Hognostications announcement

[BossHog]

I just wanted to drop a note and sweeten this week's Hognostications contest a little bit.

JansenFan and I have been talking with the Washington Capitals a little bit this week about doing some cross promotions together. I can't even mention that fact without telling you all what an absolute pleasure the Caps have been to work with so far. Not only have they been receptive, but they've been keen.

We have secured some tickets to NEXT FRIDAY's preseason game between the Capitals and the Flyers (good match-up). The Caps were kind enough to not only give us tickets, but good tickets at that... I believe Scott said that they were all in the lower bowl... usually within 20 rows of the ice.

So... while this will obviously only work if the winner is local.... this week's Hognostications winner will get a pair of tickets to the game next Friday. Face value on these tickets is over $100, so I think that's a decent prize for a contest that cost you absolutely nothing to enter and takes no more than 3 or 4 minutes to particpate in. If you're not a local, and win the contest prize and can't use the tickets... we will donate the tickets to a chldren's charity and in the winner's name.

Further to that, I have also secured some tickets to the Caps game on October 1st. The Redskins play on the SAME DAY at 4:15pm... the Caps at 1:00pm... if you wanted to. you could conceivably go straight from the Verizon center to Fed Ex and catch both in the same day... at the very least... you could walk out of the Verizon Center and into a bar and watch the Redskins game. So if you don't have tickets to the Redskins game, or even if you do and would like to go to both games... please drop me a line ASAP. I have a few tickets as I mentioned, and I will distribute them as best as I can.

A very special thank you to the Washington Capitals for the donated tickets. Wow, is it ever a different world than Redskin-land. Is it ever impressive to see how an organization behaves when they actually give you the respect that you feel you have earned. We're confident that this certainly won't be the last exciting promotion that we do with the Capitals... and THN ers are the ones that will benefit exclusively. Just another reason to make THN your number one Redskin AND Capitals stop on the web. Look for some articles, some player profiles, some podcasts and some player interviews with the Caps coming very, very soon.



I got a little delayed yesterday but I will enter all the picks I have received some time today. Please remember that your picks have to be in by 9pm tonight - no exceptions.

[JansenFan]

Make sure you let us know asap. I have already donated a few of the Sunday tickets to several law enforcement officials, but there are definitely some left, and the idea is to have none left.

[Dangerfield]

Since I am out here in Colorado, and would not be able to attend the hockey game, I will be giving the tickets away after I win Hognostications this week.

They will go to whoever can answer a trivia question I have. As a heads up, the questions will involve a certain record setting playoff overtime game involving the Caps back in the late 1980's.

More info will be forthcoming.

[JansenFan]

ohh. I know. Oh wait, I can't play.

[REDEEMEDSKIN]

So... while this will obviously only work if the winner is local.... this week's Hognostications winner will get a pair of tickets to the game next Friday. Face value on these tickets is over $100, so I think that's a decent prize for a contest that cost you absolutely nothing to enter and takes no more than 3 or 4 minutes to particpate in...

Methinks I picked the wrong week to choose a lot of underdogs.

[UK Skins Fan]

Damn - going to a Caps game next Friday might just help extricate me from a tedious social function next weekend. All I'll need is flight tickets, hotel, beer money, and a considerable upturn in hognosticating performance.

Those Capitals certainly sound like stand up guys. Have the Redskins ever given away anything?

[JansenFan]

You get free water, as long as you leave a 5.00 tip.

[tazlah]

Have the Redskins ever given away anything?

They gave away a poster at Fan Appreciation Day... but then charged $5 for a small bottle of water on the hottest day of the year.





****************
Edit after seeing JF's response:
It's apparent that we are still harboring ill feelings re. $5 water!

[REDEEMEDSKIN]

Have the Redskins ever given away anything?

They gave away a poster at Fan Appreciation Day... but then charged $5 for a small bottle of water on the hottest day of the year.

In fairness to the Skins, it's not like that was the ONLY day they charged $5/bottle. They've carried that price appreciation over into the season.

[BossHog]

Those Capitals certainly sound like stand up guys. Have the Redskins ever given away anything?

Redskins give US something? Why? Because we support them 24/7/365?




That's funny stuff.

Ahem, sorry. No, I have never received anything from the Redskins.

The Capitals have undoubtedly been great to deal with... everyone we've met has been very courteous... from the marketing department, to the webmaster to the director of media relations. I can't say enough about the Caps and I just can't really even compare them to the Redskins... there has been no comparison whatsoever from my personal dealings.

The Capitals may not have the brand power that the Redskins have (who does) but the result is a team of employees that are earnest and genuine about their fans and the support that those fans offer.

You tell me... can you honestly say that about the Redskins?

[NikiH]

... everyone we've met has been very courteous... from the marketing department, to the webmaster to the director of media relations. I can't say enough about the Caps and I just can't really even compare them to the Redskins... there has been no comparison whatsoever from my personal dealings.

The Capitals may not have the brand power that the Redskins have (who does) but the result is a team of employees that are earnest and genuine about their fans and the support that those fans offer.

You tell me... can you honestly say that about the Redskins?

I have never had a fan experience like I did the other night when Jackson and I attended the game. We purchased lower level tickets for a very reasonable price and felt like we were royalty even though it was our first EVER caps game. Everyone from the gift shop to the security guards were awesome. I also enjoyed the hockey a great deal. Jackson's been carrying around the puck that one of the Caps people (some guy in a suit that was watching practice from a few rows back when it flew out of the rink) gave him for days and he wants to show it to everyone.

[BossHog]

I have never had a fan experience like I did the other night when Jackson and I attended the game. We purchased lower level tickets for a very reasonable price and felt like we were royalty even though it was our first EVER caps game. Everyone from the gift shop to the security guards were awesome. I also enjoyed the hockey a great deal. Jackson's been carrying around the puck that one of the Caps people (some guy in a suit that was watching practice from a few rows back when it flew out of the rink) gave him for days and he wants to show it to everyone.

I still can't believe Jackson got a puck... know how many games I've been to without getting a puck?

I'm not surprised about your experience at all. Our initial contact with the team was actually with Ted Leonsis - the owner of the team. Without going into specifics, it all just started there. He hooked us up with the individuals within the organization that we needed to talk to IMMEDIATELY, and we went from that point. It's been as smooth at every level we have dealt with and at no point whatsoever were we made to feel inferior, or sheepish about the fact that our medium was the internet (something that seems to have ULTIMATE standing with the Redskins).

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the entire FRANCHISE subscribes to one adage - that the fans are who pay the bills, and that they are appreciated for doing so.

I've felt it at every opportunity and obviously it trickles down to even the ice surface at game time.

[Irn-Bru]

So Boss, are you becoming a Caps fan, then? (Second to the Leafs, of course. . .)