Still MIGHTY

Holy christ, is this one truly bumbling and inept group of people... Like I know we all knew that through the process, but actually watching it unfold is just unreal...

Can we just vote and end this thing already?

I was going to leave during the financial discussions, but good God, am I glad I stayed. This is fantastic.

Are you there?

No no no. I'm not going to drive 5 hours out to Arizona for a damned city council meeting. I meant leave the page. Go do something else. Like laundry.

I was going to leave during the financial discussions, but good God, am I glad I stayed. This is fantastic.

Umm, do or do not the Cardinals kinda sorta pump in anything into the Glendale economy? Just uhh floating that out there with this circus tonight

University of Phoenix stadium is actually state land/project. So technically/directly, no.

Just putting this here for the of it...

MGM, AEG to develop 20K seat Las Vegas Strip Arena

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Casino giant MGM Resorts International and entertainment company AEG say they've inked a deal to build a 20,000-seat Las Vegas Strip arena.

Officials with Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts and Los Angeles-based AEG say the joint venture will provide a centerpiece for a renovation of the area from Las Vegas Boulevard to Frank Sinatra Drive between the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resorts.

Groundbreaking for the $350 million arena is expected next summer, with completion by spring 2016.

The companies say an unnamed privately funded third-party will also provide financing.

MGM Resorts International Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Murren calls finalizing the agreement a project milestone.

The international design firm Populous has been hired to design the arena with premium seating and hospitality areas for entertainment and sports events.

Then just say "It's a dumb idea", give an explanation why, and then I would take it as constructive criticism.

You must be new to the Internet.

With this whole thing, I never want to jump the gun or get ahead of ourselves because... well... we know what happens here...

But, is this seriously and finally a step towards the end?

A Coyotes ticket rep actually called me this morning

"Hi! I'm from the Coyotes ticket office and I've seen that you've been to some games here in the last year?"

"Yeah. Moreso when I lived in the area, but I've gone back for some Ducks games there."

"So, are you planning on or would you like to come see some games out here this year?"

"Provided that the team actually exists in a month's time, yeah I'd love to!"

"Yeah... Yeah... *sigh* I get that... I get that... Well... If you end up wanting tickets, go ahead and give me a call here on my direct line... Thanks..."

Poor guy. Just the sound of utter defeat in his voice. Not his fault.

You missed bolding all the really good parts!

"The capital structure would consist of RS&E putting in $45 million of equity, Fortress Investment Group lending $120 million (to be repaid by the fee Glendale taxpayers are going to pay the team to run the arena), and an $85 million loan from the NHL." - Only $45 million in real money! And $120 million that they still don't have to pay! Screw the Green Bay Packers. The Arizona Coyotes: The People's Team!

"In addition, the NHL is promising the new owners that they will get the maximum amount of revenue from the league’s revenue-sharing system." - All the moneys! Just for you, Coyotes! How presh!

"The NHL ... is being very flexible with its repayment terms for the new owners. As a result, the new owners would not have to pay any money back to the league for the first five years." - No payments for five years? Just in time for the opt out clause to move to Quebec to make real money!

And whoever said Gary Bettman wasn't a great negotiator!

Ohio state "division championship" ring even though they were banned from all post season games

And this, boys and girls, is one of the reasons why the nation despises The Ohio State University.

They went undefeated. (And if they were eligible, they probably win the Big 10 or more)

I think that's something worth celebrating. (Especially when you consider what qualifies for a ring in college football)

Honestly, if it doesn't go through now, I fear we may be heading towards the first professional Big 4 franchise folding since... God, the Barons merging with the North Stars? Does that count?

Nobody wants to pony up actual money for the team. Glendale's new regime isn't subsidizing anything. The league's owners are pretty much over paying for this any longer. If Bettman doesn't give up the ghost and let them go to Quebec, it may be phsyically unable to have the Coyotes in the league at all.

From Hansen's website, SonicsArena.com. Aside from the "pocket suites", it looks very similar in seating bowl design to Jobing.com Arena for hockey:

Dallas in the Atlantic is almost worse than Dallas being the the Pacific.

If it's Milwaukee in, I would swap conferences with Dallas and Toronto. Problem there is you'd have to put Toronto in the Northeast, and I have no ing clue who you move from the Northeast down. The southernmost team in your Northeast is New Jersey, and you'd have a hard time splitting them from the two New York teams (harder than splitting them with Philly which is bad enough.)

If it's a second Toronto team... then you either move Dallas and split the two Torontos or move Dallas/Nashville and move both Torontos to the East, and move New Jersey down you'd have to split the two New Yorks? That wouldn't ever work either.

The NHL's footprint makes realignment so freaking screwy.

In all fairness, Michelson (an ASU alum) shot a 60 today in Scottsdale and lipped out on 18 in the process. He should have gone 59, if not lower. There have only been five rounds of 59 in PGA Tour history. We've all known for months the cash was not there.

I just... *sigh*

Don't blame the 16th hole for outdrawing them on Saturday.

That wasn't what I was talking about dip

In all fairness, Michelson (an ASU alum) shot a 60 today in Scottsdale and lipped out on 18 in the process. He should have gone 59, if not lower. There have only been five rounds of 59 in PGA Tour history. We've all known for months the cash was not there.

I just... *sigh*

You can't compare European soccer leagues to American sports leagues. There are too many factors, like market size, television, stadium/arena size and attendance, as well as traveling. It wouldn't work with our major leagues and quite frankly, I personally don't ever want it to.

I def. agree with you. But would it, possibly, work if they were to start a brand new league?

Most likely in the soccer sport. Basically "restart" the MLS because...they aren't THAT popular yet and they could combine the MLS with all of the other leagues throughout North America and install the promotion/regulation system?

Just a thought off the top of my head.

Promotion and Relegation would never work in the North America. We have never really been exposed to that kind of concept in our sports and the general public would be turned off by it.

That, and the fans, cities, and owners that put the amount of money they do into stadiums and player contracts and whatever for the "top flight" teams in North American pro sports would never even entertain the idea of being sent down to a lower league.

The Jobber is on the exact opposite end of the Valley from what most people consider to be Phoenix's "hockey watching" audience.

And coming from a SoCal freeway lifer, yes, Phoenix traffic as a whole is not that bad. It's only truly bad in one spot (the 10 between the 17 and 202 as it passes through downtown Phoenix). The problem is the majority of that Phoenix "hockey audience" has to drive through that corridor. So if someone worked downtown and had to go back to pickup their family in Chandler or Mesa then go all the way back across the valley to Glendale, yeah, it would suck to get there.

I didn't have a problem because when I was in Tempe, I only went up for about three or four games and on the weekends (couldn't go with school, unless it was a Ducks game.) When I lived in Peoria/Glendale, I went all the damn time because it took me 10 minutes to get to the Jobber.

But yeah, even with some of the problems outlined, the attendance should NEVER be below 12,000 if the people really cared, weekday game against Columbus or not. Especially with the record of the Yotes over the last few years and even moreso with last year. Had they actually made the arena in Scottsdale, it probably would have helped a lot, but still not enough to remedy the issue, I'm afraid.

Home Game 1: Coyotes vs Blackhawks - Attendance: 17,363 (Standing Room Only)

Home Game 2: Coyotes vs Blue Jackets - Attendance: 8,355

Home Game 3: The Kings, defending Stanley Cup Champs and Phoenix's playoff ousters, come into town on a Saturday night. Currently on Stubhub, 563 tickets available (only 9 of which are under $30). On TicketExchange, 234 tickets available (5 tickets under $30). So I guess it's looking up for Saturday? Maybe?

Also BucFan, if you for some reason can't find a cheaper game on StubHub, check out the student deal. Likely to get some lower bowl (hell maybe even glass if you're lucky) seats with this:

Once again, the Coyotes will be offering Student Rush nights for all Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night games this season (10 in total). Students can line up one hour prior to the puck drop to purchase the best available ticket for just $25. This offer applies only to active Students with identification.

STAHP

You're welcome for the inspiration

Looks like Tuesday will be the next coming-to-a-head moment in this sorry saga.

Tuesday is today. The vote is tonight.

If you want to follow the meeting, @smunshi on twitter is covering it for the Arizona Republic.

Temple, in Philadelphia, will be placed into the Big East's West Division for next season.

They were using that design on their website as soon as they won the division. And I mean, it's a pretty generic banner shape.

But nice try?

I assume they'd just hang it in the Jobber if they were going to, or possibly the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame or something.

It probably only matters if it's actually been made or not (either it wasn't in anticipation of the lockout or it is and it's just sitting in the Jobber's storage.)

I think it's a moot point though. I doubt the NHL goes ahead and eliminates the Coyotes at this point. Contract a team during a lockout? Like the PR isn't bad enough already (Yeah yeah, it's the NHL and yeah yeah, it's the Coyotes. It'd still be a bad look.)

Hamilton would've worked in 1993 but not now. Toronto2 will never work, unless, like you said, it really does exist just to fatten up RogeBell on territorial penalties.

Two-ronto (2ronto)? Toron-two (Toron2)?

But yes, you and Ice Cap are right. If Hamilton wasn't going to work because of the Maple Leafs and freaking Buffalo, there's no way in hell Toronto II comes to pass. Most of these "2nd-team-coming-into-an-established-market" scenarios just won't come to pass in today's pro sporting world. Toronto's not getting a 2nd hockey team. Chicago won't get a second basketball/football team, Boston won't get a second baseball team, New York isn't getting a 3rd anything (Devils don't count.). The only place two teams is likely to happen is LA getting a second NFL team. While that's obviously predicated on them getting a first team back, it also would have to happen quickly. And even then, the 2nd team is automatically getting slapped with a giant little brother label.

Of course, I say this as a fan of a team that became the 2nd team in a hockey market that probably didn't need a second team, but if it was going to happen like it did, it was going to be then. Even without the Kings winning the Cup, I doubt Anaheim would be able to get an expansion into the NHL right now. Although you might argue that the circumstances between 2012 and 1993 are similar (surge in SoCal hockey popularity via Gretzky/Cup, owners needing money to line the pockets, maybe a stretch to Bruce McNall wanting money/AEG getting sold?), I don't think that could have happened now.

Let's take it even further; Sakic w/o #19, or the C:

Please tell me Super Joe didn't give up 88 for that pu$$y Lindros...

Lindros never actually suited up for the Nords, so nope.