A look at the Hornets season tickets, which were packed in a nice fleur-de-lis-covered purple shoebox, and came today via UPS. Also in the box were two lanyards, two clear plastic ticketholders, and one gold Hornets pin. Pretty slick presentation. Last year’s tickets were teal, and this year’s are purple. I bet you can’t wait to see our analysis of whose head on the ticket = the best record. (We take this quite seriously.)

UPDATE: mW would like to state that he takes full credit for the fact that there is no Morris Peterson ticket this year. Now, we love Mo to death. But the fact remains that he was the only Hornet last year for whom the team had a losing record in home games when he was on the ticket (2-3 regular season, 0-1 playoffs). Plus he was on the ticket for Game 7. Sorry, Mo. But you know you can’t fight karma.

Stat of the Night: In 2007-08 the Hornets went a combined 8-0 whenever David West appeared on the ticket.

Because would I be the Hive Queen if I didn’t make you aware of the good word on Hornets freebies? (Dariusz called me the Hive Queen the other day… I’m going to keep it. Cause, you know, I devour all my mates when I’m finished with them. And also, I blog the Hornets.) The Hornets 2008-09 promotional schedule is out! And I would not want you to miss anything that’s free.

So I am promoting the promotions.

Some Freebie Highlights:

10/21 vs. Pacers: Pack the Hive in Pink, aka Breast Cancer Awareness Night. That’s tonight. Now I feel sort of bad for my scorn of all pink women’s sports gear, because you’re supposed to wear pink. Guys, I’m sure you can come up with a dress shirt. If not, you are clearly not as preppy as me.

10/27 Swarm @ Fulton Square: A block party like the one they had during the playoffs, from 5:30-8:00. The players will be there. Food, drink, and gear will be there. Music and freebies will probably also be there.

11/1 vs. Cavaliers: Opening Night. Free t-shirts and schedule magnets.

11/8 vs. Heat: Hornets car flags.

12/10 vs. Bobcats: Retro New Orleans Buccaneers night. CP3/Buccaneers bobbleheads to the first 8,000.

12/17 vs. Spurs: Gold towels.

12/20 vs. Kings: Hornets Christmas ornaments.

1/19 vs. Pacers: The night we’ve all been waiting for… DAVID WEST BOBBLEHEADS! But… with the new uniforms, I am wary about how he’ll look posed in a funny picture with the rest of the guys. (And also, what Star Wars quote I could possibly use next. I guess by then, we’ll know. Always in motion is the future.)

2/4 vs. Bulls: Tyson Chandler basketball, first 5,000 fans. I don’t know what it is, but I know I want it.

2/18 vs. Magic: Hornets beeeeaaaaaadds!

3/5 vs. Mavs: Hornets swirlers. Again, I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure there’s a treasured place for it in the collection of random Hornet-colored stuff in the corner behind my entertainment center.

3/7 vs. Thunder (HA! Lame): Honeybees poster. If, you know, this type of thing is your bag, baby.

3/18 vs. T-Wolves: Peja action figure (!!!!!! I need!)

4/12 vs. Mavs: Last home game before the playoffs (optimism, optimism). Team poster.

But I would continue to check the schedule, because they’re always adding stuff as the season goes on. And also, I noticed that Every. Single. Home. Game has a Buzzfest this year. Even in the cold. And you know what that means.

Dollar dollar beers, ya’ll.

Oh, and on a funny note, check out Ball Don’t Lie’s season preview for the Hornets. And, um, look very carefully? (I have no idea. But it cracks me up.)

So if you’ve been on board here since last winter, you know that one of the founding principles of this site is bitching about the Times Picayune and NOLA.com’s sorely lacking coverage of the Hornets. They spent most of the season on our $#*t List, and we gave them their own tag called “T.P. Watchdog.” Gotta keep the media responsible and buzz-friendly, ya know.

However, I am not above giving props where props are due. And, quite simply, the coverage in the first week of training camp is already at a much higher level than Hornets coverage last season. We’re seeing two articles a day, plus there’s usually also some kind of practice update in the afternoon in the Hornets Beat section of nola.com. If you get the Times Picayune analog print newspaper, you’ve also been seeing some snazzy color pictures. Media Day got the front page (a silly color photo of Tyson Chandler and Chris Paul messing around with a giant Peja head). And all this while the Saints are playing. YES! I know! Football season is actually happening as we speak, and there is a Hornets training camp article in the T.P. And it’s not even about Chris Paul. It’s about, like, Melvin Ely and his multiple injuries.

This is a far cry from last season, when the cover story the day after the 2OT win over Phoenix was Tulane and LSU’s freshman signings for NEXT YEAR. Seriously. College football in February was more interesting than the Hornets on top of the West. The Hornets couldn’t buy coverage on that site, or in the sports section, until close to the playoffs.

Clearly this is a new year. Thus I say: Well played, Times Picayune, so far. Well played indeed.

Forgiven!

Now my universe is exactly where it’s supposed to be.

David West rocks the hell out of the new home whites at Media Day today

A roundup of all the Hornets ticket info I know:

• If you sign up for Bee Mail, you will get emailed a link and the password for single game tickets in the pre-sale that starts Wednesday 10/1 at 10:00 AM. This is basically the same format they used for individual playoff tickets. Really, there’s no point in not signing up. They don’t email you a lot, and when they do, it’s usually good stuff. You might get to find out about some promotions before they go on the site (although it’s definitely not as timely or special goodie-filled as the season ticketholder email, which unfortunately mW gets and I don’t).
• If you don’t have Bee Mail, then general tickets go on sale Saturday 10/4 at 10:00 AM.
• There will be $8 tickets this year. Obviously for the rows in the way, way top of the upper bowl, but this is still a slight price drop from last year, when the cheapest tickets were $10.
• Half Season ticket packages are currently on sale. You can pick Plan A or Plan B. I suggest going to the site to check out the breakdown of which games you would be getting with which package.
• 10 Game packages are also on sale. For more details about these packages, here’s the official page.
• Of course, you can still buy Full Season tickets if you want to be cool like the other 10,300 people. But not in the lower bowl, as I believe it’s sold out.
• Additionally, tickets for the two home preseason games are already on sale. That’s Golden State on Sunday, 10/5 at 6:00 PM, and the Pacers on Tuesday, 10/21 at 6:00 PM. We, of course, will be there rocking out in Lower Corner C. You can also trek to Mobile for Hornets/Heat on 10/23.

HOLY CRAP!!! October 5th! THERE’S A GAME NEXT WEEKEND!

As a wise man once said…. “Woo!”

After long opining about the slow and steady decline, and the eventual death, of Abita beer at the New Orleans Arena during Hornets games, HornetsHype is proud to announce the return of Abita Beer to Hornets games.  Late this morning, a Hornets official confirmed that Abita will return as an official partner of the New Orleans Hornets, and that Abita Beer will be sold at the Arena during games.  Specifics were not available other than to say that patrons would be able to get it.

The return of Abita has been one of this blog’s main unfufilled quests, and we are ecstatic that this day has finally come.  While we reserve the right to keep it on our $h#t List until we see actual proof of our victory, we’re pretty psyched right about now.  So in return for this great honor, we expect all Hornets fans at the games to respond enthusiastically and buy as much Abita Beer as possible!

Gustav update!

Well, we’re back with no damage. I haven’t really seen much damage except lots of tree branches and one downed roof. So I am pleased to report that New Orleans seemed to get out of this fairly unscathed. Unfortunately, last night was about the grossest night ever, as we seem to be on one of the few blocks in the city that doesn’t have power and let me tell you, it is hot. I bleached the fridge in the dark by flashlight last night. And the next door neighbors have a generator that sounds like a small plane taking off. Yeah.

Gustav cats don't need no A/C

Left, the HypeCats lounge, oblivious to the fact that the Headquarters is like 100 degrees without A/C. They braved the storm and 5 days alone. They are hardy fluffballs. Lest you worry about their relevance to this blog, be assured that the HypeCats are huge Hornets fans. Indeed they strive to emulate Julian Wright’s energy and bounce in their everyday lives.

Currently reading the NBA internets (has anything happened? I missed it, if it did) while drinking iced coffee in PJ’s on Magazine. Hope everyone in NOLA did OK!

In lieu of actual New Orleans Hornets content, here, have a picture of Chris Paul letting team owner George Shinn wear his gold medal. (What? Did CP3 grow, you ask? No. Shinn is really that short. Seriously. I’ve met him.) Slightly disturbingly this photo shoot took place at the end of last week, when Gustav was heading at New Orleans. Uh, I hope you guys got him out of there. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that he’s one of the city’s greatest assets.

Oh, and this is not related, but I would also like to state for the record that the Oklahoma City Thunder’s name and logo are the stupidest things in the history of stupid.

Via A.P.:

Meanwhile, Thornton said the neighboring New Orleans Arena, home of the NBA’s Hornets, also did not appear to have any serious damage. None of the windows in its atrium around the main entry broke. It appeared flying debris dented the siding, “but that could be easily fixed,” Thornton said. He also said a large outdoor video board was out.

There were no concerts or other major events scheduled in the arena this week, Thornton said.

When Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, high winds ripped a hole in the Superdome’s roof, allowing rain water to pour in. With power out in New Orleans humid late summer, mold festered. In addition, the stadium was trashed by about 30,000 evacuees who were stuck there for days without plumbing or air conditioning.

The entire roof was replaced and much of the inside gutted and disinfected before suites, concession stands and club lounges were rebuilt in time for the Saints’ 2006 home opener.

This time, New Orleans was under a mandatory evacuation and the Superdome, a vital economic engine for the city for all the major events it hosts, is no longer used as a refuge of last resort.

Good news all around! It seems (fingers crossed) like the city dodged a major bullet this time. I was out of town, by coincidence, at the time of the storm, but we’ll give a more detailed update when we return to New Orleans on Wednesday evening. Naturally, tonight’s flight (which I was scheduled to be on) was canceled but this blog has one of the first flights back 9/3. This blog will probably update again at that time. Thanks for all the great comments and good wishes on the previous post!

NOLA proud… NOLA strong!

So we’re up to 2:30 PM on the second-to-last day.

Three years ago today, two days before Hurricane Katrina hurtled through the Gulf as a Category 5 and changed everything, it was a Saturday and I was lying out in my backyard under a clear blue sky. Nearby was my 1990 Honda Accord, which got destroyed when slate tiles off the roof sliced through both metal and windshield. In the next chair over was my former roommate, one of many friends who have moved on and away since the storm.

This is how it goes, on each anniversary. I can’t help counting down the days and the hours in my mind. It’s like how people remember where they were when Kennedy was shot, Challenger exploded, or 9-11 happened.

I remember what I was doing on the second-to-last day.

I write this post both in memoriam, and in explanation, hopefully, of why it hurt so much every time a new misinformation-riddled article from an out-of-town writer came out last season saying the Hornets weren’t going to make it in New Orleans. Because every time they said those guys who bore the name of the city across the front of their teal jerseys weren’t going to make it, what I heard was, “New Orleans isn’t going to make it.” Maybe it was wrong to take it personally. But, on the other hand, it was the taking it personally that led me to make this blog.

On the second-to-last day we rented videos. And we bought a case of beer. Basic hurricane prep, right? (The part that makes this different from any other weekend of your life is that you still have the videos, in their clear plastic boxes in the entertainment center forever, because the store has never re-opened.)

Maybe you thought it was cheesy when ESPN and the like decided to dramatically announce (after “forgetting” the team existed for the first three quarters of the season) that the Hornets were playing for an entire city. It was, and it was also drastically oversimplifying what happened here. But it’s not their fault. It’s hard for people who weren’t here to understand this whole thing. And I’m not trying to be condescending, to make out like we’re some exclusive club you can’t be a part of (you wouldn’t want to be a part of it). But it’s like that trite old saying about people who live in glass houses not throwing stones.

Only you don’t know your house is made of glass until it comes shattering down. If the National Guard was parked on the road keeping you out of your house for four weeks, and there was no power in your neighborhood for months anyway, and you’d already run down your savings, and you needed to put down a deposit on an apartment in a new, northern city, would you take the $4,500 check from FEMA? Would you stare numbly at the highway flowing past under the car, wondering what happened to your life? Would you feel guilty because you were upset about losing your clothes and books and car, when other people lost so much more?

We’re up to 7 AM on the Last Day. The city officials hold a press conference on TV. I watch it in bed. Katrina has strengthened to a Category 5. The levees cannot hold a Category 5. Evacuation is mandatory. All citizens with vehicles are to leave immediately. Get out. Just get out.

The members of the New Orleans Hornets are expected to be ambassadors for this city, and indeed the current team is full of high-character guys who’ve gotten involved in service this season, but they don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, except for David West, the only player left from the pre-Katrina roster, they’re in the strange and unfortunate position of dealing with the aftermath of something they were never here for. Only the minority owner is local. Chris Paul, drafted in 2005, hadn’t even arrived in New Orleans for training camp when abruptly his new life in the city was over before it started. Is it the team’s fault? No. Can you understand the slight undercurrent of resentment from some New Orleanians early last season? Yes.

12:52 PM on Sunday, August 28, 2005. I take a break from packing (and what would you bring if you had two hours to choose?) and sit down at my computer to quickly blog. This is what I write, at 12:52 PM on the Last Day:

This morning we woke up to sun shining through the slats of the blinds. The palms and magnolias on my street are swaying with the strengthening breeze. The heat bakes the slate roof tiles on the house next door. I look out over roofs that have been there for a hundred years. The cars are parked on the neutral ground. The streets are ominously empty.

We meant to ride it out, but…

Mandatory evacuation of Orleans Parish. It’s a Category 5 storm with winds of 175 miles per hour. The officials are saying there’s no longer a question that the levees will be overcome by the water. It’s so strange, really. It just seems like a pretty Sunday. Last year they said Ivan was going to be The One, and it wasn’t. They said the city would full up like a giant fish bowl. They said this was the price of living in the past.

I don’t know. I know I don’t want to leave, because, no matter how I want to deny it, there is a very real possibility that it won’t be here when I get back. I suppose at a moment like this what you feel is admiration and wonder: at the persistence of the people who settled here, who braved malaria and ungodly heat, who watched the river swallow their homes and then improbably built again in a swamp, at the women of two hundred years ago who did it all in floor length skirts. At least that’s what I think about. Goodbye to my green streetcars. Goodbye to the sweet still air that smells like flowers. Goodbye to the grand old ladies of St. Charles Avenue, with their iron lace and graceful tall shuttered windows and delicate porches, to whom my heart belongs. If this is your end, I am glad I won’t see it. Stubborn old city. It’s funny, somehow I see it making it… It’s very quiet outside now. I’ve taken the pictures down from the walls. We’re evacuating north to Nashville.

Goodbye, city. Good luck.

This is what I write, and then I fold up my laptop and put it in my bag.

But, three years later, and this is the important thing, this is more than a story of a hurricane. It’s a story about the resilience and grim humor of people who learned they had to rely on themselves. It’s a story about stereotypes: about people who heard they were supposed to be an inhuman bunch of looters, who were told they were stupid for living in a place that was their home (sometimes, ludicrously, by people who themselves lived above a fault line or on a tornado-prone plain), who were accused of stealing FEMA money from taxpayers. They said, “Good riddance.”

8:00 PM and you’re in the car, forehead leaning on the glass, rain collecting in ominous puddles along the side of the highway, car headlights stacked to the horizon, gas running low.

Then this winter they said, “New Orleans doesn’t care about the Hornets. New Orleans doesn’t want the Hornets.” And you know what I say to that? I say, “Fuck you. Don’t tell me what I want.”

Don’t tell me what my city needs and does not need. You weren’t there. You came to party, but you didn’t want the baggage. You weren’t there with the doors hanging open and banging in the wind, up and down an eerily empty street littered with debris. You weren’t there when the traffic lights didn’t work for a year. You weren’t there when the Saints scored a touchdown 90 seconds into the first home game after Katrina, and a whole city leapt up in unison, and it meant something.

You didn’t see all those little kids dressed in Chris Paul jerseys.

You weren’t there the night I heard an indescribable roar, and I looked up from the court, and realized New Orleans Arena was full, from bottom to top.

4:00 AM, and you’re sleeping on the ground outside at a rest stop in Alabama. Only you’re not sleeping. You’re staring up at the still-clear sky. You’ve outdriven the storm. You’re almost to Birmingham. The traffic has thinned. The rest stop is scattered with quiet people with Louisiana plates. The air is humid. It’s August 29, 2005.

What do we want? We want to forget the Saints were ever in San Antonio; we want to forget the Hornets were in Oklahoma City. We want the Hornets to make it, because our pride can’t take it if they don’t. Because every sellout this spring was a cry of victory for the city. We are not who you think we are, you columnists with poor research skills in bland Midwestern cities. We want you to stop telling us what our fate is going to be. We want you to write the damn follow-up article, the one about the 10,000 season tickets already sold for 2008-09.

We want you to understand why it says “New Orleans,” not “Hornets,” on the front of those jerseys.

Louisiana State Police. 9/9/05. Zero dead inside. We're still alive here.

 It’s perfect.