To Know Me Is To Love Me What The Hell Is Wrong With The NHL ?

To watch the NHL operate is to inadvertently watch a dying industry unravel in-front of your very eyes. Whatever the hierarchy sets out to do. Only they can screw things up to the very mindset that even their most earnest fans are no longer seemingly interested as to what’s going on. Very much like the US automotive industry is completely devoid of innovation and creativity. The very same can be said when it comes to the National Hockey League. And for God’s sake please don’t try to suggest that the Ford Motor Company is the epitome of good financial health ! They’re but a hair’s breath away from falling into the same abyss as GM and Chrysler LLC were in. If you consider mortgaging your future to the hilt , wherein you’re carrying in excess of $25 billion worth of debt . Then clearly there’s got to be something missing in your rationale. Never-mind the fact that sooner or later , they too, will be coming to the trough for a government handout.

A vocal Wayne Gretzky implores his team to make a play. The Phoenix Coyotes at the time were playing the Carolina Hurricanes. Gretzky as the team's coach and senior managing partner of the Coyotes have fallen hard times financially and are in bankruptcy proceedings. pictures appears courtesy of getty images north america/ Streeter Leckar ....................

How can one explain the extraordinary mess that’s now taking place with regard to the Phoenix Coyotes ? Never-mind the fact that another of the sports franchises is in the midst of an unseemly mess concerning two of its principal partners. Unless I’m mistaken the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Len Barrie and principal partner, Oren Koules , are about as close to reaching a compromise . As the Palestinians and Israeli’s are close to eking out a peace accord. The animosity between the two it has been stated , has reached its zenith. The two barely talk to one another and meetings between the two when it comes to dealing with the business side the franchise, has been less than cordial , to say the very least.

Oren Koules (left ) and Len Barrie (right) part of the current ownership group of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The relationship between the two has been very icy as of late and communication between them has been almost none existent. The two are fighting over the control of the franchise. And NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has mandated that two reach some sort of accord as to the outright ownership of the franchise. Either with each buying the other out or the franchise being put up for sale to an independent third party. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Chris O'Meara .............................

Courtesy of Canwest New Service in conjunction with Canada.com

Barry still wants Lightning

Len Barrie dismissed a weekend media report that he is about to skate away from his co-ownership of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

“We’re working on this and it will be decided by Friday” said Barrie.

The NHL has presented Barrie and dueling co-owner Oren Koules a chance to buy each other out.

Barrie’s deadline to pull together a deal is the end of September, after which Koules can make a pitch to the league. The Lightning franchise is valued at approximately US$ 200 million. Barrie wasn’t doing much talking Monday.

“We are bound by Gary’s gag order,” noted Barrie guardedly, referring to commissioner Gary Bettman’s blackout directive. “But I will say we are pressing forward.”

Street and Smith’s Sports Business Daily is reporting that Barrie may be teaming up with St Louis real estate magnate Tony Sansone Jr. in order to put together a bid.

Barrie, however, realizes nothing is guaranteed in this high stakes game of puck control.

“If I got my $40 million back , that wouldn’t be a bad day, either, in this (economic) climate, said the real estate developer from Victoria.

Koules, a Hollywood producer, is thought to have more financial heft than Barrie, but neither man is able to buy out the other ?

“Can we work together ?” said Barrie, rhetorically re-stating a query.

“That’s an excellent question. If neither is able to take out the other, we might have to.”

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The Coyotes having been placed within bankruptcy proceeding by its ownership. It had sought to sell itself off the highest bidder via the Federal Bankruptcy court proceedings. Two bidders entered the fray , but seemingly, the NHL appeared to be all too biased right from the get-go, as to whom they thought would be a desirable option as an owner. On the one hand you had Jim Balsillie , the founder of RIM , makers of the Blackberry. And on the other, you had Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls’ owner Jerry Reinsdorf . Balsillie made it abundantly clear that should he win the battle to purchase the franchise then he’d relocate the team to Canada.

Courtesy of Yahoo Sports and AP :

Reinsdorf out, NHL and Ice Edge in Coyotes case

By Bob Baum AP Sports Writer

Phoenix-(AP) A group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf has pulled out as a potential buyer of the Phoenix Coyotes just as the NHL and a partnership of Canadian and American investors have filed separate bids in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to purchase the team and keep it in Arizona.

The NHL announced its bid filing a few hours before word came that the investors’ group, known as Ice Edge Holdings ,had met Tuesday’s court-imposed deadline.

Ice Edge chairman Kenneth McCullough said in a news release that the plan was to “revitalize NHL hockey in Arizona and the southwestern United States.”

Reinsdorf’s said it was unable to meet the deadline for submitting a form offer. It also complained of “an unwilling seller” and “an organized publicity effort designed to provide negative and misleading information to interested parties.”

The Reinsdorf group said in a statement those tactics were a factor in the inability to reach an agreement with the city of Glendale on an acceptable lease to play in Jobing.com Arena.

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White Sox and Bulls' owner Jerry Reinsdorf shows off the trappings of success as sports franchise owner. With 6 NBA world championships and a World Series championship as well. Reinsdorf is one of the more successful owners within professional sports. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Mary Rylands

The NHL was dead set against Balsillie’s intentions , stating that it was in the franchise’s best interest to remain the Phoenix area. Well , considering that the Coyotes rarely sold out in their home venue. One can surmise that interest in hockey within the city of Phoenix was about as welcoming as the bubonic plague. And that’s even with hockey great ,Wayne Gretzky , within their midst , as a principal partner in the ownership of the franchise. They’ve performed poorly as a team, from a business standpoint their fan-base has diminished greatly over the years , since their introduction to the area. All this and seemingly the NHL still believes that they can make a go of it, still,within the city of Phoenix. For his part Reinsdorf, was willing let the franchise remain within Phoenix. But he’d have a hands on approach as to the innermost dealings of the franchise , by bringing in his own people. Somewhere along the way however, having to deal with the NHL as well as the legal system and the ownership group of the Coyotes has proven to be far too much for Reinsdorf to bear. He could never get a straight answer from either party and it wasn’t as if the asking price would’ve proven to a problem for someone of Reinsdorf’s enormous wealth. So Reinsdorf has walked away from the table and left it all in the hands of the NHL .

Though I’ve never been an avid fan of the sport of hockey. I have to admit that when it comes to sports my first interest as such is from the business aspect of it all. It’s my belief that in order to have a successful sports franchise. You first have to have sound business principles in place as well as experienced individuals to carry those duties out. It would appear that in the NHL and for that matter in each of the four major high profiled sports. The owners and the respective hierarchies aren’t that much different from the sometimes cumbersome and archaic individuals to tend to think of themselves as captains of industry. That being said the lessons that have been learned recently as to the malaise within the financial sector , the automotive and industry and economy as a whole. And there may well be good reason to believe that the sanest individuals about , may well be those who forsook the chance to delve deeply into fairy tales being told as to the health and wealth of the country and the economy. The same too can be said as to the state of play within the National Hockey League as a whole.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman seen here speaks at a Reuters Media Summit in November 2007. At the time Bettman was discussing whether or not the league would be contracting , expanding or indeed relocating teams to new cities . picture appears courtesy of reuters/photo/ Brendan McDermid ....................

Commissioner Gary Bettman and the hierarchy of the NHL couldn’t find their own sphincters, if they were handed a flashlight in a dark room with an anatomically enhanced diagram to guide them. For all sense and purpose the state of play for hockey and its relevance is no better than it was before their walkout or since their return.

Wednesday Round-Up

Hello, and welcome to this weeks edition of Wednesday Round-Up. This week’s topics were tough to pick, there weren’t that many headlines other than Brett Favre. Obviously though,  I was brought to a conclusion – I went with T.O. OUT, KANE INDICTED, FIST-FLYING RAIDERS, and as always the QB FRIDAY PREVIEW.

T.O. OUT

Terrell Owens is out for the Bills @ Packers game with a sprained toe. It’s shouldn’t be much of a concern for Bills fans as Coach Dick Jauron says he  should be back in practice “next week some time.”

KANE INDICTED

The jury dismissed the felony robbery charge on Patrick and James James, then indicted them on some lesser charges.

Those charges would be…

1. 3rd degree assault(misdemeanor)
2. theft of services(misdemeanor)
3. harassment(violation-level offense)

You know, this really is a crazy story. The first time I heard of the story was on ESPN’s Mike and Mike. It was insane! Attacking a cab driver because he didn’t have 20 cents change! The only comment I even have on the story is, “Why?”

FIST-FLYING RAIDERS

How Raider-ish of them, huh? He says “nothing happened”, but who wouldn’t deny it? In my opinion, it doesn’t matter that much.Yeah, it’s a little interesting story at first but no noise is honestly coming from the incident (if it even happened). It would be different if the assistant had came out with a bloody jaw, saying he’d never took a hit like that. Maybe something comes from the story…but I’m not planning on it.

QB FRIDAY PREVIEW

Do  even need to do this? It’s obvious that I’m going with, Stafford wins debut! Ha ha! Just messing with ya’! We’ll be talking Brett this Friday

Credibility , You Couldn’t Make This Sh_t Up If You Tried Because It Just Makes You Laugh !

Traditionally , I like to sit down and watch many of the sports’ magazine programs that are on television . Primarily , to hear the views of the analysts out there and to see how they might view various situations that are arising around the sports arena. Funnily enough , as I’m sitting in bar with several friends enjoying some light hearted banter. While much of this happens to be going on. I look up to see none other than Matt Millen and Herm Edwards on ESPN , discussing the NFL . Now don’t get me wrong , but while both of these men were successful over the course of their playing careers. When it came to being on the sidelines either from the executive standpoint or from a coach’s . Both Edwards and Millen , shall we say , were less than successful ?

Former Lions' President & CEO Matt Millen. He's now been hired by ESPN to provide analysis on the NFL as well as college football. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo / Paul Sancya ..........................

Millen presided in taking the Detroit Lions from being a once respected franchise within the NFL and then proceeded to turn them into a pedantic and absolutely atrocious football team. In the 2008-09 season the Lions showed us ineptitude that no one thought that they’d ever witness within the NFL . Losing all sixteen regular season games tends to take a great deal effort. For the Detroit Lions under Matt Millen’s tenure , they made it all look so effortlessly easy. And that’d usually take some doing.

Trey Wingo (left), Herm Edwards (center) and Mark Schlereth of ESPN discuss the NFL on the network's NFL Live . picture appears courtesy of espn.go.com/ Alex Hughes copyrighted material @ All rights reserved .................

For Herm Edwards, let’s just say that the most memorable sound byte uttered from his lips, has been “…you play the game to win.” Unfortunately, for dear old Herm, winning wasn’t something that came along with a great deal of regularity in either of his tenureships as a coach, with the New York Jets or the Kansas City Chiefs . I can only surmise that ESPN had turned to these two individuals , merely because on the food chain when it came to former NFL players or coaches or any other perceived doyenne of that ilk. Both Edwards and Millen were so far down on the totem pole , that their asking price may well have been a cardboard box to sleep in and a cup of soup. In reality though , ESPN may well the largest sport’s broadcasting unit in the world. But when it comes to credible sports’ journalism, they lie up there , somewhere between the guys responsible for the ‘Watergate Scandal’ and the idiots who presided over the Jayson Blair cover up .

ESPN now has become for all sense purpose , purely an enteratinment outlet source , rather than a venue being well informed source of sports information. In many respects it borders on watching a three ringed circus with the presenters acting like a bunch of circus clowns. All that’s left out of the programming is the perfunctory pie in the face routine . But then again a pie in the face is definitely meant to be funny , isn’t it ?

Wayne Gretzky a principal partner in the now bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes' NHL franchise. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Matt Trahern ............

It’d appear that Gary Bettman in his own perceived urgency to see the NHL remain relevant. He can only be aghast, with what’s allegedly happening with regard to what was deemed to be the impending auction of the almost defunct Phoenix Coyotes . It has been a complete farce ! Bettman and the Board of Governors of the NHL have refused the bid of Jim Balsillie , who as founder and CEO of RIM , the makers of the Palm Pilot and Blackberry, had stated that should he acquire the franchise , he would move it to Canada. Something that the NHL seems to have no desire for. The other potential bidder is Chicago White Sox and Bulls’ owner Jerry Reinsdorf . And it certainly hasn’t helped that it’s now perceived that Reinsdorf is said to be having cold feet as to continuing his pursual of the bid. Especially as the litigation process surrounding the Coyotes gets murkier by the minute . Much of this has gone on primarily because the franchise has been mismanaged , while onetime hockey great, Wayne Gretzky has presided over the debacle. The team is literally bankrupt, not only financially , but also in terms of their competitive being. There mightn’t be a worse ran franchise in all of professional sports . And that’d include Donald Sterling’s Los Angeles Clippers .

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks with the press prior to the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins . picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Jim McIsaac ......................

Much of this has come from the franchise’s eagerness to rid itself of its debts, incurred in operating in the middle of nowhere. Whoever felt, that it was a good idea to have a franchise in Phoenix , couldn’t have done a great deal of research to begin with. And while the curiosity factor initially brought in the fans. After that initial impact , it wouldn’t have been remiss to state that was the only malaise for the Coyotes. But it clearly stems from the fact that the hierarchy of the NHL and its players have always been at an impasse when it comes to the business aspect of making the sport a truly successful entity. And even after their historical labor shutdown. It’d appear that the NHL and its players simply haven’t learnt their lesson.

Bulls and Chicago White Sox owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. He's now pursuing the purchase of the Phoenix Coyotes of the NHL. But it'd also appear that he's reluctant to meet the over inflated price that the NHL and Coyotes' owners are said to be looking for. At the same time the NHL have turned down the bid put forward by RIM CEO , Jim Balsillie. Bettman as Governor of the NHL has been openly critical of Balsillie and as to his honesty and intentions with regard to the Coyotes. picture appears courtesy of afp/ Arun Jawall .................

The NHL franchises are simply back to their idiocy of paying the players exorbitantly large sums in the form of long term contracts when the revenues just aren’t simply there to justify it at all. But then again watching the NHL conduct their business is very much like watching a drunk taking a field sobriety test. They’re just bound to screw things up one way or another and then simply look to blame someone else for their problems.

Falcons' wide receiver Roddy White. The fifth year starter is holding out hoping to have his contract reneogiated whereupon he's paid in line with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. I expect the tooth fairy to be laughing at this juncture. Because not even she's of the belief that White is that good . Much less is due to paid on par of player of Fitzgerald's caliber. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Matthew Gibbons .......................

I’ve no doubt that there are some electrifying players around the NFL. Larry Fitzgerald simply springs to mind. Randy Moss and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots . Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings . But would anyone deem to put the Atlanta Falcons’ Roddy White in that particular category ? The player is obviously besides himself , if he’s off the impression that the Falcons are about to acquiesce to his demands , and pay him Fitzgerald type money. Then he’s a bigger idiot than the comedian , Carrot Top ! Roddy White has yet to make his mark within the NFL , let alone be considered one of the pre-eminent wide receivers in the NFL. But yet hear we have a fifth year starter looking to be treated like he’s veteran of the league who ought to be getting more respect than he deserves. His stats and presence are nowhere on par with that of Fitzgerald , at all.
And he’s by no means a friggin’ game changer by any stretch of the imagination !

It’s enough that the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell now has an image problem , that borders on being made comparison to that of the gangsters of the roaring twenties and thirties. We’ve got players being jailed for vehicular homicide and another even more prominent player in Michael Vick coming off federal jail term but now looking to be reinstated get by the NFL. And at the same time resume his career in football at the professional level.

Well now comes the even more arduous task facing Goodell and that of the newly designated NFLPA Executive Director in DeMaurice Smith. With the NFL about to opt of the collective bargaining agreement which expires at the end of the 2010-11 season. The negotiations will no doubt , become somehwhat contentious. The players seek a larger part of what they believe to be an even larger slice of a pie that runs into billions of dollars. And the NFL now knows that in this uncertain economic climate, many of their patrons in terms of the corporate clients may not be willing to impart with their funds the way that they once did. Furthermore, the broadcast and cable networks though they tend to make their contract agreements several years in advance. They’ll be watching with great intense scrutiny as to how everything plays out. They more than anyone else have more to lose should things go up in smoke. And at the same time the fans may well be the biggest losers of all, should an agreement not be reached between the two parties. An uncapped season could lead to ticket prices rising in order for many of the franchises recoup some of the lost revenues. But then again, what’s new ?

Giants' linebacker addresses members of the press at the Giants' training camp held on the campus of the University of Albany , Albany , New York. The player insists that he acted approriately with regard to the Plaxico Burress incident. And has stated that he'd carry out the same course of action again, without fail. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Mike Groll .......................

Plaxico Burress’ lawyer Benjamin Brafman, states that there were mitigating circumstances concerning his client’s predsiposition , with regard to him being indicted on illegal possession of a firearm and criminal neglect. Unless I’m mistaken there can be no mitigating circumstances for carrying a weapon that was unlicensed in any of the states where Burress apparently either has a home or that was his place of employment. Brafman is merely adding insult to injury by disprespecting the public and above all the integrity of the judicial system within the state of New York. But then again one merely has to look at what occured at the Latin Quarter Club in Manahattan , to realize what a complete ass Burress is to begin with ! I can only hope that the judicial system within the state of New York and in particular Manhattan makes sure that an example is made of Burress to begin with. As to Buress’ former teammate, Antonio Pierce . Who states , that he acted responsibly and would do the same thing all over again. I’ve this to say to him ” … did it not for one instance occur to you , that with Burress having a concealed weapon in a night club they were asking for trouble to begin with ” ?

Well there you have it my take on issues such as credibility within the realms of the sports arena and what I for one find completely comedic about it all. Hopefully there are one or two stories that you’ve indeed come across as of late. That’ve ended up with you asking yourself the question . Are they really that stupid ? And surely they didn’t just do that or actually want us to believe that was what they meant ?

I gladly look forward to reading your responses as to the content matter and that of your own particular sport’s stories that you found amusing.

Having One’s Cake And Eating It … Who Says There’s No Collusion In Sports ?

Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand over the last few months. You may not have been aware that all four of the major professional sports governing bodies and the NCAA are prepared to challenge the states of Delaware and New Jersey in proposing a sport’s book gamling bill that they’re preparing in their respective legislatures.

On the face of it one might feel that MLB , NBA , NCAA , NHL and the NFL have nothing to worry about. Being as the fact that all four sports have a healthy relationship with the gaming industry , one way or another. In many cases, some of the four do , more than others. And without that relationship one could surmise that the relationship would be as such somewhat minute . Other than the fact that there are still indeed some well meaning and loyal fans to the respective professional franchises.

Gov Jack A Markell (D-Del) . The governor is seeking legislative bill to be passed in both houses whereing legalized gambling and most notably sports book betting will be allowable in the state of Delaware. However the four major pro sports governing bodies and the NCAA are seeking to challenge any bill passed by placing their own challgenge as to its legality in the Federal Court system. picture appears courtesy of afp/ Carol Hemmings ...........................

However , in light of this all each of the sporting bodies , headed by Bud Selig (MLB) , David Stern (NBA) , Gary Bettman (NHL), Myles Brand (NCAA) and Roger Goodell (NFL). For some reason each of the commissioners in question believe that should the legislation be passed it’d do more harm to the framework of sports in general . Than it would do good. I find that particular argument somewhat misguided , retarded but above lacking in basis in terms of a real argument.

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey) . He, too, like his Democratic counterpart in Delaware would like to see a similar bill passed within both houses of the legislatiure in New Jersey. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo / Dwayne Osario ............................

Whereas over the years each of the sports in question have profitted greatly from the gaming industry and in particular the patrons wagering on the outcomes of their games. Granted that the real problem is in-fact illegal wagering and also that of the off-shore entities that the Federal Government has no jurisdiction over. But here we’re talking about two states’ governments that are proposing bills , that in large part there’d be a an agency overseeing the operations of the various entities that would seek to operate within their jurisdiction. It is not a threat to the dominance of the existence to any of the four governing sport’s bodies. But they’d have you believe that there is indeed a perceived threat to their existence. And the very fact that with this renewed effort by both Delaware and New Jersey , that there’d be some sort of mayhem caused.

Gov Arnold Schwarzaneggar (R-Ca). He now faces a budget shortfall within the state in excess of $24 billion (dollars) and the state is now issuing IOU's to pay its creditors as a way of staving off bankruptcy. The federal government's stimulus package won't even make a dent in the state's overall situation. So much for Schwarzaneggar having declared himself a fiscally and socially aware conservative. Which is it ? picture appears courtesy of afp/ Jorge Ayala .........................

Each year , tens of billions of dollars are wagered on sporting events up and down the country. And it seems to have somehow escaped the notice of these commissioners that without the chance for bettors to do this . Sports as we know it wouldn’t be the spectacle that it is. I don’t know if there’s some sort of puritanical bias behind the argument being put forth by the quintet. But I’d like to think that they’ve somehow outgrown that sort of archaic thinking and mindset. If anything , above all it’s downright hypocritical . Given the fact that a number of college as well as professional teams have marketing tie-ins with gaming establishments and casinos.

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-Nc) . The former NFL player and now Congressman opposes any such legislation that would legalize gambling and in particular sports book betting within the states of Delaware and Nevada. picture appears courtesy ap/photo/ Tiffany Warren ......................

The gambling industry in the US is worth upwards of between $30-$45billion dollars a year and employs close to 400,000 people. So to be of the belief that there isn’t some undue benefit to the government or a state agency would be redundant to say the very least. For many states across the country with the very fact that the harsh economic environment that many now find themelves. They are indeed looking to other revenue streams in order to facilitate their budget shortfalls. The state of California this year alone faces a $24bn budget deficit shortfall this year alone. Somehow the predisposition of their Governator Arnold Schwarzeneggar to blow everything up within his midst , in order to solve a problem. Well it appears that it doesn’t seem to be working as of now, for the citizens of California. Or as a matter of fact for the state employees who are being in some cases being placed on prolonged furloughs or fired from their positions.

Now as to the wish of both states to have this legislation passed. It seems even more outlandish that Congress would also seek to make its voice heard on the matter. Most suprising of all is the very fact that former NFL player and now Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC) should come out in opposition to the proposals of both states. But it’s easy to understand the reason why , there. No lobbyist funds may have come betwee Shuler and him making a decision. But then I digress , not every federal legislator is corrupt. And the argument can also be pit forth that not every legislator is as altruistic as they’d have you believe.

Courtesy of USA Today:

Pro leagues, NCAA resist push by states to legalize betting ….

By Michael McCarthy and A J Perez of USA Today

It’s a sign of a lagging economy : American pro leagues and college and sports teams seeking new revenue through increasingly bold marketing relationships with gambling interests. It’s why team logos have begun appearing on state lottery tickets and why some basketball games have been played at casino hotels.

Now officials in Delaware and New Jersey, facing their own budget problems, say it’s time for a bolder move ,full scale legalized sports betting in states other than Nevada,currently the only place such activity is allowed. They are pushing hard to add legalized in-casino sports betting to their states gambling offerings , which include horse racing , lotteries , slot machines, and in Atlantic City – table games.

The plans are being resisted by the nation’s four major pro sports leagues- the NFL, the NBA , the NHL, and Major League Baseball- as well as the NCAA. Despite marketing arrangements that schools have with gambling, sports officials are asking a federal court to stop the Delaware effort, saying that widespread legalized betting would threaten the integrity of their sports by creating incentives for cheating and game-fixing.

That view is not unanimous among sports owners, however.

Joe Maloof, whose family owns the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs as well as the Palms casino resort in Las Vegas, says well regulated sports gambling would help prevent such problems. cont’d ………… see below for further details concerning this article

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The test for both legislatures will be to see if the bill is passed. And then to see whether not it can withstand the challenge of a suit as to its legitimacy within the Federal Court system by the parties concerned. In this case Major League Baseball (MLB) ,the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and finally the NCAA. In large part all five have close ties to the gaming industry in some for another. But to now see them to try and deprive a state of a way formulating a revenue stream in order to stave off economic duress. Well to my mind it smacks of hypocrisy. When these are the very same entities engratiate themselves upon states and municipalities up and down the country in order to obtain lucrative tax breaks that facilitate the building of their arenas and that in effect also allows them to conduct their very business.

Something is inherently wrong here if they are indeed allowed to challenge the veracity of what both states are trying to do. No one has yet to challenge each of the five upon the basis of how they operate and conduct their businesses. But here they are trying to dictate and legislate how states of Delaware and New Jersey ought to conduct their own by seeking recourse through the legal system.

This is something that it is odious in nature . But even more it smacks of collusion and if nothing else it is also depriving the two states and its citizens their very rights govern themselves in an appropriate fashion.

What are your thoughts on this matter ? Below also is a poll that you can participate in should you choose to. I look forward to reading your comments with a keen interest as to your responses.

NHL Free Agency: Hossa To The Blackhawks

NHL free agency began in the wee hours of the morning, and unlike NBA free agency, teams can immediately sign players. Taking advantage of that, the Chicago Blackhawks signed forward Marian Hossa to a 12-year contract today. Terms of the deal were not reported. Hossa, who played just one season for Detroit, is one of the best players in the league. Chicago was a very good team last season, and the addition of Hossa make them that much better. Yahoo! Sports:

The Chicago Blackhawks dipped deep into the NHL free-agent market by signing star forward Marian Hossa away from the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday with a 12-year contract.

Hossa, who surprisingly took a one-year deal with the defending champion Red Wings last summer, cashed in this time. The four-time All-Star and 11-year NHL veteran has played on the Stanley Cup runner-up the last two seasons. The Blackhawks are his fourth team since 2008.

Chicago also signed center Tomas Kopecky, who, like Hossa, played last season with the Red Wings. He was knocked out of the playoffs after sustained injuries to his face during a fight with Anaheim Ducks defensemanFrancois Beauchemin in the second round.

“To add Marian, an elite and world-class player, and Tomas, a Stanley Cup champion, to our exciting young core reinforces our commitment to try to win the Stanley Cup,” general manager Dale Tallon said.

It Just Screams Idiocy

I’ve never been much of a hockey fan. As I could never get into the sport and having seen how naive and asinine both the hierarchy of the sport and players are !. It’s been of no surprise to me to see the sport fall from grace in the eyes of many.

The Stanley Cup trophy perhaps the most revered trophy of the four major sports in North America. It's certainly the one with the most illustrious history behind it all. picture appears courtesy ap/photo/ Doug MacLellan ...........

And though the recent Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroit Red Wings was thrilling and filled with excitement. It still doesn’t hide the fact that the sport is still in trouble. And it must’ve come as a surprise to many that there was an up tick in viewing for the Finals. It was a thrilling seven game series with the Penguins proving to be victorious. And to top it all Sid ‘The Kid’ Crosby , one of the fresh faces of the NHL had won a Stanley Cup trophy. He may well not be viewed as the best player in the NHL. With the viewpoint being that mantel belongs to Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman who at this moment has be overly cautious as to what has to be taking place concerning both the Coyotes and the Lightning. Albeit that it'd appear that the sale of the Montreal Canadiens went through smoothly . picture appears courtesy of getty images / Richard Carnhouser ............

What has been intriguing to me as of late is the tumultuous rumblings now going on within two franchises within the NHL itself. The franchises in question are the Phoenix Coyotes and the Tampa Bay Lightning . It’d appear that both of the franchises are either being mismanaged or the very fact that neither is in a financially stable position. Never mind the fact that the sport’s hierarchy has done as is humanly possible to rein in expenses and put in place a salary cap . That in ofitself hasn’t stop many of the teams resorting to their old ways. And that is to sign several of their big stars to financially exorbitant long term contracts.

And less we forget all of the salaries paid to the players in terms of this is guaranteed . Unlike in the NFL where the only money that’s guaranteed to a player is that of their signing bonus and roster bonus as an added incentive. Their salary in effect is pro-rated over the course of the contract wherein the signing bonus or upfront money is guaranteed.

With that in mind what’s now unfolding within both the Coyotes’ organization and that of the Lightning organization should be of great concern to the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. In particular that of the Coyotes whose situation and fate may well end up being decided within the Federal Court System. As for the Lightning their’s is a situation that has that of an overly ambitious partnership group where neither of the major partners has any previous experience in the ownership of professional sports franchise.

And whilst the present approach by Bettman may well be to watch from afar. I’m sure that he’s placing this all under close scrutiny within the hierarchy. If nothing else he has to have his own observers in place to make sure that nothing untoward is taking place that’d hurt the integrity of the sport and damage it further in the eyes of the public. It was bad enough having to see both the NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the NHL show their intransigence which led to an enforced stoppage and lockout. It became a PR disaster and nightmare that they still haven’t yet recovered from.

Jim Balsillie Co Chief Executive and Co Founder of Research In Motion (RIM) , makers of the PDA device the Blackberry. Balsillie initially made a $200m bid for the Phoenix Coyotes. The bid was rejected and he's yet to decide whether or not he'll make a higher offer for the franchise whilst it remains within bankruptcy proceedings. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Anna Harris ..........

With that in mind what happens next within these two franchises may well yet prove to let us know whether or not the sport still has a long term viability as a going concern. The hits that it has taken has blunted the resolve of even the most ardent fans of the sport. And in this economic climate with rising unemployment , less revenues coming in via major corporate sponsors. And a downward trend in terms of viewership in all forms , in terms of its presentation on television and cable. The malaise of both the Lightning and Coyotes may leave the fans wondering if it’s in their best interest to still follow the sport.

The scenario is now being set whereby there are said to be two interested parties in now assuming control of the Phoenix Coyotes. With team in having filed for bankruptcy protection . It will be left to a judge to preside over who will end up owning the team. The two rival bidders who aim to assume control are Jim Balsillie and Jerry Reinsdorf. Balisillie as you may well be aware is the co-Chief Executice of Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the Blackberry. Reinsdorf as you may well be aware is the owner of both the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox. He made his fortune as in the real estate business. Albeit that it was somewhat under dubious means by taking advantage of a relativlely little known legal statute passed within the US Supreme Court. (Frank Lyon Co. v. United States)

And while we’re left to await the judge’s decision on the matter. The question one has to be asking is if Wayne Gretzky as one of the principal partners in the ownership of the Coyotes cannot make the franchise a going concern in Phoenix. Then how was it viewed as a viable maneuver to begin with in the first place ? And whilst no one would deem it appropriate to question the integrity of Gretzky. It has to be said that this may well be the one blot on his already stellar resume’ that he would no doubt like to see go away. Financially it may well have cost him far more than he’d bargained for . But mentally what can than this have done to his resolve ?

Wayne Gretzky, principal managing partner , co-owner and coach of the Phoenix Coyotes watches as his team plays the San Jose Sharks. The Coyotes are now in bankruptcy proceedings and now looking for a new owner. Likely bidders for the NHL franchise are Jerry Reinsdorf , owner of The Chicago Bulls (NBA) and White Sox (MLB). And the other potential bidder is Jim Balsillie the co-founder of Research In Motion (RIM Inc.,) Makers of the Blackberry . picture appears courtesy of getty images/ Bruce Bennett ..........

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s situation can be best described as having ‘too many Chiefs and not enough Indians’. Wherein the principal owners of the newly acquired franchise were merely Hollywood big wigs . Oren Koules, a tv and film producer and his partner Len Barrie came in made the splash that one’d only normally associate with the big league within Hollywood. Unfortunately no one within the Tampa Bay area really know who they were. Nor did they really give a damn.

Principal ownership partners Oren Koules (left) and Len Barrie speak with the locally convened press. After it has been formally announced that the two had purchased the franchise from former owner Bill Davidson. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Martin Owens …….

What has since transpired within the franchise has been there for all to see. The team’s GM Brian Lawton has been less than forthcoming when it comes to addressing a number of issues concerning the team and its personnel. So much so that many former favorites on the team were basically shown the door . All in order to cut costs and as they’d put it make the team more competitive and much younger in terms of the roster.

What they did achieve however, was to produce a last placed team within their division. And most certainly one of the worst performing franchises both on and off the ice last season. This all coming from a franchise that had won the Stanley Cup in thrilling fashion as recently as 2004 , defeating the Calgary Flames ,in seven games. And at the helm of it all was former coach John Tortorella.

Obviously with new ownership ,one at times expects to see sweeping changes being made. And this was decided upon by the partnership of Koules , Lawton and Barrie. In doing so they appointed former NHL player , coach turned tv hockey analyst Barry Melrose. And for Melrose this was an inauspicious start . But the fanfare that said to be Melrose appointment soon turned into an unbelievable nightmare. He couldn’t seem to communicate with the players on the team. And more often than his form of coaching amounted to throwing temper tantrums and the berating of the players. Inconceivably the idea of hiring Melrose to coach the team back fired . He was summarily dismissed by Lawton. Rick Tocchet was promoted and the team struggled to show any semblance of being competitive.

Melrose at the dais takes questions from the locally convened press after the offer to coach the Tampa Bay Lightning. Also in picture principal owners Len Barrie, Oren Koules (center) and minority stake owner Craig Sher. Melrose was summarily dismissed by GM Brian Lawton after an abysmal start to the season. picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Stuart Mattheson ……

While much of this was happening what was not known was that the two principal partners in Koules and Barrie were having financial issues. As Barrie had yet to place the initial $5m that was said to be a down payment as his part of the deal in purchasing the franchise. It has seemingly led to an acrimonious feud between the two . That for all sense and purpose has been an embarrassment for the franchise as well the NHL, itself.

Tampa Bay Lightning GM Brian Lawton . picture appears courtesy of ap/photo/ Jim Russell ...............

And though the two in public appear to be the best of buddies. It’s said that behind closed doors the acrimony , name calling and internal turmoil still goes on. Furthermore with the franchise now seeing dwindling revenues there’s a great deal of speculation that they’re either prepared to listen to offers for the team’s best player in Vincent ‘Vinny’ Lecavalier. And for the die hard fans of this franchise it’d thought to be sacreligious were that to happen . He’s seen as the face of the franchise and one the last holdouts of from their Stanlely Cup winning roster.

Now while all of this plays out in the public domain. One can either choose to take sides. Or merely watch these events play themselves out. One thing is for sure the fans of both franchises are watching closely as the asinine idiocy that’s taking place plays itself out to reach finality about it. As to what it says about the game’s hierarchy and the sport itself . To me it screams nothing more than idiocy and stupidtity from the get go !

Seemingly there’s little intelligence amongst any of the owners within the sport. And there’s even less intelligence being shown by the game’s hierarchy !

Wanted: Staff Writers and Editors

Welcome to The American Sports Blog!

Since this is a new website, we need writers.  I’m looking for all kinds of writers for all sports.  I will list the positions and if any interest you, then please click on the Apply Now button!

• Pre-Game Writers (for every league and conference).  The Pre-Game Writer will write an analysis for every game in there conference on that day.  Since a lot of games can be happening on one day, the writer will only have to write one article with a paragraph or 2 dedicated to each game.
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If you want you can be multiple positions and cover multiple sports.  This job has no pay, but it also has no deadlines or requirements.  Although we would like you to know how to write well, you don’t have to be a major in writing in college or something like that.  If you are interested then please click on the “Apply Now” picture or e-mail us at usasportsblog@gmail.com with the title of the message being “Application”.