Latest SSV Newsletter (Thursday, April 19): SJSU says no; Plan B on tap

You are right! They are a bunch of Flamers! hehehe!

 

Why not Sunnyvale?

http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments...(BRAC)+of+Onizuka+Air+Force+Station+(AFS).htm

 

I suppost that could be an option, but the residents of Sunnyvale were upset when Mercado was put in and it's not even in their city, so I don't know how happy they would be with the traffic from a game. Or the noise amounts for that matter.

 

My point was there's no particular reason for SJSU fans to post here, unless they are Earthquakes fans also. I mean, they can if they want to, but it's not strange if they don't.

 

It's a straight shot North or Southbound on 101. Us Sunnyvalites wouldn't mind too much

 

I'm bullish on Spartan Football because I've seen the improvement in the entire athletic program since the hiring of Tom Bowen (and subsequently Dick Tomey). The entire attitude of the program has turned 180-degrees...without much effort. The ball has begun to roll in the right direction, and now the athletic administration can point to success that this community will want to be a part of -- if only they're asked to be (another mistake of previous athletic administrations). Yes, it's a long, dark, deep hole that the entire program has to be dug out from, but I believe in this athletic administration, put in place by Don Kassing.

Agreed, one season does not make a program. We could fall back to 6-6 this year very easily and miss going to a bowl game. And that wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to the team...they'll realize that excellence doesn't just "happen", that it's a constant process that must be continuously worked at. RB Yonus Davis is learning that lesson the hard way. He was dismissed from spring practice because he thought that because he was a 1000 yard rusher in 2006 that he'd have a job in 2007 even if he didn't go to class. He'll be back in the fall and, from what I've heard, chastened by the experience. It's funny what a little leadership can do for a person.

If we're successful in the opening games (Arizona State, Stanford, Kansas State), attendance for the Davis game won't be a problem (home opener, momentum, etc...). Don't forget about Nevada...they travel well and if we're playing good football that game will draw well. The weird start time for Hawaii won't hurt. Hawaii always brings a good contingent of fans from the islands, and there's a large Hawaiian community in the Bay Area that will show. UH fans are true fans and show up at SJSU for all events (come for UH women's volleyball sometime, you'll see what I mean).

I don't mean to say that SJSU football has been "cured". But the patient is stabilized, it has a pulse, and is steadily improving.

And, as this year's football slogan says..."BELIEVE IT".

It was hard not to spot you. You were sitting right in front of me...and with that rain keeping the crowd down, there was plenty of space for you to be seen.

I'm surprised that no one on the SJSU boards has used the rain at the spring game as a metaphor for how easily enthusiasm and momentum can be dampened. Then again, there are a lot of true blue-and-gold Spartans who are as optimistic as our Goodsport...if not more so.

 

What are you talking about here? Here's the first paragraph of the article:

"A proposal to bring professional soccer back to San Jose at a rebuilt Spartan Stadium died late Thursday after developer Lew Wolff and San Jose State University President Don Kassing decided they could not resolve differences over what Wolff should pay to use campus property."

What's inaccurate about that? Where does it declare "the entire soccer proposal dead"?

 

Today's article in the campus paper touches on one more aspect of the breakdown in the talks:

When you combine that statement with the comments from Kassing about how he needs to look out for the needs of the students, and how the SSS proposal would require the use of too much of their acreage for the amount of money they stood to make (which overlooks the fact that they would be getting a sweet new stadium), it really makes it look like SJSU doesn't want to be partners with the Earthquakes and they only would consider it if we were promising them a cash windfall that no one in their right mind could pass up. They seem very uncomfortable with having anything to do with outsiders. It's their land and their stadium and they're not obligated to share or partner with anyone if they don't want to. So be it.

I'm going to try not to get mad about it, but I hope that if we do get a MLS team at some point, that we don't use Spartan stadium again. I'd rather wait until we have our own facility even if that means not starting the team until 2010 or 2011 and let SJSU look out for their interests without us. Who wants to have anything to do with SJSU after the many years of difficult relations (to put it nicely)?

Did the Sharks spend 10 years playing at some local school's stadium while they tried to get some help with having their own facility built? Did the NHL even award SJ a team w/o first having the facility in place? (I don't know since I am not from SJ and didn't live here then - but I suspect not.)

I hate to bring this up on these boards, but I think that MLS made the right move in authorizing AEG to move the Quakes. I hope MLS doesn't come back to the Bay Area until a local commmunity has stood up and said we want an MLS team and we're going to work with you to build a facility. SJSU/Spartan Shops just saw our team as a bunch of low-class beggars who they tolerated as sub-tenants in their facility, but now that we're gone, they don't seem to miss us or the revenue we gave them.

Well, at least now we know where things stand.

 

You got it in a nutshell.

It does make AEG appear less evil.

 

Including you it would appear.

 

So the USMNT v China will most likely be the last soccer game played in SJ for some time? Sad! It's going to make for a weird atmosphere at the game?
I used to make the trip down from Sacramento 3-4 times per season for Quake games and was getting excited about the possibility of making the trip a more regular occurance in the future.

 

Played two(?) years at the Cow Palace.

I'd like to go back to Spartan temporarily. I really like it and SJSU clearly needs the money. Especially now!

 

Nope! Spartan Soccer

It will probably also get the MFL exhibition games once or twice a year. If a new stadium is built two minutes away at the fairground it will be interesting to see who gets those games.

 

I guess I meant Quake fans attending soccer games at SJSU? didn't know if I should have any ill will towards SJSU when i attend the USMNT game in June?

 

Nah, That's bad karma or whatever. I say turn the other cheek. Maybe Kassing will show up at the game and we can all show him our cheeks.

 

which cheeks?
after re-reading your post, i see you were talking the same cheeks!

 

Yeah, I'm trying to understand how SJSU looked at the deal. I think you're probably right that they didn't have much confidence in the MLS side of things. But what if the team were to move again or the league were to go out of business? If Wolff's deal was that Earthquakes LLC gets all of the Quakes game revenue and SJSU gets all the SJSU sporting event revenue, why would they lose under that scenario?

And this notion of giving up most of south campus, I don't get that either. I thought it was a parking structure where current stadium is and a new stadium where much of the parking is done now. So where's the net loss of available land there? And then some intramural and training fields. The only other piece of land I can think of offhand that wouldn't benefit the university is a soccer training facility, and they could share that with SJSU soccer I presume.

My guess is that there was some powerful alumni opposition to the deal and the only way to save face and still do the deal is if it had a very sizeable guaranteed figure for SJSU. So it's either so clearly positive for SJSU that it would win over the alumni, or it's unacceptable to Wolff's side so the deal is off.

The other thing that bugged me a bit was in the TV report where Carr called it a "chicken and the egg" problem. First of all I hate it that people overuse that phrase, and second I don't think it's applicable in this case. His point is that you don't know what comes first, the deal or the financing. Yet I think it's clear that you come to an agreement between Wolff and SJSU first if you can, and then you worry about how Wolff is going to finance the stadium costs. I think the order in which things would have to occur was pretty clear. And if Wolff's financing doesn't come through the deal's off. The only way it can make sense as a chicken and egg problem is if SJSU feels that they would be losing opportunity if they had to wait 9 months or a year to see if Wolff's financing plan was going to fly. If they're worried about it dragging on too long they could put a timing contigency on it, e.g. you need to have a financing plan in place within a year, etc.

It just seemed that he wanted to present the whole thing as a hopelessly complex problem and it just isn't.

 

An earlier addition did not contain the clause "at a rebuilt Spartan Stadium". It only read that the proposal to bring professional soccer back to San Jose died...

 

Clearly? Explain...

 

Fair enough assessment. You have some validity except for the following.

>>>>>He could have and should have been more conciliatory toward the needs of the SJSU football program, which is going to be in a growth phase whether y'all know it or believe it<<<<

As one who was born and raised in this town and went to SJSU for 1 year (but chose another school to graduate from for better prestige and because I thought SJSU sucked for a young student) and a spouse who played soccer at SJSU...

to even suggest that football at SJSU is going into a growth phase of such magnitutude to warrant their cockiness is absurb.

SJSU is and will continue to be heavily populated with "students" who are Full Time Professionals who wants to fill in extra classes or finally get that MBA they wanted. It won't be the level of attraction for Premier First League players. This is a downtown City University.

I will agree wholeheartedly on your assessment to open our eyes and consider to look outside of San Jose or the South Bay. Because Kanning ego is too big to realize that he is throwing away an opportunity with both hands.
Good riddance. When the SJSU Alumni letter comes in the mail for my spouse asking for a donation, we will happily put it in the shredder.

 

If you can't win, don't try. Quit. Good lesson.

Just know that there are those on the other side of the fence who believe the same about soccer. That soccer won't ever be a major sport in the US. So why should SJSU "donate" a patch of land to build a stadium for a "minor" sport?

Look homeward, angel.

 

Kind of like the Cosmos cheerleaders Over 50+(sag & shag look)cheeks?

NY COSMOS CHEERLEADERS

 

I haven't read all of this thread, but a fair chunk of it.

I'm depressed, like the rest of you.

The SJSU/Quakes joint venture sounded good. Alas, SJSU backed out.

So now it's on to the Fairgrounds, and possibly another site or two. I still have confidence in Wolff and SSV. The fact that Wolff was willing to let this deal go must mean that he's got more cards in his pocket.

How else is SJSU going to get a new stadium? Who else is going to sink $80 million into a new stadium and parking structure and $20 million more into other athletic facilities for SJSU? Does Kassing have a Plan B that's going to pull a stadium out of his hat?

Kassing should have negotiated about the size of the stadium, and revenue split, and the amenities, and so on. But he should have done the deal. Details are something you can work on and around. The big picture is, this was SJSU's best chance to get a new stadium and they blew it.

Oh and I want SJSU Football, Baseball, Soccer, and even Basketball and whatever other sports they play to be successful. I'm wondering where the money is going to come from to drive those programs? I don't believe for a second that SJSU is going to ditch football, but I don't see the program thriving in another five or ten years.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that Kassing proves me to be an ignorant idiot.

I hope I can find you Spartacus and buy you beers when you turn out to be right.

QUAKES FOREVER!!
GO WOLFF!!
GO SSV!!!
F the rest of the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Mark