DJ Will Be Honored Tonight

Frankly I think it’s cheap to turn DJ’s death into a promotional event to sell tickets. This is about as low as a franchise can sink. For shame, for shame.

I’m glad he’s being honored, but something more than this should be done.

clearly honoring him is a good thing. what are you thinking brickowski >:(

Master Po, This is one of the most crass things the Celtics have ever done. It’s disgusting. I’m surpised that they aren’t giving the first 5,000 fans DJ bobblehead dolls together with a little plastic casket lined with black tissue paper.

If they wanted to honor DJ, they would hold the tribute on a night when there was no game (as they did with Bird’s retirement ceremony), and the gate recepts would be donated to DJ’s favorite charity or to his family, not pocketed by the owners.

If forced to do the tribute on a game night, they could simply say that there will be a ceremony at 6:30, so fans should arrive early if they want to see it. That’s all.

i understand where your coming from; i also had the same notion of the Dennis Johnson bobble head when i first heard of this event, but bottom line this isn’t to sell tickets. most common slobs either don’t know or they don’t care who DJ was. it seems your spirit is broken by a team that you perceive as weak and your looking at anyway to strike back at them; good ole ced max would probably call you a woman.
also this way i get to see a good chunk of the ceremony as opposed to the 25 or so seconds i would have seen on the news had it been held on a day independent to any Celtics games. cheer up! we might be in last place but were a proud people and a proud team. If your going to continue to be overly emotional, get in the kitchen.

Brickowski, it’s not very nice, but it’s very true, that this city hasn’t anywhere near the adoration for DJ as it has for Larry Legend. On top of that, Larry was retiring meaning he was fresh in the people’s memories.

Sure, most people on this website know about DJ… but they are not a huge cut of the Boston sports city. How awful would it be if they had a ceremony on a night when there was no game, and something like 2,000 people showed up? An empty building to his memory?

No, this way, maybe 10,000 people who barely know who DJ is will get to see some highlights from his career and learn a little bit about the man. I’m quite the cynic and skeptic, but you are barking up the wrong tree.

Well if the team wants the ceremony honoring DJ to be well-attended, then it ought to use some of that vaunted marketing talent to get people into the building. For starters they could make admission free, with voluntary donations accepted.

They are showing the highlights at halftime. They could do that independently of the “exclusive commemorative” pins, and the exhortations to “please join us” in honoring DJ and to “join us at the Garden early.” Any why not give everyone a pin? Why only the first 5,000? It’s a marketing come on, that’s why.

So, after reading the blurb on the Celtics website, did anyone get the impression that the game was a sellout? Tonight’s game was not part of my package, but if I had a ticket, I wouldn’t go— and it would have nothing to do with a lack of respect for DJ. If the FCeltics post information on how I can make a donation in his name to a charity or to his family, I will be happy to do that.

Hey Brick, you do realize that the Celtics don’t own the Garden, right? They can’t just hold a ceremony there whenever they feel. This is the team’s first home game since his passing, and they are honoring him. That’s all. There’s no reason to get all bent out of shape over it. Are you one of those people that gets mad at the sun for coming up?? I agree that it would also be nice for the team to make a nice donation in his name, but there’s no reason to go off like that.

Brick, I understand your frustration with the Celtic management, but this is their 1st home game and they are giving DJ a tribute. I think selling extra tickets by doing so is the farthest thing from their minds. They can and possibly will do more in the future, but your attack is misplaced.

Lucky said:

“I think selling extra tickets by doing so is the farthest thing from their minds.”

Read the blurb again and tell me if you really believe that.

OK maybe its not the farthest thing from their mind, but selling some extra tickets is not the reason behind having the tribute. It’s the 1st home gome since his tragic passing and they had to do something.

Frank Brickowski – yes, some of this can be compared to marketing gimmicks, such as the idea of a “giveaway” to a limited number of fans. But to someone like me who remembers DJ from when I was a kid, I’d be genuinely moved to be there and see a tribute video and hold a moment of silence for the guy. It’s the least they can do, and they’re doing it. And 15,000 people, even those who don’t really know much about DJ, will be moved. That’s what this is for – to have a legitimate “moment” to celebrate the life of a good guy.
Was there a separate “Red Night” at the Garden when Red passed? No, they wove his tribute into the home opener. They DID do an outdoor event, but I think that was more the city of Boston’s doing than that of the team. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Let me rewrite the blurb from Celtics.com to make it less offensive:

“The Boston Celtics organization will pay tribute the life of Dennis Johnson at tonight’s game vs. the New York Knicks. The gates will open early at 6:30 p.m. to honor DJ with pregame events. The Celtics will also hold a moment of silence before the National Anthem, along with a special tribute video just before tip off. Highlights of his extraordinary career will continue to be shown throughout the game.”

Reasonable. Definitely.

Brevity if they had no business winning, then why did they win?

because despite Doc’s moronics. the players are learning. At least a little