I am not even going to bother writing a preview for this weekend’s games. If Halifax don’t come out and win by 40 points a night then we should all be embarassed.
What is more important is that people are meeting before the game at the Elephant and Castle at 5:15pm near Parade Square to drink, eat, and talk Rainmen. It’s the last chance to do so in the evening until next season and last time I went there were over a dozen people in attendance. Join the facebook group and tell your friends.
SECTION 23 
i am there and looking forward to this “airshow”.. good times
Anyone know what time the Father-son breakfast is? Also, is it Saturday or Sunday
“If Halifax don’t come out and win by 40 points a night then we should all be embarassed”
chris902, I wish I could take offence….. but that’d be a little hard, since I don’t even know which players are even travelling to Halifax, or if Montreal will bring a full roster. Of course, a 40-point blowout would give the Halifax players a chance to show off, which could be really entertaining for the fans… but it could also turn into a very boring game for you guys if the players don’t get creative
did Halifax end up with a full 20-game schedule?
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We would like it to be said that the rainmen are truely sorry to the fans
for not doing what a city like this deserve when we go back in that locker
room upset as a group not at each other it’s cause we let the fans down at
the end of the evening and a supportive crowd like halifax you deserve
better.
Now, it’s time to explain why your not getting it, “Andre Livingston”.. “not
the coaches” who we mention are two different guys, who work in two
different ways but yet on the court you see the same type of things
happening key thing is losing, a good reason is Livingston as he sits from
the sidelines and in privacy has told the coaches “who he has to have on the
court” ..which players have witness and coaches have confirmed to players
that he does of course no coach is gonna admit to it public they gotta be
professional even when they are being used as a way out. So if a coach
doesn’t have full control how can he prepare and plan to who he would have
in the game and when he would have them in the game to where he feels the
team would get the win, but when the loses come in it’s the man at the end
of the bench who gets the blame even though he’s not in complete of the say
so of who’s to play that night. So Andre wants who’s in the game to be the
people with the better fan base or pass stats no matter how the are playing
that day, that’s why three out of the five additions to the team from when
the season started where players who scored 25 plus points but come here
barely averaging 10 cause he wants to build his team with to many people
that want the ball and control who gets it, that will win against not so
good teams. Until he hires a coach and a general manger that he trust
the same things will continue to happen or he will use people like lewis a
scape goat. Unless he gets that Kobe Bryant/Lebron James he’s looking for
40+ point player who can win the game on their own. You bring guys in then
they have to see you cater to a player think they gonna give you everything
they got on the court when they know your only looking out for certain
people. To the fans when it looks like to you a couple players have shut
down that’s truly why it’s not that they don’t wanna go out there and give
they all for you fans, they can’t get up to play for someone who lied to
them or treats them like they aren’t as good as the next player so why go
out there and bleed on the floor for him when he’s bringing players in
around you like you can’t do the job. He has a talented two year player here
who’s very capable of doing the job and he treats his new guys better than
he does him just no loyalty from this Andre Livingston guy not when it
doesn’t benefit him.
Now, to what people really wanna hear off the court, the things that where
said about Andre quoted by val brown where true. Livingston got most of his
players here by slick talking them to believe he is putting them in
a positive situation when that’s not it at all. Coming to everyone with the
same talk about his connection with raptors and opportunity to advance to
the league. He lied about several things just to make guys sign of what he
would do for players once they reached halifax because, if you as someone on
the outside looking in take the look at the caliber of the players here you
would think he must be paying crazy it’s not normal for one team in the
minor league miles away from us soil to have that much talent trust me when
i say this he is not covering it in the pay believe that maybe a little to
those who he thinks that benefit him. The others well he charges a hundred
dollars per month in rent including paying the phone and internet bill,
a professional team with a phone company sponsorship pays for there phone
and cable bill wonder where that sponsor’s money is going? We have a gym
sponsoring the team and no one here who’s requested to have yet been allowed
to goto the gym on there own time to get that extra workout in. Also along
with promises of not having to even to touch your checks while you are in
halifax cause of how much he takes care of the team and how good halifax can
be to the players offering meals etc. even with the ability to pay for
everything he stills wishes to take away from players, with all the
sponsorship he received there is no reason rainmen should have to pay for
anything especially gas in a van that’s tagged with sponsorship logs all
over, yes we also have to beg for gas money to put in a van to get around in
halifax where he asked us to come play and we have no personal
transportation and he continue to talks like he has something on the moose
heads “yea right”. We live in a house with one and a half bathroom and a
shower that doesn’t have any privacy that they built next to the dryer and
wash machine the house only has one true full size room and a child size
room on the main floor he turned the room that was connected the living room
which is has no door only a curtain into a room and two storage size closets
into a room along with the basement area into a room which also didn’t have
a door on it just a curtain. With ten players to spread around in these
rooms at one point three professional athletes playing for the halifax
rainmen where sleeping in one room two others rooms had two guys in them and
two guys lived in a closet while they where here yet along with sponsors and
putting 2-3,000 plus in the stands that’s the living arrangements until
players he sees fit arrived, showing that he had the money to make things
better, the question is then why didn’t he before? Livingston will do
whatever it takes to save a dime even if that means taking from the players
that he can that are on the team. We have personally been told by a
sponsor’s about the perks you can have as rainmen but Andre choose not to
allow us to use them (gym time being one of them) he doesn’t even have the
respect to face the players he released he sends flight info with a
assistant coach to practice he waits til they finish practice to tell them
they released that’s not how they got here when just yesterday he was
telling them everything is ok your doing just fine it’s what we need, one
player came to him asked to go home if he can’t be used Andre pleads with
him to stay like it would get better for him on this team he has plans to
help him get to the league and turns around without any warning trades him
and sends him to a unfit team where the player couldn’t do anything at all
and why cause he felt he couldn’t benefit from him anymore but it’s not that
he did it that he lies about his intentions to the players to get them to
stay here while he snakes them to where he plots and can do what he want’s
just like he did val making him feel comfortable about staying even with
that six figure deal on the table i would stay too if someone telling me
they having convo’s with the raptor’s about me that can end up giving me a
shot at the NBA, just the week before they released me. You know why he told
him that cause he was waiting on the replacements agent to reply before he
got rid of him, and told him right after practice day before the game. He is
a different kinda guy who i am sure established his success by leaving some
people standing in the cold while he keep warm in the heat but whatever gets
you that dollar. We just thought the fans should know don’t point the blame
at anyone but the man who owns it all cause he created the problems the
rainmen are having today by bringing in players that the team might have not
needed and not giving the coach full power and not treating some of his
players like a professional team should. Alot more can be said like the fact
he doesn’t give us as much money for meals on the road as he should then
guys go into their own personal money just to eat on the road, and we drive
to all our games accept buffalo. He want’s us to pay for salt and things
around the house that needs to be taking care but i guess we paying rent why
wouldn’t we.
Wow… well then… So a few things about that last comment:
1) I can’t verify that it is in fact a member of the Rainmen, but it was written by someone with a Halifax IP… and let’s face it, if you’re not actually a member of the Rainmen you would not take the time to write that.
2) I can’t verify much of what was said because I simply don’t know if it’s true, but the one thing I have heard from multiple people is that Andre is too involved with player movements and other basketball decisions and often makes decisions that step on the toes of the coach. This really, really needs to stop. I don’t think it’s the cause of all the on-court problems for the Rainmen, but it’s certainly a major factor.
3) I have heard a few complaints about the nickle and diming of players (particularly on the road per diems) and that needs to be fixed for next year. I’d rather see less “high profile” minor league guys and see the guys who are here having clearer roles and be treated better off the court. That said, the Rainmen are not a profitable business as is. This thing is losing a ton of money so it’s not like Andre is pocketing tens of thousands of dollars.
Well here it is folks! LMFAO!!!!!
I’m not even that shocked to read about Lewis being a “snake”. I guess now that the season is pretty much OVER, players now feel free to vent and let the TRUTH out.
And the living conditions in that house just sound down right poverty.
1.5 bathrooms for 10 men, and grown ass men living outta closets! Damn
Meanwhile Lewis is pimped out in hats and designer suits all the time.
wowzers!
wow, wasn’t expecting that. But you get the ideas from the rumblings with Val and others that this might be close to the truth. I am assuming this player is not coming back next year.
The roster has had a lot of players added and I am sure les would have preferred a balanced roster. Sounds like the chances of all these guys coming back is not high unless Andre fixes some of these items. I agree with Chris totally, we need some good role definition. You can have a few superstars, but you need balance. I felt like Bailey, Ramey and Strick could have been used more effectively this year. It is hard with the changing roster to establish the roles. You know if you are 8th man you should get X minutes 12 th man should not expect to play etc.
I still don’t agree with a c ouple of “Smiths” comments. If you are getting paid to play, and you probably are in front of one of your largest crowds since university, you should be going hard all the time. Coaching, management or whatever, there is no excuse to coast, which is why we were upset with Dandridge all the time. These guys have been playing ball a long time and should know they need to secure rebounds before they fastbreak as a team, and not run up the floor with their back to play. I learned that in junior high for crying out loud. So hopefully we can finish playing well and the players, if they are acting like MEN and not children, can speak to Andre and Jad to work and resolve some of these issues for next year. If I was Andre, I would want some say in players and who I brought in because it is my investment (that is not making money yet). However, he does need to work with his coach to find out what he wants to build an exciting winner. I think Andre is getting hands on trying to build excitement in Halifax and maybe making an all star team wasn’t the best way to go, but it was sure a lot of fun for fans. Remember, this is entertainment.
I also want one last plug for Ramey and McNeal. Putting tyrone on the worst list isn’t fair. He has not played university ball and obviously is a skilled athlete who needs top level coaching to improve. We have 12th men for a reason and I think he can learn the role and get better. They aren’t paying him a lot and we shouldn’t expect him to play much anyway. Hopefully he continues to improve!
Zach is a good baller who has shown it in spurts this year. Who can forget the 3 point show against us at the tower. I hope we can re-sign him and build a squad with guys like him, Jimmy, EC, Bailey and hopefully a couple of the new guys will choose to stay.
Lastly, I have seen their house and have to agree with JS. They are huge dudes, they need to have room in that house to breathe. Maybe he pays them a little more but they can rent apartments together, somewhere close to downtown where they spend most of their time anyway.
CP- won’t be making it to EC until 6ish!
Seems like Andre has already spoken on who he wants to see back in Halifax next season. This is in poor taste! Andre should have waited until after the season was OFFICIALLY over to start hand-picking players for next season. Slap in the face for those not mentioned.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1113731.html
Levingston said he’s interested in keeping a core group of current players heading into next season.
He said players he wants to see back in Halifax include Tony Bennett, Michael Anderson, A.J. Millien and Crookshank.
“Those four guys, for sure,” said Levingston. “And Jimmy Twyman is a guy who can play for me any day.”
I think that the renting a house thing is a totally fine idea – but it needs to be a house that can accommodate 10-12 professional basketball players. i.e. a five to 7 room, three floor, three bath, big house.
I am moving the facebook event to 5:45ish since I haven’t actually heard from anyone else saying they’re going to E&C.
WOW, John Smith if this is real, it is real unfortunate and I feel sorry for the players. Probably the situation won’t change because the owner is the problem. Being a Frost Heaves fan I can’t even imagine this type of disfunction, I guess we are just spoiled. Alex Wolff (onwer of the Frost Heaves) hired a top shelf coach and GM and let them do their jobs.
I also do not think this is fair for the Halifax fans or the city.
To be fair, the Frost Heaves have tons and tons of their own internal problems in regards to how they treat players. Other than the post-game team meal players are not allowed to leave the hotel when they’re traveling. They only get to go out on official team functions/things authorized by will Voigt. This is made even more insane by the fact that assistant coaches can’t leave the hotel either.
I just hope that whatever problems players have with the organization are resolved and that they don’t create a problem when it comes to getting agents to send their guys here next year.