Crew to Austin in 2019..(Maybe)

I'd like to believe this, but if that were the case he'd have jumped at $150M offer he got from Columbus. A cool doubling of his outlay in 4 years. How much more could he make if he moved the team, built a stadium (incurring dept or a massive outlay of cash) and sold the team for $200M?

He wanted an Austin soccer team, he's trying to do it as cheaply as possible. Buying the Crew for a fraction of the expansion cost and moving it to the city of his choice is dickish, but shrewd. If I step away from my fandom I can respect the idea. Now, how he's gone about it is a clown show.

 

Nah the security thing was 100% on PSV. I was at the MSU/OSU basketball game last week where everyone had to take all metal out of their packets and walk through detector (similar to boarding an airplane type of security). I got there about 15 minutes before tip and there was a line but it moved quickly. Security was very friendly but very focused on getting people through. No issues taking my 4 year old and a few other older kids in with me either. I made it to my seat right before the National Anthem. I was impressed with how they got that many folks but still keeping up the security protocol. That is not what happened with the Crew.

The first game I spent over 30 minutes in line and was even separated from my 6 year old (thankfully a kind hearted stranger helped her through the line where security wanted her to go to the end). The 2nd game I went in very early and didn't wait long but I observed security being very petty with every person and not working with any haste.

This was deliberate. I'm not sure what they did or said to the security team to have a coordinated sabotage but you cannot possibly have that level of incompetence across the board without some direction.

 

Well, they were frisking folks at the first Crew playoff game. That's one rather significant difference from the tOSU game (or Jackets or MLB who are similar). As I noted--very similar to what I've experienced at European games. They separated folks as they were having women frisk women. Again, fairly standard. And we were warned about "enhanced" security. I cannot blame them for that given the emotions running pretty hot that week. So Mrs KG and I planned ahead and went in early. No big deal--and there have been similar lines for US-Mex games in the past (if not longer). I remember getting caught in the hailstorm before one of those.

 

I wonder how many of the security guards were worried about losing their jobs due to a Crew supporter sneaking in whatever is now banned at May Day Stadium under the rule of Fratass.


Geeg still got in his Vultures two-pole so I suppose your noted incompetence favored us in some ways.

 

Enhanced security my ass. You can apologize for the FO all you want but there is no excuse for what happened. My point was I was just at a similar sized event with similar security protocol and it was handled much much better. This was either sheer incompetence or deliberate sabotage (probably both) but either way it's inexcusable.

 

I don't know about any of that but I do know that for all the patting and rubbing and groping those guys were doing to everyone, they were grossly incompetent. They were supposed to be looking for weapons, not just treating us like drunken prom dates.

You could have easily gotten an M249 SAW past those guys. It was like they had gotten no training at all, but rather hired a couple dozen guys down at the day labor hall to come feel up your customers.

There was no method, np plan, everybody was doing it differently and not one of them was doing it even remotely by the book.

 

Frisking is not the same as using a metal detector. Not even close. I get really frustrated when folks these days fail to take any responsibility for their own issue.

I have no great love for this FO or owner. None at all. But the fact is folks were warned and the level of security was reasonable given the very emotional situation. Can you imagine the scene had that score gone the other way early with folks thinking this could likely be the last game ever in Crew Stadium??? I've been in similar places before (last game at Connie Mack stadium, for one).

Look, lots of folks *on this board* said that they didn't go up to the lines until 15 min before game time. Who is that on?

 

CSC is not known for their mental acuity. I recall one time when the Jackets kept changing the camera policy (I have an SLR)--they told be I could still take pictures if I took my lens off.... Still trying to figure that one out.

 

Quite simply, I think the announcement of "enhanced security" was just an excuse to limit access at the kick. I have been to Sugar Bowls, international soccer matches, OSU home games, huge concerts and the like so I know it's possible to get a large number of people through security quickly if the desire to do so is there.

But, I was inside CCS an hour before kick so I didn't have to deal with it.

In summery, I both agree and disagree with all of you.

 

If you're going to have enhanced security on a night when you KNOW people will be arriving late. You plan for it.

 

Maybe PSV could also provide feedback on a Dodge Park location.

 

You keep saying over and over that everyone was warned. I wasn't. I bought tickets for the playoffs and received emails asking me to buy season tickets for next year but nothing about changes to security policies.

I've been to events with presidential candidates and sitting presidents. The US Secret Service made us go through metal detectors but it was faster and less intrusive than the security at MAPFRE. Of course the USSS are pros. Thank God Aces survived all the assassins.

 

Just wanted to mention that there was a public forum this afternoon at the convention in Philadelphia with Grant Wahl, Alex Lalas and Sunil Gulati.

STC was not represented.

 

Right. I keep thinking Dodge Park would be a more viable place for a stadium than any of the Austin sites, including Butler Shores. Immediate access and visual frontage along I-70, 71, and 315. An up and coming neighborhood that's about to explode with the kind of development Precourt would love to be around. Soon enough there will be enough density and parking structures throughout the neighborhood that fans won't need to park on site and will walk from wherever in East Franklinton. Good trail access with the Lower Scioto Greenway. Good opportunity to be an anchor piece that other development is attracted to as it's still early in the development game in Franklinton.

But unfortunately, with Precourt, the heart wants what the heart wants....and that's being "weird" in Austin.

 

Perhaps have Fratass check out Leakin Park. I hear it is a place where bodies tend to turn up.

 

Ran into Andrulis here. He's slimmed down so much I didn't recognize him at first. Saw Loughnane, too, he looked like an unmade bed. Wanted to put some Shug Avery pee in his lemonade.

 

Be careful. That can be construed as a potshot. Don't make me tell you to get your head out of your ass, Bill.

 

Making every single person take all the metal objects out of their pockets (on a winter day when everyone had huge coats on) and walk through a metal detector (sometimes twice when people inevitably forget something) should never be faster then a pat down.

Again, like many others stated on this board, I've been to hundred of various events and never witnessed such blatant incompetence. But I guess that's okay with you because we were "warned".

Would you would be okay if Precourt took a deuce in your bed as long as he warned your first?

 

Speaking of supposed human being Frat Tony Shitbag, how in the world can he go three whole months in the middle of all this and not utter one single solitary word?

 

I got a couple of e-mails from my ticket person (who has been great through all of this) and I think it was on the website. As I recall, it was also mentioned here.

 

"No comment."

 

Someone from the league finally got him to shut up??