A columnist for ESPN's website recently received a letter from the chief executive of TD Bank asking him to stop mocking the name of the sports center that is home to the Boston Celtics and the Bruins. Bill Simmons, who is often called by his nickname "The Boston Sports Guy," described the message from the CEO as "the most eye-popping email" he had ever received.
Read the email after the jump.
I've noticed in your columns that you refer to the "TD Banknorth Garden" as "Whatever The Hell The Garden Is Called." We at TD Bank spent over $100 million purchasing the naming rights to the Garden. We would appreciate if you mentioned the "TD Banknorth Garden" by its proper name. With your large number of readers, it would make our investment worthwhile. Thank you.Sincerely,
Ed Clark, president & CEO of TD Bank
Simmons adds that he is going to start calling it the TD Banknorth Garden because Clark "probably has the power to screw up my credit or something."
You want answers? I think you're entitled [ESPN.com]
Posted by Anal_yst , Jun 12, 2008 1:18PM
Someone should tell Mr. Clark that just because you purchased the naming rights, that doesn't guarantee anyone except those officially obligated to do so will go with it.
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 1:22PM
Simmons is a douchebag and Ed Clark is actually a pretty nice guy fwiw.
On top of which, he should be THANKING Clark for changing the name back to the Garden, since the old Boston Garden had previously been renamed The Fleet Center and The Shawmut Center by previous owners, the good people at TD thought that Boston fans might appreciate getting the Garden name back (which by most account I have heard, they did).
s75
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 1:24PM
TD is not fwiend, buddy.
Posted by lemmerdeur , Jun 12, 2008 1:27PM
Perhaps he should be worrying more about the auction rate paper he probably floated to pay that $100 million. Retard.
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 1:28PM
Hey, I just bought a ton of Lehman Brothers stock. I'd appreciate if you guys could stop selling it so I can make some money.
Thanks,
Chad
Posted by FUNdamental , Jun 12, 2008 1:30PM
Canadians exporting loonies importing names!!
NAFTA worked!
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 1:36PM
What a tea-bag
Posted by big r , Jun 12, 2008 1:41PM
simmons is a tool
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 1:46PM
I'm not your buddy, Guy
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 1:50PM
"A columnist for ESPN's website"
Um, I think most of us kind of know who he is if you just use his name at the outset.
Posted by bank_teller , Jun 12, 2008 1:56PM
this is the most "eye-popping" email he's ever received? hold on while i start typing...
p.s. boston sux ballz
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 2:03PM
The obvious response here is:
Mr. Clark,
When I receive my share of your $100 million, I will immediately commence referring to the Garden as the "TD Banknorth Garden". I will be watching my mailbox.
Thanks,
Bill
Posted by a dead horse , Jun 12, 2008 2:06PM
I like how Carney covered for reading sports columns during work hours by writing an article about it. "Look, it mentions a bank, it belongs on Dealbreaker!" Well played. My MD just caught me on YouPorn, I told him that I was just researching what we were going to do to the CEO of the next company we take public. He approved.
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 2:11PM
Ha, the IPO market is so moribund that odds are dead horse you'll be the one doing the servicing...
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 2:34PM
I'm not your Guy, Fweind
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 2:38PM
I'm not your Fweind, Buddeh
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 2:47PM
He's not your Buddeh, Guy
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 2:56PM
Nice hard-hitting journalism, DB. Anyone who reads Simmons knows there's a 98% chance that the letter was faked by a reader. It's an attempt-at-comedy column...he doesn't actually care what Ed Clark thinks. Dude's last 3 podcasts guests were Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Corolla and the host of Nickelodeon G.U.T.S.
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 3:02PM
YouPorn, eh ... ?
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 3:26PM
Bill Simmons is garbage.
Posted by guest , Jun 12, 2008 7:15PM
"With your large number of readers"
It's pretty clear Simmons is just trying to make it appear that people actually care what he has to say and that he isn't a complete ass. Ed Clark is too busy picking up the BCE pieces to write emails to second rate "journalists"
Posted by guest , Jun 24, 2008 11:00AM
In response, to this I think the fans should make a statement that no one will call it the TD Banknorth Garden and just call it the Boston Garden
TD Banknorth or Commerce Bank or whoever owns the naming rights need to think about the Boston Fans. I believe the fans can change the name and have a say. Check out this campaign to change the name back to the Boston Garden: https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/give-the-boston-garden-back-to-boston
There is no better time to do this, the Celtics just won their 17th championship and the renaming process is already underway. Thanks
Posted by guest , Sep 08, 2008 2:45PM
Think it's time Albourne Village get
shut down. The editing is criminal.
Perhaps they should open an office in
Moscow.