I just did! I left a voicemail reminding him that the league has stepped in to operate teams in the past and that it can happen again. I know this is not the best solution or suggestion to make but I froze up and it was all I could come up with at the time! Rats, I'm gonna have to script something for tomorrow's call! Thanks for posting the number, chowhog!
They wouldn't need to lend out anything close to a few billion dollars. I recently wrote a nice letter to Google about the Quakes situation, and in it I mentioned their interest in becoming the shirt sponsor for Manchester United. I said something along the lines of, "although you can't compare the Quakes to such a famous team as ManU, it would be nice if they could do something to help out the local professional soccer team. Google Epicenter Stadium would be kind of cool!" Who knows, if they heard it from a lot more people maybe they would come around!
If memory serves, as recently as 2003, the Quakes had a purple Yahoo! logo on their uniforms. I wonder what happened that Yahoo! did not renew its sponsorship. Does anyone know?
It is because we live in Columbus that we are well aware of the image Woody left us with. Believe it or not we are still living with that guys image in this city on a regular basis and the guy has been dead for a long, long time now. Every year around football season, which here is pretty much the whole year, a lot of us want to just stand up and yell that he is dead get over it. But it is what it is.
I don't know for sure, but from an outside observer's point of view: While Yahoo was spending millions in various advertising schemes that didn't show much in the way of return on investment, Google was running a better operation and becoming a bigger, more respected company. While spending close to ZERO on advertising. So Yahoo cut their ad budget while they regroup and re-strategize.
WAKE UP Earthquake fans....The deal is gone.....You all have had 10 YEARS to step up and take care of business. As a former Bay Area pro soccer player and resident... I have liked the Quakes since it's days with Bestie, Dangerfield, and the likes of those players. However, I've also witnessed the rise and fall of hmmmm.. let's see every other you-name-it-*-*-S-L league team such as the Blackhawks, Firebirds, Grizzley's, etc. Obviously, San Jose has been snake bitten with these failures. However, there has always been a since of entitlement within the San Jose soccer community when it comes to Pro Soccer. I think 10 years has been more than enough time for the soccer community to organize and come up with a strategy to keep the team and/or find an ownership group. But, hell..the milk has been pouring out to San Jose fans for free for the last 10 years....why buy the cow? Having a good team and putting fans in the seats is not enough...If soccer is going to succeed in the US, we must be more vocal and ACTION oriented when it comes to our sport. Bruce Arena hit on this topic in an interview earlier this year...we must be consumers of the sport and support the sport at ALL levels. Furthermore, the MLS is in a precarious situation...and AEG has been doing the league a favor in spite of all the complaints from San Jose fans....business is business and the MLS is no poster child for inverstors...The last 10 years have been great and the league has come a long way. I say this inspite of the fact that it is still losing money. But, the next 10 years is even more crucial to the longevity and success of the league. I do not want to see another NASL fiasco. Soccer will simply die in the US if this league fails. So I say, thanks for the memories...but it's time to give someone else a try....like HOUSTON for example....There's a town that has proven to be a soccer rich community with backing and numbers (interliga, gold cup, international friendlies,etc.). San Jose has had it chance...hell a 10 year chance and you still can't figure it out....Hopefully this is a wake up call for you people to organize and finally come together and get a stadium deal so you can have the next MLS Expansion Team (obviously that would be the return of the Quakes). Live and LEARN!!!
Yeah, the fans should have come up with an organization dedicated to finding ownership and a stadium. Why didn't anybody think of that? Thanks for the tip, genius.
Yeah, and if they do, the Earthquakes fans are going to enjoy it so much when the Quakes kick their ass!
Thanks for the idea, GoSounders. I snail-mailed my letter to Google today. Tonight, I write Yahoo and Santa.
Someone may have already mentioned this, but for 07 maybe: "Earthquakes SC" That way you are free to consider it as Earthquakes Soccer Club or, if you are speaking with someone in the Mission City, Earthquakes Santa Clara. You pays yer money, you takes yer choice...