Earlier this week I wrote:
>Many of us who had such a good time in Albany were planning on attending in
>1993 irrespective of the participants (as we had for previous Phinal Phours
>in Minneapolis, Lake Placid and Providence) ....
    -----------
  My apologies to Pam Sweeney, Erik Biever et al. who gently pointed out that
the St. Paul Civic Center is *NOT* in Minneapolis .... I guess it's my turn
to eat lexographic crow this time, having chided folks in the past for mis-
spelling *my* hometown.  Mea maxima culpa - I'll do better next time :-)
 
Dave Parter writes:
>I strongly suggest you write a letter to the Bradley Center complaining
>about the policy, as (in your words) a "College *HOCKEY* fan" who will go
>regardless of who is in the tournament.
 
  This is an excellent suggestion - I'm planning to draft a letter this
weekend and send it on out.  Could someone please repost the snail-mail
address for the Bradley Center ??  Thanks ....
 
>Perhaps they can put "out of state" purchasers on the top of the list too.
 
When pigs can fly and the Red Sox and/or the Cubs win a World Series .... :-)
 
Dave makes some further comments re: Bradley Center concerns about cash flow
and the potential for overlap between various groups on the priority list.
Both are valid points, but in light of the more liberal first-come, first-
served policy regarding ticket availability used at previous Phinal Phour
sites, it's a major policy change.  Was/must the NC$$ be consulted, or are
venues free to allocate tix any way *they* see fit ??  Regardless of NC$$
(non)involvement, the situation seems (to me) to be an over-reaction to the
half-empty venues that plagued the Regional Sites in 1992.  But regional
contests are *not the same* as the Phinal Phour, and it angers me that the
Bradley Center has chosen to so disadvantage distant fans who cannot (or
choose not to) attend the Badger Showdown.  I'd always felt a certain hockey
smugness whenever the announcement concerning the ticket lottery for *next*
year's NC$$ BasketBall Tournament was made during this year's tournament still
in progress - we hockey fans wouldn't be shut out from *our* tournament a full
year in advance.  Sadly, it appears that day is now close at hand :-(
 
					Grumbles from the Chesapeake - Jim
 
Jim Love
UNH '79, '85G