David Shoalts Knows Everything Going On Everywhere

Posted by Greg on April 4, 2012 in Greg Stuff | 10 comments

DURRR

When we last left our intrepid Coyotes insider (oh wait he lives in Canada & is consistently wrong about all things Coyotes), he was giving out economic forecasts! What other hidden talents has Mr. Shoalts been hiding from us? Read on (or stab yourself in the face for similar effect)!

Finally, after $50-million and who knows how much more was poured into the Phoenix Coyotes, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs had her come-to-Jesus moment.

Not really. She’s not running for re-election & is largely irrelevant in the negotiation process. You would know this if you paid attention & weren’t looking for cheap website hits.

As a result, she fired the first shot in what looks to be a messy divorce from the NHL and happy marriage with Quebec City or Seattle or some other city.

Everyone knows marriage with French Canadians inevitably ends up with a teary eyed divorce acted out by mimes over crepes.

Seriously though David? I’ve read some LOUSY journalism from Canadians, but this takes the cake. First off, you said the exact same crap last year- what happened? (I’m fully aware the Coyotes might move, but Jesus Christ, not even the self awareness to say “Well, I’ve been wrong before?”)

And on what planet do you think the NHL considers QC a “happy” destination? The NHL wants a team in QC like I want an annoying asthmatic child following me around & pulling on my sleeve crying, “Look at me, look at me!” Seattle is entirely preferable (U.S. market, NBC deal, growth etc.). QC is a dead end. No one in the U.S. cares about QC, just like no one in the U.S. cares about Winnipeg. Guess how many WPG games NBC aired?? If you guessed, “One, because they fucking had to.” then you understand basic sports television… and basic economics too.

During a city council budget meeting on Tuesday, Scruggs unloaded on the NHL, which she accused of misleading Glendale officials about the prospects of selling the Coyotes, particularly last year when Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer was interested. She also wants a refund on the money the suburban city put up to help cover this season’s losses.

Let’s not forget that Hulsizer came pretty fucking close to buying the team. Also, Jamison was sniffing around the Coyotes post-Hulsizer, so the NHL’s contention isn’t inaccurate.

Scruggs said there is no deal in sight to sell the Coyotes despite the NHL’s claims it is negotiating with multiple parties. Finally, the mayor said there is no way she will ever agree to a proposal to throw another $20-million at the NHL, dressed up as a management fee for Jobing.com Arena, to help it through yet another season if no owner is found.

The mayor is delusional. Any arena management is going to cost 10 million dollars plus. Just a reality, so who gives a fuck if it goes to the NHL? Plus, if it means that Glendale doesn’t lose out on 300+ jobs at Westgate, arena bankruptcy and a PR disaster & that money also gives Jamison, who has turned around a failing franchise, the chance put the Coyotes in the black- uhh, why not?

(See how context and research makes anything Shoalts says look positively juvenile?)

At the end of Scruggs’s tirade, Beasley said he did have something to report on the Coyotes, so city council needed to go into an executive session, which is not open to the public. Beasley said he expects the NHL to cut some sort of an agreement to sell the Coyotes quickly but offered no information on the prospective buyer or a price or, most important, whether Glendale would have to pony up any money for the club, which did not impress city councillor Phil Lieberman.

So ANYONE, who has followed the Coyotes saga for ANY amount of time knows that the word “Lieberman” basically means “fucking clueless.” He’s a joke, no one takes him seriously. For instance, he calls his own press conferences with no topic defined then yells at the one reporter that shows up to ask him questions. That happened.

So of course, he’s David’s go-to-guy for a quote. By the way David, who out of all the possible buyers do you think Beasley was referring to? I mean, for Christ’s sake, there’s only TWO buyers named publicly. You couldn’t use all your journalistic crystal ball juju and venture a guess?

The only prospective buyer who did not come to Glendale with his hand out was the much-reviled Jim Balsillie, who wanted to move the Coyotes to Hamilton. Thus it’s safe to say there are no prospective buyers looking to pay the NHL’s asking price of $170-million for a club that loses $20-million in a good year, plus pay the city a reasonable rent and not ask for a cut of the arena’s revenue.

In David’s pretend world Jim Balsillie is a brilliant businessman who wasn’t drop kicked into “Get the fuck out land and don’t come back” by RIM. Any hockey operation ran by Balsillie would have been a laughable disaster. Laughable disaster?… word association… Canadian journalists…. nah nevermind.

The NHL still holds all the cards, though, which is good news for the folks in Quebec, Seattle or wherever. Officially, Bettman and the NHL have been in position to move the Coyotes since Dec. 31, when a deadline for the city to find a local owner passed.

No shit David- why do you think the NHL has been avoiding moving the Coyotes to Canada? Or Seattle (where no ownership group exists, but IS an attractive option)? What LOGICALLY makes sense? Is it because Gary Bettman is an evil dictator hellbent on turning Phoenix into a winter wasteland where Phoenicians worship at the altar of hockey?

Or is it because, despite the Canadian media’s best work to make shit up, that the NHL doesn’t want to leave Phoenix? And why could that be? Take a look at the two most successful leagues in the WORLD, the MLB/NFL, and get back to me.

Addendum: Two sources of mine (ooo look at me, someone with a day job has “sources”- one has to try, David, just try) one in the Coyotes organization & one involved in negotiations think the Coyotes will stay. I’ll happily admit they could be wrong, but that sure sounds different from all the doom & gloom coming out of Canada.

Weird, since the Canadian media has never been wrong before.