Sunday, December 9, 2007

Sense For the Centsless


Thank you Dave (Ficklin) and Dave (WizardsCharter) for making the most sense out of this yet. I am a firm believer in communication. I believe this to be true of most people that if you explain the reason(s) behind decisions most people will accept the decision easier than handing it down as law.

This being said I want to say I was originally quite frustrated by the new costs to sit in the Cauldron. I do not have a lot of disposable money and my entertainment dollars go almost entirely to the Wizards. It was pretty hard to understand how the FO was doing us a favor by charging such a price for metal bleacher seats that the T-bones are getting to keep.

I could begin to justify this more in my mind if I believed that part of the 2008 STH Cauldron price was to begin to pay for a new stadium. I wish it were more about building on our future and less about covering construction costs for upgrades to a minor league ballpark.

I am grateful that Kansas City still has a soccer team and we didn’t have to see them leave only to have to bid on an expansion team once we finally had a SSS built, assuming that Kansas City would have continued to prove that it loved the beautiful game enough to make this happen. Perhaps its easier to be short sighted and complain about costs than to look into the reason for the price hike.

I accept this price hike like swallowing a double-edged sword. On one hand I see the need to cover the construction costs at CAB and to begin to build the Cauldron foundation outside the “hallowed” walls of Arrowhead. (Alas this foundation will cost quite a bit to move yet again.) On the other hand I also see the FO for the crafty foxes they are. Similar to the oil companies it’s easier to stomach today’s fuel prices after having paid in the low 3s earlier this year. Raise the price, knock it down, raise it again. By the time we move into the Three Trails SSS we won’t choke quite so quickly on the price they will want the 12th man to pay.

Oh but the price would be greater without a home team. The price of silence, beauty lost, aspirations fading. I will pay to keep the cacophony of the Cauldron, the beauty of the game and the dreams of the youth who play to one day be a Wizard.




"As long as Qi flows freely through the meridians and the Organs work in harmony, the body can avoid disease."

This has been,
Baines Qi

Friday, December 7, 2007

Rose Colored Glasses


Inhale. Ok, are you feeling the burn? You do. Good, now go ahead and exhale.

Are you seeing more clearly? If not you might need another drag before you read this.




date Dec 7, 2007 8:43 PM
subject2008 Cauldron Season Tickets


Wizards fans,


After a great deal of consultation and deliberation, we can now announce the details for the 2008 Cauldron.


The section is going to be the area that is currently the left field berm--we are installing bleachers in that whole area. On the map below, those are the two areas in yellow immediately adjacent to the west end line. The other three bleacher sections are higher.


The full season ticket price in The Cauldron will be $299, $35 less than standard bleacher pricing. The half season and walk up pricing will be the same as standard bleacher pricing, $190 (for 10 games) and $20 respectively.


Full season ticket holders get a parking pass in the close paved lot, unused ticket exchange privileges, and more.


If you have been waiting on this to renew, and wish to do so, please do so via Account Manager, or drop me a line.


The installation of these bleachers is a (remarkably) expensive undertaking, and this is, more than any other decision made with regard to the seating at CAB, a decision of policy rather than the bottom line. The organization wants The Cauldron to provide home field advantage, and being a few yards from the goal and near the corner flag can help in that regard, more than any other spot. The safety concerns played some role in choosing to not leave that as berm; the comfort concerns did as well. Plus, you can make a lot more noise on metal.


There are approximately 700 spots in that section. The success of this experiment will determine the size of The Cauldron in the new stadium. We made huge strides last year, but we need to build on it. We need to fill these seats.


To order season tickets for next year, please email (spierron@kcwizards.com) me, PM me, or call me (785-218-3636).


If you want to come out and see where The Cauldron will be for yourself (and, perhaps, place an order), come by Community America Ballpark next Monday through Saturday, 9am-4pm.



Thanks,
Sam





Stated by ownership last year, "we appreciate everything you the Cauldron have done for us this season. We are going to take care of you next year."





Hold on, after reading that I think I need a few more hits.





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