13th&Jackson Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 Thought it might be worth having a separate thread for the Pacers, instead of just in the NBA thread: The Mad Ants are moving to Noblesville, where they're building a new arena: "The city hopes the arena will be built for the 2024-25 season, and the Pacers say the Mad Ants will play in Gainbridge Fieldhouse until construction is completed." "The franchise will maintain the Mad Ants name through the 2023-24 season, at which point a new name will be chosen. " https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2023/05/08/pacers-news-mad-ants-moving-from-fort-wayne-to-noblesville/70196524007/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 Seems like they could have moved and still kept 'Mad Ants' for the long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 If the Pacers organization wants to pull me back in, a good start would be drafting TJD at #29. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th&Jackson Posted May 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 1 minute ago, 5fouls said: Seems like they could have moved and still kept 'Mad Ants' for the long term. Don't know if Mad Anthony Wayne was ever in Noblesville. 😀 But, then again, there aren't many lakes in LA and not much Jazz in Utah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 4 minutes ago, 13th&Jackson said: Don't know if Mad Anthony Wayne was ever in Noblesville. 😀 But, then again, there aren't many lakes in LA and not much Jazz in Utah Grizzlies in Memphis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steubenhoosier Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 Just another reason to detest the NBA in general and the Pacers in particular 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 1 minute ago, 5fouls said: Grizzlies in Memphis Or lakes in Los Angeles (22) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 Irony... The NBA team formerly in Seattle? The Sonics The corporate headquarters of the drive in burger joint with that same name is in? Oklahoma City 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th&Jackson Posted May 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 The Pacers were next to last in attendance. Does moving their G League team to the same metro potentially increase ticket sales? Or do some folks in the northern burbs say, "I'll just watch the former Mad Ants for a lower price and not drive downtown" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoyeCowbell Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 Was the support for the team in Ft. Wayne poor? I know next to nothing about the city and its collective sports enthusiasm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cthomas Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 3 minutes ago, 13th&Jackson said: The Pacers were next to last in attendance. Does moving their G League team to the same metro potentially increase ticket sales? Or do some folks in the northern burbs say, "I'll just watch the former Mad Ants for a lower price and not drive downtown" I've lived either in Indianapolis or near by for over 70 years. I always felt safe when in the city whether attending events or going to restaurants. That's not the case anymore. I retired in 2009 after working downtown for over 33 years. I just don't go down there unless I have to. It makes me sad. So, if I have an entertainment alternative outside the city, I'm taking it even if it's not quite the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUALUM03 Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 (edited) 11 minutes ago, cthomas said: I've lived either in Indianapolis or near by for over 70 years. I always felt safe when in the city whether attending events or going to restaurants. That's not the case anymore. I retired in 2009 after working downtown for over 33 years. I just don't go down there unless I have to. It makes me sad. So, if I have an entertainment alternative outside the city, I'm taking it even if it's not quite the same. I live and work downtown. This is a gross exaggeration and built off a talking point that more and more suburban people are latching on to. Is it perfect and did the pandemic give it a hit? Absolutely, but this sentiment that it is a scene from mad max or you can walk without being endangered is tired and untrue. Fear mongering at its finest. Edited May 8, 2023 by IUALUM03 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cthomas Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 3 minutes ago, IUALUM03 said: I live and work downtown. This is a gross exaggeration and built off a talking point that more and more suburban people are latching on to. Is it perfect and did the pandemic give it a hit? Absolutely, but this sentiment that it is a scene from mad max or you can walk without being endangered is tired and untrue. Fear mongering at its finest. I have defended Indianapolis for years as a great city. I have a daughter and five grandkids who live on West 10th Street. I pick them up and drop them off nearly weekly. The kids go to Ben Davis and I attend sporting events there. So, I'm not going to argue the state of the city. Based on my experience and my daughter's, the city has problems. The question was if some people would choose to watch the Mad Ants instead of going to a Pacers game. My opinion, I think some will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FKIM01 Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 (edited) 33 minutes ago, IUALUM03 said: I live and work downtown. This is a gross exaggeration and built off a talking point that more and more suburban people are latching on to. Is it perfect and did the pandemic give it a hit? Absolutely, but this sentiment that it is a scene from mad max or you can walk without being endangered is tired and untrue. Fear mongering at its finest. The truth likely lies somewhere in between. My daughter graduates IU dental school Saturday and I can't wait to get her out of Indy. https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/two-dead-in-double-shooting-on-indys-near-north-side This literally happened in the alley next to the house she rents with three other people (mostly dental students), early Saturday morning about 30 minutes before she got home. The male victim was their neighbor. No idea on motive...the police literally told her they thought it was purely random. As a father, that's scary as hell to me. Edited May 8, 2023 by FKIM01 punctuation 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IU Scott Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 I assume the main reason for the move is it closer for a player getting called up. For the guys on a two way contract they go from the G league to the Pacers a lot. Also they send guys coming off injury or not playing much down to the Mad Ants to get some practice time before coming back to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 By contrast, in Louisville, save for the mass shooting a few weeks ago, the downtown area around the Yum Center and the 4th Street Live entertainment area are fairly safe. Go 3-4 blocks in any direction except North and it's a war zone. Crime totally out of control. Probably the only reason I can exclude North is because you walk that direction and you fall into the river. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th&Jackson Posted May 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 6 minutes ago, IU Scott said: I assume the main reason for the move is it closer for a player getting called up. For the guys on a two way contract they go from the G league to the Pacers a lot. Also they send guys coming off injury or not playing much down to the Mad Ants to get some practice time before coming back to play. Yeah, it’s weird. Some G League teams are in the same city as the club. Others aren’t even close. Miami’s G league team is in Sioux Falls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cthomas Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 8 minutes ago, FKIM01 said: The truth likely lies somewhere in between. My daughter graduates IU dental school Saturday and I can't wait to get her out of Indy. https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/two-dead-in-double-shooting-on-indys-near-north-side This literally happened in the alley next to the house she rents with three other people (mostly dental students). Early Saturday morning, about 30 minutes before she got home. The male victim was their neighbor. No idea on motive...the police literally told her they thought it was purely random. As a father, that's scary as hell to me. Not trying to derail the thread, but I have a 19 year old grandson who fits the demographic of the gun violence in Indianapolis. As a grandfather, I worry about him constantly. He's a great young man, but you can always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th&Jackson Posted May 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 2 minutes ago, cthomas said: Not trying to derail the thread, As author of the thread, I’m granting wide latitude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IU Scott Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 For me being downtown Indy isn't that scary. Go to the east side is a different story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steubenhoosier Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 53 minutes ago, MoyeCowbell said: Was the support for the team in Ft. Wayne poor? I know next to nothing about the city and its collective sports enthusiasm. Fort Wayne was rated the #2 minor league market last year and has been in the top 10 in 8 of the 9 years of the rankings. The Komets are the second oldest minor league hockey team in existence. The Tin Caps, high A farm team of the Padres— Tatis started his pro career here- have annually won the designation of having the best minor league stadium in the country. The Mad Ants are the new team on the block, having been in existence since 2007. They have split some of their home games with other cities to generate statewide support for the team. An old high school buddy has been their play-by-play guy since the outset. I don’t know if he’ll want to make the drive down for games or not. Ft Wayne just hosted the Division III National Basketball Championship for the second straight year. They have hosted games in the Women’s tournament. They have hosted games in the NCAA Volleyball tournament. They have a huge basketball facility that hosts multiple AAU tournaments every year, just finished one this weekend that Flory Bidunga’s team won the U-17 bracket. The city has an awesome youth hockey program and holds tournaments hosting teams from all over the country. We have hosted professional golf tournaments in the feeder league levels. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the FW Curling Club. We host competitions every year drawing teams from throughout the US and Canada. Every member of the Gold Medal winning Men’s team from Sochi have competed at our club. Kory Dropkin, who just won the World Mixed Doubles Championship has curled at our club several times. We have hosted the Women’s Olympic teams from China and Scotland. I’d say FW is very entrenched in the world of sports! 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 8, 2023 Report Share Posted May 8, 2023 (edited) The Pacers 🙂 I was a Boston Celtics fan as a kid, probably because they won every year... I remember sitting in the Martinsville Moose Lodge (better than Mackey Arena 😁) bar with my Dad and about 10 other men watching game 7 of the 66 finals... I was the only person rooting for the Celts... When the Pacers came on the scene, I dropped the Celtics... This was our team... Loved the red, white, and blue ball (Marathon gas had them cheap if you bought like 10 gallons of gas... @ .29 a gallon... Those were the days)... Went to an early Pacers game at the old Fairgrounds arena... Smelled like dung, but the Pacers beat the Anaheim Amigos and I was hooked... Loved them all through the ABA days, but the screwing they took to get into the NBA put them so far out of being competitive for years, I lost interest. I followed the 1998 playoff run, and that screwing at the hands of the Bulls (and refs)... Haven't been interested in the NBA, including the Pacers, for a while now... Guess that's on me ☹️ Edited May 9, 2023 by IUFLA 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13th&Jackson Posted May 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2023 28 minutes ago, IUFLA said: The Pacers 🙂 I was a Boston Celtics fan as a kid, probably because they won every year... I remember sitting in the Martinsville Moose Lodge (better than Mackey Arena 😁) bar with my Dad and about 10 other men watching game 7 of the 66 finals... I was the only person rooting for the Celts... When the Pacers came on the scene, I dropped the Celtics... This was our team... Loved the red, white, and blue ball (Marathon gas had them cheap if you bought like 10 gallons of gas... @ .29 a gallon... Those were the days)... Went to an early Pacers game at the old Fairgrounds arena... Smelled like dung, but the Pacers beat the Anaheim Amigos and I was hooked... Loved them all through the ABA days, but the screwing they took to get into the NBA put them so far out of being competitive for years, I lost interest. I followed the 1998 playoff run, and that screwing at the hands of the Bulls (and refs)... Haven't been interested in the NBA, including the Pacers, for a while now... Guess that's on me ☹️ I grew up with the ABA Pacers. Those were fun teams and the ABA game was more entertaining than the NBA. The fairgrounds coliseum was always 110 degrees with a haze of cigarette smoke. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoB2011 Posted May 9, 2023 Report Share Posted May 9, 2023 2 hours ago, IUALUM03 said: I live and work downtown. This is a gross exaggeration and built off a talking point that more and more suburban people are latching on to. Is it perfect and did the pandemic give it a hit? Absolutely, but this sentiment that it is a scene from mad max or you can walk without being endangered is tired and untrue. Fear mongering at its finest. This. I work from home so I’m not down there every day like you, but I have no issues when I’m down there for Colts or Pacers games. I don’t go downtown for dinner really anymore, but that’s more because the north side has a ton of great choices and if I’m hauling kids or paying a babysitter, I’d rather not make that drive just for food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoB2011 Posted May 9, 2023 Report Share Posted May 9, 2023 42 minutes ago, IUFLA said: The Pacers 🙂 I was a Boston Celtics fan as a kid, probably because they won every year... I remember sitting in the Martinsville Moose Lodge (better than Mackey Arena 😁) bar with my Dad and about 10 other men watching game 7 of the 66 finals... I was the only person rooting for the Celts... When the Pacers came on the scene, I dropped the Celtics... This was our team... Loved the red, white, and blue ball (Marathon gas had them cheap if you bought like 10 gallons of gas... @ .29 a gallon... Those were the days)... Went to an early Pacers game at the old Fairgrounds arena... Smelled like dung, but the Pacers beat the Anaheim Amigos and I was hooked... Loved them all through the ABA days, but the screwing they took to get into the NBA put them so far out of being competitive for years, I lost interest. I followed the 1998 playoff run, and that screwing at the hands of the Bulls (and refs)... Haven't been interested in the NBA, including the Pacers, for a while now... Guess that's on me ☹️ Rooting for one team the same as @BGleasis enough. I’d have dropped the Celtics, too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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