Attempting to retrieve the cowbell

[andyw2100]

I am attempting to retrieve the cowbell, from Ithaca.

Based on what I have read on USCHO, the confiscation of our cowbell was simply ridiculous. Ari never played it during play of the game (of course.) The OSU band --did--play during action. Ari, etc. was told that OSU's bell was not confiscated --because-- it was being played by the band. I am attempting to get the bell turned over to someone in the band. Then Ari can just go to where the band is, and play it from there.

I called the University of Minnesota police department. After quite a bit of checking around, with various people, they are quite sure thay it was rink security, (people dressed in red jackets), that confiscated the bell, as there is no police report about it. If this is the case, it is likely to be in the ticket office.

The police gave me a number for the ticket office, but it won't open until 1:30 eastern time. In the meantime, the police dispatcher is trying to find a number to Mariucci security for me. I am to call her back shortly.

At this point I am looking for two or three things, from people here:

1) Confirmation from someone who was there that the bell was taken by people in red jackets (security) as opposed to blue uniformed police.

2) A way to contact Ari or Lauren Forconi, the pep band manager. (Cell phone number, hotel number, etc.)

3) An attorney, willing to get on the phone if I reach the right people, but fail to convince them that they should return the bell. (A call from an attorney may carry more weight.)

I am pretty optimistic at this point, as the police dispatcher really seemed anxious to help. She also spoke to the officer who will be in charge at Mariucci today, via radio, while I was on the phone with her. I could actually see the police directing security to return the bell.

Feel free to e-mail me at ajw4@cornell.edu with any of the info or help that I can use, if you don't want to post contact information on the forum. E-mail is definitely preferable to private messages on here, as I don't always notice that I have a new private message.

Thanks.
                                  Andy W.

[KP '06]

From http://elf.elynah.com/read.php?1,63172 :

[Q]calgARI '07 Wrote:

 Age did the cowbell yesterday so it was his that was taken.  I will bring mine today and give it to him.  [/q]

So you might catch Ari checking the board.

[billhoward]

Can you, say, buy a cowbell cheaper than hiring a lawyer, and hand it (cowbell) over to the pep band to walk in the rink?

Looks as if Minnesota is trying to stretch its home ice advantage.

Good luck. The band sounded good.

[calgARI '07]

In reading what has happened, I think I won't bring mine today just because it would seem useless if they are just going to take it coming in anyways.

[Cornell Fan]

[Q]andyw2100 Wrote:

2) A way to contact Ari or Lauren Forconi, the pep band manager. (Cell phone number, hotel number, etc.)
[/q]

I can get your Lauren's cell phone number, I'll email it to your shortly as soon as I dig it up...

[andyw2100]

[Q]billhoward Wrote:

 Can you, say, buy a cowbell cheaper than hiring a lawyer, and hand it (cowbell) over to the pep band to walk in the rink?  [/q]

If you read some of the posts in one of the other threads, it looked like the people on site in Minnesota were not having any luck in finding a cowbell.

And I wasn't talking about "hiring" a lawyer, but rather having one who participates here possibly make a phone call, pro bono.

It looks like they may have things covered now, with a back up bell. I did not know that when I started this. Even so, it would be nice to know that it will not be confiscated from them again. Clearly if we establish that the first one should never have been taken in the first place, and, in fact, get it returned, they will not attempt a second confiscation.
                              Andy W.

[atb9]

Good work, Andy.  Get that cowbell back!

[andyw2100]

The latest update is that a Sergeant from the police department is going to check the ticket office for the bell, and then call me.
                            Andy W.

[andyw2100]

Ari--Please check your e-mail.
                   Andy W.

[andyw2100]

Here's the sccop.

In the past 15 minutes I have spoken to

a) Jan Allen-Mariucci security
b) Connie-Police Dispatcher
c) Sergeant Reineke-Police officer in Mariucci today

My conversation with Jan Allen was somewhat frustrating. She said the first she had heard of the whole cowbell issue was when five Cornell fans showed up at her door last night, irate about the bell being taken. She said we were rude. (That does not surprise me, in light of the situation. I'm sure the five people were outraged.)

I learned from Ms. Allen that originally red-jacketed security had tried to confiscate the bell, but that we refused to give it to them. At that point, a police officer intervened and took it. That is all she knew.

I tried to discuss what would happen if the band had the cowbell today. She says that she doesn't think it is a musical instrument. But she also said that she thought that if the band had it, it would not be taken away.

Next I followed up with Connie, since it now seemed the police did have the bell. Connie had done much research in the last hour. She had looked up the cowbell and cornell hockey online, and when I said something about only two people having played the bell in the last ten years or so, and both of them having been there last night, she said, "The one who is supposed to have the bell now is Ari Baum." Not sure where she found that, but I was impressed.

She also had learned that a police officer took the bell. And she learned that he had returned it to a Cornell fan who asked for it after the game. The Cornell fan said he (or she?) would get it back to the original owner. (Age, I imagine.)

I asked Connie if we could be reasonably certain that no one would try to confiscate the bell today, as long as it was with the band. She said that she would have Sergeant Reineke call me.

Sergeant Reineke called, and said that he had spoken with the rink manager, and learned that cowbells are not permitted. When I asked if that applied to cowbells brought in by the band, he did not know. He did not think there was any good way for me to get in touch with the rink manager.

So...here's the bottom line.

1) A Cornell fan has Age's bell. Hopefully it will be given to him, if it hasn't been already.
2) If the pep band brings Age's or Ari's bell into the rink, and if Age or Ari play it from the middle of the band, it is highly unlikely that it will be taken away.
3) If it is taken away again, it should be relatively easy to get it back.

Based on this, Ari should definitely bring his bell, and have someone from the band hold it for him.

Can someone e-mail me Ari's cell-phone number? How about Age's?

I plan to call Lauren Forconi now.

Thanks!
                      Andy W.

[atb9]

[Q]andyw2100 Wrote:

 Can someone e-mail me Ari's cell-phone number? How about Age's?
[/q]

Just sent by private message

[andyw2100]

I've left messages for Lauren, Ari, and Age. Hopefully one or more cowbells will make it into Mariucci today, and will be played, without incident.

Let's Go Red!
                              Andy W.

[CowbellGuy]

[Q]andyw2100 Wrote:
My conversation with Jan Allen was somewhat frustrating. She said the first she had heard of the whole cowbell issue was when five Cornell fans showed up at her door last night, irate about the bell being taken. She said we were rude. (That does not surprise me, in light of the situation. I'm sure the five people were outraged.)
[/q]

We started with rink security who was utterly useless and then moved on to her. She also was utterly useless and very uncooperative. We got rude at this point, but we certainly weren't at first.

[q]2) If the pep band brings Age's or Ari's bell into the rink, and if Age or Ari play it from the middle of the band, it is highly unlikely that it will be taken away.[/q]
You'd think so. Except they kept changing their story to suit their needs. I did the cowbell with the band in the second period, but this time rink staff came with four police officers to retrieve the cowbell. Depending who you asked, it was because I wansn't part of the band, not wearing a band uniform (even though a bunch of them weren't either), violated the "instrument" limit, or one of several other excuses. Anyway, they got it again and returned it to the band after the game.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped out here and in Ithaca. I'm eternally grateful for the support. Thanks to the band for taking over in the third. They sounded great this weekend.

And fuck Minnesota and The John's staff. "Minnesota nice" is a figment of someone's imagination. May I never return.

[CUlater 89]

That sucks.  I wonder how they would've treated BU's cowbell, which is (or at least used to be) played by an actual band member.

Not that it helped, but someone played the "cowbell" (substituting a glass) at Ship of Fools in NYC -- pretty well, as a matter of fact.

[oceanst41]

have you gotten your cowbell back yet? we know the someone saying they were a cornell fan asked for it by i just saw this http://www.gopherpucklive.com/MsgBrd/viewtopic.php?p=17399&sid=405aa7dca86a46023cf2a91e17646509#17399