2021 FPHL Season Thread

[JMCx4]

... On the FPHL front, however, that does make travel a bigger chore, and makes the Bloomington expansion a harder sell.

I suspect the BLM operation was nothing but a shell, so Barry Soskin could easily relocate his Dashers organization there & the FPHL wouldn't skip a staggered beat.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

The FPHL, much as I rag on it, caters to a unique type of audience that is very loyal...

They're like pro wrestling fans without the intelligence.

 

[JMCx4]

Danville Dashers are no more. They will be replaced by the Danville Bobcats of the SPHL apparently after a meeting between the arena and different prospective ownership groups.

No, make that the "Vermillion County Bobcats" for wider appeal among the farmers & transient over-the-road truck drivers of the region. The new team owner, Ellen Mervis Tully, is a free-lance photographer who previously contracted with the Dashers for game photos, and who generated buzz from her East Central Illinois-newsworthy battle with the owners of a since-failed bid to build a casino in town. A second casino plan has since been approved by the Danville city council, so I reckon that will be a key target for Ms. Tully to generate a common interest in people driving to sleepy little Danville for fun & sport.

 

[GindyDraws]

No, make that the "Vermillion County Bobcats" for wider appeal among the farmers & transient over-the-road truck drivers of the region. The new team owner, Ellen Mervis Tully, is a free-lance photographer who previously contracted with the Dashers for game photos, and who generated buzz from her East Central Illinois-newsworthy battle with the owners of a since-failed bid to build a casino in town. A second casino plan has since been approved by the Danville city council, so I reckon that will be a key target for Ms. Tully to generate a common interest in people driving to sleepy little Danville for fun & sport.

Danville, Illinois, at least to me, feels like it caters more to Indiana than it does Illinois since you can play video poker at gas stations & Hoosiers like to take advantage of it.

Yeah, we got casinos here, too, but we're lazy.

 

[JMCx4]

Danville, Illinois, at least to me, feels like it caters more to Indiana than it does Illinois since you can play video poker at gas stations & Hoosiers like to take advantage of it.

Yeah, we got casinos here, too, but we're lazy.

So I guess the population of Vermillion Co. quadruples on weekends? Maybe Ms. Tully should name the team "The Western Indiana Bobcats" to support the League's traditional game scheduling ...

 

[mk80]

Interesting.... I am confused as to why the arena was so quick to cut the relationship with the Dashers was their relationship with the FPHL/Soskin that bad?

 

[JMCx4]

Interesting.... I am confused as to why the arena was so quick to cut the relationship with the Dashers was their relationship with the FPHL/Soskin that bad?

I've been casually following this story for the last 18 months. There was drama within the Vermillion County Palmer Arena board last April regarding renewal of the Dashers' year-to-year lease agreement, which seemed to begin with the hiring of a new arena manager in December 2019 (a Danville native). Due to pandemic restrictions, the board solicited & received several E-mails from "concerned citizens" on both sides of the argument as part of a special Spring 2020 board meeting, during which the board voted to renew the Dashers' lease for another year BUT agreed to pursue other hockey tenant options for future years (consistent with the new arena manager's stated intent). This news rumbled around town for the last year, until the Bobcats appeared under ownership of another local. It all smells to me like little city politics that undermined big bad outsider Barry Soskin's comfortable stake in Danville hockey.

 

[JMCx4]

Interesting.....

[Our hidden cameras roll, as @mk80 is seen frantically searching for an E-mail address to send his sports media resume to the Bobcats organization ... ]

 

[mk80]

I've been casually following this story for the last 18 months. There was drama within the Vermillion County Palmer Arena board last April regarding renewal of the Dashers' year-to-year lease agreement, which seemed to begin with the hiring of a new arena manager in December 2019 (a Danville native). Due to pandemic restrictions, the board solicited & received several E-mails from "concerned citizens" on both sides of the argument as part of a special Spring 2020 board meeting, during which the board voted to renew the Dashers' lease for another year BUT agreed to pursue other hockey tenant options for future years (consistent with the new arena manager's stated intent). This news rumbled around town for the last year, until the Bobcats appeared under ownership of another local. It all smells to me like little city politics that undermined big bad outsider Barry Soskin's comfortable stake in Danville hockey.

That makes sense, I haven't followed anything as close but it didn't seem like the Dashers had done anything to disrupt the relationship with the arena.

 

[JMCx4]

That makes sense, I haven't followed anything as close but it didn't seem like the Dashers had done anything to disrupt the relationship with the arena.

Every time Barry Soskin opens his mouth, disruption occurs.

 

[JMCx4]

Wow, it took over a month from the Feb. 19th re-start date of the FPHL 2021 season before the League issued its first suspensions. Cleaning up their act, or simply pacing themselves?

 

[Atlantian]

Wow, it took over a month from the Feb. 19th re-start date of the FPHL 2021 season before the League issued its first suspensions. Cleaning up their act, or simply pacing themselves?

Let's not forget what happened between Elmira and Watertown before the season even started.

 

[JMCx4]

Let's not forget what happened between Elmira and Watertown before the season even started.

As the old adage goes: "Forgive and forget" ... not necessarily in that order ...

 

[sabremike]

They're like pro wrestling fans without the intelligence.

The NHL just got exposed as a worked shoot, so yeah...

And I'm going to note that the vast majority of people who follow the FPHL are aware that it's essentially an adult travel league where the players get paid a small amount of money and accept it as such.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

The NHL just got exposed as a worked shoot, so yeah...

And I'm going to note that the vast majority of people who follow the FPHL are aware that it's essentially an adult travel league where the players get paid a small amount of money and accept it as such.

No, the NHL didn't get exposed as being scripted or fixed. Try again.

 

[sabremike]

No, the NHL didn't get exposed as being scripted or fixed. Try again.

This is how the league wants games to be managed, which is essentially scripting them.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

This is how the league wants games to be managed, which is essentially scripting them.

That's not even close to scripting the games. That's one five-second audio byte without much context that you're basing this on.

 

[210]

This is how the league wants games to be managed, which is essentially scripting them.

So why'd they fire the guy?

 

[sabremike]

So why'd they fire the guy?

Because A: He got caught exposing the business and B: He was already retiring after the season. This Tweet actually put it best:

 

[210]

Because A: He got caught exposing the business and B: He was already retiring after the season. This Tweet actually put it best:

I just wanted you to know that the laughs I've had the last few minutes about your posts have made better what was a generally crappy day for me. Thanks.

 

[JMCx4]

I just wanted you to know that the laughs I've had the last few minutes about your posts have made better what was a generally crappy day for me. Thanks.

I had one of those yesterday, but I had no @sabremike to cheer me up. You lucky duck.

 

[sabremike]

I had one of those yesterday, but I had no @sabremike to cheer me up. You lucky duck.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

How Sabremike's arguments look in real life:

 

[sabremike]

How Sabremike's arguments look in real life:

 

[JMCx4]

Just 2 weeks left in the League's 2-month long 11th season of play. Just 16 points separating the 1st & 4th place teams. You can cut the anticipation with a hockey stick, folks ...