Spring training vs. the NBA preseason
This is not the time to talk about the NBA preseason. I get that. The playoff push already is in full swing in the Western Conference and the Jazz are coming off a big victory over Phoenix and about to leave on a four-game Eastern Conference trip.
That said, a couple of us spent the afternoon Friday at the Cubs/Mariners spring training game in Mesa, Ariz. It's really amazing what a good thing baseball has going. More than 12,000 fans showed up to watch a game that didn't count for anything.
In fact, spring training might be the best month on the baseball calendar. It's a chance to sit in the sun, drink beer and watch the regulars play for about five innings. The stars then head to the outfield to run sprints with the game still in progress.
Contrast that with the NBA preseason, a month of necessary evil before the regular season gets under way. Does anybody remember the Jazz's game against the Bucks in Milwaukee? What about the Jazz/Kings game in Albuquerque, N.M.?
I'll admit it: I don't even remember the stories I wrote back in October. I do remember rookie Kyrylo Fesenko forgot to bring donuts one day and the Jazz punted balls all around EnergySolutions Arena that he had to go retrieve. But that's about it.
The NBA is taking steps to make the preseason more interesting, sending four teams to Europe each year and even scheduling an outdoor game between the Suns and Nuggets in Palm Springs, Calif, but there's some things they could learn from baseball.
Location: Spring training has the benefit of being in two places - - Arizona and Florida - - where fans want to vacation. How about the NBA gather all the Western Conference teams in Las Vegas and Eastern Conference teams in Miami and hold a preseason tournament?
There's no American pro sports league that does it, but a preseason tournament would definitely generate some interest. And it might even give NBA coaches a reason to bring back the starters in the fourth quarter of a exhibition game.
Intimacy: There's something special about watching big leaguers play in a minor-league park like Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. If the Jazz are going to draw 5,000 fans for a preseason game, they should pack the gym at Salt Lake Community College instead of playing in front of thousands of empty seats at EnergySolutions.
Of course, they couldn't require their thousands of season ticket holders to buy two extra tickets to the preseason games that way. The preseason games are an easy source of revenue for teams that I'm pretty sure owners aren't about to give away.
Access: I'm just there to soak up the desert sun, but there's plenty of fans who head to spring training to stake out players for autographs and say a few words of encouragement about the season. There's others that just want to watch a bullpen session up close.
I've seen firsthand the crowds that can gather when NBA teams stop by a health club or some small college for shootaround or practice. The Jazz held shootaround at tiny Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., in October and the gym balcony was totally packed.
I'm not sure how to do it, but teams should be required to hold practice outside of their facility a couple of times in the preseason. Go to a small gym somewhere and let fans get as close as they can to the players and the action.
Affordability: Our tickets to Friday's game were $11. You could bring a blanket and sit on the outfield grass for $6. There shouldn't be a ticket in the NBA preseason more expensive than $25. Upper deck should be $5 and general admission seating.
Repeat after me: People go away happy when they go away feeling like they got a good deal. Everyone goes away happy from spring training and nobody can tell you the final score of the game. It's an incredible thing.
Old-timers: The Cubs had both Ferguson Jenkins and Lee Smith signing autographs at a tent down the left-field line. Of course, both were charging for autographs, but that's another story. There's something wonderful about having the old-timers around.
The Jazz could easily invite two or three players from the past to hang around the team a little during the preseason. It also might not hurt to have the current generation of players feel a little connection to the guys that preceded them in Salt Lake City.
Of course, the NBA preseason never will be able to match the romance of spring training, but it definitely could be more than just a month everyone wants to finish as quickly as possible. Would love to hear anybody else's suggestions.
Now I'm going to go back to nursing my sunburn.
--Ross Siler
That said, a couple of us spent the afternoon Friday at the Cubs/Mariners spring training game in Mesa, Ariz. It's really amazing what a good thing baseball has going. More than 12,000 fans showed up to watch a game that didn't count for anything.
In fact, spring training might be the best month on the baseball calendar. It's a chance to sit in the sun, drink beer and watch the regulars play for about five innings. The stars then head to the outfield to run sprints with the game still in progress.
Contrast that with the NBA preseason, a month of necessary evil before the regular season gets under way. Does anybody remember the Jazz's game against the Bucks in Milwaukee? What about the Jazz/Kings game in Albuquerque, N.M.?
I'll admit it: I don't even remember the stories I wrote back in October. I do remember rookie Kyrylo Fesenko forgot to bring donuts one day and the Jazz punted balls all around EnergySolutions Arena that he had to go retrieve. But that's about it.
The NBA is taking steps to make the preseason more interesting, sending four teams to Europe each year and even scheduling an outdoor game between the Suns and Nuggets in Palm Springs, Calif, but there's some things they could learn from baseball.
Location: Spring training has the benefit of being in two places - - Arizona and Florida - - where fans want to vacation. How about the NBA gather all the Western Conference teams in Las Vegas and Eastern Conference teams in Miami and hold a preseason tournament?
There's no American pro sports league that does it, but a preseason tournament would definitely generate some interest. And it might even give NBA coaches a reason to bring back the starters in the fourth quarter of a exhibition game.
Intimacy: There's something special about watching big leaguers play in a minor-league park like Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. If the Jazz are going to draw 5,000 fans for a preseason game, they should pack the gym at Salt Lake Community College instead of playing in front of thousands of empty seats at EnergySolutions.
Of course, they couldn't require their thousands of season ticket holders to buy two extra tickets to the preseason games that way. The preseason games are an easy source of revenue for teams that I'm pretty sure owners aren't about to give away.
Access: I'm just there to soak up the desert sun, but there's plenty of fans who head to spring training to stake out players for autographs and say a few words of encouragement about the season. There's others that just want to watch a bullpen session up close.
I've seen firsthand the crowds that can gather when NBA teams stop by a health club or some small college for shootaround or practice. The Jazz held shootaround at tiny Concordia University in Irvine, Calif., in October and the gym balcony was totally packed.
I'm not sure how to do it, but teams should be required to hold practice outside of their facility a couple of times in the preseason. Go to a small gym somewhere and let fans get as close as they can to the players and the action.
Affordability: Our tickets to Friday's game were $11. You could bring a blanket and sit on the outfield grass for $6. There shouldn't be a ticket in the NBA preseason more expensive than $25. Upper deck should be $5 and general admission seating.
Repeat after me: People go away happy when they go away feeling like they got a good deal. Everyone goes away happy from spring training and nobody can tell you the final score of the game. It's an incredible thing.
Old-timers: The Cubs had both Ferguson Jenkins and Lee Smith signing autographs at a tent down the left-field line. Of course, both were charging for autographs, but that's another story. There's something wonderful about having the old-timers around.
The Jazz could easily invite two or three players from the past to hang around the team a little during the preseason. It also might not hurt to have the current generation of players feel a little connection to the guys that preceded them in Salt Lake City.
Of course, the NBA preseason never will be able to match the romance of spring training, but it definitely could be more than just a month everyone wants to finish as quickly as possible. Would love to hear anybody else's suggestions.
Now I'm going to go back to nursing my sunburn.
--Ross Siler
2:51 PM
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1 Comments:
Ross, those are all great ideas and I'm all for a more meaningful NBA preseason.
The NBA equivalent to baseball's Spring Training is definitely the Summer Leagues, especially for the Jazz as they host their own at SLCC. You've seen the crowds and the energy at the Rocky Mountain Revue. The place was electric this summer when the Jazz played the Sonics and Kevin Durant made his debut.
Even though the veteran players aren't really involved, I've noticed a lot of people starting to circle their calendars each summer to head to Vegas for a few days of hoops and people watching at the Vegas Summer League. You've probably got a better chance of talking to a GM in the stands of the Cox Pavilion than you do at Spring Training.
Speaking to your point about making things exciting early in the season: I'd like to see the NBA include in-season tournaments like the European leagues and football proper. It's really the only way to make an 82 game season mean anything in November.
Keep up the good work.
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