(05-18-2013 10:24 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(05-18-2013 03:32 AM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(05-17-2013 09:23 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(05-17-2013 09:13 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(05-17-2013 08:54 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  Making the Big East have it's tournament the same time as the mid-majors is tearing up the contract.

I'll be honest - the prospect of MSG having the Big East and ACC tournaments back-to-back isn't completely far-fetched to me. That being said, I also think that ESPN is vastly overstating this story. I'm very certain that the ACC would love to play at MSG regularly (maybe once every 3 years or even every other year), but there's very little chance that they'd make it into a permanent site. You're not prying that tournament out of North Carolina for more than one year at a time.

How about the Big East agreeing to have their tournament a week earlier and Fox signing off on that move? I highly doubt that would happen and if MSG signed the ACC the Big East would sue MSG and would move across the river to Brooklyn. Would be better for the Big East anyway since Brooklyn is the hipper cooler borough in the city and recruits would love that.

That move could also hurt the Gardens relationship with SJU. Before some Cuse fan makes some stupid joke about SJU and it's fans, let me just say that we're talking about 10-12 games being lost and giving their direct competitors even more business. Barclays is the only reason the Garden got an upgrade in the first place. Cuse will only play one to two games there a year and thats all before Christmas.

I have nothing against Brooklyn. I was born there and grew up there. But Barclay should never be mentioned for a college basketball tournament.

It works for the Nets because it's perfect for commuters, sitting right on top of a LIRR terminal and having easy subway access.

But a conference tournament needs accommodations for out-of-towners. The Garden has hotels right across the street. Brooklyn has very limited hotel space and nothing immediately in the vicinity of Barclay.

Out-of-towners are easily intimidated by NYC. For them, trying to find their way to the arena by subway can be very confusing. The Sheraton is the nicest hotel downtown Brooklyn and its walkable to Barclay, but the walk would be intimidating because it's the busiest part of Brooklyn. Cabs are not as readily available in downtown Brooklyn as they are in midtown Manhattan - especially at 11:00 or so at night when tournament games end. What restaurants are available after a game on Atlantic or Flatbush Avenues at that time of night?

NY is the nation's biggest tourist mecca, giving visitors lots to do as tournament week moves on and there are fewer games - Broadway theaters, museums, Central park, the Empire State building, Ellis Island, Little Italy and China Town, the Financial district, South street Seaport, etc. But all that stuff's in Manhattan. And again out-of-twoners would be easily confused by navigating the city from downtown Brooklyn than from midtown Manhattan.

The first time I went to NYC, I didn't have any trouble navigating my way around the Burroughs via mass transit. But I can read a map. So perhaps I'm different than most...

This is not speculative on my part. Because I'm a native New yorker, I've been asked many times to accompany out-of-towners to The City to help them get around.

Moreover, we're talking about Brooklyn here. I'm guessing that you've never been to Brooklyn. It's very different than Manhattan, which is laid out in a grid and is easier than Brooklyn to navigate. Brooklyn's dicier neighborhoods are closer to Barclay than Manhattan's are to the Garden. Accommodations in Manhattan are all within easy walking distance of the Garden or are a short taxi ride away. This is not true in Brooklyn, which does not have the late night Broadway theaters to keep the taxis running late.

You're talking about your experience in Manhattan. If you've ever been to Brooklyn, talk about that experience. The two are worlds apart.