. Go Wizards! Sort of! 

Game over! On to Round 2!!!

Caveat Emptor

Every year in this blog, I beg, implore, coax, plead and whatever else you want to call it to try to get the Washington Wizards to add more bobbleheads (read: more than one) to their promotional schedule. It never works. I know, I know, nobody reads this thing let alone the Wizards staff that comes up with the less than impressive giveaway schedule every year. 

But this year it happened. For real. Crazy, right? More bobbleheads. Finally!

And then they Wizard-ed it up in the most Wizards way possible.

A little more than two months ago, the Wizards announced three additional bobbleheads would be available for fans of the team. They had already revealed Thomas Bryant would be immortalized in resin (or whatever it is these things are made out of) in April of this year. Now they'd be producing Isaiah Thomas, Rui Hachimura and Bradley Beal (as Marvel's Black Panther) for fans to pick up. Only there was a catch. These bobbles would ONLY be available with purchase of a three game ticket plan...the Bobblehead Bundle.

My dilemma in late November of last year was this: buy tickets to three games that I already had two tickets for so I could get the three special bobbleheads or stay with my season tickets and settle for a solitary bobble while those more adventurous souls got IT, Rui and Brad in addition to Thomas Bryant. 

You know what I had to do. I spent $92.50 on upper deck tickets to three games I already had tickets to. There's no way I was going to use the tickets and I can't sell them and I knew it. At least I'd have a set of three bobbleheads that few other Wizards fans would have.

No I wouldn't.

On January 23rd, the Wizards decided to supplement their meager promotional schedule with a whole host of extra items. I'm guessing tickets aren't selling quite the way Ted Leonsis was hoping. Ish Smith pop socket. John Wall phone wallet. Davis Bertans glow-in-the-dark socks. Beer stein (!!!). Rui Hachimura bobblehead. Bradley Beal (as Black Panther) bobblehead. Wait! What? Two of the three bobbleheads that are supposed to be exclusive to the Bobblehead Bundle are no longer exclusive? So in effect I'm paying $92.50 for an Isaiah Thomas bobblehead that's probably worth all of $2.50. OK, maybe not that much. I'm pretty upset.

I calmed down a little, emailed my ticket rep, registered my displeasure, requested that my complaint be passed up the chain and asked what happened to the IT bobble which is not on the new and expanded promo calendar. Before we could actually talk on the phone, though, I got an email which I feel is laden with guilt from the Wizards about my bobble purchase. The text of that email is below.

So let me get this straight. The team knew I would be upset because I basically spent money for something now available to others without buying what I bought, but to let me know that I made the right decision, I could get two Rui and Brad bobbles (if I played things right) and the IT bobble was still on the table. Why do I need two Rui and Brad bobbleheads? What good is that going to do me? 

By the time my rep and I finally connected, I knew all this and decided to just let things be. I'd be out $92.50 but at least I'd get an exclusive Isaiah Thomas bobblehead. To their credit (I guess) the team did offer to refund my money which would remove access to the IT bobble. I told my rep not to do that. I'd just be wary of these situations in the future but would be happy to pick up my exclusive-not-available-to-many-others Isaiah Thomas Nipsey Hussle bobblehead on March 25. Why the Wizards are jerking around a 20 year season ticket holder over a piece of worthless plastic I have no idea. But that's what it's come to with this team I guess.

Today the Wizards traded Isaiah Thomas.

I assume that kills the IT bobblehead, right? So what started out as a package of three tickets with three exclusive bobbleheads is now just three tickets with two non-exclusive bobbleheads although you do get to pick up two if you are also one of the first 10,000 fans in the building on the giveaway nights. What a fiasco! If they had intentionally tried to screw up this promotion any more they couldn't have. Do the Wizards now have to refund everyone's money? I'm thinking yes. Either that or stick to their guns and give away a bobblehead of a dude who's no longer on the team.

You'd think I'd be furious at this point, right?

Surprisingly, I'm not upset at all. I will not be calling my ticket rep to register my displeasure with this new development today. The reason I'm not? Because when I told them not to refund my money they did it anyway. They did exactly what I told them not to do. I got a call asking for my credit card number so they could charge me again and I told 'em no. Is this how a championship team treats their fans? I can't imagine. 

At least I got my money back.

Wizards Bobbleheads (Finally!)

I have been asking and pleading and begging the Washington Wizards to make more team-issued bobbleheads practically since I started writing this blog. I even one summer gave the Wiz permission to use my mocked up example bobbleheads for inspiration or blueprints or whatever they wanted to make it happen. Today, it appeared the Wizards have answered my asks and begs and prayers.

Behold...more Wizards bobbleheads than the annual freebie they have been giving away for the last I don't know how many years (probably nine or ten with maybe a year off would be my quick guess). This is glorious stuff!!!

I kind of called this. In my annual Bobblehead Nation post I expressed a little shock as to how the Wizards in all good conscience could have NOT made their one bobblehead giveaway this season a Rui Hachimura bobble. Now I know why. They were saving Rui for the bonus bobblehead package that they just rolled out this week. I'm chalking this whole thing up to Tommy Sheppard by the way. I might be way wrong on this one but that's what I'm sticking with.

So here's the deal: 

Friday, February 7 vs. Dallas is Isaiah Thomas bobblehead night. IT is displayed on a checkered base with lyrics from his friend and rap artist Nipsey Hussle's song "Dedication" on three of the four sides. Thomas has at least three tattoos inspired by Nipsey, who was gunned down in front of his Marathon clothing store in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Wednesday, March 25 vs. Phoenix is Rui Hachimura bobblehead night. It's also the Wizards' celebration of the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival. Rui, like the Cherry Blossoms, started out in Japan so there's a logical tie there, although I can't remember the Wizards ever celebrating the Cherry Blossom Festival before. Timing is everything I guess.

Friday, April 3 vs. Philadelphia is Bradley Beal as Black Panther bobblehead night. This is not the first time an NBA team has rolled out a Black Panther bobblehead. The Brooklyn Nets have given one of these away each of the last two seasons.

There's a catch. I mean of course there is. There has to be a little irony in the Wizards finally giving away more bobbleheads. 

These things are not on the promo schedule. You have to buy a separate ticket package as shown in the advertisement graphic above. I guess I'm going to have to fork over an extra $89 for these things. I'm surprised the games are actually as good as they are as part of this package. Dallas and Philly? And both on a Friday night? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

What's New At Cap One

We are now four regular season and three preseason games in to the 2019-2020 Wizards home schedule and if you haven't been down to 601 F Street NW yet, you are in for a few changes when you get here, assuming the current Wizards roster actually piques your interest.

This summer, Capital One Arena went through phase two (of two, I believe) of a renovation that started in the summer of 2018 using (and I'm assuming here) a massive influx of Capital One sponsorship cash. Last season we saw the concourses renovated on all levels, the old Acela Club moved out and replaced (yes, I know the Acela name is years old...), some new seats installed and some snazzy new signage. This summer, they finished the job. Mostly. Here's what to expect.

The Scoreboard

So let's start with the most obvious upgrade over the summer: the new massively bright scoreboard right in the center of the arena. I remember when the former scoreboard was installed in what was then probably MCI Center. I recall reading how Abe Pollin was determined to have the first high definition scoreboard in the NBA. So he did. That was a long time ago.

It's aged a bit since then and as I've traveled around the NBA, I've realized just how much technology has passed the Wizards' home by. It was especially noticeable in Detroit last year. This thing brings us on par with the rest of the league. While the sheer surface area of video display is probably overwhelming, I love the advanced stats available (no longer have to look to the corner of the upper deck and wait for the stats to get to the home side) and the coordinated displays with the rest of the signage in the arena during team introductions are pretty impressive.

The Other Video Displays

So you can't talk about the scoreboard without noticing the rest of the video displays installed in the arena. The video bands below the 200 and 400 levels pretty much match what was there last year. But above the 400 level there's a larger video ring and the old black and yellow bulb stat displays in the upstairs corners are gone and replaced with massive LED full color screens that slide up and down depending on how full the upper deck is. The overall effect is pretty spectacular. Worth all the money? I don't know. But the larger screens in the corners of the upper deck are very welcome.

The District

If you are are completely in love with the new scoreboard and video screens, let me bring you back down to Earth a little.

As if crowd noise wasn't enough of an issue in the Wizards home building, ownership has, in all its wisdom, decided to actually remove seats from the floor area of the arena. That's right, they decided over the summer to add a standing area at the east end of the building for VIP ticket holders to eat and drink beer (or whatever else they want, I guess) while they try to see over the five rows of tiered courtside seats in front of them.

This sucks. It's a distraction to people like me who sit all the time at the Wizards bench end of the building and during times of the games when you need a ton of crowd noise (it DOES happen sometimes for the Wiz), there's going to be a huge hole in the crowd. Someone somewhere in the hierarchy of Monumental Sports must have thought (a) this was a great idea or (b) it would make ownership a couple of bucks more. If it was the first one, it's not a great idea.

Budweiser Brewhouse / Devil's Backbone Lounge

It's been a pregame ritual for me for the last few years to spend time before games with my favorite bartender, Roxy, at the Budweiser Brewhouse on the club level. This year, it's gone. Under renovation. Or more accurately right now, NOT under renovation but still closed.

So where to get a pregame $12.25 25 oz. can of Budweiser before the game. Well if you want to hang out with the Budweiser Brewhouse crew. head up the 400 level to the Devil's Backbone Lounge. It was sparsely populated during the season opener. It was dead by game three vs. the Pistons and it wasn't much better last Friday night against the Cavs. I get that it's a long way to go but you'll get great service (I mean, hey...there's nobody there) and you can get the $3 season ticket holder discount on your overpriced Bud or Bud Light. If you decide to stop by, say hi to me. I'll likely be there.

Silver lining here? Beer price didn't go up over the summer, at least not for the large cans of Bud and Bud Light. Yep, I know these things are like $2 or something at 7-11.

New TV Crew

So in general the exiling of Steve Buckhantz after kicking out Phil Chenier two seasons prior is a super dark cloud over the decision makers at Monumental Sports and Zach Leonsis in particular who allegedly runs the media arm of the the Wizards. Maybe they needed someone cheaper because they can't really have been seeking an upgrade for Buck. They replaced Kara Lawson (who was awesome and for me an upgrade over Phil) who quit with a combination of Drew Gooden (who's terrible) and Caron Butler (who I haven't heard call a game but come on...Tough Juice is a Wizards legend).

I get that whoever's calling the game on TV doesn't affect folks at the game itself because they don't broadcast over the sound system. But for those of us on the aisle between Sections 109 and 110, it's awesome to see Caron Butler stride to the announcing table and be able to yell "Tough JUUUUICE" as he walks by. It's the small things, I know.

Row Markers

Speaking of small things...

Phase one of the renovation last year got rid of all the purple seats (I mean...why??) and the purple and yellow (again...why??) signs on the concourse. But they didn't purge the entire place of purple. They missed the circular row markers cast into the concrete steps at the lowest level of the building. This time, they got them. And replaced them with red and white lettered markers. This is a good thing.

Rui Hachimura Shirts

And I mean lots and lots of Rui Hachimura shirts. For the past few years, Wizards fans have had to content themselves with slim pickings when it comes to player specific shirtwear (jerseys do not count as shirts). Want a John Wall t-shirt of some sort? Got a bunch of those! Brad Beal, too? Yep, Beal too. Anyone else? Not so much. Rui is different.

They have a bunch of different choices for Rui apparel over at Capital One Arena (remember, there are discounts on merch using either your season ticket holder pass or Capital One card). These include the jersey-like t-shirts with the number 8 and Hachimura on the back just like there are for Wall and Beal. But there are also other shirts including the one above and a giant silhouette of Rui's head with hair and his name in enormous letters where his face should be. That last one's pretty cool. Had to pick myself one of those up at the season opener.

I'm sure I've missed some things but that's what I've got out of my first few games this year. There are some new food options but they are not as sweeping as the past couple of years. Alex McCoy's Lucky Buns is gone this year and replaced with a Ben's Chili Bowl. No loss for Wizards fans there I don't think. 

There's still the issue of what happens to the Budweiser Brewhouse but it looks like the transformation of Cap One is complete. I'm just hoping they replaced the roof while they were doing all this.