"That's a fanatic..."

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November 15, 2001
Popping a Nets Nut – Part 1
[Ed. note: In characterizing Adam Padilla, a.k.a. "The Puppet Guy," a man who created his own Sam Cassell and Chris Gatling marionettes and brought them to Cassell/Gatling era Nets games, Champagne dared say that it'd be "hard to find a more passionate Nets fan." This is what set Bob, a.k.a. "NetsNut," off.]

Joe:
It's funny that you guys, JoeNetsFans [sic] and Champagne, just assume you know who are the biggest or most passionate Nets fans... I have gone to just about every Nets home game since the Nets got into the NBA, before they got to the Meadowlands!!! I have been going to see the Nets since they were in the ABA and playing in Long Island... Since the days of Dr. J and Brian Taylor... I know some guys that have been Nets fans since they were the Americans, in the 1960's... I know who the biggest and most passionate Nets fans really are... I see who is at the games and I know where most of them sit... I don't believe I know either one of you guys but if you attend home games, I bet you have seen me...

Then you mention that Adam Padilla is one of the most passionate Nets fans and that's simply just not true... Everything, at the few games that I have seen him at during his year and a half of passion, that he does is for attention and he probably got paid by the Nets... I knew when he was there because he sat about 10-15 rows behind me... Sure he may be a fan but I haven't seen him at a home game since the 1999/2000 season and/or the Nets took him off the payroll... That's probably the reason he has some nasty words for Nets management because they let him go or fired him... Hence the angry letters about them... He's a talented artist though...

Of course Padilla loved the Cassell/Gatling era and why not, he went to games and was as popular as the players... He brought his puppets and got the attention off the court... He made players and fans laugh... That's usually what CLOWNS do... In my opinion, he's just publicity hungry, trying to create a career for himself (that's ok with me) and not a true die-hard fan...

That off the court fanfare is just what the Nets don't need... They don't need a "paid" Ed the Fireman or clone, coming down the stairs in section 212 cheering on the fans during a game... They don't need all the off-court antics of Sly during the game... Remember, this is the same team that has to give away 7000 tickets, for free, to get the attendance up to 4000 for a game... They don't need to be Ringling Bros. during a basketball game... They need to win basketball games... They need to focus on the business of basketball... They are lousy in the entertainment business... They need to make a goddamn basket, play defense and rebound the ball...

Now that I got that off my chest and cleared that up... I want to tell you what I consider to be a passionate fan... One who schedules business and leisure trips around the Nets schedule... One who goes to every home game... One who goes to every home game two hours early and stays to the last tick of the clock at every game... One who annually goes to see the Nets play Boston, in Boston, once during each season... For over 20 years, one who is a fixture at every away game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and Sixers in Philadelphia... One that goes up to Boston to see the Nets in the summer league and used to go to the shore league here in Jersey when Net players used to show up there... One who sometimes goes to Washington (might be a tough ticket now) to see them play there... One who travels to Indiana, Cleveland, Charlotte, Orlando, Chicago and Miami just to see the Nets play... Now I believe that's a fanatic... That guy is me... There are others who sometimes go with me... One of them is my wife of over 20+ years... Now she's a passionate Nets fan...

So when you talk about the biggest most passionate fan, you're talking about me, the NetsNut... Mention my name "NetsNut" (Bob) to just about anyone in the Nets office and I bet you they know who you're talking about... Come see me in the arena and I bet more than half of the arena staff knows me by name...

Unfortunately there are the other Nets fans like me, maybe not as extreme but close... They sit at games and wonder why they paid so much money to be miserable... Drug addicts don't suffer as much as us Nets fans... There're fans who sit in the front row all the way to the upper level who have been coming for years, win or lose... There're the fans who sit in front of the TV and watch every game on Sportschannel or listen on the radio because they can't afford or aren't willing to pay the prices that the Nets have the balls to charge, for last place no less... These are the passionate fans... They spend their hard earned dollars to go to Nets games or they just clear their agendas to be near a raido or TV while they are playing... These are the true, die-hard fans and they know who they are... They leave the arena or their living room physically sick when the Nets find new ways to lose and are elated when they win... They always feel like this year will be different... They have to listen to the excuses of the Nets coaching staffs as to why "this year" is a rebuilding year... They have to say to their Knicks fan friends things like, "well if the Nets didn't have so many injuries or if the coach knew what he was doing or if they could only make a shot or at least we'll get a good draft pick or if it wasn't for the dreaded curse of Dr. J..."

Here's an undisputable line for you, my Nets friends... I like to put it this way to my Knicks fan friends... Since the Nets have been in the NBA, the Knicks or Nets haven't won a NBA Championship, so as far as I'm concerned the Knicks and the Nets both haven't won squat... Till one of them wins a NBA Title, no one has bragging rights... [Ed. note: Very creative!]

There are some new fans who have just started coming to games who are pretty loyal... But not guys like Adam... You guys should look me up to do some investigative reporting before you decide who's passionate and who's not... [Ed. note: I guess we're sorry we didn't consult a guy we didn't even know existed. Once again: Joe is NOT Kreskin!] If you want to get your facts correct, contact me and I'll set you guys straight... I know who the "real" passionate fans are... I know who's at the arena and plenty of fans who dwell in front of the TV or radio...

Talk to you soon,
- Bob a.k.a NetsNut, November 8, 2001

Popping a Nets Nut – Part 2
Joe:
Do you remember last year, the night we had a snow storm and about 500-1000 people showed up at a Nets game??? I know some of you are saying isn't that the normal attendance for a Nets game???

I forget who they were playing that night but people were spread out all over the place and mostly upstairs...[Ed. note: We remember. It was March 5, 2001, the Nets' 62nd game of the season. The Bucks won 107 to 100. Who's the Nets nut now, Bob? Of course, we weren't there.]

Well, seeing this, I went over to one of the Nets top brass and suggested that they bring everyone down to the floor since these people obviously weathered the storm to get here... The friendly, customer oriented, Nets executive took my suggestion and had Gary Sussman, the recently fired announcer, invite everyone to "come on down." This was the Nets best attribute, the way they treated their ticketholders and fans... Ask any ticketholder... We each had a representative who at each home game would come and say hello, is there anything that I could do for you, etc... [Ed. note: We sure didn't! We had a half-season package and were treated like dogs.]

I am writing this because I don't like the new president Lou "I don't give two shits about the paying customer/fan or my employees" Lamoriello...

Customer service, since the arrival of Lamoriello, has and will continue to be non-existant... One thing I know for sure is that Lou is not a man of the people...

Being a season ticket holder for so long I had to endure some of the worst basketball imaginable... Some years the only thing that I looked forward to was the relationships that I had established with a lot of the Nets employees, players, coaches and staff... It was something that made me and others, who had that same type of relationship with the Nets, feel special... It certainly wasn't the basketball...

So far, since tyrant Lou has taken over, that same friendly feeling has left the building... Some of the reasons and rhetoric coming from the Nets staff, that is allowed to talk to us customers, is that they are trying to build a winning attitude and changes had to be made... I understand that changes needed to be made and I agree with that but being a business man it should never be at the customer's expense... It's always the employees who make or break the business, always...

Message to Captain Obvious - Lou Lamoriello: It's the team and coaching staff that need the change, not the fans, not the poor man/woman in the office trying to make a living... It's the highly overpaid players and head coach making millions trying to be winners or at the least, entertaining... Some coaches would prefer to use the quote, "fun to watch"... Well the Nets might finally be on the right road... Winning does cure everything, doesn't it???

The Nets should be grateful to fans like me who have remained with them for as long as I have... There are a lot of us who have committed a lot of money and time to this franchise...

Lamoriello thought he came up with this new idea that if the Nets win the stands will fill up with some corporate ying-yangs like the Garden has, some new regular fans and guys like me will continue to support the team that we love... Thank you again, Captain Obvious... That's been the thinking of every sports franchise since sports franchises were established...

If guys like me leave (not likely to happen) some other idiot will take my place... This is the Nets thinking...

Remember this Lou... Only if they win, will the stands fill up...
What do you guys think???
- Bob a.k.a. NetsNut, November 8, 2001

Bob:
You got it. The fallout from their 26 win showing last year is tremendous. The Nets have by far the worst attendance in the league this season. It kind of makes me proud of New Jersey: we're showing we aren't complete suckers like Knicks and Bulls fans. Either that or it's true, there're no more give-away tickets. We know many of last year's attendance numbers were inflated by freebie-filling the Continental with township-loads of brat-children and down-and-outers cleared out of local shelters, every single one of them not paying attention to the game. I love all creatures great and small, don't get me wrong. But that was horrible basketball in a horrible atmosphere.
- Champagne, November 14, 2001

Popping a Nets Nut – Part 3
Joe:
I have to say that your site is fun to read and I like your comments about the Nets... Everyday I go through every on-line magazine or newspaper article I can find about the Nets at about 5:00 am then again around 11:00pm... I told you I am the most passionate fanatic there is... I watch NBA Season Pass when the Nets aren't playing at home or away...I use the rest of my free time to scout the competition... Actually, I'm getting ready for tonight's game against Seattle... I came home from work early just for the game tonight...
- Bob a.k.a. NetsNut, November 8, 2001

Bob:
I'd tease you about this if it weren't so frighteningly similar to my own routine. I scour the internet for Nets articles and I too have DirecTV's NBA Season Pass. You try to tell people that Tuesday night's T'Wolves/Cavs game was really good – no kidding! – and you just get odd looks. Hang in there with us Bob.
- Champagne, November 14, 2001

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