Disturbing.
What's more disturbing is that I know one of the puppeteers!
Liz Vitale of Puppatoons performs several of the background puppets, including Jamie Walrus, Dinkey Donkey, and her title character, Mo.
The music video is from Mastodon and the song is called Deathbound. It was released yesterday on Adult Swim as part of their Adult Swim Singles Program, 10 free songs in 10 weeks (brought to you by Kia). Basically, you can get free downloads from Adult Swim with artists of different genres. Click here for those free, legal downloads. Nice. Thanks Kia!
Fearnet.com did a review of the music video, and you can read it here . They were pretty positive. Good for you Liz and all you other deranged puppet people. It appears to be pretty popular. I just checked the YouTube page and it has just under 40,000 views.
TTFN
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
New Look for Jets
So, let's talk Jets Hockey.
The team has decided to take on the old Jets name. I disagree with this decision. Yes, the name has recognition with the fanbase. But that's because they loved their old Jets team. There is nothing to say this "new" Jets team will be any good. It may leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans when they hear "Go Jets Go". It's not for certain, but it is a possibility.
Regardless, the owners have said they are not going to use the same logo or jerseys. How much will they tweek it? Who knows. It was disappointing to hear the announcement of the new team name on Friday night because I think having the same name will undoubtedly cause a merger of the two Jets teams in the scope of history. But the bigger disappointment for me was when their first round draft pick walk up to the podium. Everyone else got to sport something like this:
And the Winnipeg picks? They stroll up and are presented with this.
Lame. The name was leaked earlier in the day, so I waited with baited breath for the new logos, new jerseys, the whole look. And I got a big black jersey with the NHL shield. They have not released the look. Although, the response was legit from the owners. They said that they debated long on the new name because they wanted to get it right, and they kept coming back to Jets. So they decided to go with it. Once they decided, they (assumingly) got a design and sent it to production. That's the reason for the delay. They probably have a design, but they didn't want to unveil it until it could be sold to cut down on copycats.
I get that. Makes total business sense.
So let's look at what has been done in the world of hockey jerseys, just for fun.
By the way, I got the photos from an awesome blog about the look of hockey, http://www.icethetics.info/ . The logos and drawn versions of the jerseys are from another amazing website, http://www.sportslogos.net/.
Okay, back to the look of hockey nowadays.
We got the Florida Panthers returning to the red jerseys. The Oilers are also coming back to their original colors for their road white jerseys. But then things get interesting with some "new" looks.
The Kings took a page out of the Oilers and Panthers book by returning to an old look. Here's their new jersey, this time in home black.
Granted, that's not a bad looking sweater. But they had a much cooler looking one before.
The accents of purple were unique in the NHL. They really stood out. It's a color not used anywhere else. So it's a real shame that they now look so much like everyone else. One has to wonder if they are trying to create a unique branding in Los Angeles itself and not the rest of the NHL because of the predominaent use of purple with the Lakers NBA team. Or to distinguish themselves from the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. Let's look at their logos and you tell me. Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and the LA Kings, original, old and new.
I get going away from the old one. It is very Laker-looking. And the Lakers are Los Angeles sports. But I see the distinct difference between the two Kings. I hate that the purple is completely gone from the NHL Kings. Sadness.
Now let's take a look at two teams that went for new looks. We've got the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wait. What logo is that?
Haven't I seen that before on a shirt or something?
That's whose's logo again?
So, it's not really original. In fact, it sends the message of "superhero" rather than hockey. Granted, it is a lot easier on the eyes than the old logos. I just think they are so simplictic.
See what I mean? But still. Color swapping the Flash isn't really a new look that fits in a hockey ring. Just saying.
That brings us to the Nashville Predators. With their yellow home jerseys.
I am in so much debate with myself right now on whether or not I like this. I kinda like the logo.
But the old one was equally awesome. Or was it more so? You decide.
The old one is much busier, lots more colors. But I still like it. I just can't decide which is better of the two. They are both clearly better than the old secondary logo.
What the hell? I get that the team was named after a sabertooth tiger skull they found, but still.
The jersey I'm not so keen on. The old one had silver space suit -esque sleeves, so it was a little bit esoteric.
But mustard yellow? I villified the Kings for going away from a color no one else uses, so it would stand to reason I should love the Preds for thinking outside the box with a color, while used by some in the NHL, is not the predominate color in anyone's jersey. But everyone else is in the box for a reason. I'm not sure yellow will look good on the ice. This one I'm going to have to see game footage of before I make up my mind.
The Hockey Cup Worst NHL Logo Champion once again would be the Dallas Stars.
How lame and boring. Really Dallas? You can't come up with something more creative than your own name spelled with the top point of a star? True, other teams spell their name (Rangers, Oilers, Islanders, Maple Leafs), but here's my big issue. The Star's gold border isn't connected. I think that makes it look stupid. Even dumber than the words "Toronto Maple Leafs" on an outline of a maple leaf. By the way, to be gramatically correct, the word is "leaves" but who's checking?
Maybe you'll make up for it with a kick ass home jersey...
Really? The word DALLAS above a number? That's how you make up for a connect the dots logo where the kid didn't even finish connecting the dots?
Let's get back to Winnipeg for a minute. They are still in search of some jerseys and logos. Well, Chris from Icethetics puts up user submitted designs and some are outstanding. My favorites are below. For more jersey design concepts on the icethetics blog, look here , or here . Don't expect to see these on the ice, but man some of them would be really sweet. I love the redesigned logo on the last ones and the retro look third jersey, the red one.
I like the alternate logo on the concept below. It was designed before the team name was known, so the designer assumed it would be the Moose still. But I love how they have a logo that combines the two teams, Moose and Jets.
Hope you have enjoyed this. I love the look of hockey, so expect that from time to time.
TTFN
The team has decided to take on the old Jets name. I disagree with this decision. Yes, the name has recognition with the fanbase. But that's because they loved their old Jets team. There is nothing to say this "new" Jets team will be any good. It may leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans when they hear "Go Jets Go". It's not for certain, but it is a possibility.
Regardless, the owners have said they are not going to use the same logo or jerseys. How much will they tweek it? Who knows. It was disappointing to hear the announcement of the new team name on Friday night because I think having the same name will undoubtedly cause a merger of the two Jets teams in the scope of history. But the bigger disappointment for me was when their first round draft pick walk up to the podium. Everyone else got to sport something like this:
And the Winnipeg picks? They stroll up and are presented with this.
Lame. The name was leaked earlier in the day, so I waited with baited breath for the new logos, new jerseys, the whole look. And I got a big black jersey with the NHL shield. They have not released the look. Although, the response was legit from the owners. They said that they debated long on the new name because they wanted to get it right, and they kept coming back to Jets. So they decided to go with it. Once they decided, they (assumingly) got a design and sent it to production. That's the reason for the delay. They probably have a design, but they didn't want to unveil it until it could be sold to cut down on copycats.
I get that. Makes total business sense.
So let's look at what has been done in the world of hockey jerseys, just for fun.
By the way, I got the photos from an awesome blog about the look of hockey, http://www.icethetics.info/ . The logos and drawn versions of the jerseys are from another amazing website, http://www.sportslogos.net/.
Okay, back to the look of hockey nowadays.
We got the Florida Panthers returning to the red jerseys. The Oilers are also coming back to their original colors for their road white jerseys. But then things get interesting with some "new" looks.
The Kings took a page out of the Oilers and Panthers book by returning to an old look. Here's their new jersey, this time in home black.
Granted, that's not a bad looking sweater. But they had a much cooler looking one before.
The accents of purple were unique in the NHL. They really stood out. It's a color not used anywhere else. So it's a real shame that they now look so much like everyone else. One has to wonder if they are trying to create a unique branding in Los Angeles itself and not the rest of the NHL because of the predominaent use of purple with the Lakers NBA team. Or to distinguish themselves from the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. Let's look at their logos and you tell me. Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and the LA Kings, original, old and new.
I get going away from the old one. It is very Laker-looking. And the Lakers are Los Angeles sports. But I see the distinct difference between the two Kings. I hate that the purple is completely gone from the NHL Kings. Sadness.
Now let's take a look at two teams that went for new looks. We've got the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wait. What logo is that?
Haven't I seen that before on a shirt or something?
That's whose's logo again?
So, it's not really original. In fact, it sends the message of "superhero" rather than hockey. Granted, it is a lot easier on the eyes than the old logos. I just think they are so simplictic.
See what I mean? But still. Color swapping the Flash isn't really a new look that fits in a hockey ring. Just saying.
That brings us to the Nashville Predators. With their yellow home jerseys.
I am in so much debate with myself right now on whether or not I like this. I kinda like the logo.
But the old one was equally awesome. Or was it more so? You decide.
The old one is much busier, lots more colors. But I still like it. I just can't decide which is better of the two. They are both clearly better than the old secondary logo.
What the hell? I get that the team was named after a sabertooth tiger skull they found, but still.
The jersey I'm not so keen on. The old one had silver space suit -esque sleeves, so it was a little bit esoteric.
But mustard yellow? I villified the Kings for going away from a color no one else uses, so it would stand to reason I should love the Preds for thinking outside the box with a color, while used by some in the NHL, is not the predominate color in anyone's jersey. But everyone else is in the box for a reason. I'm not sure yellow will look good on the ice. This one I'm going to have to see game footage of before I make up my mind.
The Hockey Cup Worst NHL Logo Champion once again would be the Dallas Stars.
How lame and boring. Really Dallas? You can't come up with something more creative than your own name spelled with the top point of a star? True, other teams spell their name (Rangers, Oilers, Islanders, Maple Leafs), but here's my big issue. The Star's gold border isn't connected. I think that makes it look stupid. Even dumber than the words "Toronto Maple Leafs" on an outline of a maple leaf. By the way, to be gramatically correct, the word is "leaves" but who's checking?
Maybe you'll make up for it with a kick ass home jersey...
Really? The word DALLAS above a number? That's how you make up for a connect the dots logo where the kid didn't even finish connecting the dots?
Let's get back to Winnipeg for a minute. They are still in search of some jerseys and logos. Well, Chris from Icethetics puts up user submitted designs and some are outstanding. My favorites are below. For more jersey design concepts on the icethetics blog, look here , or here . Don't expect to see these on the ice, but man some of them would be really sweet. I love the redesigned logo on the last ones and the retro look third jersey, the red one.
I like the alternate logo on the concept below. It was designed before the team name was known, so the designer assumed it would be the Moose still. But I love how they have a logo that combines the two teams, Moose and Jets.
Hope you have enjoyed this. I love the look of hockey, so expect that from time to time.
TTFN
I'm Still Mad...
Okay, so I've already ranted about my distaste for the way the Atlanta Spirit Group lied about having no investors.
But now I have to voice my opinion on some other things that I am not thrilled about. Namely, the total disrespect for the fans and staff.
Yes, this will be an angry blog post.
The backhanded way they slimed out of telling us fans what was going on was appauling. The lack of giving us the "lies" says a lot. When the rumors were circulating like crazy throughout the season and especially in the weeks leading up to the sale, the front office remained mute to the rumors. There was a plea for a local buyer, but that's about it. I expected the lies about "We are familiar with the rumors regarding the sale of the Thrashers, but nothing is confirmed." or "We are exploring all options, but we still are working to have the team remain in Atlanta." or "There is a sale in the works. This was a very last resort and we will be announcing soon."
What did they do instead? They played stupid right up to the end. A Yahoo NHL Blogger, Puck Daddy, called the Thrashers one hour before the announcement the team was moving to Winnipeg. He called about buying season tickets. Read the full transcript of the call here.
The person on the phone did the whole song-dance about "where would you like to sit", "who do you come with", the whole schpeal. Finally, Puck Daddy asked the question about the upcoming sale announcement and the person from the ASG said they knew nothing about it.
Really?
There is no way the person didn't know. Fans knew. You would think someone who works for the team would know. Either they didn't know which really REALLY says a lot about the interest staff was taking towards the sale, or, they were reading off a script. I think it's natural not to jump the gun about talking about bad things. Teams do it all the time.
In baseball, there is a rain delay and fans start squawking about rain outs. The official response is that every effort will be made to resume the game as quickly as possible. But we do have reality in our answers and if the person persists on asking about rain policies and make up dates and stuff, we tell them if IF the game is not complete, check the website or come back to Fan Central, but hold on to the ticket.
It would have been perfectly acceptable to me if the Thrashers had responded, "Yes, I understand there is a press conference scheduled today. Unless anything is made official, we are still operating as normal. We are currently planning on the 2011-2012 season and we have great seats available. Should I perhaps call you back after the NHL Govenors meet?"
Boom. Acknowledge reality, give customer service, and still sell towards the positive without admitting defeat. If you say "I know nothing", you look like an incompetent boob. And I do feel it was a whole system error, not a rouge employee who didn't know what she was doing. This kind of event is going to attract media people, like Puck Daddy, so you need a unified response. Even if it was an employee just acting on her own, it was probably because she didn't know what to say officially.
Further proof. I give you Exhibit B . This one comes from the Philips Arena website, since there is no more Thrashers website. Atlantathrashers.com links you four pages. The infamous letter from the owners, the season ticket holder information, the nhl.com website, and the Winnipeg site.
This is what currently (June 28, 2011 at 8:49pm, 28 days after the sale and 7 days after the govenors approved the move) posted regarding season tickets.
"With the recent announcement that the Atlanta Thrashers have signed an asset purchase agreement with True North Sports and Entertainment for the potential sale and relocation of the team for the 2011-12 season, there are a number of important updates about your Thrashers account.
"The NHL Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and approve the relocation of the Thrashers.
"Until the NHL Board of Governors votes, all new Thrashers season ticket sales have been suspended.
"Current payment plans have been suspended until we have the results from the June 21 NHL Board of Governors vote and the Atlanta Thrashers will honor the requests of those Season Ticket Holders who have asked that their 2011-2012 ticket purchases be refunded prior to the vote.
"In the event that the sale and relocation is not approved, payment plans will be extended by one month.
"If the NHL Board of Governors approves the relocation to Winnipeg and the Thrashers do not play hockey in Atlanta you will be able to obtain a full 100% refund at that point if you have not already requested one.
"Thank you for your patience during this process and thank you for your support of Atlanta Thrashers hockey. We know this has been a difficult time for our most valued and loyal supporters, and we want to show the same commitment to our customers and their wishes as they've shown to us over the years."
Okay. The Board DID approve the move. Not still needs to. And why are you talking about extending the payment plan still? At least you suspended the sale of new ticket sales.
But this is still dishonest. Granted, if you are a season ticket holder, you probably know what's going on with the new Jets, but the message is still not updated accurately. It still shows the lack of respect and interest the owners had towards the team. I can see a business that has season tickets not really following the sport getting confused as to what is going on. I would hope that the season ticket holders were contacted regarding everything.
Hold on Watson. There's a clue as to some dasterdly misdeeds in that letter.
"If the NHL Board of Governors approves the relocation to Winnipeg and the Thrashers do not play hockey in Atlanta you will be able to obtain a full 100% refund at that point if you have not already requested one."
It would appear that one had to request a refund and it was not automatic. And, dare I say, it would also look as though one was unable to receive one until said time.
By George, Holmes. I think you're right.
In fact, I know I'm right. You see, I am friends with Thrashers season ticket holders and, well, they have screwed them to end. You were unable to obtain a refund EVEN AFTER THE TEAM WAS SOLD TO TRUE NORTH SPORTS. It was only obtainable after the approval 21 days later. That is horrible customer service. Show the same commitment to our loyal fans as you have shown us my foot. It is not right for a failing business to not process their requests immediately given the circumstances. And what's more appauling is that you had to request it. It was not automatic.
More proof. The Atlanta Braves were offering complementary game tickets to all Thrashers season ticket holders and on-field batting practice access. The Thrashers season ticket people were to send out the invite to their clients and get the names and contact information back to the Braves. Some ticket reps were on top of it. Some were not and no Braves info distributed. This is just one thing I know about. Who knows what else is being mishandled, or has been all along.
Another point of interest. Game day staff have been given no notification of the team's departure. None. No information on the new owners. No, "hey, you might want to start looking for more work come October". Nothing. Why? I don't know, but if this were just a job for some people (and I know it was), then they probably don't keep track of the team in the off-season. The schedule comes back around in the late summer and sign up for games. Plus, if one were to have a greviance or a something, who do they take it up with? Who's in charge here? It may sound like a minor annoyance, but it, added to the other lack of respect dealings of the ASG show a clear trend.
And so, I'm mad at them. For lying over and over again and showing us such disrespect.
grrr.....
But now I have to voice my opinion on some other things that I am not thrilled about. Namely, the total disrespect for the fans and staff.
Yes, this will be an angry blog post.
The backhanded way they slimed out of telling us fans what was going on was appauling. The lack of giving us the "lies" says a lot. When the rumors were circulating like crazy throughout the season and especially in the weeks leading up to the sale, the front office remained mute to the rumors. There was a plea for a local buyer, but that's about it. I expected the lies about "We are familiar with the rumors regarding the sale of the Thrashers, but nothing is confirmed." or "We are exploring all options, but we still are working to have the team remain in Atlanta." or "There is a sale in the works. This was a very last resort and we will be announcing soon."
What did they do instead? They played stupid right up to the end. A Yahoo NHL Blogger, Puck Daddy, called the Thrashers one hour before the announcement the team was moving to Winnipeg. He called about buying season tickets. Read the full transcript of the call here.
The person on the phone did the whole song-dance about "where would you like to sit", "who do you come with", the whole schpeal. Finally, Puck Daddy asked the question about the upcoming sale announcement and the person from the ASG said they knew nothing about it.
Really?
There is no way the person didn't know. Fans knew. You would think someone who works for the team would know. Either they didn't know which really REALLY says a lot about the interest staff was taking towards the sale, or, they were reading off a script. I think it's natural not to jump the gun about talking about bad things. Teams do it all the time.
In baseball, there is a rain delay and fans start squawking about rain outs. The official response is that every effort will be made to resume the game as quickly as possible. But we do have reality in our answers and if the person persists on asking about rain policies and make up dates and stuff, we tell them if IF the game is not complete, check the website or come back to Fan Central, but hold on to the ticket.
It would have been perfectly acceptable to me if the Thrashers had responded, "Yes, I understand there is a press conference scheduled today. Unless anything is made official, we are still operating as normal. We are currently planning on the 2011-2012 season and we have great seats available. Should I perhaps call you back after the NHL Govenors meet?"
Boom. Acknowledge reality, give customer service, and still sell towards the positive without admitting defeat. If you say "I know nothing", you look like an incompetent boob. And I do feel it was a whole system error, not a rouge employee who didn't know what she was doing. This kind of event is going to attract media people, like Puck Daddy, so you need a unified response. Even if it was an employee just acting on her own, it was probably because she didn't know what to say officially.
Further proof. I give you Exhibit B . This one comes from the Philips Arena website, since there is no more Thrashers website. Atlantathrashers.com links you four pages. The infamous letter from the owners, the season ticket holder information, the nhl.com website, and the Winnipeg site.
This is what currently (June 28, 2011 at 8:49pm, 28 days after the sale and 7 days after the govenors approved the move) posted regarding season tickets.
"With the recent announcement that the Atlanta Thrashers have signed an asset purchase agreement with True North Sports and Entertainment for the potential sale and relocation of the team for the 2011-12 season, there are a number of important updates about your Thrashers account.
"The NHL Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and approve the relocation of the Thrashers.
"Until the NHL Board of Governors votes, all new Thrashers season ticket sales have been suspended.
"Current payment plans have been suspended until we have the results from the June 21 NHL Board of Governors vote and the Atlanta Thrashers will honor the requests of those Season Ticket Holders who have asked that their 2011-2012 ticket purchases be refunded prior to the vote.
"In the event that the sale and relocation is not approved, payment plans will be extended by one month.
"If the NHL Board of Governors approves the relocation to Winnipeg and the Thrashers do not play hockey in Atlanta you will be able to obtain a full 100% refund at that point if you have not already requested one.
"Thank you for your patience during this process and thank you for your support of Atlanta Thrashers hockey. We know this has been a difficult time for our most valued and loyal supporters, and we want to show the same commitment to our customers and their wishes as they've shown to us over the years."
Okay. The Board DID approve the move. Not still needs to. And why are you talking about extending the payment plan still? At least you suspended the sale of new ticket sales.
But this is still dishonest. Granted, if you are a season ticket holder, you probably know what's going on with the new Jets, but the message is still not updated accurately. It still shows the lack of respect and interest the owners had towards the team. I can see a business that has season tickets not really following the sport getting confused as to what is going on. I would hope that the season ticket holders were contacted regarding everything.
Hold on Watson. There's a clue as to some dasterdly misdeeds in that letter.
"If the NHL Board of Governors approves the relocation to Winnipeg and the Thrashers do not play hockey in Atlanta you will be able to obtain a full 100% refund at that point if you have not already requested one."
It would appear that one had to request a refund and it was not automatic. And, dare I say, it would also look as though one was unable to receive one until said time.
By George, Holmes. I think you're right.
In fact, I know I'm right. You see, I am friends with Thrashers season ticket holders and, well, they have screwed them to end. You were unable to obtain a refund EVEN AFTER THE TEAM WAS SOLD TO TRUE NORTH SPORTS. It was only obtainable after the approval 21 days later. That is horrible customer service. Show the same commitment to our loyal fans as you have shown us my foot. It is not right for a failing business to not process their requests immediately given the circumstances. And what's more appauling is that you had to request it. It was not automatic.
More proof. The Atlanta Braves were offering complementary game tickets to all Thrashers season ticket holders and on-field batting practice access. The Thrashers season ticket people were to send out the invite to their clients and get the names and contact information back to the Braves. Some ticket reps were on top of it. Some were not and no Braves info distributed. This is just one thing I know about. Who knows what else is being mishandled, or has been all along.
Another point of interest. Game day staff have been given no notification of the team's departure. None. No information on the new owners. No, "hey, you might want to start looking for more work come October". Nothing. Why? I don't know, but if this were just a job for some people (and I know it was), then they probably don't keep track of the team in the off-season. The schedule comes back around in the late summer and sign up for games. Plus, if one were to have a greviance or a something, who do they take it up with? Who's in charge here? It may sound like a minor annoyance, but it, added to the other lack of respect dealings of the ASG show a clear trend.
And so, I'm mad at them. For lying over and over again and showing us such disrespect.
grrr.....
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
2011 Stanley Cup Champions: The Boston Bruins
Congratulations to the Boston Bruins. In their honor, we are brick and black at Hockey Cop for the time being.
Read about their win here.
An extra special salute to Mr. Tim Thomas. Incredible.
The goaltender has won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the NHL postseason with a spectacular run to his first Stanley Cup title.
Thomas held the Vancouver Canucks to eight goals in seven finals games, posting his second shutout of the series in Boston's 4-0 victory in Game 7 on Wednesday night.
Thomas also shut out the Canucks in Game 4 while winning all three finals games in Boston.
He is expected to win the Vezina Trophy next week after setting a modern record with a .938 save percentage in the regular season.
Thomas then set a new record for total saves in the postseason. He absolutely deserved it and was the best player of the Finals by far.
Again, congradulations Boston for nabbing your first Stanley Cup victory since 1972. We'll speak more on lots of things later (the no discipline of Boston's Boychuk, the currently ongoing story about the Vancouver riots, the MLB Red Sox getting swept up in Stanley Cup fever, and more).
Right now, it's time to give Boston their moment and celebrate with them for the love of the sport and it's champions, the Bruins.
Read about their win here.
An extra special salute to Mr. Tim Thomas. Incredible.
The goaltender has won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the NHL postseason with a spectacular run to his first Stanley Cup title.
Thomas held the Vancouver Canucks to eight goals in seven finals games, posting his second shutout of the series in Boston's 4-0 victory in Game 7 on Wednesday night.
Thomas also shut out the Canucks in Game 4 while winning all three finals games in Boston.
He is expected to win the Vezina Trophy next week after setting a modern record with a .938 save percentage in the regular season.
Thomas then set a new record for total saves in the postseason. He absolutely deserved it and was the best player of the Finals by far.
Again, congradulations Boston for nabbing your first Stanley Cup victory since 1972. We'll speak more on lots of things later (the no discipline of Boston's Boychuk, the currently ongoing story about the Vancouver riots, the MLB Red Sox getting swept up in Stanley Cup fever, and more).
Right now, it's time to give Boston their moment and celebrate with them for the love of the sport and it's champions, the Bruins.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Screw You ASG
I was just made aware of this article in USA Today. And so I decided to write this post with mature language possible.
Global Wellington Financial Corporation and Oriana Capital Partners bid on May 20 to acquire both the Thrashers and Hawks as well as Philips Arena before the 2011-12 seasons. The price they were going to pay was $500 Million.
That's right. There was a buyer. A willing buyer to keep the team in Atlanta. ASG told us there were no legit buyers. They lied to us. Bastards.
The team will sell the Hawks and Philips to this group at a discounted price that does not include the Thrashers.
Screw you Atlanta Spirit Group.
Screw you.
Something didn't feel right when the team said nothing during the whole sale thing. Not to the employees, the fans, nothing. Even in the weeks leading up to the sale when EVERYONE knew it was happening.
You know what might also be a possibility? The NHL was in on the whole thing too. When Phoenix was in major trouble financially, the NHL took a great interest. In fact the NHL owns the team. When there was talk this season about Phoenix moving (along with the consistant talks about the Thrashers moving), Gary Bettman, the NHL President, went to Phoenix at least 5 times to address the issue. This is by far not the most interest the NHL has shown towards the franchise. However, the Phoenix situation was very different than the Thrashers.
In December 2008, the media became aware that the Phoenix Coyotes were losing money at a high rate and were being funded by the NHL directly. The media reports were minimized by Bettman and vice-president Bill Daly, but secretly the NHL had taken over operations of the Coyotes. In May 2009, the owner of the team Jerry Moyes put the team into bankruptcy hours before welcoming Bettman to the city who was to present a potential offer to purchase arranged by the NHL. Moyes intended to sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie who intended to purchase the team out of bankruptcy and move it to Hamilton, Ontario.
From May until September 2009, hearings were held in Phoenix bankruptcy court to determine the fate of the Coyotes and the holding company. Two potential bidders for the team surfaced, Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge Holdings, Inc. but they did not submit a bid for the team at the bankruptcy hearing. Instead, the NHL put in the only rival bid to Balsillie for the team, while they fought Moyes's plan to sell the team and move it to Hamilton against the NHL rules. Ultimately, the Phoenix court ruled that the team could not be sold to Balsillie, as the judge held that bankruptcy could not be used to subvert the league's rules. The NHL's initial bid was also declared insufficient but the judge left the window open to an improved bid. Moyes and the NHL settled, with the NHL buying the team and assuming all debts. The NHL negotiated a temporary lease with Jobing.com Arena owner, the City of Glendale, Arizona.
The NHL then proceeded to work with the two potential bidders of Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge to work out a deal with Glendale. Ice Edge signed a letter of intent to buy the team from the NHL, while Reinsdorf has won the approval of the City of Glendale. The NHL has yet to deal with the purchase. On Friday, May 7, 2010, ESPN.com reported that Reinsdorf bid had fallen apart, and the City of Glendale was working with Ice Edge group to buy the team in a last ditch effort to keep them in Phoenix. The National Post criticized both bids, as both were conditional on municipal taxpayers to cover any losses that the Coyotes might incur, and suggested that keeping the team in Phoenix was never economically viable.
In July 2010, the Ice Edge bid collapsed as it did not satisfy Glendale's financial conditions. Ice Edge decided to concentrate on an effort to buy a minor league team. The City of Glendale had to step in and guarantee the team's losses for 2010–11 as a precondition of the NHL not transferring the franchise. As of November 2010, Glendale and the NHL are working to finalize a sale to a consortium of investors led by Chicago investor Matt Hulsizer. The NHL has set a December 31, 2010 deadline for the sale or it will seek to transfer the franchise to another city. Glendale made a deal with Matt Hulsizer who will buy the team from the NHL and become the Owner of the Phoenix Coyotes.
So, what about the Thrashers deal? Was the NHL conspiring to move the team? I mean, they certainly didn't fight as hard as they did for the Coyotes.
Really, I don't think so. Part of the reason the NHL was fighting so hard was because it was initially going to be against the League rules to transfer the team. They also set deadlines that would move the team. Plus, they only became owners when no one else put in a valid bid at the bankrupcy hearings. On top of that, it looks like the city of Glendale wants to keep the team there, even willing to put taxpayer money into keeping the team there. Atlanta was not so fortunate with Mayor Reed making statements about the team leaving before any official announcements were made. The NHL did put TrueNorth in contact with the Thrashers, but that's in the League's best interest. A city government that doesn't want the team, owners that don't want the team versus a city that is desperate for hockey with successful owners at the AHL level is a no brainer. And while there isn't exactly an ownership group that has put up the cash with the Coyotes, the city is behind the team. Atlanta's is not and the ownership does not have the team's best interest at heart. Did the NHL know about the offer to purchase for $500M? I don't know. One has to think so. After all, they knew about the situation in Phoenix before the possible sell. Enough that they were in court arguing against the sale. The Phoenix thing was different though as it had a team in bankrupcy and the League had taken over operations. Again, there's no evidence the NHL knew or if they have the responsibility or the right to do something about the ASG lies. I don't even know when the League would get involved with the ASG and their potential buyers. I would assume later because approval is not when the sale happens, but when it gets approved later. If they did know about the offer and the statements saying there were no offers, the League should have said something. Not that it won't approve a deal that moves the team, but to be fair to the fans in maintaining honesty.
The NHL is not off the hook completely. They are certainly under the microscope to see what else comes out of this whole deal between the ASG and TrueNorth Sports. TrueNorth is suspect too, but really one can't blame them too much. It looks like the Spirit that sabotaged the Atlanta sale and did not disclose their intentions to the media and the fans. Tell the fans you are going to do everything to keep the team in Atlanta, but secretly ignore bids to sell the team to someone who would keep them here, then sell to a buyer in Winnipeg that will move them, then sell the Hawks and Philips later because you felt like that would be a better business deal. This wouldn't be nearly as hard to swallow if they had been honest about the intent to move the team or find the best possible deal, regardless of possible relocation. But to lie to us about wanting to keep them here if a good bid came along. Is half a billion dollars not enough for two teams and an arena? Really? Tell us you got a bid at $500 million and decided to pass. Don't tell us nothing materialized.
You flat out lied to us.
This is the letter from the owners. I took the liberty to highlight some parts that I find contractitory, but you can find the unaltered version currently here on the Thrashers website. My guess is this link won't work soon as the Board of Governors meets on June 21 where they are expected to approve the sale.
May 31, 2011
Earlier today, we, along with our partners, signed an asset purchase agreement to sell the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment. If ratified by the NHL, Commissioner Bettman and the league's Board of Governors, this will result in the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, Canada beginning with the 2011-2012 season.
It's extremely disappointing to all of us that it became necessary after all other options were exhausted. We want to express our gratitude to you, the fans, for the years of dedication you have offered to the Atlanta Thrashers.
As many of you know, for some time we have been seeking a buyer for the team or a partner willing to join with us in continuing to fund the team. We hired an investment banking firm to seek out potential investors with the expressed goal of finding someone who would keep the team here in Atlanta. In recent months, we openly indicated a growing urgency to secure assistance in off-setting our operating losses in hopes that our public plea would produce investors who, to that point, had eluded us.
After extensive effort, nobody has come forward. As a result, we had no choice but to explore the investment option presented to us by the NHL in the form of True North Sports and Entertainment.
Relocation of the Thrashers is not the outcome that any of us ultimately wanted. We knew when we purchased the club in 2004, that professional sports teams are seldom, if ever, money-making investments but rather vital community assets. We believed in the overall impact that the team had on the sports landscape of Atlanta, and over the past seven years, invested a significant amount of money into what we felt was an integral piece of the greater metropolitan Atlanta area. We are truly grateful to have been a part of this city's professional hockey history, to have made an indelible impact on the community through our players' outreach, our organization's activities and our foundation's donations, and most of all, to have been a part of paying tribute to you, our fans, each and every time our team stepped on the ice.
Thank you for the opportunity to be entertained, thrilled and inspired alongside you by Atlanta Thrashers hockey. None of this would have been possible without your support.
Sincerely,
Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon
Let's compare one last time.
From USA Today on June 10. (It's the same link that appears earlier in this post).
"A bid has been made by a minority business group to purchase Atlanta Spirit, which owns the NBA's Hawks, the NHL's Thrashers and Phillips Arena, for $500 million, those bidding told USA TODAY.
"The Spirit already are in the process of selling the NHL franchise to Winnipeg. When the Thrashers officially vacate, the bid then would be adjusted downward.
"The CEOs of Global Wellington Financial Corp. and Oriana Capital Partners put forth a bid May 20 to acquire both teams and the arena before the 2011-12 NBA season. The new ownership group would be called W/C Holdings."
By J. Michael Falgoust and Jake Kaplan, USA TODAY
Compared to the Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon statement from 5/31/2011.
After extensive effort, nobody has come forward. As a result, we had no choice but to explore the investment option presented to us by the NHL in the form of True North Sports and Entertainment.
Bullshit Levenson and Gearon. Bullshit. I cannot believe that the USA Today would publish such an article if they weren't sure. And they said you had a buyer. 11 days later you release a statement saying the team's been sold because no one stepped forward.
You lied.
My simple message to the Atlanta Spirit Group is this:
Screw You ASG.
Global Wellington Financial Corporation and Oriana Capital Partners bid on May 20 to acquire both the Thrashers and Hawks as well as Philips Arena before the 2011-12 seasons. The price they were going to pay was $500 Million.
That's right. There was a buyer. A willing buyer to keep the team in Atlanta. ASG told us there were no legit buyers. They lied to us. Bastards.
The team will sell the Hawks and Philips to this group at a discounted price that does not include the Thrashers.
Screw you Atlanta Spirit Group.
Screw you.
Something didn't feel right when the team said nothing during the whole sale thing. Not to the employees, the fans, nothing. Even in the weeks leading up to the sale when EVERYONE knew it was happening.
You know what might also be a possibility? The NHL was in on the whole thing too. When Phoenix was in major trouble financially, the NHL took a great interest. In fact the NHL owns the team. When there was talk this season about Phoenix moving (along with the consistant talks about the Thrashers moving), Gary Bettman, the NHL President, went to Phoenix at least 5 times to address the issue. This is by far not the most interest the NHL has shown towards the franchise. However, the Phoenix situation was very different than the Thrashers.
In December 2008, the media became aware that the Phoenix Coyotes were losing money at a high rate and were being funded by the NHL directly. The media reports were minimized by Bettman and vice-president Bill Daly, but secretly the NHL had taken over operations of the Coyotes. In May 2009, the owner of the team Jerry Moyes put the team into bankruptcy hours before welcoming Bettman to the city who was to present a potential offer to purchase arranged by the NHL. Moyes intended to sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie who intended to purchase the team out of bankruptcy and move it to Hamilton, Ontario.
From May until September 2009, hearings were held in Phoenix bankruptcy court to determine the fate of the Coyotes and the holding company. Two potential bidders for the team surfaced, Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge Holdings, Inc. but they did not submit a bid for the team at the bankruptcy hearing. Instead, the NHL put in the only rival bid to Balsillie for the team, while they fought Moyes's plan to sell the team and move it to Hamilton against the NHL rules. Ultimately, the Phoenix court ruled that the team could not be sold to Balsillie, as the judge held that bankruptcy could not be used to subvert the league's rules. The NHL's initial bid was also declared insufficient but the judge left the window open to an improved bid. Moyes and the NHL settled, with the NHL buying the team and assuming all debts. The NHL negotiated a temporary lease with Jobing.com Arena owner, the City of Glendale, Arizona.
The NHL then proceeded to work with the two potential bidders of Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Edge to work out a deal with Glendale. Ice Edge signed a letter of intent to buy the team from the NHL, while Reinsdorf has won the approval of the City of Glendale. The NHL has yet to deal with the purchase. On Friday, May 7, 2010, ESPN.com reported that Reinsdorf bid had fallen apart, and the City of Glendale was working with Ice Edge group to buy the team in a last ditch effort to keep them in Phoenix. The National Post criticized both bids, as both were conditional on municipal taxpayers to cover any losses that the Coyotes might incur, and suggested that keeping the team in Phoenix was never economically viable.
In July 2010, the Ice Edge bid collapsed as it did not satisfy Glendale's financial conditions. Ice Edge decided to concentrate on an effort to buy a minor league team. The City of Glendale had to step in and guarantee the team's losses for 2010–11 as a precondition of the NHL not transferring the franchise. As of November 2010, Glendale and the NHL are working to finalize a sale to a consortium of investors led by Chicago investor Matt Hulsizer. The NHL has set a December 31, 2010 deadline for the sale or it will seek to transfer the franchise to another city. Glendale made a deal with Matt Hulsizer who will buy the team from the NHL and become the Owner of the Phoenix Coyotes.
So, what about the Thrashers deal? Was the NHL conspiring to move the team? I mean, they certainly didn't fight as hard as they did for the Coyotes.
Really, I don't think so. Part of the reason the NHL was fighting so hard was because it was initially going to be against the League rules to transfer the team. They also set deadlines that would move the team. Plus, they only became owners when no one else put in a valid bid at the bankrupcy hearings. On top of that, it looks like the city of Glendale wants to keep the team there, even willing to put taxpayer money into keeping the team there. Atlanta was not so fortunate with Mayor Reed making statements about the team leaving before any official announcements were made. The NHL did put TrueNorth in contact with the Thrashers, but that's in the League's best interest. A city government that doesn't want the team, owners that don't want the team versus a city that is desperate for hockey with successful owners at the AHL level is a no brainer. And while there isn't exactly an ownership group that has put up the cash with the Coyotes, the city is behind the team. Atlanta's is not and the ownership does not have the team's best interest at heart. Did the NHL know about the offer to purchase for $500M? I don't know. One has to think so. After all, they knew about the situation in Phoenix before the possible sell. Enough that they were in court arguing against the sale. The Phoenix thing was different though as it had a team in bankrupcy and the League had taken over operations. Again, there's no evidence the NHL knew or if they have the responsibility or the right to do something about the ASG lies. I don't even know when the League would get involved with the ASG and their potential buyers. I would assume later because approval is not when the sale happens, but when it gets approved later. If they did know about the offer and the statements saying there were no offers, the League should have said something. Not that it won't approve a deal that moves the team, but to be fair to the fans in maintaining honesty.
The NHL is not off the hook completely. They are certainly under the microscope to see what else comes out of this whole deal between the ASG and TrueNorth Sports. TrueNorth is suspect too, but really one can't blame them too much. It looks like the Spirit that sabotaged the Atlanta sale and did not disclose their intentions to the media and the fans. Tell the fans you are going to do everything to keep the team in Atlanta, but secretly ignore bids to sell the team to someone who would keep them here, then sell to a buyer in Winnipeg that will move them, then sell the Hawks and Philips later because you felt like that would be a better business deal. This wouldn't be nearly as hard to swallow if they had been honest about the intent to move the team or find the best possible deal, regardless of possible relocation. But to lie to us about wanting to keep them here if a good bid came along. Is half a billion dollars not enough for two teams and an arena? Really? Tell us you got a bid at $500 million and decided to pass. Don't tell us nothing materialized.
You flat out lied to us.
This is the letter from the owners. I took the liberty to highlight some parts that I find contractitory, but you can find the unaltered version currently here on the Thrashers website. My guess is this link won't work soon as the Board of Governors meets on June 21 where they are expected to approve the sale.
May 31, 2011
Earlier today, we, along with our partners, signed an asset purchase agreement to sell the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment. If ratified by the NHL, Commissioner Bettman and the league's Board of Governors, this will result in the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, Canada beginning with the 2011-2012 season.
It's extremely disappointing to all of us that it became necessary after all other options were exhausted. We want to express our gratitude to you, the fans, for the years of dedication you have offered to the Atlanta Thrashers.
As many of you know, for some time we have been seeking a buyer for the team or a partner willing to join with us in continuing to fund the team. We hired an investment banking firm to seek out potential investors with the expressed goal of finding someone who would keep the team here in Atlanta. In recent months, we openly indicated a growing urgency to secure assistance in off-setting our operating losses in hopes that our public plea would produce investors who, to that point, had eluded us.
After extensive effort, nobody has come forward. As a result, we had no choice but to explore the investment option presented to us by the NHL in the form of True North Sports and Entertainment.
Relocation of the Thrashers is not the outcome that any of us ultimately wanted. We knew when we purchased the club in 2004, that professional sports teams are seldom, if ever, money-making investments but rather vital community assets. We believed in the overall impact that the team had on the sports landscape of Atlanta, and over the past seven years, invested a significant amount of money into what we felt was an integral piece of the greater metropolitan Atlanta area. We are truly grateful to have been a part of this city's professional hockey history, to have made an indelible impact on the community through our players' outreach, our organization's activities and our foundation's donations, and most of all, to have been a part of paying tribute to you, our fans, each and every time our team stepped on the ice.
Thank you for the opportunity to be entertained, thrilled and inspired alongside you by Atlanta Thrashers hockey. None of this would have been possible without your support.
Sincerely,
Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon
Let's compare one last time.
From USA Today on June 10. (It's the same link that appears earlier in this post).
"A bid has been made by a minority business group to purchase Atlanta Spirit, which owns the NBA's Hawks, the NHL's Thrashers and Phillips Arena, for $500 million, those bidding told USA TODAY.
"The Spirit already are in the process of selling the NHL franchise to Winnipeg. When the Thrashers officially vacate, the bid then would be adjusted downward.
"The CEOs of Global Wellington Financial Corp. and Oriana Capital Partners put forth a bid May 20 to acquire both teams and the arena before the 2011-12 NBA season. The new ownership group would be called W/C Holdings."
By J. Michael Falgoust and Jake Kaplan, USA TODAY
Compared to the Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon statement from 5/31/2011.
After extensive effort, nobody has come forward. As a result, we had no choice but to explore the investment option presented to us by the NHL in the form of True North Sports and Entertainment.
Bullshit Levenson and Gearon. Bullshit. I cannot believe that the USA Today would publish such an article if they weren't sure. And they said you had a buyer. 11 days later you release a statement saying the team's been sold because no one stepped forward.
You lied.
My simple message to the Atlanta Spirit Group is this:
Screw You ASG.
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