The Dark Ranger: A Bitter Post

Bio of TDR

TDR is a working professional in entertainment and is obsessed with the game of hockey. More four years ago, this site emerged as a means (or an outlet) to tell some truth'isms about the game post-lockout, rather than the crud fed to us through knuckleheads like Jimmy Dolan and his lemmings universe. Today, there are a hundred Rangers sites and is thankful and grateful to all those that have come after him, but honorable thanks go to his fellow Dark-writers, Graying Mantis and J_Undisputed. And "Let's Go Rangers!"

Bio of Graying Mantis

Graying Mantis is in fact a graying legal practitioner by day (and sometimes, alas, by night). In the cobwebs of his memory, he recalls starting to follow the Blueshirts in 1970 and remembers watching pivotal playoff games against the Blackhawks on a snow-covered Hartford t.v. channel in their 1972 march to the Finals. Giacomin, Gilbert, Ratelle, and Hadfield seen skating on a small B&W TV screens always will be among his first Ranger memories. He is grateful beyond words for the opportunity to work with his colleagues here in their never ending battle to inform and entertain. Most of all, he appreciates the chance to engage with fellow hockey fans.

Bio of J_Undisputed

"J_Undisputed is an Information Tech Professional; a student, and on and off in his dreams, Mike Richter. He caught his first glimpse of Rangers Hockey when an overtime preempted his favorite pro wrestling broadcast on WWOR-9 one late saturday night when he was 5 and he's been hooked ever since. He's been watching the Rangers for 30 years despite family attempts to make him an Islander Fan (Rest easy...they're out of the will). What started as a minor annoyance has become a life long passion (and at times, a frustration...But he wouldn't trade it for anything). Lets Go Rangers!"

Bio of General Ganz

General Ganz is a cynical yet well-informed student of the human spirit. He's a professional of sorts, with a post-graduate education, some experience working in real companies, and some limited athletic ability. The total small package. He got picked on a fair bit as a kid, and he experienced his first human-non-relation kiss in his teens. He also grew up on the other side of the tracks, thereby helping to cultivate a healthy contempt for dreamers and optimists whose rosy upbringing gave them something to smile about, even when "life produced lemons." Like it or not, his only mission is to point out the potholes you're lucky enough to miss on your drive to work. To find the blemish on your daughter's carefully-stitched (and not-yet-paid-for) wedding dress. To take that little smidgen of hope that your favorite hockey teams fill you with, and pour orange paint on it. Oh, and he is a Blueshirts fan, and takes most of his fashion direction from Ron Duguay (whose name he dropped as a way to close the deal on that first kiss).

Friday, November 13, 2009

A Bitter Post

NYR 3, Atlanta Suckies 5

I am pissed off. Who cares? I do.

In more ways than one, The Dark Ranger is inebriated by a number of beers tonight and feeling passionate and ready to speak truth-isms that no other bloggers are willing to print tonight post-game. They are all afraid of MSG revoking their free-ticket-press/blogger passes to every game in the name of good press. Forget about the game until the morning, let's talk about the fans and the attendance. Here goes...

Before I even record a single word about the least-passionate game of the season, let's look at the following statistic that has already been re-printed in three NY Rangers blogs post-game already tonight, including a recurring thematic email I have received throughout the season as a NY Ranger Insider:

• New York has sold out 165 consecutive regular season games, dating back to Nov. 5, 2005 against New Jersey; the last regular season non-sellout was Oct. 31, 2005 vs. Montreal (17,697); including the playoffs, the Rangers sellout streak is now at 179 games.

This is complete horseshit and contrived by The Garden, Jimmy Dolan and his lemmings. It is a false statement that includes the premium cost of corporate sponsorships and corporate tickets and averaging them to justify this 'sellout position' that The Garden is claiming. Despite the team, this is sad PR and symbolic of the product we get on the ice as we - the working man - have to pay for seats these hard-days. These sellout statistics are sad, as it is obviously transparent, while equally false to the fans when they pay attention and give a damn.

Who wants to call out the second most NHL powerful franchise on how they value their stock, team and worth? Me ( and our legion of Dark-followers)!

Well, let's get real about this Garden Faithful as I brought three clients of mine to The Garden this evening to find less than 50% of the 18,000 seats attending, lest I forget to mention that I have received offers every game with a special limited "new block of tickets available for season-ticket-holders only" direct from The Garden and my NY Rangers account rep has called me 10 times this season offering me additional seats 24 hours before the puck drops. That hardly feels like another sellout game!!?

Should I also mention that this is the only season in 10 years that The Dark Ranger has NOT BEEN ABLE TO SELL ANY SEATS FOR COST to friends & family, regardless of who they were playing? The scalpers are buying at 25% of cost in front of The Garden at game-time and I cannot unload season-tickets to the regulars because it's a buyer's market. As a single ticket consumer, you can pick the game, pay less than half the ticket cost (without premiums) and pretty much sit where you want. This is a first for me, as I have four seats and every game where no one buys them, I am out $432.00 per game for my 4 seats at $108 a piece if I have a life unable to attend every single home game. Holy crap! The Garden = Season Ticket Holder Sucka Born Every Minute.

I am in the season-ticket-holding doghouse. But I digress...

Oh, and the game tonight. We lost again tonight. No one on the ice cared. Official recap here.

Tomorrow I'll sleep this off, elaborate somewhat and actually analyze the game and get this slowly-developing chip off my shoulder.

Time out for me.

tdr

3 comments:

AnonymousNov 13, 2009 05:39 AM
Finally a person speaks the truth. No person without corporate connections can afford to go to a game. Let me see: $225 for two seats, $30 to park, $10 for one beer plus tolls and gas. So I can drop at least $265 for a few hours of fun or buy groceries to eat or oil to heat my house. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. The economy sucks and MSG is cooking the books.
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AnonymousNov 13, 2009 09:16 AM
With that said, nobody forced you to get the $108 tickets, there are plenty of cheaper options at the Garden. If I was a casual buyer, I would look for someone selling tickets below face value, it makes sense. As a matter of fact I just dropped $100 per ticket for Rangers vs Islanders at Nassau for 12/17, face value. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, and it's not just a random game.
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The Dark RangerNov 23, 2009 02:13 PM
No question about it, anonymous...as a non-season ticket holder the Garden is your choice to take. Literally, I cannot get 20 bucks a ticket from the scalpers for a pair -- because even the illegal guys are overstocked with no one coming.

It makes me re-think renewing...and even moreso, if there's a half-ass chance we actually do get out of this slump and make the playoffs, there is another thing to consider. If I lay all the dough on the table to maintain my seats and pay for the playoffs, will people still stay home?

tdr
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