ACC Tournament

[hallcity]

I guess we're not too excited about the ACC Tournament today but for those who are interested, they're released the seating chart (http://raycomsports.com/sports_labs_docs/m-baskbl/2016_acctourney_seatingchart.pdf). Duke is in the endzone.

[Bluedog]

It's interesting how MANY sections they give to each school if I'm reading it correctly. Duke has like 1.5 sections in the 400-level while Syracuse has 4, Pitt and ND have 3. I would expect Duke in DC to have a good showing. Surprised they'd dedicate to many more seats to Pitt, for example (although maybe the floor seats given to Duke fans makes up for some of that).

[Lid]

Wow. I had no idea there were so many FSU fans???

[budwom]

It saddens me how much the ACC Tournament has deteriorated. It used to be fabulous...now it's diluted, well over the hill, has nowhere
near the excitement it once had. Schools can't even get rid of their tickets quite often...

Some of my fondest Duke memories involve going to the booze filled (yes, even in NC) highly exclusive tournament post game parties
held in the late 1960s and early 1970s...I wrote for the Chronicle and never would have been admitted, but Hubie Brown
was always kind enough to smuggle a friend and me into the festivities...it truly was THE social event of the year
in the Carolinas/ACC area...multitudinous governors, senators, celebs...I recall edging my way to the bar my first time, and
a distinguished gent and I bumped into each other....he turned around with a big grin, said "Nice to meet ya, son, Bob McNair,
Guvnah of South Carolina." Much fun sipping with Bob...

Add that to the excitement that you had to win the tourney to get to the NCAAs, and the whole situation was absolutely electric.

[SupaDave]

It saddens me how much the ACC Tournament has deteriorated. It used to be fabulous...now it's diluted, well over the hill, has nowhere
near the excitement it once had. Schools can't even get rid of their tickets quite often...

Some of my fondest Duke memories involve going to the booze filled (yes, even in NC) highly exclusive tournament post game parties
held in the late 1960s and early 1970s...I wrote for the Chronicle and never would have been admitted, but Hubie Brown
was always kind enough to smuggle a friend and me into the festivities...it truly was THE social event of the year
in the Carolinas/ACC area...multitudinous governors, senators, celebs...I recall edging my way to the bar my first time, and
a distinguished gent and I bumped into each other...he turned around with a big grin, said "Nice to meet ya, son, Bob McNair,
Guvnah of South Carolina." Much fun sipping with Bob...

Add that to the excitement that you had to win the tourney to get to the NCAAs, and the whole situation was absolutely electric.

B/c you don't go to exclusive post game parties any more doesn't mean they don't happen. ;)

And, I'm calling it now. We're due. Duke for the ACC tourney championship.

[kAzE]

B/c you don't go to exclusive post game parties any more doesn't mean they don't happen. ;)

And, I'm calling it now. We're due. Duke for the ACC tourney championship.

Could totally happen, but I think that depends on whether we get Amile back 3 or more games before the tournament, or during the tournament. No chance if it's the latter.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Are we certain to get a bid into the tourney this year? I wouldn't get tickets just yet.

::eye roll::

[uh_no]

B/c you don't go to exclusive post game parties any more doesn't mean they don't happen. ;)

And, I'm calling it now. We're due. Duke for the ACC tourney championship.

seriously...two natties since our last ACC championship! yeesh!

[sagegrouse]

I guess we're not too excited about the ACC Tournament today but for those who are interested, they're released the seating chart (http://raycomsports.com/sports_labs_docs/m-baskbl/2016_acctourney_seatingchart.pdf). Duke is in the endzone.

Sage's Two-Step Guide to attending the ACC's in DC.

In planning for a place to stay, look at the Washington Metro map (http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm) and choose accordingly. The Verizon Center ("Phone Booth") is at 7th and F Street, NW. The Gallery Place Chinatown Metro stop is inside the building envelope. The Washington Metro is easy to use and not nearly as complicated as NY, Paris and London. You can easily get there in 30 minutes from anywhere in the system.
There are plenty of watering holes and restaurants within a five-minute walk. If you walk 1/2 mile from the Greensboro Coliseum, you are just leaving the parking lot. Within 1/4 mile of the Verizon Center, there are about 25 drinking and eating establishments, some of them highly rated (Jaleo, District Chophouse, Daikaya plus all of Chinatown).

[eddiehaskell]

It saddens me how much the ACC Tournament has deteriorated. It used to be fabulous...now it's diluted, well over the hill, has nowhere
near the excitement it once had. Schools can't even get rid of their tickets quite often...

Some of my fondest Duke memories involve going to the booze filled (yes, even in NC) highly exclusive tournament post game parties
held in the late 1960s and early 1970s...I wrote for the Chronicle and never would have been admitted, but Hubie Brown
was always kind enough to smuggle a friend and me into the festivities...it truly was THE social event of the year
in the Carolinas/ACC area...multitudinous governors, senators, celebs...I recall edging my way to the bar my first time, and
a distinguished gent and I bumped into each other...he turned around with a big grin, said "Nice to meet ya, son, Bob McNair,
Guvnah of South Carolina." Much fun sipping with Bob...

Add that to the excitement that you had to win the tourney to get to the NCAAs, and the whole situation was absolutely electric.I wasn't there but I doubt it will ever match that level of excitement. Hard to imagine some of the great Duke teams over the last 25+ years having their season hinge on a single ACC game several times of the course of a weekend.

[AIRFORCEDUKIE]

I wasn't there but I doubt it will ever match that level of excitement. Hard to imagine some of the great Duke teams over the last 25+ years having their season hinge on a single ACC game several times of the course of a weekend.

well this season it just might

[Thurber Whyte]

Sage's Two-Step Guide to attending the ACC's in DC.

In planning for a place to stay, look at the Washington Metro map (http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm) and choose accordingly. The Verizon Center ("Phone Booth") is at 7th and F Street, NW. The Gallery Place Chinatown Metro stop is inside the building envelope. The Washington Metro is easy to use and not nearly as complicated as NY, Paris and London. You can easily get there in 30 minutes from anywhere in the system.
There are plenty of watering holes and restaurants within a five-minute walk. If you walk 1/2 mile from the Greensboro Coliseum, you are just leaving the parking lot. Within 1/4 mile of the Verizon Center, there are about 25 drinking and eating establishments, some of them highly rated (Jaleo, District Chophouse, Daikaya plus all of Chinatown).


The Metro is a good way to get around. If you are within driving distance of DC, as I am, and want to commute every day, the Metro is still a good option in terms of both cost and convenience. However, a problem I had in 2005 was finding parking on a weekday at the suburban stations at Greenbelt and New Carrolton, which are the closest access points for those coming south on I-95. The parking lots are inadequate and fill up quickly and, even forearmed with that knowledge, I was unable to get there early enough to get on the lot so I had to park at a private facility quite a distance away and take a shuttle to the station, that after a lot of driving around. There is probably a better way to do this and people who use the system more frequently can hopefully provide tips. On weekends, there is no problem, but, this year there is only one such game.

If you plan to stay in the area, I recommend Old Town Alexandria. It is picturesque, has good restaurants and is pleasant to walk around. And it has a Metro stop. It is enough of a destination in its own right that it might help you tempt a spouse who may not be fully sold on why spending a week watching basketball is a good idea for a vacation.

[BigWayne]

It's interesting how MANY sections they give to each school if I'm reading it correctly. Duke has like 1.5 sections in the 400-level while Syracuse has 4, Pitt and ND have 3. I would expect Duke in DC to have a good showing. Surprised they'd dedicate to many more seats to Pitt, for example (although maybe the floor seats given to Duke fans makes up for some of that).

Maybe it's not to scale correctly or there is some allocation of tickets to 3rd parties, but it does not seem like an equal distribution of tickets like there used to be. Maybe BC sold off some of their allocation to Syracuse?

[budwom]

B/c you don't go to exclusive post game parties any more doesn't mean they don't happen. ;)

And, I'm calling it now. We're due. Duke for the ACC tourney championship.

No doubt, Dave...but you have to keep in mind that big fancy parties with mixed drinks (Gen-you-wine licker) back then
were as rare as scholars in the Dean Dome.

Visitors were perpetually astonished to find they couldn't get a mixed drink in NC, anywhere, any time...and here we were, post
ACC semis (I think it was that day) swilling martinis with guvnahs.

[SupaDave]

No doubt, Dave...but you have to keep in mind that big fancy parties with mixed drinks (Gen-you-wine licker) back then
were as rare as scholars in the Dean Dome.

Visitors were perpetually astonished to find they couldn't get a mixed drink in NC, anywhere, any time...and here we were, post
ACC semis (I think it was that day) swilling martinis with guvnahs.

That's actually pretty fantastic in thought. A whole different time. Now I've got to go research NC's liquor laws (b/c it's still quite a stringent state).

[BigWayne]

No doubt, Dave...but you have to keep in mind that big fancy parties with mixed drinks (Gen-you-wine licker) back then
were as rare as scholars in the Dean Dome.

Visitors were perpetually astonished to find they couldn't get a mixed drink in NC, anywhere, any time...and here we were, post
ACC semis (I think it was that day) swilling martinis with guvnahs.

Well you just had to bring your own, which presented its own set of challenges and outcomes.

[southgater]

The Metro is a good way to get around. If you are within driving distance of DC, as I am, and want to commute every day, the Metro is still a good option in terms of both cost and convenience. However, a problem I had in 2005 was finding parking on a weekday at the suburban stations at Greenbelt and New Carrolton, which are the closest access points for those coming south on I-95. The parking lots are inadequate and fill up quickly and, even forearmed with that knowledge, I was unable to get there early enough to get on the lot so I had to park at a private facility quite a distance away and take a shuttle to the station, that after a lot of driving around. There is probably a better way to do this and people who use the system more frequently can hopefully provide tips. On weekends, there is no problem, but, this year there is only one such game.

If you plan to stay in the area, I recommend Old Town Alexandria. It is picturesque, has good restaurants and is pleasant to walk around. And it has a Metro stop. It is enough of a destination in its own right that it might help you tempt a spouse who may not be fully sold on why spending a week watching basketball is a good idea for a vacation.



Another option for getting into DC are the MARC trains (http://mta.maryland.gov/content/transit-maps). Along the I-95 corridor they run as far north as Perryville, MD (about 30 miles north of Baltimore.) The schedule is set up mostly for commuters going to Baltimore or DC, so more trains going south in the morning and more going north in the late afternoon, but there are a few at other times of the day as well. The routes are similar to Amtrak, but more frequent at commuter times and the fares are much lower. The MARC trains go to Union Station in DC where you can hop on the Metro. The station in Perryville has daily parking but I don't have experience on how likely it is to fill up.

[Tom B.]

Another option for getting into DC are the MARC trains (http://mta.maryland.gov/content/transit-maps). Along the I-95 corridor they run as far north as Perryville, MD (about 30 miles north of Baltimore.) The schedule is set up mostly for commuters going to Baltimore or DC, so more trains going south in the morning and more going north in the late afternoon, but there are a few at other times of the day as well. The routes are similar to Amtrak, but more frequent at commuter times and the fares are much lower. The MARC trains go to Union Station in DC where you can hop on the Metro. The station in Perryville has daily parking but I don't have experience on how likely it is to fill up.

And on the Virginia side, there are the VRE trains (http://www.vre.org/). They run as far south as Fredericksburg, and as far west as Manassas.

[Reilly]

Another option for getting into DC are the MARC trains ...

As noted, the MARC trains are a Maryland thing. Terp fans can use MARC to get to Baltimore's Penn Station, where they can then catch a cab for the 9-hour ride west on I-70 to Indianapolis for the Big Ten tourney; MARC also goes to BWI Marshall airport, where roundtrip flights to Indy can be had for less than $300.

[weezie]

Beware: the ushers at Verizon Center are descendants of a fierce warrior clan from Jupiter. The have the awe-inspiring ability to be bored, unhelpful AND the radar sense of bats if you dare even look at a seat that is not your own. I mean it, sit with eyes facing forward and keep your ticket stub stapled to your forehead.
No scalping outside either, even face or lower, you WILL be arrested, cuffed and held in jail. Wasn't me but I did see an older, white-haired gentleman assuming the position on the back of an undercover car.

Not exactly my favorite venue in case I didn't make that clear. :cool:

[BLPOG]

The Washington Metro is easy to use and not nearly as complicated as NY, Paris and London. You can easily get there in 30 minutes from anywhere in the system.

I'm going to have to vehemently disagree with this statement. The Washington Metro's has exactly two positive qualities: it is not complicated and, compared to many other urban mass-transit rails, is relatively clean.

When functioning properly, the metro will not get you to the Verizon Center from any station within 30 minutes (you're underestimating the distance to the far ends of the lines), but that stop (Gallery Place/Chinatown) is centrally located and the metro is a reasonable choice. Under thirty minutes is a good estimate if one is already in DC or doesn't need to transfer lines.

The metro is easy to use strictly in the sense of its simplicity; it is a complete nightmare otherwise. I'm speaking as someone who has used it to commute to work every day for the last few years. Equipment malfunction is a HUGE problem, something not always appreciated by folks from out of town, commuters in well-maintained track sections, or those used to the DC metro of 10+ years ago. I honestly can't exaggerate the severity of the maintenance problems. Last winter, my train or the adjacent train caught fire 3 times in a two week period. Broken rails happen almost every week during cold months. Train breakdowns, severe electrical arcing in tunnels, and even derailments are not uncommon. If you escape a month of commuting on the Orange Line without having your train offloaded, count yourself lucky and buy a lottery ticket.

I agree with sagegrouse and Thurber Whyte that the metro is still a good way to get around city and greater DC metro area. For the sake of people coming in from out of town, though, I think it's worthwhile to warn them of its shortcomings. If you decide to rely on it, have a backup plan.

[sagegrouse]

I'm going to have to vehemently disagree with this statement. The Washington Metro's has exactly two positive qualities: it is not complicated and, compared to many other urban mass-transit rails, is relatively clean.

When functioning properly, the metro will not get you to the Verizon Center from any station within 30 minutes (you're underestimating the distance to the far ends of the lines), but that stop (Gallery Place/Chinatown) is centrally located and the metro is a reasonable choice. Under thirty minutes is a good estimate if one is already in DC or doesn't need to transfer lines.

The metro is easy to use strictly in the sense of its simplicity; it is a complete nightmare otherwise. I'm speaking as someone who has used it to commute to work every day for the last few years. Equipment malfunction is a HUGE problem, something not always appreciated by folks from out of town, commuters in well-maintained track sections, or those used to the DC metro of 10+ years ago. I honestly can't exaggerate the severity of the maintenance problems. Last winter, my train or the adjacent train caught fire 3 times in a two week period. Broken rails happen almost every week during cold months. Train breakdowns, severe electrical arcing in tunnels, and even derailments are not uncommon. If you escape a month of commuting on the Orange Line without having your train offloaded, count yourself lucky and buy a lottery ticket.

I agree with sagegrouse and Thurber Whyte that the metro is still a good way to get around city and greater DC metro area. For the sake of people coming in from out of town, though, I think it's worthwhile to warn them of its shortcomings. If you decide to rely on it, have a backup plan.

I lived in the downtown DC grid four months a year, from 2004 to last June. For seven years before that, I lived in Cleveland Park, where Ms. sage used the Metro for daily commute. We rarely had a problem with the Metro -- except after 9 PM, when the trains became less frequent. But, BPLOG, you have more recent experience than I do.

The reason for me to emphasize the Metro was two-fold: (A) nice hotels are ridiculously expensive in downtown DC and (b) YOU DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE INTO DC FROM THE 'BURBS UNLESS YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

[BLPOG]

I lived in the downtown DC grid four months a year, from 2004 to last June. For seven years before that, I lived in Cleveland Park, where Ms. sage used the Metro for daily commute. We rarely had a problem with the Metro -- except after 9 PM, when the trains became less frequent. But, BPLOG, you have more recent experience than I do.

The reason for me to emphasize the Metro was two-fold: (A) nice hotels are ridiculously expensive in downtown DC and (b) YOU DO NOT WANT TO DRIVE INTO DC FROM THE 'BURBS UNLESS YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Your reasoning is precisely why I would still recommend the metro rail to visitors, despite my complaints. Although the metro infrastructure was already old 10-15 years ago, it was functional. Not so anymore, and the problem has been compounded in a number of ways. There was an article (http://www.washingtonian.com/2015/12/09/why-does-metro-suck-dangerous-accidents-escalator-outages/) published recently that did something of an exposé on the subject. It's gotten to the point that train operators, in frustration, will do things like vent the air from the pneumatic braking systems to cause intentional breakdowns.

Yeah, because that improves life for everyone.

[El_Diablo]

seriously...two natties since our last ACC championship! yeesh!

We won the ACC championship in 2011.

[sagegrouse]

seriously...two natties since our last ACC championship! yeesh!


We won the ACC championship in 2011.

Duke hasn't won since 2011, but our record then was staggeringly impressive: ten championships in 13 years -- 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011. It is time to start a new streak.

Kindly,
Sage
'Duke has won 19 championships in the ACC's 63 years, more than any other school'

[throatybeard]

Everybody knows that the ACC Tournament has sucked since Everett Case died.

[Pghdukie]

The entire tournament sucks because it's not being played at CIS. The whole thing. Play it all at Cameron !!!!!!!