Pauley Pavilion's renovation

I am with Bergman on this one. I am all for a Pauley renovation but must admit my sentiment changed when the first survey was sent to season ticket holders.

While the survey said that wanted to find out what would people want in a renovated facility the real survey was how much would you be willing to pay for various seats. My seats which are behind the basket and high in the middle level it was clear they were asking a minimum of 5x what the current prices are or about $3k a ticket.

After reading the article I am even more concerned. If the new facility is going to mean even more congestion and less comfort then what currently exists that is just awful. My guess is Chancellor Young was correct in the opinion if they are going to do something they should start from scratch.

By the way, even though it is non-related my condolences go you to the family of Nick Ardenhart. Another reminder of how precious life is.

Moe

the idiot opposing the plans needs to take Econ 101. Did the dude even go to college? high school?

You need to spend to get. I love Ucla BB. I go every year to the Pond. I go EVERY year to USC to watch Ucla play. I usually go senior day to support the kids that have played hard for us 4 years. I hate that place. You build a nice place I'll pay whatever you charge. My uncle has tickets in the 8th row under the basket only his seats are 300 yards from the baseline.

Build something cool and they will sell the tickets.

Dare I suggest the idea that if some of the "old timers" are frustrated then it may give other more energized and excited fans a chance to buy prime season tickets and actually cheer for their team?

That being said, we all know that UCLA caters to this old timer crowd (because they've been around since the Wooden era) and that they will have first chance at everything. Proof of the way they cater to the old timer crowd is how they still allow Geoff Strand to lead cheers at the Rose Bowl.

Dan Guerrero as made really good decisions while at the helm. Let's give him and the rest of the AD the benefit of the doubt and see how this unfolds.

It's great that the AD is finally giving some sort of an update, but now, due to the dismissing of the head of the committee, the whole thing is developing into a "he said, he said" debate. We really have little to base opinions on right now; for instance, when Bergman talks about the concourse, is he talking about the one currently inside the bowl of the arena, or a new one to be built outside the main stadium area? It would be great if the inside concourse is removed and replaced with closer seating, but who knows what the plans are? Guerrero could clear this up by releasing the detailed plans to the public as soon as possible.

Who is the new blood that is going to pay $4k to $10K for a ticket????

Is it the young graduate who will actually show up and cheer or the rich corporations who may not even bother for a 10 AM game against Notre Dame.

The Forum? Honda Center? wow sounds like the 2011 season will be a mess! Putting aside the old timers vs. new blood issue, Guerrero and Bergman need to be on the same page here, IMO, to get this done right, and for the right price. Seems like they are all over the map right now, which doesn't bode well for a project that has been full of confusion and false starts for years now. Not promising.

I hope that they also come up with a plan to keep the fans in Westwood after the game. Most people just get in their cars and take off after the game. We need to do more to support the local businesses.

Sounds like another fiscal disaster on the horizon. BOHICA taxpayers! Quadrupling ticket prices makes a lot of profoma's really sing, reality is hardly ever that simple.

Brian,

Any way we can get more specifics on the difference of opinion? Any possibility the Athletic Department will conduct another survey re ticket prices and donations? I fear that the new request for an upfront additional donation (and/or seat licensing) will make it cost prohibitive for a lot of current season ticket holders. I'm not just speaking about the "old timers" in the lower section but the dedicated season tickets in the upper section.

ArtV,

Unfortunately, not every die hard Bruin (and there are many of us with your enthusiam) has the funds to pay any price. The renovations should accomodate everyone at every donor level and still take into account the "long timers". BTW, I'm not an "old timer" but someone who's had season tickets since I graduated in 1998.

My biggest concern is that with any renovation plan, the current students are going to get the short end of the stick. It's a shame that raising money is more important than allowing the students more access to these games and create a better atmosphere. Truth be told, they are the truly passionate ones. Trust me, I'm as die hard as you can get but it's not the same as when I was a student.

Oh, one more thing ArtV . . . building a great arena won't keep the fans coming. Look at $C. They still can't sell out a game with the new Galen Center.

Remember this is college sports. Not professional. Tradition and success make the biggest impact.

If you're willing to pay any price, why not make a written commitment to the AD?

Sounds like another fiscal disaster on the horizon. BOHICA taxpayers! Quadrupling ticket prices makes a lot of profoma's really sing, reality is hardly ever that simple.

Widen the concourse means closer seats for the floor level and middle level seats at the backcourts, but farther away for the third level seats at the north and south sides?

Why have they not looked into building a new arena, and using Pauley for other sports? seems like 200M is better spent to truly upgrade the facilities, not just put some cometic changes in.

Where would you propose to put this new arena? There isn't any place available on campus to put in a new arena. So if you want to stay on campus, you either renovate Pauley or tear Pauley down to build a new facility.

HOW DOES "THE DOHN DOME" SOUND??

For 200M I say tear and down and start from ground up. At the same time, renovate Spaulding Field with one cohesive plan for that entire footprint from the Acosta Center to the James West Center, and from the intramural fields to Parking Lot 8. That is a big footprint and you can do some really state-of-the-art stuff for 200M. Make the new design a "tribute" to Pauley Pavilion with some of the same flavor. Auction off all of the NC Banners and replace them with same-design new ones for the new arena. Auction off the hardwood in pieces. Auction off the seats, the signs, etc. etc. etc.

Tell the one-foot-in-the-grave alumni to pony up the $$ or get out of the way of fans who (a) come to the games; (b) stay for the entire game; (c) make noise for the team to restore neuPauley to its old intimidation; and (d) leave the reading material/crosswords/and jawjacking socializing wives at home.

Noise making fans do not want to pay a lot of money for the seats. Besides they not going to play and win the games in their seats. Only good talented players can win games. Howland does not help with his style of coaching. As an alum from golden days, I want to see Pauley preserved. We don't take down Royce or Powell, we don't tear down Pauley!

I can't believe they are still talking about a "RENOVATION" project. Pauley is not a renovation. It's a tear down. Every good Real Estate man knows you don't plunk this much money into a dump. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Unfortunately, I think the only real reason we are renovating this dump, is out of respect for Wooden.

Listen, Wooden was a great coach and is a great person, but like EVERY great person he is flawed. He didn't like dunking. BIG mistake. Could you imagine BB without dunking? He thought it was arrogant and showboating. Please. Dunking is not about arrogance. It's about domination, will, power, strength, and grace. It can create immense momentum and pump up or silence a crowd. Wooden NEVER got this. He also didn't like calling time outs and his arena design was atrocious. He didn't want the fans too close to the floor. He thought it created an unfair disadvantage to the visiting team. Are you kidding me? Why not play EVERY game on a neutral court then? Please.

While Wooden was a GREAT coach and I appreciate everything he did for our great University, we need to move on. We need to distance ourselves from our past and look to the future. We need to develop a new identity and dynasty. We need a NEW Arena to do that.

No arena is too hallowed to tear down. They tore down Yankee Stadium, The Boston Garden, replaced Memorial Stadium at Kentucky, and nobody cried. It's called progress. Tear it down or don't. Just build a new one. Let the Women's BB, volleyball, and gymnastics teams practice and play there for all I care. That way the Pauley family won't cry. Keep it and name the new one the Wooden Arena, that way he won't be insulted.

It's nice to remember the past, but also important to look to the future. Mr. Guerrero and Mr. Block, tear down that Arena. Somehow I feel we're going to foul this up. Pun intended.