Team busing to Milwaukee

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howeda7 said:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...cyaiUjc8LDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Not a huge deal. But this still smacks small-time to me, just like busing the football team to Iowa. Come on Maturi, find somewhere else to save a few bucks.
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Time wise it's not much faster to fly than drive. By the time you deal with check in and security it is almost as fast to drive to Mil. than fly and then catch a bus once your there. I am not sure that this is about the money.
 

dlw4gophers said:
Time wise it's not much faster to fly than drive. By the time you deal with check in and security it is almost as fast to drive to Mil. than fly and then catch a bus once your there. I am not sure that this is about the money.
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Definitely true. Not to mention flying to Milwaukee is pretty expensive. I did a trip there for work 2 years ago and we debated flying to Milwaukee, flying to Chicago and renting a car then driving, or just driving all the way there. I was barely faster to do the first option but a lot more expensive.

This also removes some hassle from the players - no security check-in, getting on a bus at the U, on a plane, on a bus in Milwaukee, etc... They just hop on a bus, sleep/focus on the 5 hour ride there, and get off at the hotel. No complaints from me.

I take it more as a practical and "down to earth" type decision rather than a move that shows we are second-rate.
 

Busing is mandatory by the NCAA when distances are short. Don't blame the AD for this one.
 

Quite honestly...I'm in favor of it, simply for the reason those long 6 hr bus trips have to build more camaraderie among the guys than a 90 minute flight, bonding on their way to the NCAA tourney.
 


I know it is easy to blame Maturi but surely all NCAA tournament costs are paid by the NCAA.
 


howeda7 said:
Not a huge deal. But this still smacks small-time to me, just like busing the football team to Iowa. Come on Maturi, find somewhere else to save a few bucks.
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Thanks for the link to another lame story.
 

Have any of you been to the Milwaukee airport? It's pretty much a dump. I was shocked at how small-townish it was.
 



OMG we are stretching for things to bitch about, Howeda. :confused:
 

Winnipegopher said:
I know it is easy to blame Maturi but surely all NCAA tournament costs are paid by the NCAA.
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The NCAA won't pay the cost because it's not over 400 miles. That doesn't mean they couldn't fly and pay for the difference themselves. It just seems cheap to save a few thousand bucks this way, when the team just made you many times more then that. If the team wants to do it, fine. If they're doing it because of the money, it's kind of pathetic. The schools on the east coast are much closer together on average, but rarely bus to games.
 

Dr.Don said:
OMG we are stretching for things to bitch about, Howeda. :confused:
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Blame Myron. If he hadn't written about it, I'd probably never know. ;) I felt the same way about the Iowa football game. Anyway, I know it's nitpicking. But when a program generates millions of dollars for your athletic department, you shouldn't be trying to squeeze every nickel. This isn't minor league baseball. If we want to be a big time program we have to act like it.
 

Howeda...I don't know, but as I read comments to your opening post, I think that several good reasons were given for why it does not really matter.
 





The waiting time at the airport on both ends would eat up much of the time savings of flying.
 

Team building happens more on busses then airplanes. (Well I've never flown anywhere on my away games, but I still stick by my statement :p ).
 

howeda7 said:
Blame Myron. If he hadn't written about it, I'd probably never know. ;) I felt the same way about the Iowa football game. Anyway, I know it's nitpicking. But when a program generates millions of dollars for your athletic department, you shouldn't be trying to squeeze every nickel. This isn't minor league baseball. If we want to be a big time program we have to act like it.
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Iowa takes a bus when they come here. Wisconsin buses to games here. NU buses here, etc. This isn't news. Almost all teams in the B10 take motor coaches (i.e. buses) to games that are within 5-6 hours.

What don't you get about this?
 

RodentRampage said:
The waiting time at the airport on both ends would eat up much of the time savings of flying.
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Not if they flew on a charter (which they probably would). But still, busing to Milwaukee is not a big deal.
 

GoGoGophers said:
Iowa takes a bus when they come here. Wisconsin buses to games here. NU buses here, etc. This isn't news. Almost all teams in the B10 take motor coaches (i.e. buses) to games that are within 5-6 hours.

What don't you get about this?
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I don't think Northwestern and Iowa basketball teams bus here. They charter a flight, as MN does when it goes to Northwestern. As to MN traveling to IA & Wis, I think it also depends on weeknight game (charter flight) or weekend game (bus), because of class time missed, etc.

Before anyone accuses MN of being "minor league baseball" team - remember - Minnesota's travel budget for basketball has to be right there with Penn State as the highest (maybe in the country). Almost EVERY trip is a charter jet (big $$$$) because of distance (very few bus trips). On the other hand, teams like Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin get several bus trips per year because of proximity. That saves hundreds of thousands of dollars.
 

The OP was ripping on the athletic department for the football team taking coaches to Iowa City. My response was that Iowa buses here as well for football games. As does Wisky and that NU has done so in the past. This is the norm.

I agree that the basketball teams don't often do it due to midweek games, but neither do the Gophers.

He/She's been beating this drum since November and it's ignorant and inaccurate.
 

GoGoGophers said:
The OP was ripping on the athletic department for the football team taking coaches to Iowa City. My response was that Iowa buses here as well for football games. As does Wisky and that NU has done so in the past. This is the norm.

I agree that the basketball teams don't often do it due to midweek games, but neither do the Gophers.

He/She's been beating this drum since November and it's ignorant and inaccurate.
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That's a bit inaccurate, I only mentioned the football team busing to Iowa in this post. I've been beating no drums since November. The fact that they implied that they would have flown to the game if the NCAA would have paid probably made it seem worse then it really is. I'm happy to let this drop in any case. Carry on.
 

I would have driven them if they needed a ride. I have two Suburbans. I'm sure my wife would have driven the other one...
 

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