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Pistons.com reports from the Mad Ants' home opener
Photos from Fort Wayne - Part Two
The player introductions are a wild affair. This is Ron Howard, a guard from Valparaiso, running through the fan tunnel. The Mad Ants have a minor-league feel to them - in the best sense of the word - right down to the clever marketing ideas. Such as when a local dry-cleaning business presented Mad Ants head coach Kent Davison with his blazer at halfcourt, still on a hanger and covered in plastic. At least coach got to wear the pants. |
Most significant moment of the night: Carl Bennett, an executive with the Pistons when they were still the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in the early 1950s, tossed up a ceremonial tipoff. As we spend the 2007-08 season remembering the Pistons’ history in Detroit, we should note the team’s origins in Fort Wayne. Seeing the 91-year-old Bennett honored at halfcourt made it feel like we were meant to be there. |
The pregame pyrotechnics left a dense cloud over the court well into the first quarter. The pyrotechnics at The Palace appear to be designed for indoor use, like at a concert, but the pregame fireworks at the Coliseum looked like they came from the big red barn on the Michigan-Indiana state border. You know the place I’m talking about. |
The nice thing about smaller crowds (than 22,076) is shorter lines, especially at concession stands. At the American Fanstand, coffee or hot chocolate are $1.75, hot dogs $2.50, polish sausage $3.75 and souvenir soda $4.00. In case you were wondering. |
The concourse entertainment is simple, but effective. Sam and Hannah Garretson, 6 and 8, take a break from watching the game to shoot some hoops. Their father, Joe, is a Mad Ants season-ticket holder who has been impressed with the marketing job the team has done to drum up local interest. “You can’t miss their logo in the paper,” he said. |
| Click here for Part 3... |
