ICE HOCKEY

BASEBALL

COLLEGES

 San Jose Giants (B)

• Music:  Great variety, every genre that fits a southern area was played.  A good mixture of country with classic rock, modern rock, adult contemporary, oldies and more.  There was a lack of an organist but there were instrumental fan-interaction bits that were played.  Rarely will you find an organist at a hockey game anymore so there isn't a down grade for that.  Additionally, the music was loud but not too loud.  You had trouble talking to the person next to you at times but you don't go to a hockey game like Pee Dee's and talk.  Music grade: A+
  
• Pre-Game production:  It was an emotional night because the hometown Pride were recognizing their playoff run the season before and the fans were really into it.  The use of laser lights and smoke machines was done really well, so well that it excited the fans and pumped them up for the game.  Pre-game production grade: A+
  
• In-Game production:  This includes promotions that may be done and these were done ok.  Good music and fan interaction but again the PA announcer took away from this a little bit with his high tweaked voice.  The promotions were typical but the fans seemed involved in the sling-shot promotions.  In-Game production: B+
  
• Public Address Announcer:  Was the worst part of the evening.  He was a radio station DJ and has the typical problem of talking too fast into a PA mic.  He needed to slow down most of his talking to make it understandable.  He screamed into the mic for the Pride and was quiet for the visitors which detracts from fan enjoyment.  When he hit sounds with "s" or "c", it irritated the ears a little, they really needed to take out some of the "highs" (less treble) on the mixer to make his voice blend in better with the system.  Public Address Announcer grade:  C
  
• Intangibles:  This includes ushers, mascots, staff, etc.  Everyone I met with the Pride certainly took pride in the job they did and were happy to help with anything.  Fans showed up early to tailgate and some of the workers joined the fans prior to going to work.  They were always smiling regardless of the time.  When all who were at the arena were tired after the game, the employees all had sincere smiles on their faces.  Intangibles grade: A+

• Music:  When you’re in the south, you’d expect to hear a little bit of country played during a visit. Apparently, the fans aren’t into country much in Charlotte because staff said it didn’t work before.  Not much else was working during our visits so maybe they should’ve tried some country.  The music level was good all throughout the games, not too loud or too quiet.  The person controlling the levels was different than that doing the music, he did a good job of keeping everything the same except for the PA announcer prior to the game.  The pre-game ads were read fast and with the volume level not being there, it was tough to understand.  The Checkers had different goal songs and once the music started, it was the fans cue to sit.  Having seen both styles of one song and many songs used for celebration of goals/home runs, it’s recommended to find one and stick to it.  Fan interaction is better.  Between periods, the playing of YMCA got the small mid-week crowd going and they were enjoying their time.  The selection of music though just didn’t seem to fit the fans.  Mostly fans who enjoyed music from ’75-’90, a lot of this era was ignored and the songs from those 15 years weren’t the type to get people moving.  The whistle following an exciting and crowd-energizing fight was the mellow “Mustang Sally”.  Not a bad song to have in the arsenal, but find something that’s a little more rocking than this. “Shook Me All Night Long”, “Rock and Roll All Night”, “Love Shack”, "Cum on Feel the Noize", or something in these neighborhoods would’ve been a better choice.  The crowd prompts used during the game were good.  Maybe a couple more different ones should be thrown in here and there to keep it fresh.  Music grade:  C
   
• Pre-Game production: Before the game, not much to talk about. The lights went out for the introductions, thanks to the video board operator for providing the names as the screaming announcer was tough to understand, and the National Anthem wasn’t much either. It was a basic pre-game with the light show and all, done better than most but not memorable.  Pre-game production grade:  C
   
• In-game Production: Chuck-A-Puck!!!  YAY!!!  Ok, it’s obvious we enjoy Chuck-A-Puck and part of the reason is it gives all those who want to participate in a contest the chance to participate. There is always the chance of winning because pucks roll. That in mind, it was cool to see the pucks come flying down again.  The blimp and chuck-a-puck were only there the second night so the first night was ranked a little lower.  The blimp dropped coupons for prizes however they were to the same people who had T-shirts thrown at them as one section received eight chances at T-shirt thrown into the stands during the period breaks.  They were also a lucky section during the game and had coupons given to them as well.  Spread the wealth a little.  The human sling-shot promotion seems like a good promotion, just need to make sure you get people who want to act in it.  Can’t really control that but they do control who they pick.  Instead of picking names out of a hat and announcing the names (so the PA announcer who is also the between-period host--big plus here--can have the names), they go to the person’s seat.  Well, don’t go to the bathroom during the game or decide to sit with a friend at the last minute or you could miss out on winning a car.  This goes in the category of lucky signatures in the programs, a nice idea, but in the end gives fans the feeling of "never had a chance".  Another promotion that some other teams are doing that's always a good idea is offering rides on the ice resurfacer between periods.  As anyone who has ever ridden on or driven one will tell you, it's fun!  The grade is as high as it is for two reasons, Chuck-A-Puck & the P. A. announcer as host of the contests, but more really could’ve been done.  In-game production grade: B-
   
• Public Address Announcer:  First the positives.  This announcer’s voice is a good voice to have over a PA system in the south.  Not too much of a drawl but enough twang to remind you you’re in Dixie, nice voice.  Someone once said, “Don’t create potential problems.”  This is something P. A. announcers, especially in the south should take into consideration before starting.  You DON’T need to announce the period of something happening because people can see the period on the scoreboard.  Plus, when you announce, “…penalty comes at 4:23 of the second, third period,” it sounds bad.  Eliminate the announcing of the period and you eliminate a possible dumb mistake.  Also, with the crowd tending to want to make noise during the game, it’s a good idea to repeat goals scored and penalties a second time to make sure the fans heard you correctly, especially when there are several penalties all together.  In the area of, “I can see that already,” don’t announce which goal number or announce how many goals in the game a player has until his second goal.  For example, “Checkers first goal, scoring his first of the game…” Two things wrong here, I can see it’s the first goal of the game, I’ve been watching the game.  If you have several goals back-to-back, then it’s ok to announce the goal number, but not when they are spaced out.  The second point, it’s obvious that on the first goal scored of the game that the player will be recording his first goal of the game.  It’s not possible to score two goals for yourself in a 1-0 game.  Give the fans some credit and don’t state the insanely obvious.  Public Address announcer grade: B-
   
• Intangibles:  There is just something about watching a sporting event at a truly old arena.  The gym at University of San Francisco, San Jose’s Municipal Stadium and Charlotte’s Cricket Arena (known also as Independence Arena) are all the kinds of places that have seen a lot games.  Whether you're upstairs on the main concourse, walk down to the restaurant, or have rink-side seats, there is always a restroom and a concession stand to serve you (this goes in with the "far ahead of it's time" comment from earlier).  The ushers are very plentiful and willing to help, except for a couple behind the goals who stood in the narrow walkways instead of in a section.  Souvenirs seemed typical but to have a Nathan’s hot dog (the original Nathan’s can be found beyond left field at KeySpan Park in Brooklyn, NY) at a hockey game in Charlotte was a nice surprise.  Add to that the wide variety of other concessions, the video board that actually shows videos, replays and other live action, the side message boards which provide information and the uniqueness of the building, this is a nice place to visit.  The second game we attended, there was a bingo contest in which fans could win depending on what happened in the game.  A good idea to keep fans involved for the most part and rooting for the good things.  Intangibles grade: B

• Music:  Before the game was fine, but during halftime, only a couple of songs were played.  The problem here was that the same two songs were played three times each instead of throwing some mix in there like they had in the pre-game.  Looking around the stadium, about 25% of the fans were students, 5% were Florida State fans and of the remaining 70%, most were 20-40 years old.  The pre-game music was tailored right to them.  A lot of classic rock from the 70's and 80's mixed in with funk and some occasional reggae.  It was interesting to hear Bob Marley as the first song.  Even more interesting was the fact the music person waited 30 minutes after the gates opened to start playing music.  As the teams came out on to the field for their warm-ups, "Desire" was playing over the PA system.  Not sure if it was meant for the players or not, but it did sound good.  The sound person did a good job of increasing the music level as the crowd entered the stadium and the din of the fans increased.  Music grade:  B
  
• Pre-game production:  Hearing the Florida State University Marching Band play the fight song and the "tomahawk chop" in person is amazing.  There isn't a CD that can cover the sound this group makes.  But when the North Carolina Tarheels band took the field to play the school's alma mater, the place rose to their feet.  The band spelled UNC on the field, stood in a North Carolina state formation and really had the crowd going.  Once the players took the field, the place went nuts.  It was an amazing sound to hear all these fans cheering for their team with the fans in the end zone above the player's entrance shaking their pom-poms, a rush comes over you.  The highlights and videos played before the game really got the crowd pumped, including the "Hells Bells" video which showed highlights of North Carolina defeating Florida State.  The videos started about 15 minutes before the game.  The gates opened two hours before the game and the only thing on the video board beside the UNC logo, was the occasional football kicked by a place kicker.  They really should've had something up there, anything to keep the fans interested, to get them going.  Pre-game production grade:  B
  
• In-game production:  Very little done in-game by way of promotions or anything towards the fans.  There was a "find the football" video during the game but that was pretty much it.  Nothing in trivia questions, did you know, etc.  All they showed during TV timeouts were commercials on a new video board in one of the end zones.  They didn't make good use of their new toy.  Half-time had a band performance, a ceremony to add eight new members to the ring of fame on the stadium and a promotion by Chik-Fil-A where contestants tried to put together a photo to win prizes.  The contestants names were unavailable to the person on the field doing the play-by-play and the music was not conducive to what was going on (should have been "Chicken Dance").  When the band performed, the band's announcer, like he had before the game, read the names of the people involved with the band way too quickly and none of the names were really caught.  In-game production grade:  D
  
• Public Address Announcer:  Not a bad announcer, but did have a consistent problem of not waiting for the crowd noise to die down before making an announcement.  In the second half with most of the people gone, it wasn't a problem.  In the first half, it was like there wasn't an announcer.  He had a good voice for announcing, but should've waited until the crowd got a little quieter.  Public Address Announcer grade:  B
  
• Intangibles:  The ushers and other people who worked for the school were very friendly and informative.  They could tell you anything you needed to know about the school, the team, and the stadium.  One usher even urged fans to pick up pom-poms even though they were wearing colors of the opposing team.  The concession stands were run by various student organizations from campus which allowed those organizations to make money that would then get reinvested back into the school.  This was something not yet seen in most college settings.  The only drawback was the message boards on the side of the stadium.  Nothing went on the message boards except for "2003 Carolina Football".  This would've been a good place to put who ran the ball or even some statistics about the game.  It seemed like a waste of money to have them up there.  Intangibles grade:  A

• Music:  The music was good.  AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" to introduce the Falcons was a perfect volume, really loud!  Pre-game and warm-ups were good.  A good mix of 80's, 90's and classic rock then switching over to modern rock for the warm-ups was smooth.  Good transitions.  In-game, songs were pretty typical and didn't seem to energize the fans too much.  The occasional instrumental fan-interaction bit was thrown in there and the over-play of the theme from "The People's Court" for visiting penalties got old in the third period.  Music grade:  B
  
• Pre-game production:  Didn't have many lighting effects but the team coming out through the fog looked pretty good, even though it's something that's pretty much the norm now.  The music was simply thunderous and the players were ready to go.  They were pumped which made for an awesome first period, exactly what you want your pre-game production to do.  Pre-game production grade:  B+
  
• In-game production:  Typical sling shot stuff into the seats with a shootout, but Fresno added something a little different from the norm.  A broom ball game between periods that pitted two car dealerships against each other.  Entertaining to watch as Californians who don't walk on ice much were slipping and sliding their way around the rink.  This was funny.  In-game production grade:  B+
  
• Public Address Announcer:  Was obviously pumped up and it radiated to the fans.  Smiles are excelled through voice, excitement is as well, phoniness is too.  This guy though, was the first two and there wasn't any phoniness to his voice.  When announcing the visiting team's goals, you could hear he was in the same frame of mind as the fans.  When the Falcons scored, he cheered through his voice.  Professional all the way and he was really into the game.  If the announcer is bored or fakes enthusiasm, it comes through on the mic, he definitely wasn't.  He was pumping it out but was talking too fast with announcements at some points.  Public Address Announcer grade:  B+
  
• Intangibles:  Mascot, Freddy Falcon was there.  He was making sure the fans enjoyed the game but you didn't see him in the stands much (if at all).  There were kids at the game but it seemed there was much more of a grown-up crowd and not many families with young kids.  I know hockey is a physical sport but some places have a lot of kids at their games.  The lack of staff to ask questions of was tough as was the 15-minute wait at the souvenir stand while the Falcon staff members figured out how to use the cash register and credit card machines.  The Falcons did a good job working with an older arena but the feel there was great!  Intangibles grade:  C
  
• Notes:  Following the 2002-03 season, the WCHL merged with the East Coast Hockey League to become the ECHL.  The Falcons are now a member of the ECHL.

• Music:  Great selection.  Big band, oldies, disco, funk, classic rock, 80's and adult contemporary offer fans variety. The computerized organ and other sound effects add to the overall atmosphere at the game.  The thumptitude is felt in your chest when a song with a good beat steps up.  Fans are always bouncing their feet and clapping their hands.  Music grade:  A
  
• Pre-Game production:  Not much pre-game wise as in most Minor League parks.  Kids took the field with the players and the anthem singer was good.  It's tough to get a bad mark in pre-game in Minor League Baseball unless you do something really bad.  Pre-Game production:  B
  
• In-Game production:  Good promotions except for the sandwich race.  Doesn't seem to really even been anything.  The best promotion though is watching players throw baseballs at the head lights of a bread truck that's had all of it's windows removed so they can keep the promotion going all year long.  Dances are fun and that's what the fans came for.  In-Game production:  B+
  
• Public Address Announcer:  Good to listen to during the game.  You can understand every word he says on the PA system and he keeps you informed.  Talking too fast or favoring the Giants over another team is not what this guy does.  The one set-back though, was that it took about 8  minutes (twice than normal) for the starting line-ups to be read.  This was good for fans writing the names in but there seemed to be a lot of dead air to work with as well.  You kept saying to yourself, who's the next one.  Other than that, he's good.  Public Address Announcer:  B
  
• Intangibles:  That walk way was cool to look at with all of the other murals that are painted there.  Bring a camera and get some pictures of this.  I'm not one to spend too much time on the concourse at a game, but this was outright amazing.  I spent a good half-hour after the game looking at these and taking pictures.  The only draw-back that I saw that would take away from enjoyment was the set-up of the barbeque area.  With the best Tri-tip in the California League, you want to get-in quick and get-out quick so you don't miss the game.  Problem is, you have to wait in one line that can be long to get in another line to hand a ticket to a person and wait for your order.  Then, orders aren't don't in order.  I saw a fan that ordered before I did get their sausage after I did because of all the Tri-tip orders that came in.  I might have gotten one more each time I went there except for this.  Also, it closed early which meant there was no way I was going to get another late after I let the first one digest.  Intangibles:  C+

• Music:  It was a good mix of everything but middle-of-the-road by way of excitement.  It didn't seem to energize the fans much and there wasn't much in the way of extra music to get the fans into it.  The lack of sound effects and crowd prompts wasn't really noticed because of the 8,000+ fans that were in constant attendance.  The sound system at KeySpan Park was a good system giving out good quality sound.  Music grade:  C
  

• Pre-Game production:  When a gold-medallist throws out your first pitch, a color guard presents colors and a good National Anthem singer, you are going to get a high mark and the Cyclones did.  They use their video board well to go along with pre-game PA's and even have Warner Fusselle reading the safety rules on the video board.  Pre-game production grade:  B
  

• In-Game production:  When you pack them in after a 40+ year absence of baseball, not much is needed to keep the fans into it.  Stuff is thrown into the stands and basic on-field contests are done but nothing really stood out.  In-Game production grade:  C
  

• Public Address announcer:  It might be New York tradition to have an older gentleman do the PA announcing because that is what Brooklyn has.  He has a good voice with a hint of a Brooklyn accent to give him that home town feel.  Fans can't identify who the announcer is because he is set so far from everyone else.  He'll probably be there for years to come until he retires.  Public Address announcer grade:  C
  

• Intangibles:  How can you not like a park where there is the roller coaster the team was named after behind the left field wall, the Atlantic Ocean beyond the right-field wall and Coney Island all around you.  Granted it's not the same Coney Island it was 30 years ago but there is still plenty to do around the stadium.  Spend a day at the beach then cross the board walk and enter the stadium.  Take a look at the Parachute Jump ride that is still standing behind the right field bullpen.  Walk down to Nathan's to have a hot dog (or four) with fries but be prepared to wait, the staff there is really slow.  Then once you are in the park, stop by the two-story souvenir store or walk around the concourse that gives you a carnival type atmosphere.  If you like to shop for bargains, there are many little booths along Surf Ave. where you'll find just about anything.  If you are staying in the city, the elevated subway runs right near the stadium but make sure to ask someone which train to take because you could end up somewhere else in New York City.  Intangibles grade:  A

• Music:  Is played pretty well in the land of "Old Time Hockey".  The fans get into it and there is an electricity in the stands.  It's not just realizing that a very good portion of the classic "Slap Shot" was filmed there.  The arena hasn't changed much except there isn't an organist but the music does add to the effect.  Can't really pinpoint one song that stood out.  Music grade:  B
  

• Pre-Game production:  The light show, fireworks, loud music and such are amazing.  The only problem is that the fireworks melt into the ice and it takes a while for the smoke to clear so don't sit behind the Johnstown goal in the first period.  Plenty of announcements to keep fans informed as to what's coming up, what's going on and where to sign up for stuff.  Pre-game production grade:  B
  

• In-Game production:  Chuck-a-puck along with a couple of shoot-at-the-board promotions keep this one average.  But when those pucks fly in the small arena, they fly fast and hard so watch out.  No secondary announcer is good.  Having one PA announcer is the best, using more than one in a game will easily get a mark-down.  In-game production:  B-
  

• Public Address announcer:  Has only a microphone and a pane of glass to protect him from everything else.  The fans, the game and the players in the penalty box.  This has to be a fun place especially when the players are still jawing at each other.  It is unique to hear what the players say while the announcer is trying to announce the penalties.  Good annunciation and not too much in the yelling category.  Problem was, there are dead spots by way of sound in the arena.  You could sit on the glass and hear everything clearly.  Sit in the next two rows back and hear nothing.  From row four up, it was OK.  It was this way behind the goal, just kind of a weird place to have that happen.  Public Address announcer grade:  C
  

• Intangibles:  Inside the arena, you can see that the pressbox is still hanging from the roof on one side, you can walk down the same concourse area the actresses did at the end of the movie, walk up to the same pressbox Jim Carr broadcast from in the movie, walk out the same tunnel the team took the ice to and see the door of the office used in the movie.  That office is now storage as a new office area was built a few years ago but standing in the same spot Paul Newman did is still fun and interesting.  The people are great and love their Chiefs.  Intangibles grade:  A

• Music:  Prior to entering the arena, I was told that the person doing the music played music that was geared more to the players and not to the fans who are a base of 40-60 year old graduates of the school.  A lot of the music during shoot-around was rap beats and some new songs but definitely not geared toward the fans.  This atmosphere lasted into the game a little.  After some words and encouragement, the sound person started to watch the crowd's reaction to the music and was pulling some sound tricks even the most experienced sound techs wont try.  He faded nicely out of a song right at the final buzzer of a timeout and put up a crowd effect.  He dropped a couple of crowd prompts during dead balls late in the game and even threw in an "Awesome Baby" after two successful foul shots.  The music and the production by far got better in the second half.   Music grade:  B
  

• Pre-Game production:  The music wasn't much to listen to especially an extra 15 minutes of it because one of the officials slated for the game didn't know about the game!  Another official was found and the game delayed.  The National Anthem singer did an excellent job with the Anthem by keeping a good pace and getting the words right.  The cheerleaders helped to bring the players onto the court and the music was good at pumping up the crowd a little.  Not much by way of lighting but in an old gym, it's tough to pull it off.  Pre-Game production grade:  B
  

• In-Game production:  Every media timeout had something tied to it.  Whether it was a couple of PA announcements or the cheerleaders drowning the crowd with candy, pizza, shirts or more, there was always something.  After a big second-half run by the Dons to get within nine points of the lead, the place was rockin' to "We Will Rock You".  The crowd stayed pumped throughout the rest of the game even though the Orange won easily.  In-Game production:  B
  

• Public Address announcer:  Had a very similar voice and inflection to the announcer with George Mason University's men's team but did a better job with it.  He was up for the Dons and gave the Orange the time of day when they made baskets.  Just a couple of "XX team foul of the first half" here and there but it was an overall enjoyable game to listen to.  Following the game, he was very interested to know how to make his voice sound better and was listening to advice that was given to him.  A lot of announcers are too full of themselves to even care, especially those who've been doing it for a while.  Public Address announcer grade:  B-
  

• Intangibles:  The gym is old and it shows, but in only two places.  The roof is rowed with arches and has a cool feel to it and the concession stand is underneath the playing floor.  You have to go downstairs to get your hot dogs, sodas, etc.  It's kind of strange to think a player on the foul line is right above the grill.  They do have a close-circuit system that allows fans visiting "The Hacienda" to still catch the game.  To equate this arena to another is really quite simple.  It has a very similar feel to that of the Smith Center (George Washington University) with it's three rows of bleachers on the floor, closeness of the stands to the playing floor and elevated seating areas in the end zones and sidelines.  Walk into the lobby and see all of the school's hardware including the National Champion trophy for the Russell/Green team.  Intangibles grade:  B+

• Music:  Done ok, although more could have been done.  Some of the same songs were played multiple times and I'm not referring to goal songs.  "Great Balls of Fire" was played three times in the final two periods meaning the crew wasn't prepared for the number of stoppages in hockey.  Also, the sound computer was using .wav files (and not Sports Sounds) meaning sound files were 10 times the size they should have been and causing computer skipping effects through the system.  Between periods, the music was way too quiet and way to slow, not a good thing when everywhere you go you see the ice and hear the music.  The fans were excited after the first period ended and were sitting/talking when the second period started.  Not much by way of tying the music in with penalties and Kern Kraft 400 (the new goal song) was started way too early.  It was turned down by the time it got to the bass part to encourage fans to clap along.   Music grade:  C-
  

• Pre-Game production:  Did not see the pre-game production as we arrived four minutes into the start of the game.  Looking around the arena, it did not look as if there were lighting effects in the arena but could have been hid fairly well.  Pre-Game production grade:  NA
  

• In-Game production:  Not much until the period breaks.  Then, some familiar (chuck-a-puck) and unfamiliar (snow-shoe scamper) were performed.  Fans enjoyed the chuck-a-pucks--which were free--and cheered on the kids who made their way onto the ice for the relay race.  The promotions crew did an excellent job getting the fans to interact but they really need to find a way to get T-shirts to the fans behind the goals who are blocked by a net.  Of course, you will find that the throwing of objects into the stands isn't quite seen as a strong-point here.  In-Game production:  B
  

• Public Address announcer:  Did a very good job not screaming into the mic for the home team and being quiet for the other.  Penalties were read very well but ads were tough to comprehend with the echo in the building, he read them too fast.  Public Address announcer grade:  C
  

• Intangibles:  College hockey in this part of New Hampshire is as part of life as football is in Texas.  The fans who were at the game saw a good game between two opponents on opposite sides of the spectrum with the home team being the strongest.  The student section is placed behind the visitor's penalty box and extends through the neutral zone, the best seats in the house.  The open concourse allows fans who want to stand to do so by leaning on a railing and enjoying the action.  The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about the promotions and pretty much everything else with the team.  Make sure you stop by the very reasonably priced concession stands if you're hungry.  There is no need to eat before going to the game, you might spend more at a fast food restaurant and not get as good a quality of food.  If you are ever in this part of the nation, stop in, see a game and make sure to read about it in the paper the next day.  Intangibles grade:  B+

• Music:  Overall, it was ok.  Breaking it down, pre-game was so-so, in-game was good and post-game was back to so-so.  Let's start with the good.  The in-game music was upbeat, techno music that kept the fans going.  Very few crowd prompts were used but some good timely music was thrown in there.  For hard fouls by the opposition, police music was played on the sound system.  The system itself is located above the lone scoreboard in one of the end zones and when the wind blew, so did the music.  Pre-game, the music was varied but didn't seem to have much transition from very upbeat to slow  It was also a little too quiet, "Welcome to the Jungle" is a great song, but if you can't hear it on the end of the field in which you're warming up, it doesn't do anything.  Post-game, it was quiet as the fans were leaving and waiting for autographs.  Should've kept it upbeat for the remaining fans who were waiting underneath the scoreboard.  One of the things that brought this grade up was the proper use of Kernkraft 400 in starting it with the chanting and bass beats to really get the crowd pumped.   Music grade:  B-
  
• Pre-game production:  The teams came back on the field about five minutes before the start of the game and were preceded by Roary.  Roary did a good job of running around and greeting the fans which helped this grade.  The announcer made an announcement about "It's crunch time", then there was silence for a few seconds, very uncomfortable.  The visitors line-up had no feeling to it, just number and player while the Courage had a brief bio with each player.  It was great, but to better promote the league and the players, the informative bios should've been done for both.  Pre-game production grade:  C
  
• In-game production:  For soccer, it can be tough sometimes.  There were announcements during play but during non-important times of the game (good time to do it), in-game promotions which had mascots going into the stands were also done at opportune times that did not interfere with the flow of the game.  Ball girls did throw items into the stands from time to time which did cause some distraction.  In the small stadium, fans don't have too much risk of getting hurt, but a bean-bag ball to the eye can hurt you.  In-game production grade:  B+
  
• Public Address Announcer:  An older gentleman did the work and did a pretty good job.  His voice was his saving grace as it was clear and concise most of the time.  However, there were some downfalls.  There were many times in which he announced, "Let's help out our team right now" or "Let's make some noise for our Courage".  For visitor goals, the announcement was read once, too fast and kind of out of order.  "In the 16th minute on a pass from so-and-so, so-and-so scored for the CyberRays.  The score is now San Jose-1, your Courage-0".  Well, the scoreboard gives the score for everyone in the stadium.  This was read quick as was the home goal that was scored.  However, when a goal was called back, no announcement was made.  The introductions were not done well at all.  Quiet and uninterested in the opponents, one of which was a hometown girl and owner of both an Olympic gold medal and World Cup title.  The home team was read with a brief bio on the player but done with the slur style of going up high then fading down and out.  The forced enthusiasm style.  Public Address Announcer grade:  C
  
• Intangibles:  Watching local mascots make fools of themselves will make any game fun and this one didn't disappoint.  A blind-folded contest sent the mascot of the Carolina Hurricanes to the target and moving it around.  Another local baseball mascot found his way onto the tug-of-war rope which led to him getting dragged, and then the two mascots mentioned above ended up in a "fight" on the field.  It was hilarious as Roary got to celebrate with a lot of great friends.  Now, on to the staff of the Courage.  If you are looking for an example of how not to do customer relations, call the Richmond Renegades (oh wait, they did go out of business) but to see how it's done right, go to the Courage.  Every employee was smiling and having a good time.  Each person that was there wanted to be and were enjoying themselves.  They want to see the team succeed and that bleeds over to the fans.  People were handing out programs free to people as they came through the gates so everyone knew who the players were.  There are a couple of play areas for kids but one of them had a fee assigned to it.  There was also plenty of concessions available around the stadium and even with all the fans, lines didn't get too long.  The only problems were lack of ushers throughout the stadium, not everyone knew where every section was and some of the fans were allowed to get abusive.  The fans weren't abusive to the horrendous officiating (everyone in the stadium was upset at the referee at some point) but to the mascots there to entertain.  A select few are what brought this down.  Intangibles grade:  B+
  
• Notes:  Following the season, the WUSA suspended operation basically putting the Courage out of business.  This is a shame for such a well run organization and hopefully the league re-organizes itself and uses the Courage as a good example.  SAS Soccer Park is the perfect place to host a team like this.  Instead of playing in large stadiums with crowds of 5,000-6,000, play in the smaller stadiums which make the crowds seem bigger.

• Music:  The pre-game recorded music at DBAP was good.  It was a good mix of pre-recorded music on the first night and a good mix of pre-recorded and organ music on the second night.  That's right, an organ.  Even though it was an electronic keyboard, the atmosphere it provided was great.  It's highly recommended to find an organist who knows the sport to perform before games.  It really does make a difference.  The volume levels were done well.  The more fans who entered the stadium, the louder the music got to appear at the same level of hearing as earlier.  Fans were walking around and smiling as the organist really made a difference.  The grade is an average of the two nights (first-C, second-A)  Music grade:  B
  
• Pre-game production:  With the organ it was great.  Both nights, the Bulls paraded groups of kids in front of the Bulls dugout to the area behind home plate.  The starting line-ups were done well but the bull above the left-field wall (baseball historians still believe it should be next to the right-field foul pole like it was in the movie) isn't as active as it once used to be.  The snorting isn't as loud as it used to be and isn't as long.  The eyes flash and tail wags but only for a short time.  Fans, especially those with kids, have plenty to do pre-game around the stadium with the various play areas and meeting places.  Pre-game production grade:  B-
  
• In-game production:  The fans really get going when the Bulls go to the bottom of the first but after that, it's all about promotions, videos and announcements which don't get the fans into the game music.  When music is played, it's the same thing on the same nights.  The only difference was the second game when the Bulls were behind going into the ninth.  "YMCA", "We Like to Party" and "Come on Let's Go" were all heard at the same times between the two games.  The game contestants are chosen as the gates are open and at the discretion of the game-staff.  Look for people with clipboards just inside the main entrance when the gates open and you'll probably get picked.  This allows the staff plenty of time to set up for the promotions but gives a lot of people the feeling of "I never had a chance".  The on-field host is ok but not necessary except the PA announcer is an older gentleman who may not be able to keep up with the quickness of the on-field promos.  In-game production grade:  C-
  
• Public Address announcer:  Watch the movie, "Bull Durham" and you'll hear a female P. A. announcer.  That was Hollywood's influence into the movie.  The Bulls have had an older gentleman for quite some time and is part of the park.  He has a good voice and doesn't talk too fast on the PA system but seems unable to pick it up a little.  The first time through the line-up he adds something to his introduction of the players that's not understandable.  He has a friendly voice that is likened to a ballpark announcer but something seems missing.  Public Address announcer grade:  C
  
• Intangibles:  Man are there plenty of them.  The first night, a radio station was giving away bobbleheads of their personalities outside of the park, you didn't even need a ticket to get one.  Once inside, you get a free play bill style program that you need a pen to keep score with (some teams don't listen to their fans when they say they want to keep score in pencil) which is a far cry from the DAP when you could buy three scorecards for $1, each one with a lucky number printed on it.  The store was nice but very overpriced except for some old team sets which were only $1.50 each.  There aren't any players of real note in any of these sets unless you've been a fan of Carolina League baseball or the Atlanta Braves for quite sometime.  The concourse is nice and spacious with plenty of concession stands.  The restrooms have their own free concierge service but found out about that feature after the second game was over.  The ushers allow fans near the dugouts before the game to get autographs and don't throw people out unless it gets out of hand.  Even then, it's not a case of one bad apple spoiling the orchard.  The bad apple gets escorted out of the area.  The bull above the left field wall is larger than it's predecessor and has moved once in the new park.  It originally sat down the right-field line until seats were needed to increase the number of seats available for AAA standards.  It now sits above the blue monster in left which is shamed by it's green brother in Boston.  It has a net above it (and no seating just yet) with a manual scoreboard which is almost exact to the one in Boston (except for out of town scores).  There is a message board on the wall which is in play because the video board in centerfield was placed directly in the batter's line of sight so it has to be off during play.  There is an old Lucky Strike tobacco factory behind the third base side that's about 2 1/2 times longer than the stadium it self.  The factory is being refurbished but plans have yet to determine what will go into the factory.  The only problem with DBAP is it's no DAP.  It's more Norfolk Tides and Camden Yards than it is Crash Davis (who was an actual second baseman for the Durham Bulls) and Nuke LaLoosh.  A main factor in this grade being low is the sweepstakes for giveaways.  Fans who want to get a giveaway have to be in the first 5,000 to get a scratch-off card that tells them if they are a winner.  The management hasn't had anyone complain but several people at the game said they don't go to those games because Greensboro or Carolina guarantee the giveaways to the first certain amount.  You should never penalize a fan who got there early by not giving them something that someone who came in at game time.  If you're going to have 5,000 scratch cards, get 5,000 giveaways.  In the south, people don't complain, they just don't come back.  Do take a stroll down the first base concourse to see the original bull from the movie.  It stood above the right-field wall from the time the movie was shot until the Bulls moved to their new digs.  Intangibles grade:  C

• Music:  This was the first day I had ever been in Canada and first time I ever saw real Canadian hockey fans.  They love their hockey but for some reason are picky about what they bounce to.  The music was good but the fans didn't seem to get into some of it and were all over the rest of it.  This was fun to watch as the fans clapped along to typical sound bits and some songs.  I did notice that Hamilton/Toronto is a funk/disco/hip hop type of area.  The type of hip hop is the clean stuff with no cursing and that's what the people bounce to.  Regular mainstream (from 80's on up) didn't seem to do it.  Music grade:  B-
  

• Pre-Game production:  Not much until the Zamboni machines leave the ice.  Then the lights go out and a laser light show with loud thumping music plays.  The problem is, the light show is too long and doesn't incorporate the team coming onto the ice.  The enthusiasm that's generated from the show quickly has faded by the time the team takes to the ice.  A little shorter and timed better would have made it better.  There was good use of the video board above the ice with highlight reels but it couldn't hold the attention.  Pre-Game production grade:  C+
  

• In-Game production:  Typical stuff with an auxiliary announcer in the stands who asks questions and gives prizes.  Unfortunately, her voice is annoying in that she cheerleads and sounds bad doing it.  Plus, she has a shrilly voice that annoys you when watching a game on TV.  She also couldn't announce Hamilton right, she added quite a few "o's" to the end no matter when she said it, dragging out the name farther than it needed to be.  It sounded really bad and thusly the grade.  In-Game production:  D
  

• Public Address announcer:  Was very good to listen to, didn't yell much into the mic but did fake the enthusiasm, it was noticeable.  Didn't talk too fast, maybe a little quick at times but otherwise was ok.  Public Address announcer grade:  C+
  

• Intangibles:  Simply put, Canadian hockey is great.  The atmosphere at the arena was electric, the fans were happy to be there, they talked about hockey with the same fluidity Americans speak about baseball or football.  You drop an obscure name from 1961 and you'll quickly find someone there who can tell you his stats.  Want to know Willie O'Ree's history?  They know it just as well as Wayne Gretzky's.  I can't wait to get back to Canada to see more games and would like to spend some time there to really experience Canada.  A little history about Copps Coliseum is it's where Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were line-mates on the '88 Canada Canada Cup team that defeated Russia.  The intangibles is what brought the grade up but couldn't pull it over C+.  Intangibles grade:  B

• Music:  Not much during pre-game (we'll touch upon that in the next section) but when the Canes took the ice, it sounded like they were still stuck on NC State basketball.  It was a an Outkast (rap/hip hop) song that didn't do much for the fans or the players.  After that first song, it switched over to rock and the flow of the warm-up seemed to pick up as well.  During the game, the Canes use a wide variety of music.  From new to old, techno, dance, oldies, rock, etc.  It's all there.  Unfortunately, the volume level of the music was too quiet and it didn't all seem to be geared toward the age level of the fans.  After the game though, the do play songs with "Carolina" in them as the people exit the building.  Smart idea and it's understood they change what's played and don't play the same two or three songs after every game.  The team does have an organist but didn't seem to use him/her that much.  Music grade:  C
  
• Pre-game production:  Prior to the game they showed "NHL Cool Shots" television show which is good to keep people up to date on what's going on in the NHL.  Apparently, they'll also play Peanuts cartoons that relate to the season in place of "NHL Cool Shots" so it's not the same video every night.  That's a great idea.  Following the video, the organist kicks in and it's a real hockey-style organist.  You can see the person on the main level in a Hurricanes jersey behind the keys of a large white organ.  Brings that old-time hockey feel to the game.  Following the warm-ups, the lights go out for a while when several videos and commercials are shown.  They don't seem to have time to announce the visiting team's starting line-ups during the barrage of long videos but editing a couple could very well be easy enough.  One of the commercials is one that is shown on local TV.  Another one is a brief 15-second deal that sets up the game like it should on the televised broadcast not in arena.  It ends with "Right here, right now" then silence.  When the team takes the ice, the fans rise to their feet and stay there until following the anthem.  The team comes out to "Rock You Like A Hurricane" as it should.  Pre-game production grade:  B
  
• In-game production:  If you are wondering how to do things during a game, then you should come to Raleigh and see what the Hurricanes staff does.  The fans that come to the games are treated to something great and play along with the videos.  Contests are related closely to the time of the year and the trivia contests are fun, except for the bored-sounding PA announcer.  But the videos they show aren't the typical boring highlights that are so common on TV/video boards now, they are fan interaction videos.  This night, the Canes pulled out a "Pop-Up Video" style video about one of the players with some funny bits.  It was a highlight reel of the player but you learned about him at the same time.  A "Twin-Cam" came out which is a lot like the mirror effect.  What you get on one side is mirrored on the other and it was funny to see Caniac after Caniac come out of the middle of the screen.  Fans laughed and really enjoyed it.  Then came "Kiss-Cam" in the third period.  Amazingly hilarious as the fans got into it.  Tongue was slipped between man and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, young and old.  The final shot was two men, one of which stood up and put his rear in the face of his buddy.  The in-game production made you feel that you weren't at an NHL game (which is a good thing these days), but more of a feeling you were at a fun party and a hockey game was going on.  It didn't take away from the game at all and made it fun.  In-game production grade:  A
  
• Public Address Announcer:  When choosing a Public Address announcer, it's key to find certain qualities in that person.  One, a good voice, one that will be clear to the fans, understood by all and at the top of the list, not irritating.  Two, someone who has knowledge of the rules of the game.  Third, someone who is truly excited to be there and happy no matter what happens because hey, they are getting to work for an NHL team.  
  Unfortunately, the Canes have none of the three qualities in their person.  
  -First, the announcer's voice is too high, it's stuck up in the rafters and hurts the ears when he talks.  He can't be understood because his voice stays up and doesn't come down to your ears.  Plus he talks way too fast when reading announcements.  
  -His knowledge of the game, or lack thereof, was exposed early on and exploited later.  "Penalties come at 14:32 into the first period".  Visit the tips section or pick up "The Announcer's Guide: Hockey" and you'll know that you don't need to announce the period when the scoreboard is there.  I'm sure whoever spent the millions of dollars for the six scoreboards with the period on them is happy they paid for it when the announcer continues to announce the obvious.  Later in the game, a goal was scored at the end of the second period.  It was announced as, "Time of the goal, twenty minutes into the second period."  Slight problem, there is no way possible--at least according the rules of the NHL--that a goal can be scored with absolutely no time remaining in a period.  This was thought to be obvious to professional announcers, but it wasn't to this one.  Later, that goal was credited as the goal of the game and the announcer corrected himself by saying, "19:59 of the second period" which strangely enough was his only good point of the night.  The only time you announce the period of something is when you aren't in that period.  However, early into the third period, the Hurricanes goalie was called for interference, the announcement, "Hurricanes penalty to #80 Kevin Weekes, two minutes for goalie interference..."  First, it's goaltender interference and second, the penalty is for those who interfere with the goalie.  Weekes did not skate to the other end of the rink and jump on the opposing team's goalie, that would've been something else altogether.  
  -Now to the third point above, someone wins a prize in a contest he is announcing for and he sounds like he is bored.  "Congratulations to our winner, we hope you enjoy the prize".  Sounds like he should be happy, but he wasn't.  
  -The only time he adds anything to his announcing is when announcing Hurricane players but you can't understand him when he yells into the microphone.  Thank you to the video and message boards again! Had the announcer been a little more un-clear with his speak, he would've joined the Richmond Renegades announcer with an "F".  ADDED NOTE:  Later in the season, it was heard again the announcer calling goaltender interference on the goalie.  Again, the goalie did not interfere with the other team's goalie.  Public address announcer grade:  D-
  
• Intangibles:  The policy of not allowing people to go back to their seats during play is fantastic.  People who want to watch the game aren't having to get up out of their seat and miss action as people come back from the bathroom or concessions, but not many were held back by the lack of ushers in the upper deck this night.  It does work well and the fans do appreciate it.  
  -The people who work for the Hurricanes are good people.  Smiling people are abundant around the arena.  Plenty of souvenir stands and concession areas seem to get the job done.  The only problem was finding a program/roster page.  Here, it's a card board player poster (8 1/2" x 11") and cost $1.  All it has is a color-photo of a player and rosters on the back.  Not much else.  For this, they should be given away to fans to help build interest in the players.  Also, the only place it looked like they had them was in the main souvenir store.  
  -The store did have a lot of neat little knick-knacks and only one item, that's right only ONE item, was not mainly red, black or white and that was a pink outfit for little girls but did have a dominant Hurricanes logo on it.  It's easy to see why the Canes are successful in store sales and why so many people wear their logos.  After the game though, the scoreboard was shut off too quickly so anyone that wanted one last check of the board couldn't get it.  Intangibles grade:  B-

The Spanos Center is in the middle of a nice athletic area of U of P which includes a pool, softball and soccer fields and a 30,000 seat outdoor stadium which is home to the school's soccer teams.  The stadium is also the summer home of the San Francisco 49ers.   The campus is located in Stockton, California in a better part of the city than the baseball stadium (home of the Stockton Ports).

• Music:  Want to know how to do it wrong, see the Golden State Warriors at the bottom of the page.  Want to see a better way to do it, stop by U of P.  High kudos to the young lady playing the music for playing to the crowd.  All time out songs were related to the fans in the stands.  The warm-up mix of songs went from one end of the spectrum to the other and was a strange mix.  Once the game started, the music was done well.  The grade was brought down by the constant changing level of the music and the competing with the PA announcer.  Several times, the music would be faded down giving the feeling it would be ended in a couple of seconds when it was just being turned down.  For some reason, this seems to be a common happening in Northern California as the music person did not fade the music down when the announcer was trying to announce.  This has been seen at one other stadium but have heard about it from a lot of people on the high school level.  If you can't hear what the announcer is saying, neither can anyone else.  Turn it down.  Music grade:  C
  

• Pre-Game production:  The music for the players' warm-up could have been better but it was an ok mix of new music.  The line-ups ok, no light show but it wasn't really expected.  Following the line-up though, the cheerleaders were on the court to dance and sing to Rock and Roll Pt. 2 which got the fans going.  Until the music stopped and there was a 15-second silence between the abrupt end of the music and the tip.  Pre-game production grade:  C
  

• In-Game production:  Good use of music that fit the fans.  A lot of throwing objects into the stands which insurance companies, for some reason, don't see as a liability.  Basketballs (real ones), T-shirts and more were all tossed into the stands during timeouts but it didn't add to the enthusiasm.  A lot of fans left the arena without something and a few did meaning about 1,000 people didn't get something but 20 people did.  Not a good ratio for fan-enjoyment.  Halftime had a 3-point shootout where the winners would win a prize from a burger chain.  Contestants were randomly chosen and ranged in age from kids to college students.  In-Game production grade: B
  

• Public Address announcer:  Needs to learn one very key piece of information when announcing a sport with a clock.  Don't announce when the buzzer is going.  Buzzers on scoreboards are designed to drown out any other noise that may exist in the arena and the sound system is not going to drown it out.  Many times during timeouts, the announcer was reading an announcement and continued through the regulated three-second buzzers making it hard to understand what he was saying.  Second, don't scream into the mic.  Can't tell you who any of the Pacific players were and one of them had 20+ points.  He didn't wait until the fan noise died down before announcing baskets which didn't help and you pretty much couldn't understand what he was saying when a three-pointer was good for the home team.  The announcer needs to be understood and it was tough to understand without a program (which weren't readily available).  One last thing, don't compete with the music, but that was already covered.  Public Address announcer grade:  D
  

• Intangibles:  One helpful staff member assisted us to the proper entrance to pick up tickets but you have to watch out.  You can pay $11 and get a bleacher seat or a regular stadium seat.  The person in the ticket office didn't quite pay attention to a conversation and just gave the first two tickets he saw.  This lack of attention to detail can hurt.  There was plenty of "takeables" from posters to schedules to magnets so fans could get what they wanted and leave what they didn't.  The arena set-up is close to that of Dartmouth hockey in that the concourse is an open walkway at the top of the main seating bowl.  There are additional seating areas above the walkway/concourse on the sides of the arena for more fans to sit.  It also would have been beneficial to change the light bulbs in the statistics board as it was tough to decipher how many fouls and points some players had.  Having the statistics boards was a nice surprise however as most colleges have a basic scoreboard and don't treat the fans to the extras.  Intangibles grade:  C-

• Music: The music was a lot better but there was still a problem of the songs jumping into the play a little too long.  This wasn’t as bad as the 12-second delay seen the last time but it was still noticeable.  The selection was a lot better but got repetitive even for first-time fans.  A little variety on the music between periods would’ve been better than one techno-beat song for the entire intermission.  Fans who were armed with free Thunderstixx were looking to have fun with them, the intermissions didn’t give them much of a chance.  High kudos to the music person for a superb job during a delay in the game, he kept the crowd bouncing albeit with the techno music which may have been why later in the night fans were a little tired of it.  The techno was the right avenue to go down with the Thunderstixx in attendance.  We’ll hit more upon the delay later but the music was better than before.  There were some repeats, like Headstrong for the warm-ups and re-warm-ups.  Both Rock and Roll Part 2 and YMCA were played twice during the game, both for media time-outs early in the game and again in the third period after the game was a blowout.  The “Cha Cha Slide” and “The Hockey Song” would’ve been excellent during an intermission but were missing and “Shout” would’ve done good at any time. None of the three were played but the crowd was there for it.  Music grade:  C+
   
• Pre-Game production: A lot better than the last time that had a mascot skate around the ice in the dark for five minutes.  This time, the music was there, the filler music to keep the fans bouncing was there, but one thing was missing, the announcer. The announcer didn’t bother to show up until 7 ½ minutes prior to the start of the game.  The delayed start of the game that is.  This was an excellent time to tell fans about what’s going on, upcoming events, team news, the website, team sponsors, groups in attendance, etc.  Instead, the several thousand fans sat in the dark but were entertained once the ice was done being resurfaced.  This was a very big missed opportunity, but back to the show.  When a game is delayed and fans arriving at game time are looking at warm-ups, some explanation is needed somewhere.  Right after the warm-ups ended, the crowd went nuts.  “Welcome to the Jungle” came out over the PA system, quietly at first then quickly raised to the proper level.  The video board over center ice didn’t inform fans as to what was going on, neither did the side boards.  The mascot came out on the ice following the resurfacing of the ice and did a dance skit that energized the crowd.  The Riverdogs skated out from underneath an inflatable likeness of their mascot and thanks goes out to the video board operator for putting the names of the players up so people knew what the announcer was screaming about.  The music was a lot more fun and combined with the lights out and spotlights flying around, made it a lot better than a previous experience. A very nice turnaround from last year. Pre-game production grade:  B+
   
• In-game Production:  First, thank you to the management for bringing back chuck-a-puck! Didn’t have the six for $5 deal, but it’s better than not having it at all.  Second, It’s not a bad idea to inform fans of who you are playing that night.  Some of this blame is assigned to the announcer for not having a welcome or even being there when he should have been, but had the Elmira Jackals not committed a penalty in the game, fans never would’ve known where the team was from.  Only Jackals appeared on the visitor side of the scoreboard.  The team does have a promotion that has some hint of another promotion.  When the Renegades scored six goals, all the fans in attendance can take their ticket stub to a local Hooters and redeem it for chicken wings.  However, the P. A. read was the same one the old Springfield Indians used in the 80’s for Jim Dandy Chicken, “When the Riverdogs get brave, you get chicken.”  The Indians used it as a tie-in to their nickname, no idea why the Riverdogs used it that way.  This may have been intentional, it may not, it was just interesting.  The between-period contests were done well, but the “host” really should’ve looked more like someone who does something with the team or arena and not some moron pulled off the street.  Nothing on his body said Riverdogs, in fact, it really did look like they pulled this guy out of a mall.  He didn’t seem to know the rules of the contests and didn’t bother with names.  He also was in charge of throwing some items into the stands to which he mouthed to the fans, “What the f--- you guys, c’mon, make some noise.”  Plus, every sentence out of his mouth, sounded like the one before.  Not enough of the crowd prompts during the game, could’ve used more and the person running the message board over center ice really ought not to encourage fans to make noise just 20 seconds into the game.  Give the fans an opportunity to make their own noise, don’t stop the fun before it begins.  The team did a good job of bringing in tons of scout groups into the game.  Unfortunately, the announcer ran on-and-on with the welcome by jamming 15-20 into a stoppage of play, usually taking more time out of the play than during the stoppage.  With all of the new promotions added by the team, the in-game production definitely got better, especially with chuck-a-puck and a throw-back that only a few would catch. Changing the host to someone that knows how to hold a mic and speak into one would help. Also, talk to the arena and get someone running the message boards that’s more into the game and not into collecting a check.  In-game production grade:  B-
   
• Public Address Announcer: You can throw as much perfume on a pile of dog poop as you want, but in the end, it’s still a pile of dog poop.  See the Richmond Renegades ranking on this guy as this was the only thing that wasn’t improved.  On a side note, if the game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. and the game will be delayed, the announcer must be behind the mic to inform that fans of what is going on.  The announcer arrived in the penalty box and behind the mic at 7:52 p.m. as the pre-game show had already begun.  Public Address announcer grade:  F
   
• Intangibles: The Riverdogs wanted to have a lot of people in attendance for the game, however two things were missed.  The ticket office wasn’t properly informed as to the promotion and the early arriving fans had nothing but the doors to look at prior to the gates opening.  The ticket office at the Richmond Coliseum seems to not employ the smartest people.  When asked last year about protective screens behind the net, it took several to find the answer.  This time, they told fans that there was, “no way you’re going to get a seat in the lower level”.  We were able to secure a single ticket, however many blocks of seats went unsold.  This wont affect the Riverdogs grade, but is something that the team should talk with the arena about.  The second note, there is plenty of room outside of the arena on all sides that something, anything, could be set-up.  Climbing walls, a ball/puck shooting booth, basketball contests, anything.  There was a lot of space wasted that could’ve increased the fan experience.  Before the gates did open, something was noticeable.  The old Renegades logo was very scarce.  Even inside the arena, fans were adorned in Riverdogs apparel.  Before the game, programs weren’t available at every gate but at most, however they were selling programs with ads, score sheet AND roster.  Not like the Renegades who charged $1 for a piece of paper.  Prior to the start of the game, the center-ice and side message boards were not used to let fans know of the delay.  They simply had the same ads for upcoming events and the Riverdogs/UHL logo the whole time. The fans really have come back because they’ve been treated right.  Just do something about the ticket office but since this is on the arena and not the team.  To the staff and management of the Richmond Riverdogs, great turnaround from the Renegades.  Intangibles grade:  A

The North Charleston Coliseum was built as a multi-purpose facility that could accommodate hockey, basketball and pretty much anything else that would go into an arena.  The seating close up isn't as good as it should be.  The first row of seats behind the goal is about 15 feet from the glass and elevated by about eight feet.  If you sit on the glass on the side of the rink, you have to battle with unnecessary safety railings that are scattered about but right at eye level.  Then, you have to worry about the trash cans hung from these railings that can cause you to bang your leg getting to the front row.  The arena itself is clean and bright with a video/scoreboard combination hanging over center ice.  Auxiliary scoreboards in the end zones include a shot clock/time clock (that usually hangs over baskets but is used as the end clock for hockey and play clock for football) and a second scoreboard which includes shots on goal for hockey.

• Music:  First, the North Charleston Coliseum hosts a team in the National Basketball Developmental League so there is a selection of songs that's geared more toward that crowd, which if you watch them on ESPN, is somewhat small.  Unfortunately, the crew who runs the music and video seem to think that's the kind of music to play for hockey fans.  Teams today don't seem to understand that you play to the crowd, not the crowd plays to you.  At one point, a fan shouted out, "Shut off this music".  That's not good.  An even worse part came up when a Bon Jovi song was started at the start of the first intermission, stopped short for a performance on the ice, then faded right back up ten minutes later.  There were some ok songs mixed in, nothing that caught the ear as something good.  It wasn't until a late-game fight that the music was finally raised to the proper level but by that point the crowd was out of it for that level.  The home team won but there was something missing out of the stands.  Music grade: C-
  

• Pre-Game production:  Not as good as it should've been.  They have a video board but didn't use it to it's fullest.  They showed a video that had a current rock song along with it and fans were just sitting around talking.  The video would have played better during the warm-ups or with a different fan-related song.  It would have been a better introduction had 1, the visiting team's line-up been announced and 2, you could understand the PA guy during the home line-ups.  The sound system also needed adjusting as the announcer's voice was pretty much pinned into the ceiling making it hard to understand.  Pre-game production grade:  D
  

• In-Game production:  Not much to talk about, no chuck-a-puck but a cool kids tri-cycle race was fun to watch.  Even though one kid ran away with the race, it was fun to see how many cones the kids could get caught under the wheels.  All the dead air that went around the performance of a figure skating group during the first intermission made it seem like it took forever.  A very quiet arena sat in silence for about five minutes while the skaters skated around the ice without any explanation as to what they were doing.  One very smart thing the RaysVision crew did was to get their fans involved in an animated bit after a goal was scored.  A group of fans have placards with "R A Y S" spelled out that are displayed in front of the fans during the game.  When a goal is scored, those placards are turned around to display "G O A L".  The crew took this idea and every time a goal is scored, an animated bit shows the four fans standing up with the "G O A L" placards.  It really was a smart bit to include the fans.  In-Game production grade:  C
  

• Public Address announcer:  Waited and waited and waited and waited to announce goals and penalties.  There were instances in which a power play would be 30 seconds into it before the announcement was read.  There is a brief lull after the drop of the puck which is the perfect time to announce the penalty or goal.  This also allows fans their first amendment right to complain about the call but once the penalty is half-way over, what's the use.  The announcer, sitting on the concourse level in the sound booth--rather than in the penalty box where he should be--would write down everything as it was reported to him and announce it after it was all written out.  Someone should teach him short-hand.  Additionally in hockey, it's obvious sometimes what the penalty is.  You see the player skate to the box, you see the referee's signal then you look at the clock.  It doesn't take much to announce a penalty so there is no reason for it to take 30 seconds to announce it.  The biggest annoyance of the announcer was he would announce the obvious.  "Penalty comes at 3:45 of the first period".  Anyone at the game will know what period it is just by simply being there.  If they don't know, it's on the scoreboard.  What made it even worse was he was still announcing, "...of the first period" until halfway through the second period.  Avoid making a stupid mistake by taking that completely out.  Now we get to the style, scream!  If they hadn't put the players names on the scoreboard, you wouldn't have known who the player that scored was because you couldn't understand either the number or name.  Public Address announcer grade:  D
  

• Intangibles:  This whole protective screen behind the goals is very confusing for ticket people.  Richmond had that problem as did the ticket people in Charleston.  They said they do have "protective nets" behind the goals but once inside, they didn't.  Well, first they said the first row was actually the fifth row.  They have to learn to be better communicators and answer questions like, "Are these on the glass" with the proper response.  This can get very annoying when having to go back to the ticket office two or three times to get the right tickets.  The only positive was the customer service people who made sure we were taken care of and checked up on us before, during and after the game.  High kudos to those who helped but they shouldn't have been needed.  Concession prices could use an adjustment which also factors into fan enjoyment.  People buy more when they feel they are getting a deal.  Intangibles grade:  C-

The Syracuse War Memorial has seen it's fair share of history.  The Syracuse Nationals NBA team played there before moving around the country.  Syracuse hockey teams have played there for many years and in 2001, the current team celebrated its tenth season in the American Hockey League.  The fans showed their support right from the start.  When the Crunch first entered the league, there was a team in nearby Utica.  The Crunch were so successful, the Utica Devils moved east to Albany to become the RiverRats.  The War Memorial is an old building with a lot of neat features.  There is a terrace overlooking the main entrance that also serves as the upper concourse.  The terrace shows all the names of locals who lost their lives during war.  There is also a stage at one end of the rink with seats on it.  It's a different setting for a game but is cool none-the-less.

• Music:  Not much to write about.  There was a variety but it just didn't seem to fit the crowd.  There didn't seem to be much in the way of toe-tapping or bouncing and when they tried to play something upbeat like "Cottoneyed Joe", it didn't work because the fans weren't as involved as they could have been.  Only when the team scored did the fans get rowdy, but even then toward the end it wasn't as enthusiastic.  Music was OK to listen to but didn't seem to involve the fans much.  Music grade: C
  

• Pre-Game production:  Hockey is a sport that usually has good pre-game, but this one was missing something big.  The lights were turned off but in Syracuse the only other lighting is from the scoreboard over center ice and in the pressbox which hangs from the roof.  Those two combined don't emit much light making it tough to get around the seating area.  The pre-game video was pretty cool but the dead-air before and after it were un-easing.  It seemed that the video would have been better suited to bring the team on the ice.  The players were brought out with spot lights and a bunch of police beacons hanging under the pressbox.  The music was good, quiet at some points and too loud at others but the songs themselves were pretty standard.  Unfortunately, the 4,000+ fans were then deafened by the National Anthem singer who blasted everyone out of the rink because the mic level was turned up too loud and nobody turned it down, not even during the performance.  To the anthem singer's credit, he did back away from the mic during the song but the levels stayed the same.  Pre-game production grade:  C-
  

• In-Game production:  When the Hershey Bears are involved, you're probably going to see a lot of fights because that's what the people of Hershey come to expect.  And fights there were.  The goalies even mixed it up during the game and there were a lot of penalty minutes distributed.  If that's all to remember from the game (the Crunch did get the win), you're not going to get a good grade.  The most memorable factors about Syracuse is that the famous "Fight-in-the-stands" scene from Slap Shot was done there and it's one of the first places to play Kern Kraft 400 (this song is replacing "The Hey Song" [Rock and Roll Pt. 2] in some arenas).  The Crunch did get into the fray of chuck-a-pucks.  Personally, I don't believe in throwing things into the stands because not everyone is going to get something.  In chuck-a-puck, the onus is put on the fan to perform and get the puck where it should go.  A good promotion I've always enjoyed and seeing the pucks come flying down is pretty cool too, this promotion saved the grade.  In-Game production grade:  C
  

• Public Address announcer:  Screaming into a mic and expecting people to understand you are two things that don't go together.  Add to that talking fast in an arena that echos and why even bother to have a PA guy.  If you can't understand a players name, then what's the need.  Announcing the period that goals and penalties occur in is good for radio, but with a big scoreboard above center-ice, it's very useless.  Fans can obviously see how much time is left in the period, what the score is and what the period is so why do you need to announce it?  You may ask, they announce the time of the goals don't they?  Yes they do but it is in elapsed time which is tough to figure out sometimes so it is good to announce it that way.  Plus the clock is usually running when an announcement of a penalty or goal is made.  Public Address announcer grade:  C-
  

• Intangibles:  The ticket takers and program vendors were smiling upon entry.  The staff was very helpful and they even had chuck-a-pucks!  The mascot was scarce (in fact, the only time it was seen was pre-game and once during the game to give someone a pizza and that was it.  One very important factor to remember in sports, "Kids love mascots".  A mascot doesn't have to talk because it looks like a big stuffed animal and one that gives hugs too and kids love stuffed animals and hugs.  The intangibles is what made the grade and it was a tough call here on what to grade.  There should have been more but the helpfulness and courtesy of a few kept this grade from dropping lower.  Intangibles grade:  C-

• Music: Thank you for the band.  Without the band, this probably would’ve served as an F.  Judging by the antiquated computer they had on the floor and the music selection which was not indicative of the fans, the in-game choices probably wouldn’t have been any better.  The playing of Pink’s “Hazard to Myself” was kind of ironic as the music combined with the announcer have traditionally been a hazard in drawing fans.  The band kept the pace up, but could use a few more songs in their repertoire to keep it fresh and not repeat songs later.  If there is a choice next season, choose the band whenever you can.  Music grade:  C
   
• Pre-Game production:  Listening to music before the game was ok and the band really brought up the tempo of this typically boring time of the show.  The team was brought out to a screaming announcer and the introductions were typical, except you couldn’t understand who the players on George Mason were.  Thanks to the message board operator for providing the names during the starting line-ups.  Pre-game production grade:  C
   
• In-game Production:  The cheerleaders did a good job at inspiring the crowd to cheer. Unfortunately, one of those times, it was boos.  In trying to tie-in with the success of the New England Patriots, the school decided to shorten their nickname to Pats.  This is new.  Chants of this style are generally “G-M-U” and not “Let’s Go Pats”.  It was hard not to feel sorry for the men and women who were trying to get the crowd going and bombing badly.  You can’t fault the cheerleaders for trying.  Couldn’t understand really what the promotions were during the game, announcer couldn’t be understood.  There were some items thrown into the stands following a 3-point basket which is something they’ve been doing for over 10 years at the Patriot Center.  In-game production grade:  D+
   
• Public Address Announcer:  Three words, this guy stinks.  He is probably the worst announcer we’ve heard on the college/pro level.  He tries to sound like Ray Clay but there is a problem.  You can’t understand anyone when they yell into a microphone.  Speak up for the visiting team, people want to know who the players are on the other side of the ball.  Judging by the way he read the pre-game information, it sounded like he didn’t even want to be there.  He was bored.  People don’t pay hard-earned money to go to a basketball game and feel like they’ve been to a hard, two-hour class.  Take a look at the fans here after games, even this easy win for the home team, people weren’t smiling.  GMU, it’s time to get someone fresh.  You’ve needed someone better for ten years now.  Players don’t want to play in front of 9,000 empty seats on a weekend-evening, conference-opening game.  Fans don’t want to go home with a pounding headache because of a screamer (this is a common occurrence, not just this time).  There’s plenty of others out there who are better, find one.  In fact, the P. A. Announcer for the Washington Mystics and Wizards had announced GMU basketball, maybe he can fit a few Patriot games in with the pro-ballers.  Public Address announcer grade:  F
   
• Intangibles:  Ushers looked bored, the hired staff didn’t tell anyone about the specials going on for tickets outside the arena and the place was dusty.  Ok, this sounds like we’re searching, but someone should’ve dusted the seats.  The only saving grace on this night were the free program and Sunday edition of the Washington Post.  Not enough to compensate for the bored looking employees.  Intangibles grade:  F

• Music:  Upon entering the stadium, fans are treated to about 30 minutes of listening to a radio station.  Unfortunately, the radio station knows this and planted about 20 minutes of advertising bombarding folks with constant reminders of who the radio station got to give them money.  After the radio station is turned off, it goes to all baseball music which is ok, but can be like Christmas music and be overdone.  A mix of a couple of mainstream songs would've been good but it was nice to have a park play baseball music.  Once the game got started, the music was incomprehensible.  It sounded like someone had "stereo" selected on the computer or sound system which was only playing in "mono".  All of the words to all of the songs that played couldn't be understood.  It sounded like all the songs were the instrumental backgrounds instead of the actual songs.  There was also a lot of dead air between when a song ended and the inning started.  Unfortunately, this lack of attention to a major detail overshadowed the great baseball music.  Music grade:  F
  
• Pre-Game production:  The first words out of the announcer's mouth were in Spanish, unfortunately, the only people in the stadium with a Latin heritage were the players.  This would've worked had the team been in Florida but not in Kinston, North Carolina.  The announcer, which we'll get to shortly, felt that it was all about him.  The pre-game announcements were read but with no enthusiasm or sense of urgency to make people want to buy tickets for the next night.  The Indians do bring a group of Little Leaguers onto the field prior to the game and introduce them to the crowd individually.  It's a nice thing to do especially since most teams are just introducing the team name and not mentioning the players names anymore.  Just before the game though, Hank Williams' "Family Tradition" was played on the sound system.  It's a good song, just not exactly for a family environment.  Once it got to the National Anthem, it sounded like someone who had a good voice had just gotten the words the night before.  It wasn't the "for" instead of "o'er" mistakes (although he did get that wrong) but blowing entire lines of the song.  Leslie Neilson did a better job with the anthem in "The Naked Gun".  Pre-game production grade:  D
  
• In-game production:  There were a couple of between-inning contests but there was no word on how to sign up.  The mascot didn't really do much except ride on an ATV and pop wheelies which is something many teams already do.  Again, the gaps between the end of a promotion and the inning starting were too great to not let go.  Pre-game production grade:  D
  
• Public Address announcer:  This guy was terrible.  He felt that he was a DJ for a radio station and treated fans like that.  We'll start the list here for what was done right, nothing and what was done wrong.  He invited everyone to, "...come on out and enjoy some baseball."  This was announced at the park, you don't invite people to a party they are already attending.  Referred to himself by using "I" many times on the PA system.  He picked a couple of young women and made a reference to their anatomy by saying, "...and every time you get up, we'll let everyone know," and played "boing, boing, boing" sounds on the system.  He rushed through the starting line-ups and chose to emphasize certain names for the Indians.  It was strange to hear him be un-enthusiastic for one guy, then go overboard for the next.  He interviewed the scoreboard operator prior to the bottom of the first and made several personal insults at him that the fans laughed at.  Unfortunately, this was a baseball game and not a comedy club.  At one point during the game, a player hit a ground ball that was destined to be an out.  The announcer started doing a PA announcement while the play was still going on.  In baseball, it's possible the ball bounces away or comes loose after being caught and the play isn't over.  During the game, a seat was selected as the winner by, "The winner is sitting in section 4, row B, seat 4.  Where are you?"  Where else do you think seat number four in row B of section 4 is?  This is the type of announcer a Hollywood producer would find to make fun of how bush Minor League Baseball could be but not even high school announcers are this bad.  If we were doing numbers instead of grades, this one would be a zero.  Public Address announcer grade:  F
  
• Intangibles:  This stadium is a nice stadium to visit.  The water tower beyond the left-field fence features the team's logo.  This city gets into their team as there were kids at a Little League game down the street that were sporting Kinston Indians garb.  Even though a lot of work has been done to the stadium, it still has some of the old-time feel it had ten years ago.  There were a pair of friendly and spirited ushers and the customer service personnel were nice to talk to but when you walk by the person hired to sell programs a dozen times and don't hear a single peep, you start to wonder.  Programs are $2 but you wouldn't know it from the person who is right next to the primary walk-way into the stands.  The "box seats" are just that, boxes.  Each box comes with six metal folding chairs and three levels for fans to choose from, each one higher than the other by the height of a step.  A newborn was "sitting" behind home plate.  There was plenty of room for mom & dad to bring the stroller & car seat and comfortably enjoy the game.  A two-year old was having fun going between the empty box next to his and the one his family was in.  This park, without the announcer and subsequent music, would be high on the list of places to visit but it's ok if you have the time.  Intangibles grade:  C

• Music: If you‘re going to invite a large group of kids to the park, play some music they can relate to.  The classic rock during the game wasn‘t tailored to the kids.  But then again, neither was the music the radio station was playing that was being broadcast over the sound system before the game.  Using the radio will not get you a high mark.  Crowd prompts were few, if any and hurt the grade.  Only two to remember and that was during an unexpected delay in the bottom of the first.  The grade reflects the lack of imagination in music (radio), the lack of attention to your fans, and the lack of making it upbeat.  It was like the songs were to be soft rock/contemporary.  Heaven forbid fans come to the park to be entertained.  During a conversation the next day, a fan who had attended this game commented about the music when asked their thoughts of the park.  Maybe they ought to look into freshening up the music by getting the Richmond Riverdogs music person.  Music grade:  F
   
• Pre-Game production:  When inviting a little league to the park, bring all the kids on the field.  But then again, it‘d be tough with the 200+ kids that were there, so choosing an all-star team was a smart idea by the group sales staff.  It gave the kids incentive to earn the chance to run on the field with the players.  For some reason, they aren't announcing kids names as they take the field anymore.  This was a nice little add-on that when done right, was very easy to handle, now people are too lazy to get the names right.  The starting line-ups were confusing to understand, musically that is.  The visiting team is read, then the message center flashes “Welcome to the Main Event“ as Michael Buffer‘s “Let‘s Get Ready to Rumble“ speech from Jock Jams is played over the sound system.  Well, at the part the music kicks in, the music person fades to silence and then into the Chicago Bulls intro music.  You lose some of the fans by fading out, then the rest with the silence.  Just stay with “Ready for This“ or go with the other without the intro, choose one, not both. As for the video and message boards, USE THEM.  Whoever spent the money on those boards should be upset at the lack of use. Prior to the game, fans inside the stadium could see “Braves vs. Clippers. Tonight. 7:05 p.m.” on the left field message board followed by how to purchase tickets to that night‘s game.  Big problem.  The people that can see the board are already in the stadium and have their tickets.  The video board, had nothing but the occasional test of the camera which is very unprofessional and a logo for the ESPN radio station.  Someone also ought to focus the board a little.  Everything was fuzzy, logos, pictures, live-action (what little of it there actually was), all fuzzy.  Pre-game production grade:  D
   
• In-game Production:  Again, use the video board more and focus it, it's fuzzy.  One in-game contest uses both the video board and message board together.  This was done very well, compliments to the staff on this one.  However, all the boards were used sparingly, more on that later.  The first on-field promotion comes late in the game and is a simple promotion.  Having an on-field person is a waste.  The P. A. announcer should be able to handle this by himself.  The music between innings wasn‘t much even though the mascot--Diamond Duck--was around a lot, except for the “Chicken Dance“.  The mascot is a great way for fans to identify with the team, so more use of the mascot like inclusion on anything really would’ve been better than having it walk around.  As for the information boards (video board, left-field message center and right-field message board), some use of sensibility would’ve been good.  The first time through the line-up, the video board has a picture of the player batting and his team’s logo, no name.  The left-field message center had the starting line-up with each player’s number, last name and position while the right-field message board had the player’s number, last name, number of home runs and RBI’s.  No first names were used anywhere on any of the boards.  After that first pass through the line-up, the video and right-field boards were the same, but the left-field message center went to number and position on the first line, last name on the second line, average on the third line and what he’s done today on the fourth line.  With another three lines to utilize (or more with smaller fonts), somewhere, the player’s first name could’ve been used.  It’s on all the pitchers boards that are put up there, why can’t they use first names???  Most parks have one small board (Richmond did at one time) and include first name, last name, average, position, home runs and RBI all in one place.  The right-field message board didn’t always keep up with who was batting.  At least once a full inning, the board was off by a batter.  With all of the possible places to put one, there wasn’t an out-of-town scoreboard for other league games or Major League games.  In-game production grade:  C-
  
  Public Address Announcer:  The voice of the diamond has been so probably since the opening of the new ballpark.  His problem, his deep voice just blended so well into the natural noise of the ballpark.  Very quickly did you lose him in PA announcements as just common noise.  The introduction of Richmond batters was sing-songy and didn‘t do anything to energize the crowd.  Some older announcers have been heard to say it‘s not their job to get the crowd excited, but they are wrong.  The announcer is a very important part of the game and a bad announcer hurts.  The Braves announcer isn‘t bad, he‘s just bland and his style is passé.  Public Address announcer grade:  C-
  
  Intangibles:  Whoever thought a center-field sound system was a good idea was wrong.  They only sound good when the wind isn‘t blowing, otherwise the sound that comes out of it isn‘t what it should be.  This is simple to understand.  Go to a school’s playground with a boom box.  Turn on the boom box on full blast--or as high as you can get without distortion--and walk across the playground to where you can hear the sound normally, then take a couple of steps further back.  On a nice day, you’ll hear it ok, but when it gets windy, the sound gets blown around.  The ushers were nice and plentiful.  Not quite into understanding that fans may ask them what’s going on in a baseball game, but they’re all over the place.  Before the game, you can go down to the field level and get autographs from the players without fear of an abusive usher pushing the kids away.  Here, the fans get the belief that the ushers are truly there to help out and they were.  The ushers did help the grade here.  The store had an ok selection of merchandise but nothing that stood out.  The food lines could’ve used someone who understood that if you’re going to have a self-serve line, you have to have each item up there or someone will get upset.  One fan wanted a small hot dog, the stand didn’t have any so the person was told to take a large hot dog.  And with that, pay the extra $1.50 for it.  Not all the stands were open during the night game, but the day game we went to had only one snow cone stand for a few thousand people.  It’s a popular item when hot, get more, it’ll pay off in the long run. Intangibles grade:  C+

• Music:  In the first half, fans were sitting on their hands.  The music, straight up, was not conducive to the audience.  A lot of hip hop was played for 30- and 40- something fans who seemed un-amused with the music while they sat and chatted with each other.  The second half was a little better as some classic rock started to peak it's head but there were plenty of situations in which the crowd could have been turned into a frenzy but was toned down.  It sounded as if someone decided what songs were going to be play during timeouts before the game and that's what was played like there wasn't to be any deviation.   Music grade:  F
  

• Pre-Game production:  Watch the starting line-ups of an NBA game (or pretty much any college game now) on TV.  You'll see a lot of lights, smoke and fun.  Not in Oakland.  It was very disappointing to have the announcer go from one team to another and not have any cool effects.  It's possible that these things can be overdone (see Hamilton) but to not be done at all shows no imagination.  Maybe the lights couldn't be turned off but a spot light could have been used along with the existing lighting effects hanging from the ceiling.  If you show up early, walk around the concourse.  There is a pre-game type of highlight show on the video boards that is broadcast on something called GTOe-TV.  Unfortunately, nobody can tell you what GTOe actually stands for, it's confusing.  Pre-Game production grade:  F
  

• In-Game production:  Had the mascot, "Thunder" and his crew of dunkers not put on that display after the third quarter, this grade would also have been an "F".  Throw in to that mix the youth basketball game at half time.  Those kids really put in a lot of effort and enjoyed getting to play on an NBA court.  The fans enjoyed it as well and cheered for each basket made.  Other than that, there wasn't much to it.  Several missed opportunities by the game-staff to get the fans excited were missed and the "Make Noise" routine on the scoreboard really doesn't work anymore and Oakland is a great point.  Every time "Make Noise" was put on the matrix or video boards, the fans actually quieted down.  It's still confusing to think that teams think fans are not smart enough to know when to make noise.  Even when the "second announcer" who made only one appearance during the game asked the fans to make noise, it was very brief.  In-Game production:  C
  

• Public Address announcer:  It's nice to see now that Ray Clay (Chicago Bulls) is out of the NBA that arena announcers are starting to realize that his style was all gimmick.  The announcer for the Warriors did a good job showing some enthusiasm for the visiting Bucks, it still wasn't enough.  There were times he tried that too quiet effect and it shut down the fans who seemed bored with a 10-point lead for the home team sporting a 4-9 record coming into the game.  The announcing of fouls was too quick and hard to understand while the calling of the baskets was too close to the ball going through the hoop.  Fans either cheered and didn't hear the call or didn't cheer to hear who made the basket.  Timing is key and the Warriors announcer didn't quite have it.  Public Address announcer grade:  C
  

• Intangibles:  It's cheaper to sit in some areas of the lower bowl than it is in the balcony, plus those seats (which are behind the basket) are better than those up in the balcony.  Nobody was selling programs and the only way to pick up a statistics/roster sheet was to stop by the Group Sales table.  Programs are a good source of revenue (if done right) and a great souvenir for one or two-time visitors.  Nothing special was available at the souvenir stand while the concessions did serve garlic fries (a west-coast staple).  Ushers were hard to find in the balcony as were food outlets and one escalator goes to the balcony.  If you want to get down you either take the steps or elevator to the main floor.  Intangibles grade:  F

• Music:  Needs a serious looking at.  The person controlling the sound doesn't seem to understand that when the puck drops, the music stops.  It's a very basic fan-rule that was broken easily.  Numerous times the music lasted six or seven seconds after the puck was dropped.  Once or twice, it was stopped within a couple of seconds (a good buffer zone for a good facility) but more often than not, it was on the high side.  Halfway through the second period, a penalty was called with the music not stopping until there were 12 seconds off the penalty.  The selection was bad, not terrible but just plain bad.  The crowd was mainly 30- and 40-somethings but the music was current rock with a lot of rap and hip hop.  Crowd prompts were one and few and far between.  Except for that power play in the third period when all of a sudden, DURING PLAY, a crowd prompt was played until the whistle blew.  The ECHL should take a look at this as a good official would have called an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty fairly early on.  About a dozen times a song would be playing, four or five seconds would tick off before a whistle blew but the song would keep playing.  That's a very lazy music person to not only not shut it off but to not change the song.   Music grade:  F
  

• Pre-Game production:  Not worth waiting for.  The lights are dim for warm-up, then are shut off for a pre-game deal then turned back on for the game.  Unfortunately, they didn't turn on all of them so it was very dim to watch the game.  They have the lights as numerous events such as the Women's NCAA Final Four was held there in the early 90's.  Once the lights went out, the mascot came out and skated around the rink for four minutes to a song that had no real meaning and did not raise fan enthusiasm.  When the team came out for intro, they came through an inflatable tunnel but again it didn't pump up the crowd even though it was AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" which is pretty much a guaranteed pump up song.  Save your time and get to the arena around game time, it's not worth the wait.  Pre-Game production grade:  F
  

• In-Game production:  Throwing items into the stands isn't effective except with the lack of fans, pretty much anybody who wanted an item got one.  That's an exaggeration, but it was pretty close.  They did do chuck-a-puck which seems to be dying out among ECHL teams.  However, the team lost out on some money when they stopped allowing fans to buy six pucks for five bucks.  Instead, only one puck was purchased.  The person they had on the ice didn't seem to understand how to do an intermission game when he was seen running around the ice and reading everything off a piece of paper.  He never once looked at the contestants and kind of brushed everything off.  It was going through the motions but not knowing what he was doing.  In-Game production:  F
  

• Public Address announcer:  Had a great thing 13 years ago with rolling the "R" in Renegades, but now just has a lazy mouth.  "Rrrrrrrrrrrenegade Goal" has now turned into an unintelligible blur of the two words.  He also shouts into the microphone and talks so fast you can't understand him.  There were players who had three syllable names that he pronounced with two.  He put way too many PA announcements together to the point he would cram three or four into a whistle break and have the last two extend into the play becoming equally as distracting as the music.  He also waited a while to announce some penalties even though he was sitting in the penalty box.  Public Address announcer grade:  F
  

• Intangibles:  Unless you are a season ticket holder, you have to pay $1 for a piece of paper with the players' names on them.  That's right, $1 just to know who's playing.  Other facilities in the ECHL are giving away glossy-game notes style programs that have the standings, rosters, game information and sponsor ads.  Couldn't tell you who advertises with the Renegades.  The customer service was terrible as well.  You had to go to a certain table to get this piece of paper.  They didn't have anyone near the entrances selling this item, you had to go to it yourself if you wanted one.  Go to the ticket office and it takes four people to find out if there is a protective screen behind the goal.  That alone will bring this grade down as well as the overall grade.  One person dies while at an NHL game in 80 years of play and all of a sudden, teams have to put a net above the glass behind the goal to protect the fans.  In hockey, there are few "good" seats because of the length of the rink.  You have to sit a little back from the glass between the blue lines or have the game unfold in front of you behind the goals.  With the net, it makes it harder to follow the game and causes the fan to be taken out of the action a little thusly eliminating the number of good seats.  Sit on the glass near the blue lines and you can only really see the action in your end of the rink and a far corner.  One last thing, if you are a hockey team, you should sell pucks at the souvenir stand.  Intangibles grade:  F
  

• Notes:  Following the season, the Renegades suspended operations and went out of business.  It was obvious it was going to happen just from the mismanagement from this one game attended.  There is a new team in Richmond known as the RiverDogs and they are members of the United Hockey League.  The Renegades and RiverDogs have completely different ownership groups, do not assume the grade of the Renegades will be the same as that of the RiverDogs.