Basically what happened this week in the American Courts on the Phoenix Coyote Saga is that both sides had submitted too many pages of supporting documentation at the last minute and the judge did not have adequate time to properly review them. Overwhelmed, he reverted them to this mediation process which won't solve anything and is not legally binding. The mediator is not allowed to make a binding decision, and I doubt either side will budge. It seems like a transparent measure by the judge to get both sides to debate specific arguments, allowing him to make a decision later in the summer. I do think he is apprehensive with granting the sale such that the team can be moved.
My analysis of the Tuesday decision is that it might make it more likely that Jimmy gets the team, but less likely that he can move them in time for the 2009 season. Jimmy will try, but I believe the NHL now has the time frame to filibuster an immediate move even if Jimmy gets the team. Honestly, the NHL argument that Moyes does not own the team is ludicrous. This man has now burned roughly 300 million dollars out of his own pocket in Gary Bettman's field of dreams, and now the NHL claims that he doesn't own anything? Does that make any sense? If I spent 200 million to buy a team, then incurred 100 million in operating loses; I don't give a flying fuck if the league helped me make payroll, I would have a reasonable expectation that I would own something at the end of the day that I could sell to the highest bidder with the goal of possibly making back some of my loses. I think Reg Dunlop said it best, Jesus Christ, what a fucking nightmare.
But hey, even if Gary gets to keep his Hindenburg in Arizona, Jimmy can also make offers to Florida, Atlanta, and NYI; who rumour has it are all desperate to sell, sell, sell. They can't keep Jimmy out of the loop forever. Each time Gary tries to "cock block" Jimmy, it is Gary who ends up with the mud on his face.
How does this idea sound for getting the League to put a third team in Southern Ontario? Get the real fans - not the suits who show up halfway through period one and leave halfway through the third period - but the people who watch it on TV, to promise to boycott the sponsors until the league comes to its senses. They'll watch the games and carefully note the products they are supposed to buy and then either not buy them or buy those of the competitors. TV is where the real dough in Canadian hockey is.
ReplyDeleteA creative idea to be sure, but I want to encourage growth in the NHL. I have no desire to promote a strategy that incurs a loss of income. The NHL is already in big enough trouble, with roughly 40% of the league incurring a loss this season. This idiotic theory that Bettman's failed experiments will become profitable is just not backed by the facts. It is a pipe dream. He is not telling the truth. Jimmy has nearly a dozen teams losing money that he can make a "double market value" offer to and get the team.
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