Sixers: Howard Eskin is Wrong, New Jerseys, Simmons Eyes LeBron, and a Bad Take
The great Alan Rickman once said in Love Actually: “God, I am so in the wrong. A classic fool.”
“Yes, but you’ve also made a fool out of me” is how his Joni Mitchell-loving wife responds.
I am the fool, and I have made a fool out of you, the reader, too.
I typically crush Howard Eskin for his ridiculous takes and loosely-sourced accounts. But yesterday, for some reason, I believed his matter-of-fact reporting on the WIP morning show, both about Allen Iverson and the Sixers lying about having sold 14,000 season tickets. It turns out, unsurprisingly, that he was wrong. The Sixers have indeed not sold 14,000 season tickets. They have actually sold more. All of them full seasons– no partial plans. The notion posited by Eskin and foolishly trumpeted by me, that the Sixers will wait to gauge market demand before magically finding available tickets for their paying season ticket holder waitlist customers to purchase, was incorrect as it relates to them inflating sales numbers. So, a mea culpa is in order– from me for bringing you that info, and presumably from Eskin for being so goddamn wrong (though I doubt we’ll get one).
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Yesterday Nike unveiled their new NBA jerseys and said that each team will have FOUR variations– home and away jerseys (which they’ve re-branded because they’re Nike and can do whatever they want), and at least two sets of alternates. The Sixers will maintain something very close to their three current jerseys (White, Blue and Red), but will also unveil a brand new fourth jersey at some point later this year.
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After reports that LeBron James may opt out of his deal in Cleveland next year (surprise!), Ben Simmons seems to have joined the recruiting ranks:
https://twitter.com/BenSimmons25/status/887414039365562368
Worth noting that Simmons works out with LeBron, shares an agent with him, and… this:
.@BenSimmons25–@KingJames Connection Resurfaces at Summer League
via @brianseltzer, https://t.co/40cNQAlZ41 pic.twitter.com/4y8E2XPS7N
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 17, 2017
LeBron and the Sixers was a bit of a topic du jour last night… and yet everyone made fun of me when I BROACHED the subject last month.
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I’m not trying to pile on the Eskin family here – and I genuinely respect Spike’s opinions on most things Sixers – but this Tweet is RIDICULOUS:
https://twitter.com/SpikeEskin/status/887424311543418883
This is taking the Process too far. Would we all like to win with a homegrown team (like the 2008 Phillies)? For sure. It’s more rewarding that way. But after 30 years of losing around here, I would take a championship with a team of sentient avatars if it meant we get a parade. For real, at this point I think I’d even take a Sixers e-sports championship… which might actually be a possibility because they own an e-sports team and will enter one into the NBA 2k18 league this year.
Don’t be a fool.