Sweet Tea, Barbecue, and Bodychecks

Conspiracy. or Incompetence? You be the judge — Tennessean.com

Well isn’t this a fine kettle of fish? The NHL is so hell-bent on not allowing Jim Balsillie to have a team, that they’re willing to give a team to the second coming of John Spano.

Yep, it turns out that “Boots” DelBiaggio (who makes me ashamed as hell to be Italian) is…well, let’s be blunt: he’s a full-force foursquare fraud. Does he have money? NO. So what’d he do? Borrow money from the outgoing owner of the Predators (one Craig Leipold, who now owns the Minnesota Wild) and the owners of the Los Angeles Kings (that would be Peter Anschutz’s Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)). Not only that, but the League decided not to perform the “required” due diligence to make sure that the unctuous little bastard actually had the cash to hand to be able to run the team.

As much as I dislike the smarmy git, I am starting to get in line with NHLPA boss Paul Kelly: give Jim Balsillie a team. Seriously. He may be a douche, but at least he’s been up front about wanting to buy an existing team, gut it, drive away all the fans and drive down the team’s value so that he can yank it up and put it in freakin’ Hamilton. We know that’s what his game is, because he’s made no secret of it. But the owners–not the Commissioner, but the owners who put him in charge and keep him in charge–are so against this guy getting involved that they’re willing to approve sales to people of questionable financial stature just to keep him away.

Let’s just avoid future dramaz–just give Jim Balsillie any team without a Cup under its belt and let’s just get it the hell over with, because in the long run he’ll be a far better owner than “Boots”.

1. ontheboards says:

   30 July, 2008 at 3:26 pm

   well done!
2. The Acid Queen says:

   30 July, 2008 at 4:25 pm

   Thank you sir!
3. Playa says:

   30 July, 2008 at 11:01 pm

   Hey AQ, I was just reading a blog about Eklund that mentioned the fake trade rumor you started. That’s hilarious!
4. janeybell says:

   31 July, 2008 at 9:48 am

   Damn you, now I’m going to have The Mighty Mighty Bosstones stuck in my head all day.
5. The Acid Queen says:

   31 July, 2008 at 10:41 am

   You say that like it’s a bad thing, janeybell.

   BTW, glove-tap for giving Luke a great topic for this week’s Monday Debate.
6. janeybell says:

   31 July, 2008 at 1:51 pm

   I was surprised Luke used it, but thanks. My kids keep looking at me like I’m nuts, walking around the house singing “…never had to knock on wood”…I guess that would be the only downside. My two year old keeps asking me what we’re going to build.
7. The Acid Queen says:

   31 July, 2008 at 1:58 pm

   Heh, you need to expose your kids to the Bosstones. Seriously, that’s some great tuneage.
8. Chris says:

   3 August, 2008 at 1:16 pm

   ‘Lets Face It’ is one of the best ska albums of all time. Kudos to the Queen on the post title.

   One two, what’s in the stew?

   ~Chris @ pittsburghpucktalk.com
9. dmg says:

   5 August, 2008 at 11:24 am

   I hate to say it because it makes me sad for the fans in Nashville, but that reality is the franchise would almost certainly be better off Hamilton. Nashville just doesn’t have the size (in terms of population or corporate support) or money to support an NHL franchise.
10. The Acid Queen says:

    5 August, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Well Nashville has the size and the cash, but the general slackitude of the community when it comes to supporting local sports that aren’t Vandy is something that works against the Preds. Even the Titans have issues–they sell out on paper, but that’s about it.

    My main issue is that if Nashville winds up being moved up north, it’ll be used by some as People’s Exhibit A for the removal of all teams from areas south of the Mason-Dixon Line. And that would really be sad.
11. Doogie2K says:

    6 August, 2008 at 11:03 am

    Having seen first-hand the effects of moving a team — with two teams leaving Canada and two more threatening to in the mid to late 90s, including my Oilers — I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And in particular, I grew a soft spot for the Preds (despite the fact that they own the Oilers in recent years) after going to a game in Nashville in ‘06. There was just something delightfully cheesy about the whole affair that transcended my instinctual traditionalist revulsion, and I wound up having a heck of a time.

    But really, even if Nashville does move, I don’t think it proves anything about any Southern market other than Nashville itself. And I would probably state that Nashville isn’t even the worst Southern market out there, so why the heck does it keep getting singled out? I mean, surely Phoenix and Miami/Sunrise should be singled out first, though I grant that they have the excuse of not having seen the playoffs in a couple of Presidential administrations.
12. rage6878 says:

    6 August, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Hi queen! I just found your blog(linked from Pensblog) and since we’re “homies” thought I’d drop in and see how bad you guys are hurting for ANY hockey stuff! At any rate, just wondering why the nard doesn’t just start a new team in Hamilton instead of dragging an existing one up there. I’ve been to one Preds game while I was stationed at Ft Campbell, and it was pretty full, and a very decent arena. My vote goes for leaving the southern hockey teams alone, but then again…I’m from the mountains of WNC, so what could you expect? Nice blog, keep up the good work!