Rant of the day...

[nomorekids]

Cheer up dude... the CFL is only 5 months away!

and baseball spring training is a mere weeks away

NY Mets, 2005 National League Champs!

 

[MarkZackKarl]

I think that a more appropriate title would be "Its cancelled" (for the season)

Or for the league " It's doomed"

 

[Bicycle Repairman]

Hell I'll bet John Wayne cried from time to time.

Damn right. The Duke's birth name was Marion.

 

[I in the Eye]

IMO, it's going to take a couple more rollercoaster rides up and down... I'm still optimistic - typical 'negotiation games'...

And it's ok for men to cry... just don't let anyone see you... and deny it after...

 

[txomisc]

and baseball spring training is a mere weeks away

NY Mets, 2005 National League Champs!

The Mets, eh? I'll believe it when I see it. Of course you can call me a bitter Astros fan. Darnit. I don't actually blame Beltran it was more like faulty Astros management. He will probalby go 40/40 this year for you guys. You can't count out the Braves, though. Reports of their demise have gone as far back as 5 years ago and they have yet to come true.

 

[no13matssundin]

and baseball spring training is a mere weeks away

NY Mets, 2005 National League Champs!

The reason why I mentioned the CFL, aside from it being really exciting to watch, is the fact that the players in that league dont play for much money AND play for the love of the sport.

In short, theyre the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of the NHLPA.

Seriously, if anyone has been P.Oed by all this greed and pride by the players AND owners, check out a CFL game and you'll see REAL sports athletes... regular joes who play for the love not the money.

My 0.02$

 

[Madevilz]

I dont watch anything but hockey.

 

[Riddick]

The Mets, eh? I'll believe it when I see it. Of course you can call me a bitter Astros fan. Darnit. I don't actually blame Beltran it was more like faulty Astros management. He will probalby go 40/40 this year for you guys. You can't count out the Braves, though. Reports of their demise have gone as far back as 5 years ago and they have yet to come true.

EVERY NLeast fan knows you just have to stop counting out the braves. Take a poll, i almost guarentee you 75% will vote the braves to win this year too. EVERY time you go against them, they win. So just stop going against htem and start picking them and hope that jinxs them.


btw, shea is too big for beltran to go 40/40. Id expect more like 30/40.

 

[struckmatch]

I'll admit that I'm not as optimistic as I was this morning, but its always the darkest before the end in these types of negotiations.

 

[FLYLine27*]

I dont watch anything but hockey.

Same...this is just hell.

 

[txomisc]

EVERY NLeast fan knows you just have to stop counting out the braves. Take a poll, i almost guarentee you 75% will vote the braves to win this year too. EVERY time you go against them, they win. So just stop going against htem and start picking them and hope that jinxs them.


btw, shea is too big for beltran to go 40/40. Id expect more like 30/40.

Shea is pretty big but he's also going to be playing more games in games in Houston and Colorado. I'd venture to guess he can rack them up big time in the thin air of Denver and against the crappy ass Astros bullpen. I'd say if he is healthy he will hit at
least 35 home runs. He has a good enough combination of speed/power that 50/50 is not totally out of the realm of possibility. That being said, screw him, I hope he bats .244 with 18 homers and 50 RBI.

 

[NewBreed19]

I think that the NHL, will make good on their final offer(take it or else). Todays offer was only framework of what could be a starter of the NHL's next formal offer. The real purposal coming, is the one that will make or break hockey this season.
The players are really starting to piss me off though!! If they ruin this season over greed, I will stop watching the NHL and go back to fully supporting junior hockey:atleast they play for the love of the game.

 

[Crows*]

I think that the NHL, will make good on their final offer(take it or else). Todays offer was only framework of what could be a starter of the NHL's next formal offer. The real purposal coming, is the one that will make or break hockey this season.
The players are really starting to piss me off though!! If they ruin this season over greed, I will stop watching the NHL and go back to fully supporting junior hockey:atleast they play for the love of the game.

Yes but there is that Carrot at the end of the string waiting for the. chaching..

 

[Hockey_Nut99]

Please cancel the season! I want the players to learn a good hard lesson. They will think twice when they aren't getting any paychecks.

 

[Lady Rhian]

I dont watch anything but hockey.

Same here.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Just a reminder. One time Goodenow was on the management's side when he went up against a union. The standoff lasted 11 months before the union gave in to return to work. Now the tables have turned, and Goodenow has the experience of "holding out" to get what is perceived to be the best deal. Remember, he's bragged that the best deal is worked out in the 11th hour.
Now let's see here... it's going to be a 5 month long lockout thus far. Think we can stomach 6 more months of this?

 

[ScottyBowman]

The reason why I mentioned the CFL, aside from it being really exciting to watch, is the fact that the players in that league dont play for much money AND play for the love of the sport.

In short, theyre the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of the NHLPA.

Seriously, if anyone has been P.Oed by all this greed and pride by the players AND owners, check out a CFL game and you'll see REAL sports athletes... regular joes who play for the love not the money.

My 0.02$

Translation

"These players suck and couldn't make it to the NFL so they are playing for the CFL". Notice how all the scrubs play for the love of the game LOL.

 

[ladybugblue]

I dont watch anything but hockey.

Me too

 

[tom_servo]

The reason why I mentioned the CFL, aside from it being really exciting to watch, is the fact that the players in that league dont play for much money AND play for the love of the sport.

Uh huh. As do participants in any minor league.

 

[bhawk24bob]

the thing that ticks me off about this whole thing

it's not about owners vs. players.

it's about the owners wanting something for nothing. having a business means inheriting risk. there is no certainty in owning your own business. why should you make money if you run your business the like an idiot? anybody with business sense would set a budget and stick to it. if you set the budget too high, it's your own damn fault. this whole stance of 'cost certainty' is a joke.

 

[struckmatch]

The thing that ticks me off about this whole thing is how both sides are trying to hit a philisophical homerun, and not willing to negotiate at all.

 

[Phanuthier*]

it's about the owners wanting something for nothing. having a business means inheriting risk.
No, its about big markets raising the bar while the small markets barely hold on.

there is no certainty in owning your own business.
The alternative is ~10 NHL teams folding. Do you want to see that?

why should you make money if you run your business the like an idiot?
Most of the teams losing money probably weren't being idiots. It was the idiots who raised the bar and didn't have to suffer the consequences.

if you set the budget too high, it's your own damn fault.
See above

 

[Phanuthier*]

The thing that ticks me off about this whole thing is how both sides are trying to hit a philisophical homerun, and not willing to negotiate at all.

You know what, I'm pulling for the owners to hit a home run. Probably never again will the owners have this much support (or any support for that matter) from the fans. Ontop of that, the NHLPA is folding like a cheap tent (from 5% rollback, to 24%, to half a duration of a cap) while the players are snapping. If your gonna do it, do it right now. Otherwise, face the consequences.

 

[mr gib]

Please cancel the season! I want the players to learn a good hard lesson. They will think twice when they aren't getting any paychecks.

they only have five more checks to go if they settled in two weeks - they seem pretty solid to me - why cave now when the majority of the money for this year they've lost already?

 

[Vast Ant Dioi]

I see where the OP is coming from, but the problem is, as has been pointed out numerous times, it's not a standard business. In a sports league, each team is not its own business trying to drive the other 29 out of business...the existence of any one team is predicated on a field of opponents to play against and sell that as your entertainment.

Compounding the problem is that one owner's poor decision making directly impacts the decision making of every other owner in the league. Because the players are allowed to use comparables, the other 29 teams can't simply shrug their shoulders at the NYR when they overpay for Holik and say "well, your loss, sucks about your business". Now every other team not only has to pay players who compare themselves to Holik more, they have to respond to the move of acquiring Holik because their team has just become comparatively worse to the Rangers (in theory) because they've added a "star".

See the problem?

This is why it's been ironic from the start that the players just want "a free market". It's not a free market and doesn't operate as such. It's a very, VERY artificial market.