Many good points here, Nonni, I appreciate your honesty.

I think the money trail would show that a significant percentage of the
support does not come from Portland.  I appreciate your efforts over the
last 20 years, but please don't stop trying, because moving forward the
larger "potential" in terms of donors is in the southern part of the state.
It is growing so fast!  Hopefully some day this will bear fruit equal to the
effort.

I appreciate the effort, I do, and I don't want to minimize that.  There is
an attitude, not necessarily yours, among some that we should never play in
Portland, which I think is the wrong approach.  Yeah, maybe we shouldn't
play a home league game there -- I'll give you that, but one game a year
there shouldn't be a problem -- should it?

- Deron

P.S. - One of my most fond memories as a kid was watching a Maine vs. Notre
Dame hockey game as a kid at the Cumberland County Civic Center.  It was the
first time I ever saw Maine live.




----- Original Message -----
From: "nonni daly" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 10:48 PM
Subject: Re: never hurts to try...


> Deron -- I have watched attempts to cultivate support of UM athletic teams
> in southern Maine for nearly twenty years and it gets really old, really
> fast.  Yes, we have some strong supporters/alumni and some good donors
down
> in that area.  I won't ever dispute that fact.
>         At the same time, it is pretty obvious that unless UM moves to
> Portland, the support isn't there.  A couple of well attended hockey games
> over all these years is not proof of anything.  Does the football team
fill
> Fitzy?  The basketball teams fill CCCC?  Don't think so ...
>         I well remember reading a comment from a "fan" in Portland who
said,
> "If they bring in a 'quality' opponent, I'll be there!" -- gee, and the
> bumpkins in Orono can have the lesser quality?  Why not just be pleased to
> be able to see a hockey team of the quality of the Black Bears?
Pretentious
> attitude, Deron -- the guys deserve better than that.
>         And, I am not criticizing anything -- I am only stating fact in
> terms of warm bodies buying tickets and attending the event.  I certainly
> want supporters and donors in southern Maine to have a chance to see Maine
> Athletics, in general -- and not just hockey.  There are many alums down
> there -- where are they when they have a chance to see the only D-I school
> in the state compete in football, in hoops, in anything else?  Woefully
> lacking too much of the time -- you will notice I did not say ALL of the
> time.
>         Why don't the southern Maine media mavens cover UM?  Because it
> isn't "there"?  No local flavor?  Total lack of knowledge of what these
> teams are about?  Some of the reportage in the so-called Maine Sunday
> Telegram is proof of that, way too often.
>         And, exactly what do you mean when you say "when it is done right
> (under Whitehead)"?  It never was before?  And what was wrong with it
> before?  I remember clinics with the team and Walsh and local youth kids,
> trips to hospitals, Skate With the Bears, supporters from here taking the
> time to pack a ton of apparel and other items and sell them down there,
> others from here running the 50/50 down there ... selling programs, giving
> out information on The Friends of Maine Hockey.  We had to do it because
no
> one down there broke a sweat to see that these kinds of things were done.
>         And, maybe we need some kind of breakout on the money trail to see
> how much support to athletics comes from the southern part of the state.
If
> comparable (to population) financial support comes from there, then
> something must be working.  Spreading the wealth is one thing, packing a
> rink with supporters is something else.  I am not convinced that more than
> one game a year in any sport is worth the time, the effort and taking the
> kids away from their home ice/field/court advantage, unless there is
> tangible financial proof that it is worth it.
>
> --Maine native who attended Maine, lived "away" (God forbid) and came back
> here to watch Maine Hockey and support it -- quality opponents or not!
>
>
> > You can't have your cake and eat it too. You have criticized the
> > attempts to promote the state university's hockey team in the part of
> > the state with the most people and most wealth/disposable income (that
> > can be used to make donations to our beloved program).
> >
> > Yet you also cry poverty and in other posts you explain to us (which we
> > appreciate, thank you!) how the financial side of things work and how
> > critical donations are.
> >
> > To me, playing a game or two in Portland is a small price to pay if it
> > makes the southern part of the state feel involved and if it is done
> > right (as it has been in my opinion under Whitehead) you get the team
> > and the guys out in the community and it fosters all kinds of good
> > will, just like the events in the local Bangor area.
> >
> > The problem is not the fans in Southern Maine, but the media who
> > doesn't give them the coverage.  We are starved down here, honestly, as
> > posts here have indicated.
> >
> > Portland has packed a 6900 seat arena the last few years to see this
> > team since they've returned to Portland, (and I'll bet on two-sellouts
> > this year), so I find your comment about southern Maine not supporting
> > the team laughable, not to mention that if you don't ever come to
> > Portland, don't ever ask for those people to donate to the program.
> >
> > Just my southern Maine retort.
> >
> > - Signed: Life-long southern Maine resident who went to college in
> > Orono because of Maine hockey.
> >
>