Friday, May 14, 2004
A light shines in purgation
The AP tells me that ...
"A Los Angeles-based company plans to invest $50 million to build a new downtown arena, and hopes to bring an NBA or NHL team to Kansas City."
Good. So long as they're not taking an NFL team out of Kansas City. The Chargers are as close as you're going to get to the AFC West.
"I can assure you that there will be an anchor tenant," Timothy Leiweke, vice president of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, said Wednesday. "We have had conversations specifically with those leagues' franchises. I don't think there's a better time to get involved with a National Hockey League team than now."
Okay. Let's go over that last point again.
"I don't think there's a better time to get involved with a National Hockey League team than now."
That's what I thought you said.
What?!?
The NHL is facing an owner lockdown in a few months. Said owners cry they're hemorrhaging money like a grade B Hollywood gorefest. And they're saying there's no better time to get in on the NHL? What are these people drinking at their corporate lunches?
Don't get me wrong. I would love to have a hockey team in the area. I might even cough up for a ticket two or three times a year at present prices. But what are these NHL owners telling poor Mr. Leiweke? After the Anschutz people left the room, I'm sure the hockey guys were snickering in their britches. Another sucker to lay down a $100M expansion fee so we can make up for signing a third-line winger to a few mil over a few years.
No wonder the players don't want to cave in to the owners' demands. With sharp characters like these running these teams, I'm sure they think they can beat 75% of revenues. For one more collective bargaining agreement.
