We told you before that ch ch ch changes were coming to The Score, well they have and they hit pretty hard.

Gone from the Score lineup are both Hardcore Hockey and Score Tonight. Tony Ambrogio is gone and that really, really sucks. He is a really good reporter and I am a big fan. I don’t know how Gerry Dee stays in his stead. Also gone are Steve “Eklund” Ludzik and Al “don’t cry for me” Strachan. Although Koules’s Hardcore Hockey is gone, he isn’t. However if I were a betting man I would think that he will be at the first real offer he has coming him way…

So apparently Strachan handled himself like a real a$$ in a rather large disagreement with the good folks at The Score, he allegedly insulted management and well, yadda yadda yadda, the camel’s back was broken. Score management, hope you don’t lose any sleep!

Over at Hockey Night in Canada, word is that Mike Milbury is gone too. Milbury gets enough coin from NBC and doesn’t need the loonies. I am curious who gets more tears, Milbury or Strachan? I ask this again by the way, HOW or WHY THE HELL IS STRACHAN STILL ON HNIC??????

So, it was one year ago today that I got off my ass and decided to start putting finger to keyboard and launch Torontosportsmedia.com. Who would have guessed that one year later, my little site would be home to 30,000 set of unique eyeballs a month and over a 100,000 pageviews. I must say I am humbled.

TSM started in part out of frustration and in part out of the love of the game. Frustration with how our teams and games are covered and I think the love the of the game thing is obvious. I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the business when I wore a younger man’s clothes and I realized that I missed it and wanted a way to stay involved. This site has allowed me to do just that. I don’t fancy myself an insider or one who knows much of anything more than the average fan. I just like taking the time to talk to people, to listen and then to express myself on my Apple Macintosh laptop (when it’s not dead).

I have to say I owe a lot to several folks for getting the site to where it is. There are, of course the oopmah loompas behind the scene who have helped a non-techy look sharp and sophisticated (the good folks at hooplah, onroad, Alan, Slava and anyone else I am forgetting). I have had the helping hand of my good man LT from day one. He is a super fan, a great fill in and loves the teams and games as much as I do. The many many sites that link to TSM on a daily basis are just awesome. I am in awe of the spectacular work that you folks to each and every day. Whether or not blogging is accepted in the mainstream sports media, there are some amazing, truly amazing writers out there and I tip my hats to each of you.

To those of you who have emailed me, reached to me, offering advice, information and news and just plain support I hope that the site is what you have hoped. I enjoy “speaking” to you about the business and look forward to doing so in the future. Thanks to those who have also taken the time to do a podcast, there should be more time to do more this year as I have help in doing so and learned the tricks of the trade.

To the many folks who have been kind enough to write for the site, I thank you on behalf of all the readers as well, Anthony, Victor, RotoRob Dan and Lilly.

Most of all, I thank those of you who come back each and every day to read what I have to say. I especially appreciate all those who comment, post and take part in the conversation. I know many don’t agree with me or my views or those of other readers, but you have validated my hunch, that there is an appettie for this type of information on a daily basis. To my man Mike S for helping with the radio lineups, to Eggbert, Daniel, Julian, Wendel, PPP, The Meatriarchy, Mike, EYE, Al from Burlignton, and of course Nealio, keep it coming fellas….If I forgot someone shame on me.

Here’s to another good year of sports in the Toronto and cheers to those who cover it.

Make sure you check out Dan’s NBA draft coverage tonight, we will be back tomorrow afternoon with NHL draft coverage.

This little tidbit just popped up on the Globe site:

“Maybe Brian Burke has a trading partner before the NHL entry draft, after all. Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell admitted Wednesday he is listening to tenders for the fourth overall selection at the draft Friday evening, and he revealed he has swapped trade ideas with his Toronto Maple Leafs counterpart. “We’re certainly going to look at the trade market, but we’ve had no serious offers,” said Waddell, who was asked if he has been contacted by Burke. “We have talked to everyone. He has a better chance of getting to No.1 if he already has the [No.]4.”

Earlier tonight Darren Dreger announced that he has learned that Burke is actively shopping the #7 overall pick in attempt to secure a current roster player who can help now, and no that roster player is not, according to double D, Vincent Lecavailier. Dreger is saying that the Isles are going to stay away from John Tavares and draft Victor Hedman. This to me should be good news for Burke. If he really wants to get Tavares, he has a better shot trading to 2 then he does to 1. I can’t imagine too many current roster guys he can get in exchange for the 7th pick that I would really want (and that are realistic returns).

rumour on the globe is here

I love this quote from Bettman on the Tampa situation:

“I think sometimes they get a little overblown. When you have partnerships, people don’t always see eye to eye on everything, it’s like a marriage, like friendships, like all relationships,” he told a news conference in Montreal after a meeting of the league’s board of governors. “Sometimes these issues come to more of a head because people in other businesses are under more pressure. I don’t think any of them warrant the amount of attention that they’re getting, but they’re there and they’re all being dealt with.”

Ummmm, given your history with honesty on these matters mr. commissioner, I am finding this response to be anything but credible or the least bit believable.

Bettman is here

Andy Strickland has a pretty good rumour on his ESPN blog:

“Word is Phoenix turned down an offer from Toronto that would have sent Ed Jovanovski and the 6th overall pick to the Leafs for Kaberle. I hear Phoenix didn’t want to give up the pick.”

Let’s hope they change their mind, eh EYE??

The next couple of days should be amazing folks, lots of speculation and tons to talk about…Keep tuned to all the outlets and of course to TSM for the updates…

Thanks again to all, this has been really, really fun.

TSM

As promised there will be more coming as I hear and read more information. A couple of brief updates:

Several sources are telling TSM this morning that the reason the League is so upset is that Jerry Moyes, the Coyotes’ chief executive officer and managing member had actually resigned his right to make any decisions as they pertain to the Coyotes as early as two weeks ago (as sources in the Arizona media reported and the team refuted). So far no one from the league will confirm this.

Steve Simmon’s column in today’s Toronto Sun perfectly captures where things stand right now from my opinion:

“Jim Balsillie is well on his way to becoming the dumbest, most stubborn, successful entrepreneur around. How else to explain his latest hockey outburst — his clumsy, all-too-public attempt to bully the National Hockey League into allowing him to purchase the now-bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes franchise and move it to southern Ontario.If all he is attempting here is to find his name in the headlines, he is certainly accomplishing that. But if he honestly believes he can pull an end-run on commissioner Gary Bettman, secure an NHL franchise, move it, and use a public website to drum up support for a seventh Canadian franchise, then he is either getting terrible advice or he is simply fond of banging his head against the wall. Because that’s all he can accomplish here. This is a war he may not be able to win.
Even if he’s willing to overpay for the moribund Coyotes, which he is.”

I totally agree. This is a very strange way to get the leagues blessing to become a member of the club especially when the league has show that this is perhaps more important then ones background or financial wherewithal. I am not sure who is advising Balsillie on this matter, but I think, perhaps he is getting bad advice.

“The league will say it has control over the franchise and any possible movement. They will say that, knowing also there is a long-term lease in Phoenix. But what Moyes and Balsillie are banking on here is direction from the bankruptcy court: Once the court orders the Coyotes to accept the Balsillie offer, which is entirely possible considering there is unlikely to be another offer anywhere close, then Balsillie will pick up the franchise and attempt to move it, likely to Hamilton, with the NHL fighting it all the way.This, almost certainly, will go to court, the way Al Davis had to go to court when he moved the Oakland Raiders to Los Angeles in the National Football League many years ago. Davis won his lawsuit against the NFL. Balsillie is gambling he can win here. Does a second NHL team in southern Ontario make sense? Yes. Does Balsillie have the wherewithal to operate this team? Yes. Is it in the NHL’s best interest to have another team around Toronto? Yes. But the reality is, the number of owners who have attempted to ambush the NHL and succeeded is zero.”

I think that the assumptions Balsillie is making, if Simmons is correct is wrong. I can’t see Balsillie suing the NHL to get into the club and I can’t see a trustee in bankruptcy voiding the league franchise agreement.

Bob McKenzie has a great article up on TSN.ca too:

“The first thing you need to know is that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in Phoenix today, ostensibly to put the finishing touches on an intent to purchase agreement from Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, whose intention was to apparently keep the financially-troubled Coyotes in their current home of Glendale, which is also home to Reinsdorf’s spring-training baseball facility (a mile away from the Coyotes’ Jobing.com Arena). That offer was expected to materialize within the next few days.”

Everything I am hearing (and reported earlier yesterday am) confirms this. Don’t think that the Balsillie bid is going to stop Reinsdorf per se. The Bankruptcy proceedings may, not the $212.5 offer.

“Balsillie’s bid of $212.5 million is what is known as a ‘’stalking horse bid.” All that effectively means is that Balsillie’s bid officially kicks off an official auction process. If anyone chooses to outbid Balsillie, they must do so by at least $5 million. The bankruptcy court is obliged to accept the highest offer that provides the best financial relief to the secured creditors, which ironically includes the NHL as the second largest ($35 million). It is unfathomable to think anyone would make the $217.5 million offer to keep the team in Phoenix. But where this starts to get confusing is the conditional aspect of the offer. Balsillie is only prepared to pay $212.5 million as long as the franchise is moved to southern Ontario.”

Bingo! The condition precedent problem for both the Coyotes and Balsillie.

“The question then becomes, can a bankruptcy court in Arizona mandate the NHL to relocate or transfer a franchise in order to satisfy the needs of the Coyotes’ secured creditors? It’s an interesting legal question and without putting words in anyone’s mouth – no one is commenting anyway – the safe bet is that Balsillie’s group believes that’s a possibility while the NHL doesn’t believe a bankruptcy court can tell it how to conduct its affairs.”

That is right. The 212.5 million dollar question is…..what does the franchise agreement say with respect to transfers AND….is that language legally binding? If it says the league can kill the transfer and a court will back that clause, Balsillie is out of luck. If it says the league can kill the transfer and a Balsillie and the Coyotes are willing to fight in court and the court agrees that the provision is illegal then they have a good shot. IF the provision says the league can kill a transfer with a 1/3 of the owners agreeing to kill it, well then it gets really, really interesting.

“The NHL, meanwhile, is likely to battle Balsillie on the issue of ”control.” While the league will get destroyed in the court of public opinion in Canada, it is quite likely to exert what it perceives to be its legal rights on how it does business. That is, the league believes it ultimately controls who owns NHL franchises and where they are located. To do that, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will ultimately require the backing of the board of governors, but he has had it in the past. It remains to be seen whether he has it this time, but this has all the makings of a battle royale. The battle lines are clearly drawn. While Bettman and the NHL will take a beating in that court of public opinion in Canada, one suspects this situation will ultimately be decided in a legal court.

That is correct. This, perhaps more then the lockout will challenge Bettman’s authority and control over his group of owners. Will he survive this is the right question. $212.5 million sounds pretty good to the owners of the Thrashers, Panthers and the estate of Bill Davidson to name but a few.

If you are looking for another perspective on the matter Damien Cox’s is here. The gist is that the only way the team ends up in southwestern Ontario is if Balsillie and Bettman kiss and make up, which Damien suggests isn’t very likely.

You can read my other article on this matter here

Simmons is here

McKenzie is here

Hey folks, I have spent the better part of the night talking to various folks in and around the Coyotes/Balsillie issue. I have tried to put together some facts and some opinions and of course in TSM fashion a good look at what else is being said on the WWW:

Craig Harris did a bang up job on his account of where things are and where they are going. Here are the goods:

“The Phoenix Coyotes filed for Chapter 11 reorganization today in a move that could allow the franchise to be sold and moved to southern Ontario, Canada.”

Yes indeed they did. The Coyotes have put themselves under the protection of the courts from their creditors. The potential move to Canada stems from the only offer on the table right now for the assets, is Jim Balsillie’s very rich offer of $212.5m USD; an offer which carries with it a pre-condition that he be allowed to relocate the team to “southwestern Ontario”.

“The move is not a certainty, because other investors will have an opportunity to outbid PSE’s offer.”

This is correct, 100% correct. Anyone can now tender an offer for the purchase of the assets of the now bankrupt Phoenix Coyotes. Normally, any new offer would have to be higher then the original offer (Balsillie’s in this case). These are not normal bankruptcy proceedings though, and I will explain more below.

“Jerry Moyes, Coyotes’ chief executive officer and managing member is the team’s largest unsecured creditor at nearly $104 million, according to bankruptcy records. The city of Glendale, which receives lease payments from the team to play at Jobing.com Arena, is an unsecured creditor in the bankruptcy filing. The city would have to make a claim with the court to receive any payments, according to the team’s bankruptcy lawyer.”

For those of you a tad confused, let’s review some basic terminology. A secured creditor is a party who has lent money to another and has taken a piece of collateral as security on that loan. For example, when one buys a house, goes to the bank and gets a mortgage, the bank, has the house as collateral. You can’t sell the house without the bank getting it’s money first. If you get into money trouble, the bank can take back the house. The bank is a secured creditor. Now, when you buy that house and your parents or a friend lends you money to help pay for the house and you promise to pay that person back for their loan and you have nothing else between you and your friend or relative, then if something happens to you, and you lose the house or stop paying for the house, your friend could lose all their money too. That person is an unsecured creditor. They have no security to get their money back. Why is this important? Well, for one the trustee in bankruptcy (like a judge) number one job in these proceedings is to get the creditors the most money he or she can for the assets of the Coyotes. Secured creditors will get paid first. So, in this instance, when the team is sold, the secured creditors (see below) will get paid ahead of both Jerry Moyes and the city.

“Balsillie’s price of $212.5 million provides funds to pay secured creditors in full. Approximately $80 million would go to SOF Investments LP and $35 million to the NHL, which had loaned the team money earlier this year.”

Okay, so the amount of JB’s offer is just enough to pay off only the secured creditors, SOF investments and the NHL. There is nothing left for any unsecured creditors.

“That would leave $97.5 million to unsecured creditors. Coyotes owners would receive nothing for their equity investment, including $206.5 million in preferred and common equity that will not be recovered by Moyes under the current offer.”

Well, maybe. I don’t know who SOF investments is but they appear to be getting some money. So I have to believe that Moyes will get something back. Otherwise why else would he allow or encourage Balsillie to put in this offer at this time.

“Likewise, the City of Glendale, which has been very cooperative with efforts to keep the team in Glendale, will be able to provide potential buyers assurances of the City’s willingness to offer incentives to keep the team as a tenant in the Jobing.com arena, the lease for which is subject to rejection in bankruptcy,” Moyes said. “The process assures that the identities of the new owner and the team’s location will be known by June 30, 2009, thus enabling the NHL to include the team in its 2009-10 schedule.”

Again, this may or may not be true. Yes there is now a window to try to figure this out. Things however in the legal process can be stretched out if needed. I do think there is no chance that this team plays anywhere other then in Phoenix next season.

“At the end of the day, you have a team that was not making money. It has not made money since it has been here, and he (Moyes) received an offer,” said Thomas Salerno, the bankruptcy attorney for the Coyotes. “We feel it (offer) maximizes the value of the team for the assets and in such a way that sets up a process where other people can bid.”

I include this so you know that when I talked to a successful bankruptcy attorney this evening the first thing he asked me was if Salerno was the attorney hired by the Coyotes. Salerno is without question the top bankruptcy attorney in Arizona and a renowned expert in the field in the USA. While the team may not be good at making money in hockey, they certainly now how to pick bankruptcy attorneys.

The good folks at TSN have a similarly good account of the story:

“”The current team ownership asked that I table an offer to purchase the Coyotes and significant discussions resulted in an offer that is in the best interests of the franchise, the NHL, and the great hockey fans of Canada and Southern Ontario,” Balsillie said in the release. “I am excited to move closer to bringing an NHL franchise to what I believe is one of the best un-served hockey markets in the world, Southern Ontario. A market with devoted hockey fans, a rich hockey history, a growing and diversified economy and a population of more than 7 million people,” he said.

And the PR campaign begins. Know this, sports fans. Jim Balsillie is not a fool. He doesn’t play games, and he certainly doesn’t play them to lose.

“The release also says, Balsillie agreed to post debtor-in-possession financing of $17 million (US) at the request of the Coyotes franchise. The money will keep the franchise going before the sale is completed.”

So Balsillie has now made 17m USD available to the Coyotes to continue operating should his offer be accepted but before the transaction is completed. This is an important move and something that the trustee will look most favorably at. The Coyotes could use this money for operating expenses and Balsillie’s purchase would be reduced by any amount that the franchise used before the deal closes.

“Sources tell TSN that the NHL is not happy with what is perceived by the league as a powerplay by Balsillie and will wrestle with this matter in court. Those proceedings are expected to begin on Thursday. After learning of the purchase on Tuesday, the NHL’s deputy commissioner Bill Daly released the following statement: “We have just become aware of today’s Bankruptcy Court filing purportedly made on behalf of the Phoenix Coyotes. We are investigating the circumstances surrounding the petition, including the propriety of its filing. We have removed Jerry Moyes from all positions of authority to act for or on behalf of the Club. The League will appear and proceed before the Bankruptcy Court in the best interests of all of the Club’s constituencies, including its fans in Arizona and the League’s 29 other Member Clubs.”

And now, my friends it get’s really interesting. The league looks at this bankruptcy as being driven by Jim Balsillie. Therefore, the league will likely petition the court to investigate the validity of the filing of bankruptcy as early as Thursday in court. So where the team denied that the league was running the show only days ago, they are now saying publicly that they are in fact running the team. They have removed the owner! Oh- the irony. Gary Bettman doesn’t like to be pushed around and he is clearly viewing this as someone trying to push him around.

Now, Scott Burdow a journalist for the East Valley Tribune reports that the Balsillie purchase is all but a done deal and the team is gone:

“In case you hadn’t heard, the Coyotes filed for bankruptcy Thursday, and the filing included a proposed sale to Canadian billionaire Jim Basillie, who would pay $212.5 million for the team and move it to Ontario, Canada. Other offers will be entertained in an effort to keep the team in Glendale, but a buyer willing to outbid Basillie would require a miracle on the size of the Red Sea parting, and last I looked, Moses wasn’t in the market for a hockey team. No, by the end of June the moving vans will back up to Jobing.com Arena and take the Coyotes away box by box, stick by stick.”

Scott has jumped the gun just a tiny bit here. You see, this is not an ordinary bankruptcy proceeding. Let’s assume for one second that the trustee rules that this is a valid filing. Ordinarily, the Trustee’s only job is to get the most cash for the creditors. In this case there is a problem, at least in theory. The NHL has, I believe a contractual legal condition precedent to any sale of the franchise. You see, each NHL franchise has an agreement with the league that governs it’s ownership of their franchise. This agreement I suspect contains a provision that deals with any transfor(sale) of the franchise. I don’t know this for sure, but I am sure there is some sort of provision that gives the league the ability to approve any transfer. More specifically, this provision probably gives the league the ability to kill any transfer. Now, in most bankruptcies this type of agreement may not prevail. However, courts will enforce these types of provision under certain circumstances. The league will argue that the provision is required to ensure that the right type of person buys a franchise (they don’t want mobsters, thiefs etc- unless of course they approve them and only find out they are bad owners after the fact). The league won’t have to argue that the provision needs to be enforced to keep Balsillie out specifically, rather that the league needs the provision in general. It is extremely unlikely that the trustee will not enforce this provision of the franchise agreement. Therefore, all the league has to do is object to Balsillie as an owner (in whatever fashion it has to in accordance with the actual provision) and the Balsillie offer is dead.

“Fans will brave rush hour traffic to see a winner. But it’s been seven years since the Coyotes were in the playoffs, and they never won a postseason series. By the end, only die-hard hockey fans were venturing to the arena, and there aren’t enough of those in the Valley to support a team. For that, Wayne Gretzky has to take responsibility. He was supposed to bring a Stanley Cup to Phoenix, but he surrounded himself with cronies and yes men and turned out to be a mediocre coach. His reputation will survive — he’s still the greatest player ever — but when the eulogy is given, he won’t be spoken highly of.”

One word for that …. WOW….

“Let this be said, even as we say goodbye: There isn’t a better game to watch in person. Even a hockey neophyte like me appreciated the athleticism, the speed and the hits that rattled the bones and the plexiglass. I’ll remember Jeremy Roenick playing with a broken jaw, Keith Tkachuk standing in front of the net, harder to move than a tree trunk, and the loyalty of Shane Doan. But the Coyotes were a longshot to begin with. Everything had to go right for them; instead, nearly everything went wrong and they never had a chance. We’ll move on without them. Quickly, I imagine. Still, I can’t help but think that sometime in the next few years, when a playoff series has gone to Game 7 and the hockey is intense and the beards long, we’ll wonder what might have been. What a shame.”

What a terrific eulogy to a team. It says here it is premature but it is the type of thing that Bettman inc. was betting on when they moved the team to a market like Phoenix.

Over at Sportsnet, they fellas had some interesting tidbits to add in:

“Balsillie has turned up the heat by going public in his bid. He’s asking fans who want to see a seventh NHL franchise in Canada to make their voices heard, asking them to log on to www.makeitseven.ca to add their voices to his bid. Balsillie said that the website has already had “thousands and thousands” of comments. “I think it affirms there’s an unserved market, there’s a real opportunity here,” Balsillie said. “I’m prepared to put this kind of funding . . . I believe this is a serious commitment.”

The website for the record can’t have “comments” it asks people to register. According to the folks running the site, in a little over 3 hours since it’s launch the site had over 10,000 registrations. So what is Balsillie’s game? What is he trying to do? There are not infinite ways this can end? The easiest way for it to end would be for another bidder to up the ante, offer more then Balsillie’s 212.5. That, isn’t going to happen. However, that isn’t the end of the discussion. If the NHL can enforce it’s ability to approve any transfer of a franchise, then Balsillie’s bid is dead. So what is left? Well, if no one else emerges, and the league kicks Balsillie’s bid that will be the end of the franchise. The team will go from chapter 11 protection to chapter 7 and fold. However, if another bid emerges, remember my earlier post on Jerry Reinsdorf, well then it too can be approved by the court. If Jerry gets huge concessions from the city, gets a real sweetheart deal, and puts in a lower offer of say 100-150 million there is nothing stopping the Trustee from accepting that offer if the league agrees. Those are really the only options.

Where it gets really interesting is in the NHL office and backrooms. The economy is shit. Any number of teams are struggling and those who are doing better are facing upward pressure to keep them alive. Toronto is an interesting example because they are spending more money in propping up teams then any other team, so you would think they would want to move those teams on life support faster then anyone else. Except in this case, they certainly don’t want a team here in Toronto. The classic NIMBY case. We want to help, but not in my backyard thank you! The league is owed over $30 million. That’s around a million per team. Compare if you will what Larry Brooks claimed the league made form it’s NBC deal last year, 100k per team! 1 million is a lot of money to those teams in these times. Some say that the league can only veto a move if it has over 1/3 of the owners voting against the move. Bettman will try to sway as many votes as he can, he was successful in the lockout in keeping his ducks in a row. How successful will he be now and with this fight. You can bet on 2 teams for sure voting with Bettman, Toronto and Buffalo. I would include Ottawa as a strong alley too. After that all bets are off. Owners are going to vote with their pocketbooks not allegiances. If the league gets its 32m back and instead of a deadbeat team gains a profitable one, how much better is that for all the partners??

Over in the Globe, David Shoalts and Sean Gorden have this to offer:

“According to a source close to the deal, Balsillie plans to lean on his sterling business reputation and play the public opinion card strongly; the first burblings of the strategy showed up in the form of a new website in support of a seventh Canadian NHL team.”

As I have stated already, I agree he will try to win the PR war, the question is,who is he fighting with and in to what end?

“At the same time, the source indicated there was no prior agreement or consultation between Balsillie and league commissioner Gary Bettman — who was said to be incensed at news of the proposed deal — although there are suggestions other owners and the players’ union could support moving the team. And Balsillie is reportedly determined not to play by Bettman’s rules, so just to be on the safe side, he has also pulled what appear to be some canny legal manoeuvres.”

Bettman is a control freak and an egomaniac. Of course this will incense him. The other owners are key, as the for the PA, Kelley and Healey can make as much noise as they want, but they are powerless unless they are prepared to strike over this issue.

“A former NHL owner was more forthcoming, calling it “a game of chicken” whose winner will be chosen by an Arizona bankruptcy judge. Sources say Balsillie quietly contacted municipal officials in Hamilton, Ont., about 10 days ago to sound them out over whether they would be interested in reviving a 2004 deal for lease rights to the Copps Coliseum and Hamilton Place. City officials indicated they would leap at the chance, the source added.”

This really won’t be surprised by the courts. Assuming the NHL has the clause that I am told they do, there is not much to decide. Hamilton may have to suffice as a temporary home to a team. The problem for Balsillie is that he would have to deal with 2 teams, Toronto and Buffalo not just one if he moved it closer to the GTA. Is anyone surprised at the Hamilton reaction?

“News of the bankruptcy and the shock offer to buy the team stunned several owners — “Holy shit!” was the response offered by two of those contacted by The Globe — including one of the teams that could oppose a relocation to the Hamilton region. “This is a complete surprise, you still need league approval for all this stuff, so I don’t know what to say,” said Buffalo Sabres minority owner Larry Quinn.”

To his credit, Balsillie and the owners of the Coyotes kept this very, very quiet. That is impressive. The owners response by the way is classic!

“Either way, Bettman’s sway over the owners, many of whom have been quietly courted by Balsillie, will be tested in what is shaping up to be a contest of wills. An NHL governor who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed some of the animus some owners feel toward Balsillie, whose ham-fisted attempts to move the Penguins and the Predators to the Toronto region earned him no friends among Bettman and his coterie of allies.The governor pointed out that franchises are granted by the league, which could just as easily revoke them — although that would surely form the basis of a nasty and lengthy lawsuit.”

There is no revoking to make so I am not sure the basis of that point. What the other governors think of Balsillie is paramount in this decision however and one think worth digging into.

“”Balsillie tends to do things like this. The game last night [on Monday between the Penguins and Washington Capitals] was amazing, it’s too bad this has to follow on the heels of that,” the governor said.”

That is what must be killing Bettman. This is not what he wants idiots like me writing about tonight. Instead of watching 1 second of a game tonight I talked to people about this! That is not what the league wants it’s fans to do.

“More evocative, then, is a subsequent passage of the release: “overbids must exceed the PSE proposal by $5-million and must be fully funded at closing without a financing contingency.”

Not so fast on that one. A lesser bid without the condition may have to be considered. At least that is what my legal guru’s are telling me tonight.

Still at the Globe Stephen Brunt has an excellent commentary:

“So here we are … with an owner who has no other options, in a league fighting multiple fires, with a process that is now in the hands of the courts. A more-than-fair offer is on the table, one that will help prop up franchise values, will solve a huge problem, will save millions in bailout money and will instantly transform a have-not franchise into a have. Think maybe Jim Balsillie has talked to some of those other owners over the past few months? Think maybe they’ve come to understand he’s not the bogeyman, that he might be the best and only alternative right now?”

That is exactly where we are at. This is all going to be handled behind closed mahogany doors. Bettman has been able to stay away from the likes of Balsillie before through magic and luck. Will that hold true this time?

“And when the commissioner calls them to the barricades for what would be a protracted, expensive legal battle to keep Balsillie out of the league and to keep him from moving the club (he certainly meets all of the criteria they’ve laid out in their bylaws), think they’re ready to follow him blindly into battle one more time? He won the lockout — and look at what that fine, fail-safe labour agreement delivered. He beat back Balsillie twice, and how did that fix anything? He said not so long ago that Phoenix would be just fine. How did that work out? By all accounts, the commissioner was apoplectic last night. It seems he may have good reason. In chess, it’s called being put in “check.” Bettman has already proved himself a grandmaster of the game. But even the best of them eventually meet their match.”

Balsillie threatens everything that Bettman is to the league. If he is a rogue prospective owner how will he act when he is an owner, one of Bettman’s bosses? This is war, and it is very, very personal.

Kevin McGran leads his column in the Star with this:

“The NHL took control of the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday evening, removing owner Jerry Moyes from all positions of authority and seems set to challenge the very notion that the troubled NHL franchise is bankrupt.”

Do you think that is what Bettman want’s to be dealing with during the playoffs?

Hanky has one of the most bizzare posts in the history of his site, as he goes Oliver Stone:

“I think someone is trying to get the NHL to budge on their anti Balsillie stance. And listen. I know Balsillie and I like Balsillie. I WANT AND BELIEVE THE BEST THING FOR THE NHL WOULD BE TO GIVE JIM A TEAM! If Balsillie is the one behind this act I would be somewhat surprised. UNLESS Jim is just continuing on his path to make a legal case that would force the NHL to give him a team in some sort of settlement. Those are high risk stakes for a guy that would in all likelihood have a team if he just respected the systems in place…But seriously, I don’t know what is happening at this point. One thing is for sure…Its a crazy night…stay tuned.”

I am going to let his post stand for itself…believe what you want, call me a sucker, but I don’t think this is a “sham”

“He called it “a very clear and serious offer. I’m excited and delighted to make this offer and try to bring a seventh team to Canada for hockey fans in an unserved market of Southern Ontario.”

That from the National Post from Jim Balsillie himself. Doesn’t sound like a sham to me at all does it to you?

I will update tomorrow as more gets printed and said. This is going to be a wild ride. Enjoy it. We don’t get stuff like this all the time.

Read Craig Harris here
Read TSN here
Read Scott Burdow here
REad Sportsnet here
Shoalts and Gordon are here
Brunt is here
McGran is here
Hanky is here
The National Post is here

Consider the sources (Al Strchan & Hanky) but there are rumblings that Brian Burke will be making a play for the Sedin Twins this summer. Am I the only guy who isn’t the least bit interested in seeing this happen?

I don’t know why, but I suspect it will cost a bundle to get these guys and they will be 29 when next season starts, maybe i am crazy, but I am not excited by this at all.

If you want to watch something funny, check out the Hotstove (man do i feel badly for Pierre Lebrun for sitting with Strachan and Milbury) the argument between Milbury and Strachan is pretty funny. The point of contention here is that Strachan says that the Canucks attempts to sign the Sedins isn’t going well…Milbury asks why they are having these discussions now when they are trying to make the playoffs and Strachan suggests that the Sedin boys have families to take care of.. Milbury’s response is hillarious..

You can watch the hotstove here

Tis the season so we thought the TSM faithful could compile a list of gift wishes for our favorite sports personalities….TSM and I will kick things off with a few of our own ideas.  Please add yours in the comments:

Howard Berger:

• A Heathcliff Huxtable sweater collection
• Subscriptions to Leafs TV and Centre Ice packages (a nice stocking stuffer)

Damian Cox:

• A better headline writer…this was at the top of his list too I think

Jim Kelly:

• A contract from WGR 550 (Buffalo radio) so that we don’t have to listen to him any longer this side of the border

Plaxico Burress:

• A gun rack and shooting lessons

Ron MacLean:

• A new panel for HNIC Hot Stove…(can’t watch Millbury & Strachan any longer)

Eklund:

• 1 accurate prediction and where he didn’t take > 4 positions

For the Jays:

• Season ticket holders
• A new General Manager

The Leafs

• A Stanley Cup….oops, that should be for the 2011 list

The Argos:

• A new coach

The Vanier Cup:

• A venue

Bob McCowen:

• Better sources

Gord Kirke:

• Recruiting gig for the Blue Jays president vacancy

Cito Gaston

• A time machine set to 2010

Chris Bosh

• Charles Oakley

Bryan Colangelo

• Honeymoon extension

Jeff Blair

• Better material to write about

Curtis Joseph

• Career win 450

Brian Burke:

• Many, many top draft picks

On behalf of TSM, we wish all of you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year.  If you are going through withdrawal, TSM will be home soon!

LT

 

It’s over… Really over. Even John Belushi’s Animal House Character John “Bluto” Blutarsky would admit It’s over. Really folks, we haven’t seen anything like this around here for a long time. The trading of Vince, the trading of Gilmour, the trading of Felix Potvin, all come to mind sort of. Never, and perhaps becuase of the digital age has a bigger mess of a situation ever been made. Personally, I think there are a lot of people out there who in retrospect look pretty foolish. This constant need to be first is just not journalism. The quality of reporting goes way down and the fans suffer. I think lots of folks should be embarrassed.

Let me start with the easiest target. Hanky is an easy target. To his credit he built a very solid audience. He is proof of the hunger there is for knowledge in the great game of hockey. Whether it is only in Canada and a select group of US markets and then a handful of die hards in other US markets, we are a dedicated bunch who live online looking for anything, literally anything to fill that hunger. However, (and for the record I am not calling Hanky a journalist) the Sundin Saga has also painted Hanky in the worst of light. I am not sure how many people out there read his column tonight after the signing but mannnnnnnnn. How can he say once “as I told you” with any degree of dignity. I mean come on. Yesterday he gave Sundin to NYC his highest rating E5:

“I was told it is done by three sources. Mats to the Rangers. Stay tuned much more to come including how the Rangers will make it work. Update: I am told that one of the teams involved in these sweeps has been informed of Mats decision…”

As the fine folks at hockeyanalysis.com pointed out, Hanky had him going to almost every team in the league at one point. It became an industry (hockey) joke. It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong….That clearly isn’t the case here. (and I don’t buy the my job is to only report what I hear crap…)

I hate to do this, as it is totally unfair, but the next guy who blew this one is McCown. When I say I hate to do this, I mean to jump from Hanky to McCown. There is no comparison between the two and they are so far apart, Hanky at the North Pole, McCown at the South. And too much in between to mention. For that reason alone, McCown has some splaning to do. He is the most listened to sports talk show in the city, hell maybe even in the country. He said on his show today that the syndication of the show on sportsnet may be the largest audience that network gets for non live sporting events. He is huge, he is entertaining and he is the measuring stick. Yes he has had a long head start, but I am sure that the fine folks at 640 have their eyes squarely on his show when the books come out. For McCown to be so bold, so confident and so wrong….. OH MY. The guy is clearly connected. I don’t doubt for one second that someone high up whispered in his ear. No one, and I mean no one opened his lips on the air. That prediction sat out there uncontested for 4 days until fact proved it fiction. The night after his prediction (or maybe 2 nights) Kypreos was on the air and McCown said (after Barry clearly disputed the accuracy of the report) “Oh, it’s happening. It’s like your dinner tonight, you may not know when or where, but it is happening.” Even the director of communication for the nhl twittered about McCown’s bold statement when he went it. In essence the league itself broadcast what McCown said. Does this hurt McCown? probably not. Do his rating go down? no. Do his sponsors care? no. Does he credability take a shot- you betcha. I am not in the media business. I just have to believe that when you are about to go on the microphone you have to pretty sure when are going to be this bold given whom you are..Bobcat blew this one big time.

No one in the Toronto Papers really ran amok with this story. There were no bold predictions per se. They were more followers then leaders. There was a ton of useless fodder on whether he should come back here, whether he would come back here, whether he would be welcome back here….yadda yadda yadda. Larry Brooks was really the first one who publicly brought up the Rangers (Hanky aside, and he brought up the winnipeg jets at one point i think). He never said done deal that is for sure. He did say last night that Sundin would give them until the end of the month. That didn’t happen. Some egg on his face too I guess. Berger doesn’t watch TV so who knows what he was thinking. Not much was said, but man did this story eat up time, energy and kill a lot of trees.

In the end, Mat’s proved he is human. Kyreos said it perfectly tonight about the guy he got to interview over in Sweeden. “Mats was upset about giving the Leafs a discount last season and he wanted to make up for it.” Despite the money, I never really thought he would go to Vancouver. I just didn’t see it. I should have though, because like it or not, this came down to one issue; MONEY. Had the rangers gotten the MONEY up, he probably would be a Ranger. They couldn’t and he isn’t. I don’t begrudge Mats that. The guy is entitled to make what the highest bidder is willing to pay. I think a lot of people painted Mats with rose colored brushes. In the end, he isn’t so unlike the rest of us. He followed the buck. In fairness, he really hasn’t done it before. He never bolted the buds despite the fact he probably could have gotten more elsewhere. At 38, if someone is willing to pony up 10 million why the hell not. Give Gillis credit. He is a former agent and he knew the most important lesson. He set the bar. I don’t care who else was in the game. Their offer was being compared to 10m. Is whatever team offers the next highest amount worth taking less money? That answer is usually no. Gillis did what he as an agent would want a gm to do. Open the market high and wait. Keep the dialogue open and remain patient. Say all the right things, keep them interested and eventually it will come down to $. It almost always does.

I can’t believe how quiet the papers are all at 11:50pm. The story broke around 6pm and with the exception of Damien and the Hat, no one else of major consequence has anything posted. Damien is right in his column. After the obligatory shot at the leafs (at least he admitted he hates Toronto) he says that this should be good news for the buds”

“The signing of Sundin, you see, breaks the logjam. Everyone who didn’t get him can aggressively turn to Plan B, and a team like the Maple Leafs, who will most certainly be sellers between now and the March trade deadline, just saw their assets increase in value.Nik Antropov, for instance, is now worth more than he was yesterday. Unless Atlanta decides to trade Ilya Kovalchuk or Tampa tries to move Marty St. Louis or Minnesota opts to dump Marian Gaborik, Antropov might end up being the best forward available by the deadline. ”

I agree in principal. It takes two (or sometimes three) to tango though. I do find it curious how a guy is a proverbial stiff when he is HERE but has real marketability when it comes to the deadline. It smells a little of the setting of the table for the first Burke attack. Can’t you see it coming? I can’t believe that Burke couldn’t get more for __________? Take the positive spin fro Damien, at least he has an article up.

What is missing? The attack on the point that matters:

“I never believed in rent a player to start with, if you wanna be part of a team thats going to have a chance to win the stanley cup or a team that will go far in the playoffs, uh my opinion has always been that you be there from training camp at the start of the season to be part of the group and uh that’s another reason too”

That is what i am waiting for. It will be interesting to see who takes the time to really call him on it. Simmons did a little bit. The sun has such a brutal website that it isn’t up yet if it is going to be so I can’t tell you. Mat’s is entitled to change his mind. To say that he has never believed in something is as strong a statement as you get. Sundin used that as his main reason not to leave last year. He probably sold all the others on the same thing. He then turned his back and did just that. At the very least, had he signed over the summer you could say he would have been true to his word. Now, the guy who Cox told us has always been an honest guy is, ummmm, a liar?

I am interested in seeing what Cliff has to say. So far I haven’t seen anything from him. Burke’s response was irrelevant. I am more interested in his reaction to the brutal exhibition in Boston then his opinion on Sundin that’s for sure.

Then there is the issue of course of what will this do to his legacy. Will he be Ray Bourque and win a championship? Will he mirror Borje and Cujo and curse the day he left? Only time will tell. You know my opinion, the odds are way against him. The good news is he has lots of dough to hedge those odds with right?

I am really glad this over. It will a nutty day tomorrow with all the press to talk about. I will try to post as best i can. I am taking the family south for 10 days and am going to try and beat out the storm so the trip to the airport begins at 445am. about 4 hours and 35 minutes from now. I don’t know how well I am going to be able to post from the ocean (assuming i make it down there) so LT has graciously accepted my begging to help out.

Let me say this however. I started this blog in May or June I believe. It has been a blast every minute. It hasn’t been a chore in my daily routine like others can be. To those of you who are kind enough to read what i have to say and especially those who feel compelled enough to comment or email I can’t thank you enough. I hope everyone out there and your families have a happy, healthy holiday season (Damien, Steve, Howard, bob, Brady, Wilbur you guys too).

well my bags are packed I’m ready to go………………….

Some things have been going on that I think need commenting on, call me crazy (lots of folks do)

The Toronto Sports Fans apathy to the Raptors is at an all time high. The team is in a spiral and not too many people seem to give a rats ass. There is more noise made about the Jays when things go south then there is right now for the Raptors. I heard and read more comments about the Argos dismal efforts then I am noticing with the Raptors. Ask anyone in the sports industry what the worst thing that can happen to an organization and they will tell you fan apathy. The fact that this team is performing so poorly without a whimper of discontent does not bode well for the Raptors. I am stunned that more of the usual suspects haven’t come out a swinging at Bryan Colangelo. I guess the reason they don’t is that they can’t. None of them really know the game well enough to comment. I know, they don’t know hockey either, but with hockey they THINK they do. Kudos to Bob McCown for watching last night’s game(Monday’s) on Raptors TV repeat. The game was on TSN2 which I believe is only available via illegal means here in the GTA. The bobcat was playing scrabble with his son during the live event. Hey at least he watches games on tv!

Could anyone have predicted a less exciting start to the Brian Burke era then we have seen. I know, I know his trading embargo is in place and he is in a new gig learning about his new team, but man what a buzz kill. The build up to his reign was so HUGE that the fall off the cliff was due to be big but man has he been quiet.

Speculation is abound as to what Burke’s first move will be. Berger thinks Burke’s first move will happen between the pipes for the leafs. Dreger thinks it will be for toughness. Dreger even suggests that Burke has an itchy trigger finger so long as teams aren’t asking for Luke Schenn.

Speaking of quiet, serious props to the first radio station in town to get Sam Mitchell on the air. No coach has been more entertaining in recent memory then Smitch. I can’t imagine pleasant things being said if he ends up on 640 before 590.

I love what Ron Wilson is doing. You know that by now. However, I am starting to get a small sense of where things went south in San Jose in how he is speaking, at least publicly about Jason Williams. “Right now I’m watching him under the microscope,” said coach Ron Wilson. “If I see him get comfortable then we’re going to yank his chain around.” Nothing wrong with being a hard ass, but geeze, give the guy some credit. You call the guy up and all he does is score in every game. Would it kill you to give him a small pat on the back? I get the message and I am sure Williams does too.

You know I love the Globe and Mail Sports section. Clearly the most improved in the city. Not sure who wrote this gem as a byline to David Shoalt’s piece “Winger scores on fourth shootout attempt to ensure Toronto doesn’t lose to its former AHL goaltender “. Look Scott Clemmensen deserves a ton of credit. Why? He is making the most of his opportunity. Raise your hand if you think for one second he would see the playing time but for the injury to Brodeur. There are a ton of mistakes the leafs brass has made over the year, letting Clemmensen is not one of them. Claiming that the Leafs would or should be embarrassed to lose to New Jersey and their ex goalie is just baloney. New Jersey is, even without Broduer a pretty amazing team and their record shows it. Losing to them is nothing to be embarrassed about. Given the Leafs squad it is almost expected. Extra kudos to Wilson’s boys for eking one out in a shutout.

Things that make you go hmmmmmm. If Scott Clemmensen carries the Devils far this year does that diminish the accolades of one Martin Brodeur? My favorite New Jersey Devil of all time, ex head athletic trainer Bill Murray (no joke).

Successful sports franchises are those that appreciate the window of opportunity and just how small it is. In each league only one team wins the big one every year. Bad teams are unable to realize just how hard it is to be a champion. It is the smart GM who knows when it is time to admit the opportunity with a certain bunch has passed and make the hard and sometimes unpopular decision to re-tool. Recognizing that you won’t with a group of players who may be fan favorites or good regular season performers is hard. Actually pulling the proverbial band aid off an trading or releasing those assets is really what defines a champion. With that in mind, anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, the ship has sailed for some in Ottawa?

I say it enough times, I am not a basketball guy. However 6 NBA coaches fired so far this season and a combined worse winning percentage then their predecessors tell you something. Perhaps those teams are talent deficient and the coaches are the sacrificial lambs to pacify fans and owners. I agree with Jack Armstrong who said tonight that if he owned a team he would tell a GM before hiring a coach, when you hire this guy you are tied to him. If you want to fire him down the road, you go too. I know it would never work, but man it sounds good doesn’t it?

I am biased, but I really like former University of Vermont Captain Jamie Siffers. Reminds me of all the games he pummeled those nasty Terriers!

Sorry to hear about the 600 layoffs at the Sun’s parent company. People losing their jobs this time of year is beyond sad. If rumors are true that one of those gone from the Sun is Scott Morrison then I have to wonder who is making the decisions at the paper Little TSM loves.

Anyone else wonder what Jeff Marek was thinking jumping off Wilbur’s wing? I don’t know the guy, have nothing against him personally either. Since he left talk640 I have not seen or heard him and I thought he was pretty funny. I know he is on Sirius hockey night in Canada radio. Anyone listening to that? I sometimes tune into the XM hockey channel. I know that I am in the minority when it comes to satellite radio in this town….Not that it is entirely an indicator of performance (and certainly not of Marek that is for sure) but with the Sirius/XM stock at .15, that’s right fifteen cents things aren’t looking for rosy for the satellite radio folks.

Our respects to Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who’s father died Monday. From the articles I have read, it sounds like his father was an amazing man and even better father. Here is hoping JS and his entire family are able to make it through the holiday season with only great memories of Claude Giguere.

I love to ski. So reading of an accident involving chair lifts scares the hell out of me. (It also does make me think of that awesome episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. When does the next season start anyway? ) Seriously. I can’t wait to take my kids to Whistler skiing and I have been on the Excalibur lift many a time. I hope that those hurt are ok and that the cause is soon discovered and repaired. For those who don’t know,” The RCMP say at least 10 people were hurt in the accident that happened at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, though none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. Fifty-three people were rescued, some after spending three hours in the air.”

Have the Blue Jays done anything, no literally anything to make you want to consider buying a ticket? Me neither.

Congrats to TFC for selling all 16,000 season tickets. In this economy that is, in a word, awesome.

I read tonight that the Yankees have replaced GM with Toyota and Audi as a sponsors of the team. In other news, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States. Could you imagine if GM were still the automobile sponsor of the Yankees. We need a bailout but…..

True story, I was offered a full page ad in this year’s superbowl game day program and 2 lower level premium seats for $40k with any payment terms I want through the end of 2009. Is it just me, but doesn’t that seem really low?

Have I missed anything? Oh yeah our first reported major snow storm is apparently here. I have a brand new snowblower in my garage. I was pretty psyched to fire it up. Then Joe Sakic had to ruin it for me…. Safe travels tomorrow am all.

OH wait, I know what I forgot, Thursday is Mats Sundin Day. Question, won’t it be interesting if he goes to a team other then the NY Rangers. You know I love McCown. He may still be right. What happens if he doesn’t sign with the Rangers? I know the world won’t end but someone will have some splain to do. For my part, “oh well, my sources were wrong” won’t just cut it. If I were Rick Toccheting on a prognosticator I would go with Hanky. I am pretty sure he has had #13 going to every team in the league at some point so he has to be right. One last Sundin thought for the night. Riddle me this. Do we get a farewell press conference in Toronto. Will we not get the tearful goodbye so many people here want and deserve?

Now this is classic. Click on over to good folks at Pension Plan Puppets

and click on their link to a fantastic article by David Johnson at hockeyanalysis….

Pure gold….

Very few things make me nauseous. This one thing that I saw made me ill enough to the point that I have taken some time today to contemplate stop writing. You see I do this to blow off some steam. It is a great distraction from the regular rigors of daily life and I really love writing. I find the fact that a few people enjoy what I have to say the ultimate compliment. When the happy howie issue came to fruition a few weeks ago, I was honored to be included in the group who drafted the email that was posted all over. The good folks at PPP, He Score He Shoot, Down Goes Brown, Eye, Cox (and more, sorry if I left you out) have been at this longer then I , and then again, who the hell am I???? My point is that the one thing I admire about the NHL these days is the adaptation of technology and in a lot of major markets the blogosphere. As much as I loathe Hanky, he is a perfect example of the appetite for hockey info online. There are so many great fan sites out there that pay tribute to our teams, our games, it really is a great online world we live in.

The best thing about the web is that it really is the world wide web, and anyone, anywhere can post an opinion. So, what has me sick? Well, when a person allegedly prey’s on young children, takes kids from their families and has the type of reputation that a certain individual has (irrespective of a recent court finding) it makes me sick to see that this person is writing a blog about hockey. Yes folks, a colleague was kind enough to forward to me a link to David Frost’s hockey blog and I have been sick ever since.

There are folks out there I don’t know and don’t like. There are folks out there I do know and don’t like. Perhaps I don’t like too many people. I don’t know Dwayne or Hanky. I don’t like that he posts constant crap on his sight (him personally, not some of the other writers on his site). I don’t like Howie’s writing either, but I don’t know him either. I dislike his writing because I think he is a fraud. I think he wears Maple Leaf boxers, sleeps on a bed with Maple Leaf sheets and has photos of himself with his favorite buds all over his house. I think he is a fraud because the negativity he spews isn’t genuine. I think he does it to keep up with the Cox’s and the Simmons in this town. I have nothing against the person as I don’t know him.

I don’t know David Frost (thankfully). I have read way too much about the guy and have formed an opinion of him that I am sure you all can guess. We in this country (whichever North American one you likely live in) enjoy freedom of press and freedom of expression. I know that very well, but for some reason the fact that this guy is writing about hockey is driving me nuts. Is it that one of his former players is serving time for trying to kill him? Oh wait, that player is featured on the blog. Yup there is Frosty’s favorites (which gives me all kinds of disgusting thoughts) and Danton’s den. I am curious is that the den from which he allegedly tried to have Frost offed or the jail cell he is currently living in?

The guy is trying to be controversial. He is going to try and get idiots like me to write about him so that others will go to the site and read what he has to say. More so you can bet he is going to profit from it. So I am not going to provide you a link and I am not going to give you the address. This is not the traffic crash you have to look at. Like the famous line in the Naked Gun movie…move along there is nothing to see here. The site was registerd on the 19th of this month. Maybe I am late to the game. Others will write about it. Others will print it. You decide if you want to look, me, one look and I am done…. Who knows, I am sure this is exactly the type of blogger that would fit in well with Hanky…