Thursday, October 29, 2009

Chick-Fil-A and other links

A lot of BC fans have cynically scoffed at the ACC's announcement that they've signed an extension with the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Can you blame them? The Bowl isn't even visiting BC this weekend and passed on a chance to take Matt Ryan and crew a few years ago. I think BC will play in the ACC's No. 2 bowl eventually. It will just take a few things to fall in place. We need the BC rule to keep out the good traveling teams and we need South Carolina or UGA to be the SEC options. The Chick-fil-A is a regular sellout, but those two schools would really drive demand and ease the pressure on BC to sell tickets. Who knows, this year might even be the year if VT and Georgia Tech both get into BCS games.


I thought it was interesting to read how the team reacted to Haden and Tuggle's departures. It seems like most guys are taking it in stride.


Smart football has a good take on coaching. His theory is that midweek coaching is more important than in game coaching.

18 comments:

BCMike said...

His theory is that midweek coaching is more important than in game coaching.

Different sport...but...exhibit A: Al Skinner

Al is a terrific developmental coach, but a horrendous in-game coach. When's the last time you saw Al take a time-out, call a set-play on offense and saw it work? I'll tell you when: never. It's never happened....

BUT...you can't deny that Al isn't one of the best developmental guys in the nation. For the guys we get in, Al has been able to carve some real diamonds out of the rough.

I know it's a different sport and all, but I just think the point applies so well to Skinner.

mod34b said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mod34b said...

Boycott all Chick-Fil-A!

These guys have zero good intentions toward BC. Zip, nada, nothing. Every year they show complete distain for BC. The Chick-fil-A bowl is a southern bowl for southern teams. Period.

For those in Mass., there are only two Chick-Fil-A stores to avoid: Burlington Mall and North Shore Mall. In NH, there is one: Pleasant Lane Mall, Nashua. No stores (yet) in CT, RI, ME or VT

Chick-Fil-A, as we sports fans in NE know, advertizes heavily in NE. There would not be such heavy advertizing unless they had plans to expand.

Let's send the Chick-Fil-$$-A boys the only message they will understand: $$$$, as in nada, none, zip for the biased, anti-BC, southern-only bowl guys!

For those outside NE, please post your list of Chick-Fil-A's to avoid in your state!

AlbanyEagle said...

The point is well taken that C-F-A never has and probably never will want BC in their bowl. Who wants a half-empty stadium for their bowl? A sad, but true reality.

In fairness, they are scouting a total of 7 ACC teams this week, 6 of them in intra-conference games. It's not like they're looking at everyone except BC this week.

BTW - Despite what appears to be a quality and challenging opponent in Central Michigan, we will be lucky if Alunmi is half-full this Saturday, being Halloween and all. I'd rather have bowl selection guys scout us for a conference game where (hopefully) the crowd is stronger.

BCMike said...

"For those outside NE, please post your list of Chick-Fil-A's to avoid in your state!"

The list for Atlanta alone would need a couple pages of Bill's blog.

Think of it this way...Boston is to Dunkin' Donuts as Atlanta is to Chick-Fil-A.

There are THAT many of them, and the locals LOVE THEM SOME Chick-Fil-A, lemme tell ya.

Big Jack Krack said...

When was the last time attendance at home games was this bad? I'd say 78 to 81, until Flutie took over.

We're going backwards.

Jeff said...

No, we're just moving forward in reverse.

mod34b said...

BCMIKE --

Yes, I guess I should have been clearer. I know that Chik-fil-A is huge in the South, even bigger than Waffle House, Krispy Creme, Sonics, and Cracker Barrell and Bass n Buck. (But good analogy, Mike, to DD)

I guess I did not mean my mini-boycott to extend below the Mason-Dixon line, just west and north of it!

Chik-Fil-A (and now Sonic too) really does bombard the North East with those EAT MOR CHIKN ads. (which are pretty good ads) Don't you suppose they are planning a big splash in New England at some point?

BJK: attendance directly relates to tailgating fun. More fun, more fans. Less fun, more TV watchers.

Monan and, more likely, the notorious father Hanrahan knew how to party better than father Leahy. Father H was a psycho, but a big partier!

The games in the 1970s and early 80s were quite fun from a tailgating perspective.

chicagofire1871 said...

I'm glad the CFA Bowl reps aren't coming to Chestnut Hill and it has nothing to do with what will surely be a terrible atmosphere. I say, why give these guys free food, sky box seats, hotel rooms and whatever else schools do when these yuck-a-lucks turn out. It's not getting us anywhere, so screw 'em.

Groundhog said...

speaking of crappy tailgating and its correlation to bad attendance, has anyone seen the drawings for the 10 year BC Master Plan? the mod lot is being replaced with a "university center" and shea field is being turned into dorms. where in the H are we supposed to tailgate?

Unknown said...

I seriously think that we need some type of petition and/or letter writing campaign to make the flynn fund folks understand in no uncertain terms that the restrictions on tailgating (partly the fault of Newton/Brighton and partly the fault of BC) and the prices being charged for tailgating spots (minimum of $5K for the good spots, which is totally within the control of BC) is directly impacting attendance in a negative way.

Someone should take a photo of Robsham or Edmonds parking lot an hour before kickoff (prime tailgating time) and I guaranty they will be half empty (if I remember my camera I will do it and it would be great for others to send ATL pics as well so maybe we can get a post going on this that will get the attention of BC). In my opinion (although I obviously have no hard data to back this up) this is because the spots are too expensive so they are not all being sold, and the ones that are sold are to fat cat types/wine and cheese crowd who are so wealthy that they don’t mind missing some of the games if the weather is not perfect or they are in Bermuda for a weekend. The type of people we want buying those spots are young alumni who might be willing to donate $1000 but would never miss a game and plan their fall around the home games (not the other way around).

The problem is that BC wants to maximize donations to the Flynn Fund (which they may or may not be doing) but this is at the expense of tailgating and attendance (I think they mistakenly figured they would sell out no matter what). This is clearly not the case.

Oh – and not to pick on the cops but if a BCPD type or State Police officer gives me a dirty look one more time just for crossing the street I am gonna loose my mind – is there a rule they have to be grumpy, unhelpful and generally just jerks! At the ND game I talked to a few police officers and they were nothing but helpful and seemed to be able to smile (and I was decked out in BC gear). Perhaps that is not allowed in MA?!?

mod34b said...

Here is a blurb from a recent Heights article that sheds some insight on supposedly tight City of Boston regulations for permits...any know what the regulations say?

It also gives you a glimspe into what humps the BCPD and Staties really are...but hey they are cops on duty following orders, what would you expect?

As 3 p.m. approached on Saturday, the officers faced the task of mobilizing hundreds of tailgaters inside Alumni Stadium. According to Massachusetts law, all fans must be cleared out of the tailgating area prior to kick-off, Winslow said. This, he said, lightens traffic problems for the surrounding area.

Not following the ordinance, however, could have dire consequences for the athletics department. The University must acquire an individual permit from the City of Boston for each home game. Should the University not acquire a permit, it would have to hold a home game outside the City of Boston. "They would probably re-locate to Foxboro Stadium," Winslow said. "That's the only place that really makes sense."

Faced with that threat, the BCPD patrols the parking lots starting at 3 p.m., warning fans to "pack it up" and clear their tailgates. Some oblige. Others don't. "You have many people here who are used to the process," Winslow said. "Other people may have gotten their tickets from someone else and don't know how things are done, or sometimes they just don't care."

The BCPD doesn't take any chances, though. After sending patrol cars through the tailgating areas, which extend from Shea Field to Ignacio Hall, foot patrols pass through the lots to break up any stragglers, followed by state police officers on motorcycles.

The process continues as the game comes to a closes and the thousands of fans are escorted away from their tailgates, Winslow said.

CT said...

Whoa, I don't think CFA is bigger than Waffle House. Long live the Waffle House.

Their chicken sandwiches are good, though.

I'll tell you what. Instead of boycotting a company that still closes on Sundays owing to the owner's religious beliefs--losing revenue in the process, of course--let's try to sell-out some home games, travel well to bowl games where we do get invited, and stop blaming the bowls for being businesses.

I think this is less a respect for BC issue (football-wise) than it is a realization at just how crappy we'd make the bottom line look. Kinda simple.

Hasn't tailgating always been an issue? Then that wouldn't explain our forward-in-reverse momentum with home attendance.

Agreed BCMike. Skinner is a good example. However, his teams' efforts against the press and inbounding last season could have been, one would've thought, addressed in practice. Whoops. But, overall, nobody would confuse Skinner with Roy Williams.

Darius said...

I agree with CT on everything in his post. I will not be participating in a microboycott of Chick-fil-A. Microboycotts are ineffective and chiche.

Besides, I like Chick-fil-A. A lot. In fact, I'm getting hungry for Chick-fil-A just from all this talk about Chick-fil-A. I may have to hit a Chick-fil-A before this day is out, even though the closest Chick-fil-A is about 90 miles away.

It's not Chick-fil-A's fault are fanbase sucks. If only our fanbase were as committed to supporting our program as Chick-fil-A is to making a great chicken sandwich, we wouldn't be having this problem.

Did I mention I like Chick-fil-A?

Darius said...

"our," not "are." Damn, a good rant spoiled.

mod34b said...

expediency over principles...tsk tsk, tsk . .. such a listless self-blaming group. What a pity.

ya'll must have gotten too southern for yer own good.

ps. the tailgating was way better in the 1970s and early 1980s

Big Jack Krack said...

I think we should renegotiate and authorize tailgating on the Brighton Campus - even if it's something like "cold" picnic-type tailgating - no open grills, etc.

Also, add into the 10 year plan a bridge or several bridges across Commonwealth Avenue.

Other than that, Gene - you'd better get a USC, ND, Michigan, Tennessee type game every year at the Heights in addition to the league schedule. We'll have to carry a tough schedule every year.

Unknown said...

It's weird, I posted a comment on that website saying don't ever bother to come to BC since you'll never select them, and two days later it still hasn't appeared...