Fluid Tickets...Again

Seems like it's every year I'm writing about this Fluid Tickets thing that the Wizards rolled out for season ticket holders a few years ago. Here goes the 2019 version.

Before we get to my thoughts on this year's version, let's recap what this whole thing is about. This program was introduced during the 2016-2017 season to add value to season ticket holders who couldn't (or didn't want to) make it to all 41 home games. The team allowed ticket holders to return a certain number of their tickets to the team in exchange for store credit (so to speak) generally at the per game price paid by the ticket holder. The credit could be used to purchase additional tickets returned by other ticket holders. Easy enough concept, right?

For the first two years the program was great. The inventory of available returned tickets was pretty decent (especially in the all-inclusive VIP end zones which I covet) and the team made participation in the program attractive by giving $100 in credit as a kickstarter to get you into using the program. But towards the end of the second year the inventory of tickets became decidedly less attractive as (and I'm guessing here) people in the more expensive seats figured there was no point trading in tickets for credit. Last year the Wizards put additional restrictions on the quantity of games that could be traded in and they eliminated the free $100.  So last year I just didn't participate. I figured it was a waste of my time, although a fellow season ticket holder did tell me he used the program pretty regularly last year.

This season I'm giving it another shot. And so far, I'm OK with the results. Let's cover this year's rules first then get to what I've found.

• This year tickets can be returned up to 48 hours before tip-off for credit equal to the per ticket purchase price. However, tickets returned more than 48 hours in advance of tip-off get you an additional 15%  bonus credit. 
• No ticket returns are permitted after February and a maximum of 10 games can be returned total during the season.
• Credit for premium games (vs. the Clippers, Lakers, Warriors or the March 21 Milwaukee or April 3 Philadelphia games) get an additional 50% credit over the per game purchase price (not the price listed on your printed ticket). 
• Unused credit at the end of the season is returned to the team.

So at first pass here, the terms and conditions look about the same as they did last year. I don't remember if there was bonus credit available last season but it makes sense. Generally speaking the team wants that inventory back to they can re-sell. Considering how poor the Warriors record is right now and how many people they have out, it might actually make sense to return that game, although I haven't yet.

But checking out the program this year I've noticed one big difference from two years ago: the inventory seems to be way bigger. In fact, the inventory seems to be about every seat that's available. And that makes this year's program way way better. To be fair to the Wizards, the inventory may be identical to last year's selection; I just wouldn't know because I sat out the program last year.

It's been a few years since I've wanted to attend every Wizards home game. The performance of the team combined with other interests in life have combined to get me down to about 20 or so games per year. But the resale market for some games just isn't attractive. No way do I want 25 or 30 cents on the dollar for a mid-week game; I'd rather take some team credit for some upgrades If they are available. But without an attractive inventory of alternate seats, the program is useless. That seems to have been solved this year.

So far this year, I'm at five games returned, including tomorrow's sort of matinee against the Magic. I've got an all-inclusive game sitting out there in March or so that I'm looking forward to and a little credit to spend. No idea how I'll spend that but maybe another VIP game is in the cards. 

As we turn the page into 2020, the Wizards are about as bad as I thought they would be. Ticket prices on the resale market are still miserable and while it feels like trading second round picks away to get rid of bad contracts, I'm looking at my season ticket investment as sunk cost at this point. At least this year's version of the Fluid Tickets program allows me some options.

Minor Leagues

Last month, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced plans to potentially reduce the number of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams across the United States by 42. Considering the number of MiLB teams out there stands at around 160 or so, 42 is quite a cut. MLB claims this will save them a ton of money and they might be right. I've read that the cost savings might be around $22 million or so per year. I've also read that Major League Baseball brings in revenue of about $10 billion per year. $22 million divided among 30 teams pulling in $10 billion seems like small potatoes to me.

Understandably, there has been some backlash to this plan, particularly from the communities which stand to lose their baseball teams. Think this isn't important? I disagree. Access to live professional sports for communities is sometimes vital for community pride and social connection. It has been for centuries. Take away the Pioneer League (which is part of the contraction plan) and you've just wiped out professional baseball in Montana. Like all of it. So maybe not that many people out west care about a rookie league or any other team that's being run out of business, but I bet some do. And not just the owners of the teams (MiLB teams are not owned by parent organizations) and the communities that have financed stadiums for those teams. Although those two groups might have a pretty strong opinion of Major League Baseball telling them they are out of business.

Need any other reasons why this sucks? How about tradition? The Chattanooga (Tennessee) Lookouts are on the chopping block with this proposal. They have been the Lookouts since 1909 and their franchise dates back to 1885. They might have survived without MLB affiliation in the early 20th century but today that might be a different proposition.

So why am I writing about baseball on a Washington Wizards blog that's supposed to be about basketball? Well, because I think this same sort of thing has been going on for the past few years in the NBA's minor league system, the G League. Not the contraction (because the G League has actually been expanding) but the removal of professional sports from towns and cities with little to no access to that kind of thing once the NBA moved their teams. And I'm arguing what the G League is doing pretty much sucks too.

Erie Insurance Arena: Home of the Erie (PA) BayHawks. For now.

Consider this: at the beginning of the 2009-2010 NBDL season (the NBDL or National Basketball Development League was what the G League used to be called before corporate sponsorship got involved) had 16 independently owned and operated teams spread out over 14 states. Of those 14 states, seven of them had no NBA team so the NBDL was all they had. Of the nine teams located in NBA states, one (the Tulsa 66ers) was in their state before the NBA was (on a permanent basis, anyway) and two of the other teams (in Hidalgo, Texas and Bakersfield, California) were hours by car from the nearest NBA arena, which made access to live pro basketball an overnight or very late arrival home affair. Point is, professional basketball was available to people in the United States without having a visit an NBA city.

Fast forward to today and the G League looks much different. There are now 28 teams in the league which from a growth standpoint is awesome. But all of those teams are now owned by NBA franchises and just six of those 28 teams are located outside the state of their parent team. Considering one of the remaining six is the Memphis Hustle which plays just over the Mississippi border about 12 miles from Memphis but is named after the city where the NBA team plays, it's really just five remote teams. Of those five, just four are located in states without an NBA team. I think things are trending in the wrong direction there.

When the NBDL was launched in 2001, it was deliberately located in the underserved (from a professional basketball standpoint anyway) southeast of the country. At that time there were other non-NBA affiliated regional leagues (notably the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) centered in the midwest of the country) around the United States but I guess the southeast stood out to the NBA as an area of opportunity. Plus I imagine locating all eight charter members of the league in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama cut down on travel expenses.

It didn't work. Within four years, two of the franchises had folded and four of the other six had moved. The two that remained in place? Gone one year later. New teams were added in Arkansas and Texas and they too went belly up after just two years in business. Not such a good idea to start a basketball league in the southeast apparently.

Inside the rockin' Portland Expo Center.

Obviously, the league was able to weather the poor start, likely because it had the backing of the NBA. Original franchises which had re-located to Albuquerque, Austin and Tulsa were more successful in their new locales than their original cites and in 2005, the league engaged in a serious expansion, fueled in part by the defection of four teams from the CBA, to bring the total number of franchises to 12. Three years later it was 17. The league that started in the deep south now spread from Los Angeles to North Dakota to Portland, Maine. And they had taken the CBA out along the way and stood as the only serious minor professional basketball league in the country.

Things were good. Good for basketball fans. Good for small cities which needed professional basketball. Good for the NBA.

Then things started to go downhill. Maybe not for the NBA. Maybe not for the players. Maybe not for the owners of the teams that were suddenly being offered large sums of money for their teams. But for fans in small cities...for sure. In 2011, the Boston Celtics entered into what would be known as a hybrid affiliation with the Maine Red Claws. Under that arrangement the Celtics got to run the operations of the team and install their own coaching staff. That meant they could coach their G League assignees in the exact same system they were using in the NBA. Huge advantage to have that kind of control.

Two years later, the Knicks founded their own G League team. That slowly became the new norm. One by one (well except for the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers) teams were either added to the League (typically in very close proximity to the parent club) or NBA teams purchased existing franchises and moved them. 

Dakota Wizards? Gone from North Dakota to be close to the Warriors who bought them. Replaced by...nothing. Reno Bighorns? Also gone. Moved to Stockton, CA to be close to the Sacramento Kings. Idaho Stampede? No more (say hello to the Salt Lake City Stars)! Get the picture? How about in Oklahoma where the Thunder actually moved a team from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. That's 107 miles away. Did they really need to move that team?

The Springfield (MA) Civic Center, no longer home of minor league basketball.

I have never visited Bismarck, North Dakota or Reno, Nevada or Boise, Idaho during basketball season or at any other time in my life. But I have visited Hidalgo, Texas and Erie, Pennsylvania and Canton, Ohio and Portland, Maine. They are all cool little cities who showed up to root for their basketball teams, no matter that they were in the G League. All of those cities fortunately still have their teams (except Hildago - the Rio Grande Valley Vipers moved to Edinburg about 20 miles away) although Erie will lose theirs at the end of this season.

The Celtics, I guess to their credit, didn't move the Red Claws (awesome name by the way) from Maine to Boston but instead keep them in the old 1915 Portland Expo Center. I saw that team play on a Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter and the place was filled. If any team saw the atmosphere inside that place I kind of believe they would think twice about moving that team. Maybe. Probably not.

While I have never been to Bismarck, Reno or Boise, I have been to Springfield, Massachusetts. I was there in 2014 to see the Springfield Armor play in their final season, right before the Detroit Pistons bought the team and moved it to Grand Rapids. With no offense intended toward the place where basketball was founded, Springfield is dead. In the two days I was there (small sample size I know) the streets were empty and decidedly not alive. Except before and right after the Armor played. The NBA took that away.

So I know I'm being a little melodramatic here. I mean, it's not like the NBA forced all these team owners to take millions of dollars for what were probably barely profitable teams. On the other hand, I'm not. I really believe in the power of sports to bring people and communities together. And I think the NBA has played a role in taking that away from some cities and towns. Just like Major League Baseball will if their plan to contract their (admittedly much more extensive) minor league system goes forward. They should stop it.

So should the NBA. But they probably won't.

The cover photo of this post is the logos of six of the original eight NBDL teams. 

Kristi Toliver Bobblehead

I know we are more than two weeks away from the new year but I have to say 2020 is shaping up to be a banner year for Wizards bobblehead collectors. In addition to the end of season in game Thomas Bryant bobblehead, the Wiz have rolled out a three game / bobble pack that I'm looking forward to starting in February. And yes, I've already shelled out some extra money to make sure I've got those three collector's items coming home with me in the new year.

That was supposed to be it. I was going to be content with four Wizards-related bobbleheads this season. Then something else happened.

Every so often at lunch or before I start work (and I swear it's just those times) during the weekdays, I check in on Twitter to see what's going on. A Monday morning 7:15ish check of that social media site last week got me interested in a raffle for Ted Leonsis' courtside seats for the December 28 home game vs. the New York Knicks. $20 for 20 entries. I figured it was worth a shot. Plus the money went to charity.

But on closer inspection, I found out I could spend $80 more, get 80 more tickets (and 80 more chances to win) and snag a Kristi Toliver autographed bobblehead in the process. Don't have to ask me twice on that one. I'm in!

I didn't win. But my KT bobblehead showed up in the mail today. Better to spend $100 and get this than spend $20 and get nothing.

Kristi Toliver this ain't.

When the Mystics made this bobblehead available this past summer as part of a three game ticket package, I was tempted to shell out some money and get myself one. If I have a favorite Mystics player, it has to be Toliver; she's absolutely the fiercest, most stubborn competitor and she's really good and she knows it. But we were out of town or otherwise occupied during the pickup game date so I passed. This second opportunity couldn't be passed up. With just 20-some of the 100 available remaining at the time of my Monday morning Twitter check, I made a quick decision. Glad I did.

There is something about in-game giveaway free bobbleheads that fascinates me. Maybe it's the had-to-be-there-to-get-one nature of the acquisition (although in this case I guess I wasn't really there). Maybe it's the limited edition aspect (not numbered or anything, just limited). Maybe it's the crappy quality of these things. Maybe it's all of it. This bobblehead has all of that.

Before we get to the details, let's address the small elephant in the room that nobody except me knows about, shall we? Yes, it's true my current bobblehead collection is a WIZARDS bobblehead collection. Over the years, I have picked up a few other non-Wizards bobbleheads and those are all packed securely away out of view. My Kristi Toliver bobblehead is not. She's on the shelf with the rest of my active Wizards bobbleheads. That's because she is a Wizard. She's spent last season and this season as a barely paid (thanks, archaic WNBA rules!) assistant coach. She deserves to be on the shelf!

So about those bobblehead details...

One of the first quality tests of the freebie bobblehead is the head. Does it really look like the person whose name is on the base? I'm a little torn on this one. There's no way this thing actually looks like Kristi Toliver, despite the analysis of some of the individual details. There are two images of Kristi on the box, one frontal and one in profile and it's difficult to nitpick many of the details. The profile is almost correct, the face around the mouth is pretty good and the nose is almost spot on frontally. But the eyes and ears are clearly wrong and the overall effect is more Michelle Obama.  Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that but it doesn't look like the person it's supposed to represent. It's not as bad as some of the Wizards bobbleheads I own (particularly the elf-like John Wall from 2011-2012) but it's not great.

Then there's the overall pose. Every so often the bobblehead designer makes a conscious effort to make a bobblehead after a specific picture. This is clearly the case here and they blew it. Sure it looks find in profile but the geometry of the typical bobblehead (oversized head and disproportionately stubby and short arms) renders the desired effect useless. The result is a shooting motion with one hand on the ball and the guide hand nowhere close. This is NOT a shooting motion. Fail on this point.

Finally I think it's worth checking out some of the details. One of the things I loved about older school in-game giveaway bobbleheads (and here I'm thinking like 5 years ago) is that their jersey numbers were cast in bas relief onto the person's body. Lately, the bobble artists have been ditching this strategy (which requires hand-painting the numbers) in favor of decals, which are I guess quicker to apply and more precise in detail. Here, not only are the numbers cast and hand painted but so is the "Toliver". I love that even though the front of the jersey logo and advertisements (gotta get the advertisements in...) are applied stickers.

There's not a whole lot else to note about the finer points of this bobblehead, although I will say I appreciate the effort to do something different with the shoes. Maybe I'm too soft here but the overall execution is lacking. It looks like the court is adhered to the soles of the shoes.

Glad to have this one in the collection. Next summer I need to make more of an effort to get over to southeast D.C. more than once to pick up what I assume will be a treasure trove of champions bobbles. Don't laugh. After all the team owner is still the same, right?

Load Management

Tonight the Washington Wizards hosted the Los Angeles Clippers for the one and only time this season. I didn't go. I had a holiday party to go to that was a more important way for me to spend my Sunday afternoon so I sold my tickets. I made it home in time for the second half to see the Wizards fight valiantly again but lose again.

I'm thinking (and I'm guessing here) there might be a good chance the person who bought my tickets did so to see Kawhi Leonard play. If that's the case, they got lucky because a few weeks ago it became apparent the Kawhi wasn't going to play the first night of back-to-backs this season for medical reasons and the Clips are playing in Indiana tomorrow night. Kawhi's playing regiment (or maybe sitting regiment) is justified by the term "load management" which essentially means he's technically healthy but that if he played, he might not stay that way. This whole issue has a bunch of people a little upset.

Now, I can imagine if you bought tickets to an NBA game with the intent of seeing a specific player suit up that you would be disappointed to see that player sit out. I get it. I also get there are no guarantees in life when it comes to who's going to play in any single game. This is not like going to see a concert where the artist can't be swapped out. On any given night any player can miss time. Injuries. Sickness. Personal issues. Suspensions. Whatever. Go see the teams, not the players. It will save you some angst.

It may be difficult to swallow when you pay a bunch of money to watch one player on the court but look, life is full of risks. An NBA player missing time for whatever reason on any given night is one of those.

People getting upset about this issue is nothing new. This has been bothering people for years. Then-NBA Commissioner David Stern got upset seven years ago when the San Antonio Spurs elected to sit Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Danny Green on the last game of a six game road trip. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich just felt those guys needed a blow, despite there being no injury to report. The Spurs lost that game. Just. But it was also on national television and despite there being no restriction on resting healthy players, Pop got fined $250,000 by Stern.

Since then, there have been other NBA luminaries who have expressed their opinion on this issue including Hall of Famer Kevin McHale and LeBron James. McHale allowed that you might need a day off if you were a coal miner (like his father was) but missing a game of a back-to-back seemed inexcusable to him. I mean, after all, it's just basketball. What's the threat to your health here? 

LeBron James has weighed in this year based on Kawhi sitting out early season games, stating quite heroically "If I'm hurt, I don't play. If not, I'm playing."

There's some irony here. I don't know if any of you have watched Kevin McHale walk (or limp) these days. It looks painful and I'm sure it has something to do with what playing basketball did to his body. And LeBron? He was sitting multiple games a year a few seasons ago. His take on the issue was much different back then. After a game in 2017 when he, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love sat out a game against the Los Angeles Clippers while perfectly healthy, he said "At the end of the day it sucks at times where certain guys have to rest but certain guys need rest." Including LeBron, who is now not a fan somehow.

2017 LeBron: Sitting out games when healthy. 

I don't agree with David Stern, Kevin McHale or the 2019 version of LeBron James. If Kawhi Leonard needs to sit out a game every now and then because he and his medical staff have determined playing all 82 games in a season will do irreversible damage to his body, then he should sit and neither Stern, McHale or LeBron should have anything to say about it. I admit playing in the NBA is not likely to cause brain damage leading to suicide like it has done so many time to former NFL players but it can take a toll on the body. I'll point back to Kevin McHale's limp. Or former Wizards head coach Randy Wittman's gait. Just looking at Randy hobble on to the court during timeouts made me feel pain. And I'm positive it's from playing in the NBA. If resting every few games solved that for Randy or McHale, I gotta believe they'd welcome it.

So what about us fans? Don't we have a right to have players that are signed to contracts for our teams give everything to win for us? I mean aren't they supposed to leave it all on the court for the price of victory now despite all future consequences?

Two things here: (1) no they don't and (2) doing this doesn't mean you can't win a championship.

On the first point, I think sometimes we think that because the athletes we watch on TV or live in the arena make millions and millions of dollars, that we have some right to expect them to do whatever it takes to win at all costs. We don't. I am sure current Wizard Isaiah Thomas, who did major damage to his hip in the 2017 playoffs and cost himself tens of millions of dollars in the process, could adequately tell you or me all about that kind of expectation. Getting paid millions of dollars now does not entitle us fans to expect these guys to do things to their bodies that is going to make them live in pain for the rest of their lives. It just doesn't. It's their bodies, not ours.

On the second point, how do I know that? Because Kawhi did the exact same thing last year and he (and the Toronto Raptors) won the NBA Championship. After all, there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs. Not sure why there was much less fuss about this last year.

Today, the rules for NBA teams resting healthy players are different than they were in 2012 when David Stern lightened Gregg Popovich's wallet by $250K. It's OK to sit healthy players these days, you just can't do it during a nationally televised game. I'm not sure how being on national television solves long term injuries to a player by them playing too much, but that's the rule. In Kawhi's case, he has special dispensation so the Clippers avoid fines in these situations but what about the rest of the league? If my knee hurts from working out the previous day, I generally don't work out the next day. Why can't NBA players have the same latitude?

There's one more reason I've heard floated about healthy-ish players missing games, that it messes up people gambling on the games. To anyone offering up that reason, you are clearly more committed to gambling than you probably should be. Despite Ted Leonsis saying that sports gambling is essentially good for everyone, it's not. The house always win. Gamble and expect to lose, that's all I have to say on that one.

If the person who bought my tickets to the game last night did it to watch Kawhi Leonard play, I'm happy it worked out for him or her. I just wish Kawhi would have sat out for load management reasons to give the Wiz a better shot at the W. But ultimately, it's not my call. He, and every other player, needs to do what's best for their long term health. As much as it might disappoint us fans.

Bang The Gavel

A new NBA season for the Washington Wizards sometimes means new traditions. This year is no different. New Wizards team, new in game announcers, new broadcast team, total loss pretty much all floor seats in the east end of the arena...I could go on but I'll stop there. Almost. The Wizards have decided to insert a new tradition into the pre-game announcements and it's just not working for me.

Get to a Wizards game prior to the team introductions like half of the crowd during an average home game and you might notice that after the lights are dimmed and in between the starting lineups for the visitors and the home team, there's a new pregame ritual where a special guest grabs an oversized gavel and bangs it on an even more oversized sound block (yes, I had to look that up) to get the crowd fired up for the introduction of the Wizards starting five.

I get the intent here. We are in Washington, D.C. where the Supreme Court (and many other courts for that matter) meets and there's a basketball pun tie over there with "court is now in session". Get it? Court. Basketball court. Basketball. Wizards. The reason why you are at Capital One Arena. It's cute, right? And no that's not my objection. Nor is the fact that the sound block just appears to be G Man's old drum head painted with wood colors.

If this were something that really got the crowd pumped up, I'd love it. But it's not. For a couple of reasons. 

First, introducing a new pre-game "get everyone excited" ritual is probably best initiated when the team is good and the Wizards just aren't this year. But more than that, this whole thing seems slid into a spot that needs to be passed over as quickly as possible and the lighting and fanfare employed by the Wizards isn't enough to get it noticed at all.

What I mean by all that is the visitors have just been introduced and the crowd expects the Wizards lineup next, which we get soon enough. If the Wizards really want to pull this off, they should intentionally break the action here and make it obvious that something exciting (or even just different) is happening. The Philadelphia 76ers have a similar ritual where someone rings a replica of the Liberty Bell and the New York Jets (speaking of teams that are no good) have someone famous lead the J! E! T! S! JETS! JETS! JETS! cheer before the game. They both work, because the entire atmosphere is focused on that event. The Wizards' treatment of this pre-game "ritual" needs more emphasis. Turn the lights on or create a custom graphic to blast on the fancy new scoreboard or move it to some other spot. But where it is now isn't working.

I'm interested to see how long the Wizards keep this up in its current format. If they do, they need to get whomever is banging the gavel a better prop than whoever did it during the Spurs game when the head actually fell off the gavel. And try getting some more recognizable folks. Dave Johnson was an awesome first choice for this. But the Bud Light guy from Nationals Park? Not cutting it for me. Get John King to do it. Or past Wizards players. Just my advice.

Apologies on the terrible photo on this post. I can only take so good a pic of this event from where I sit (probably because it's right in the corner of the court). Had to resort to a scoreboard pic.

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.

NBA Bottom Five

The teams I love the most stink. I mean really stink. Like really bad. I know I've covered this subject on this blog in the past but this fall seems like an appropriate time to re-whine on the subject.

Before I go into full whinge mode, I should point out that this year's actually been a pretty good year, sports-wise. The Mystics are WNBA champions. England won the Cricket World Cup and finished runners-up in the Rugby World Cup. Tottenham finished second in the UEFA Champions League final (before totally crashing this season). And the Nationals just won the World Series. Not bad, right?

But the two teams I really love (those being the New York Jets and the Washington Wizards and I do mean like really really love) are now both 2-7 and the next six or so months of any hope for my teams winning anything (like even having a winning record) are gone. Already. Damn this stinks. I'm looking forward to next September when things might get better. Might! But probably not.

I've read a lot of tweets this year about how this year's Wizards team is going to be a lot of fun to watch. And on the surface of things, I might agree. I mean it's kind of liberating watching a team with nothing to lose with a ton of upside and see what develops. But two things cut against that: (1) I'm paying $8K or so for the privilege of watching this fun development and (2) they keep losing. Now I get that it's only nine games in so far but its started already. And it's about to be not fun. Call me impatient. 19 years of non-achievement as a season ticket holder will do that to a person.

How bad have the Wizards been in my 19 years? Really bad. Let's take a look at some numbers regular season and playoffs to get a sense of how bad I've had it. Spoiler alert: it ain't looking much better this year I don't think.

Let's start with overall record.

Fewest Average Wins Per Season (2000-2019)

1. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (31.5)

2. Minnesota Timberwolves (33.3)

3. New York Knicks (33.9)

4. Washington Wizards (34.5)

5. Philadelphia 76ers (34.6)

So over the past 19 seasons, the Wizards have posted the fourth fewest wins per season in the NBA. Yeah, it's been not much fun for any of the teams in this bottom five but at least the Timberwolves grabbed the number one seed (and a spot in the Conference Finals) in the West one year and the Sixers actually made the NBA Finals in 2001. I'd take either of those highs over the Wizards. Most wins per season by the way over this period: San Antonio (58.1) / Dallas (51.2) / Houston (45.6).

Most Sub-20 Win Seasons

1. (tie) Cleveland Cavaliers (3)

1. (tie) Minnesota Timberwolves (3)

1. (tie) Philadelphia 76ers (3)

4. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (2)*

5. (tie) New York Knicks (2)

5. (tie) Washington Wizards (2)

* In 15 seasons.

Does this list look familiar? Don't worry, this will happen more than once in this post. It should come as no surprise that the teams with the fewest average wins per season also log the most dismal seasons. The one addition? The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have also made it to five Finals with one championship over that same span. Give me a title in exchange for futility every year the rest of my life. 12 teams, by the way, have had no sub-20 win seasons since I first bought season tickets. Definitely can't relate.

This list does include the strike shortened season of 2011-2012 and yes, I'm categorizing teams by franchise, not by city, in this post. That means the old Charlotte Hornets are counted against the current New Orleans Pelicans franchise. Not a huge needle mover because the Pels show up later in this post. Just explaining.

Fewest 50 Win Seasons

1. Washington Wizards (0)

2. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (0)*

3. (tie) Charlotte Hornets / New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets / New Orleans Pelicans (1)

3. (tie) New Jersey Nets / Brooklyn Nets (1)

3. (tie) New York Knicks (1)

* In 15 Seasons.

I swear I'm not making up these categories to make the Wizards look bad. They manage to do that on their own. It's not going to be good to be on any of these lists, let alone make most or all of them. I see 50 wins as a mark of a quality year. The Wiz have none of them, not a single one in 19 seasons (this will be 20). They edge the current Hornets in this category because that team has only been around for the last 15 seasons. The Nets are to this list as the Cavaliers are to the last one. Two NBA Finals appearances in the early 2000s. The most 50 win seasons? San Antonio (17) / Dallas (12) / Houston (9). San Antonio even had one in the 2011-12 season when each team only played 66 games.

Fewest Division Titles

1. Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies (0)

2. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (0)*

3. (tie) Atlanta Hawks (1)

3. (tie) Charlotte Hornets / New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets / New Orleans Pelicans (1)

3. (tie) Denver Nuggets (1)

3. (tie) New York Knicks (1)

3. (tie) Philadelphia 76ers (1)

3. (tie) Washington Wizards (1)

* In 15 seasons.

The fact that the Grizzlies and current Hornets franchises haven't won any division titles since I first signed up for this Wizards journey I'm on makes me feel no better about the Wizards solitary Southeast Division crown. Nor does the fact that five other teams have finished atop their own divisions just once. There are only five teams in the Southeast Division and it's been that way for 15 years. The law of averages says each team should have at least three at this point, right? Doesn't work that way, I know. There are four franchises that have won seven or more over the last 19 years. San Antonio has 12 followed by Miami with nine and the Lakers and Celtics with seven apiece.

Feeling bad about the Wizards' regular season campaigns? Get ready for the playoffs. It's actually better than the regular season. Mostly.

Fewest Playoff Appearances

1. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (2)

2. (tie) Minnesota Timberwolves (5)

2. (tie) New York Knicks (5)

2. (tie) Sacramento Kings (5)

5. Los Angeles Clippers (7)

Finally a futility list in this post that the Wizards do NOT appear on. If I had gone six deep, they would have. The Wizards have made the playoffs eight times in the 19 seasons I've been a season ticket holder. The Kings are a bit of surprise to me on this list since they were such a good team when I first became a season ticket holder. There have been some long and lean years since Webber / Divac / Williams / Bibby / Turkoglu graced the court for Sacto. Who has the most playoff appearances between 2001 and 2019? Well the Spurs of course with a perfect 19. Right behind them: Dallas (16) and Boston (15).

Fewest Playoff Wins / Year

1. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (0.2)

2. New York Knicks (0.5)

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (0.7)

4. Sacramento Kings (1.2)

5. (tie) Denver Nuggets (1.5)

5. (tie) Portland Trail Blazers (1.5)

Once again, the Wizards miss the list, although once again only just. The Nuggets and Blazers have exactly one fewer postseason victory than the Wizards. This list is average playoff wins per season, not average playoff wins per postseason appearance. I'm shocked by Denver and Portland on this list. I would have thought (without thinking too hard) that those Denver teams with Carmelo Anthony would have had more postseason success. Although since both Denver and the Knicks are on this list...maybe not. Most wins per year? Do I even need to tell you it's San Antonio? 7.9 wins average. Lakers are next with 5.7 then Miami at 5.4. Think there's not a lot of difference between number 3 at 5.4 and number 25 at 1.5? You're wrong. There is.

Fewest Playoff Series Wins

1. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (0)

2. New York Knicks (1)

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (2)

4. Denver Nuggets (3).

5. (tie) Los Angeles Clippers (4)

5. (tie) Vancouver  / Memphis Grizzlies (4)

5. (tie) Milwaukee Bucks (4) 

5. (tie) Charlotte Hornets / New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets / New Orleans Pelicans (4)

5. (tie) Portland Trail Blazers (4)

5. (tie) Sacramento Kings (4)

5. (tie) Washington Wizards (4)

If you need any proof that the same teams dominate the postseason every year, this is the list. And yes, the Wizards are back on the list here. The newcomer on this list is the Bucks who have just four playoff series victories in 19 years: two in 2001 en route to the Eastern Conference Finals and a loss to the 76ers and two last year when they lost in the Conference Finals to Toronto. A whole lot of nothing in between. The Spurs, by the way, have two fewer playoff series wins (32) than all 11 teams listed above. Lakers are second with 25 and Miami has 22. 

Fewest Conference Finals Appearances

1. (tie) Los Angeles Clippers (0)

1. (tie) Charlotte Hornets / New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets / New Orleans Pelicans (0)

1. (tie) New York Knicks (0)

1. (tie) Washington Wizards (0)

5. Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (0)*

* In 15 seasons.

This list is it. If there's a more chilling indictment of lack of success in the NBA over the past almost two decades, this is it. There are only five teams which have failed to make it to a conference finals. The Bob-nets get a bit of pass here because they've only had 15 tries at making it that far in the playoffs. With zero playoff series victories and no superstar talent, I don't think those extra four chance will mean much. By then, these other four teams will have had 23 cracks at it and they won't have made it either. No surprise here but San Antonio leads the good end of the category with nine. Five other teams including Detroit and Cleveland are second with six each. 

Where does all this leave me? Well for a start, I feel for all the fans in Charlotte. That team is actually the worst. I mean hands down no dispute the worst in the NBA. After that is it the Wizards? I could make a case that it is based on the lack of 50 win seasons and conference finals appearances. If they are not second, they can't be any higher than fourth if you consider the Knicks and Timberwolves worse. There you go. Bottom four for sure. Make an argument against. I'd love to debate. I don't see you winning though.

My season tickets are in Row E of Section 109. This season I'm sitting a couple of rows and the width of an aisle away from seats in 110 earmarked for the Wizards new power structure, namely John Thompson III and Sashi Brown, two of the components of a front office that looks nothing like the Wizards front office has ever looked like before. During Friday's game, Ted Leonsis chatted with those two just two rows from me while the miserable Cleveland Cavaliers took down my beloved Wiz at home. I would have loved his input on this post. His ownership, which at first looked so different than Abe Pollin's, has yielded no different results and I don't see anything different happening this season. Always next year, right?

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.