• 12 Jun 2008 at 1:09 PM
  • Banks

Toronto Dominion Bank Scares ESPN Columnist Into Calling Boston Garden By Stupider Name

By John Carney

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]

Comments (23)

  1. 1
    Posted by Anal_yst | June 12, 2008 at 1:18 PM

    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.

  2. 2
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 1:22 PM

    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

  3. 3
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 1:24 PM

    TD is not fwiend, buddy.

  4. 4
    Posted by lemmerdeur | June 12, 2008 at 1:27 PM

    Perhaps he should be worrying more about the auction rate paper he probably floated to pay that $100 million. Retard.

  5. 5
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 1:28 PM

    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

  6. 6
    Posted by FUNdamental | June 12, 2008 at 1:30 PM

    Canadians exporting loonies importing names!!
    NAFTA worked!

  7. 7
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 1:36 PM

    What a tea-bag

  8. 8
    Posted by big r | June 12, 2008 at 1:41 PM

    simmons is a tool

  9. 9
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 1:46 PM

    I’m not your buddy, Guy

  10. 10
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 1:50 PM

    “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.

  11. 11
    Posted by bank_teller | June 12, 2008 at 1:56 PM

    this is the most “eye-popping” email he’s ever received? hold on while i start typing…
    p.s. boston sux ballz

  12. 12
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 2:03 PM

    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

  13. 13
    Posted by a dead horse | June 12, 2008 at 2:06 PM

    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.

  14. 14
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 2:11 PM

    Ha, the IPO market is so moribund that odds are dead horse you’ll be the one doing the servicing…

  15. 15
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 2:34 PM

    I’m not your Guy, Fweind

  16. 16
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 2:38 PM

    I’m not your Fweind, Buddeh

  17. 17
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 2:47 PM

    He’s not your Buddeh, Guy

  18. 18
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 2:56 PM

    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.

  19. 19
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 3:02 PM

    YouPorn, eh … ?

  20. 20
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 3:26 PM

    Bill Simmons is garbage.

  21. 21
    Posted by guest | June 12, 2008 at 7:15 PM

    “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”

  22. 22
    Posted by guest | June 24, 2008 at 11:00 AM

    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

  23. 23
    Posted by guest | September 8, 2008 at 2:45 PM

    Think it’s time Albourne Village get
    shut down. The editing is criminal.
    Perhaps they should open an office in
    Moscow.

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