Ah my man PGabriel.............right on time But honestly, I dont think anyone cares now. Besides the arena forum is a month away from vanishing into history.
Toyota has more "pop" around the world than Honda has. Just because more people would rice up little front wheel drive civics doesn't mean Toyota is not as well or better. I think Honda is the number 2 or 3 car manufacture in Japan. Oh and Toyota starts with a T, and we live in Texas. Also, the car is Nissan, not Nisson. And the NSX is made by Honda, but in America, it is under the Acura Label. I drive Toyotas alot, but I don't feel them vibrate or rattle at all, if ever. No, a Sequoia. It's based on the Tundra platform. San Antonio, is not near Houston. Wrong Forum, Mensa.
Seriously? Oh, man, it's one thing to sell the naming rights, another altogether to turn it into a freakin' dealership. Will that have little sales guys in khaki's and polo's coming up to you going, "What do I have to do to get you into a Tundra today?" Do you get automatic zero down, zero percent financing for up to 36 months if you buy a hot dog? Ugh.
Are you trying to say that Toyota is going to pressure The Rockets into running the team the way that "Toyota" wants the team ran? I lost count, just how many times has the sky falling this off season?
Is this just a display of their cars? If it's a dealership, god help us. That would be wrong, WRONG, WRONG. Tell us we're not talking dealership/sales people here, Tim. Please. I own a Toyota AND a Honda, btw. Both are excellent cars.
Well, that's now my new nickname for the place, The Dealership. Now, anytime we beat visiting teams, we can say, "They got dealt!"
This makes sense all around for everybody involved. First, let me say that I am Asian, but I live in Valparaiso Indiana. Well, why is that relevent? I know the culture, and I grew up in Houston. Facts: 1. Asian Americans trust Japanese Cars. They buy them because they are well made and reliable. I think this has to do with the shoddy quaility of the American cars made in the 80's and early 90's. Now I think that they are much better. 2. Toyota is said Japanese Car company with repuation of quaility and reliability. 3. Houston has a considerable Asian population. 4. Yao Ming, (Also please understand that his last name is Yao, and first name is Ming so in certain roster listings as per Western and not Chinese naming should be listed as Ming Yao) Has gotten alot of Asians intrested in basketball as a whole (in the U.S. not so much in China) So there are alot of new Asian American basketball fans in America and espeically in Houston. It pisses me off how people jump on bandwagons, but that is a different post entirely. 5. Toyota, by naming an Arena in Houston with afforementioned huge Asian population, reach out to alot of them. New Asian basketball fans, who jump on Rockets bandwagon and watch Rockets on TV, also get advertized too. Good demographic choice. Cause Asian Americans tend to buy Japanese Cars and have uber spending power. 6. Les makes $$$$$ 7. Toyota spends $$$$ then makes $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 8. We can afford new arena, and more seats get sold which makes more $$$$$$$$$ 9. More $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for free agents. But well see about that too. I guess since the Clippers changed their ways, we are gonna be the next Clippers, execpt without the knack for searching for young, cheap, talent, and not giving out crappy contracts, and ....oh crap we're in trouble
Here's my 2 cents..... The Toyota Center is OK by the over-corporate, over-commercialized, Tostito Bowl standards we have to live with today. All the former War Memorial fields are getting corporate names. We usually end up calling them by some nickname anyway and I kind of like The Showroom. In years past I would have lamented that it was not a American corporation but, I don't have any favor left for those job-exporting, bonus paying, off-shore tax avoiding bastards anymore. By all rights the Houston arena should be named for a world -wide energy company but Exxon is hedquartered in NY, Shell is a Dutch company and the TexacoChevronPhillips Arena is just too long. If I really have a beef with Toyota it's that since they already make the world's best cars, why do they have to have THE most obnoxious commercials. Have they ever made one that isn't 20db louder than anything else on TV? They ought to just run one that says" Toyota Trucks, the prefered transportation of 90% of Third World Guerrillas". Here's the scene: It's siesta time in the Congo, everbody's snoozing when in the distance we hear the sounds ... choppers! A panic spreads through the camp and all the rebels run to their Toyota Technicals to escape. We focus on one non-toyota truck and then zero in on one driver's face and hear the "rrrrrrrr, rrrrrrrrrrr" as his truck won't start. He looks up and a TOW missile is headed right at him. Cut to the announcer who says " Toyota; for when it absolutely , posivtively has to run" Of course being Toyota he would have to scream it at the top of his lungs while walking across acar lot.
TOYOTA CENTER NEW IN-BOWL VEHICLE DISPLAY NAMED TUNDRA ZONE The "Tundra Zone" at Toyota Center, the newly named Houston Rockets and Comets arena in Houston, is the first in-bowl vehicle display in the country. It will consist of a double-size suite for current and potential Toyota customers with placement of an actual Toyota Tundra. Toyota announced today that it has reached a multi-year agreement with the Houston Rockets, Houston Comets and Clutch City Sports & Entertainment for the naming rights of the new downtown arena Toyota Center. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-24-2003/0001988688&EDATE=
If we have an injury-riddled season, we can call it the Toyota Repair Center. Many good car jokes can come of this.
Question: How much does Les pay annually for the lease of the new Arena? Will the money that Les gets from the naming rights enough to cover the annual cost of the lease? I've been wondering this for a while...
