Confirmed with Link: All-Purpose Coyotes Arena Talk: Land Auction Date Set - 6/27

[Jakey53]

I’m fine with every comment made in both cities today. Most everything was cleared up for me today. 7 days ago I was mystified. Not so much anymore. The contrast today was clarifying. Nothing ever went right here. Utah has Ryan Smith. We never had one of those. And at the end of the day, that’s really the difference.

AM doesn't have the church handing over mega $$$$ for a new arena. Also, the politicians, or at least some, seem to have a brain and be on board with Smith.

 

[Jakey53]

Meruelo has lied about the team staying in Arizona and that the auction is the last resort. Show me proof. The timeline looks clear. He was approached on March 6th and turned the NHL away. After a few weeks he realized he had very little choice and had to accept the NHL's offer, yet he still made sure to keep the Coyotes brand intact and make it possible for AZ to get their NHL team back. Why would he bother? He's still adamant about going through with the auction. The negative voices on this board claim he never intended to build an arena and keep the "team staying in Arizona". Every indication I've seen says completely the opposite. Is he bluffing about the auction? Please tell me your opinion? Seriously.
Was the Tempe plan and all the money and time spent just a frivolous billionaire having fun at our expense? Do you think it was all a facade and AM never had any intention of going through with it?

He's lied about spending 7 million on the Tempe vote. Please back this up with hard evidence.
When you have the chance email me a copy of AM's books and please reference the page numbers for the Tempe expenditures so I won't have difficulty finding them. You just can't go by what some "click whore" reporter says unless he can back it up with something other than hearsay.

He's lied about there being unpaid bills. Not sure what this references.

What else has he lied about?

I wouldn't trust him with my pet, alone an NHL franchise. With all due respect, you should probably find another team to support at this point. He is the last and only option.
No AM, no NHL franchise in Arizona.

We all get emotional about our teams and when things don't go our way we get frustrated.
I understand your pain and I know it comes from your passionate support of the Coyotes, but you need to let this thing play out and give AM the benefit of the doubt. He's a first time sports team owner and he stepped into a real mess when he purchassed the team. Probably not an ideal situation if you've never had any prior experience owning a team. There may have been other parties out there, saw what they were getting into and passed. This was not going to be an overnight fix even for someone with previous ownership experience. I'm sure he made plenty of mistakes along the way and there had to be a bit of a learning curve, and hopefully we're past that. I believe he's sincere and until I'm proven wrong, I'll continue to trust him.

Another good post. Could not have said it better.

 

[Llewzaher]

Going to address this one item.

Meruelo admittedly has trouble speaking at length in a public setting. So the tendency is to jumble contexts around. Unfortunately, people usually take everything directly on its surface in these sorts of events without thinking beyond the words.

I originally saw Randy Keating's response on Twitter and the initial thought was, "no.... that figure isn't right because I regularly watched those filings myself and it was closer to 1/5th that amount.

Then I watched the actual clip on the PHNX podcast and it just seemed different. Then it dawned on me that Meruelo could have been trying to tell everyone how much he spent altogether, including the 2-3 years of negotiations with Tempe, land and soil surveys, etc. plus the campaign itself, to get TED passed.

If you take all of that into consideration the $7 million figure makes much more sense.

i agree with this …

If I had billions of dollars let’s say through the stock market.. that doesn’t mean I know how to speak in public..

But if I had the cash, and the dream to own a franchise I would totally do it However if I was afraid to be in front of a camera, I would hiire someone to be the mouthpiece..

I wouldn’t hire the mouthpiece to be the CEO that was an obvious mistake .. I guess that’s where the lack of experience came in; I would hire a CEO who has experience running a franchise.. I would be hands off and give them what they needed..

Kind of like Michael Jordon , who bought a NASCAR team..23Xi

You should have heard the Oilers owner welcoming McDavid.. it was just as cringe worthy.. they made McDavid stand in front of the owner, while the owner tried to welcome him to Edmonton while struggling to read his que cards.. he would even pause for 10 seconds or do .

He may not be a good owner, but let’s not demand that he speak and then after obviously witnessing that he is not a public speaker.(both admittingly and obviously) dissecting everything he said and taking it at face value.. ie I don’t like the media..

The press conference was cringe worthy.. But if Bettman didn’t want AM to be successful or the owner, he could have let him defend himself, he could have made it that the board of governors had to approve it.

I think he knows that in the present situation AM is the only one that can get it done quickly.. if not it could be well over 10 years..

 

[Llewzaher]

AM doesn't have the church handing over mega $$$$ for a new arena. Also, the politicians, or at least some, seem to have a brain and be on board with Smith.

I think Utah is very lucky to have Ryan Smith .. I think you will be hard pressed to find any owner in the NHL like him..
There is a reason they want him.. I think he will be used to promote the game well out of Utah.

The Yotes players are going to be treated very well.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

I wouldn’t call Sniper an uncaring clown.

If you haven’t figured it out yet he’s already let everyone know what the tentative plans are.

Truly had no idea that @SniperHF was in charge of this circus. My apologies for calling you an uncaring clown, Sniper. I know you care, deeply.

Since I’m rather dense, please lay out the plans.
.

 

[MIGs Dog]

Truly had no idea that @SniperHF was in charge of this circus. My apologies for calling you an uncaring clown, Sniper. I know you care, deeply.

Since I’m rather dense, please lay out the plans.
.

SniperHF not included, one can be both in charge and an uncaring clown. Shall I start a list?

 

[Mosby]

Friendly reminder that if the NHL had their way, yesterday‘s announcement would’ve been the relocation announcement. There would’ve been no leaks, and there would’ve been no opportunity for a final game for the players and the fans to say their goodbyes. It would have been a cold hard slap to the face. So NHL, don’t give me this garbage that there is so much concern for the well-being of the players and the fans.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

was he literally the only option? .

Yes, Johnny Come Lately..... he was.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Going to address this one item.

Meruelo admittedly has trouble speaking at length in a public setting. So the tendency is to jumble contexts around. Unfortunately, people usually take everything directly on its surface in these sorts of events without thinking beyond the words.

I originally saw Randy Keating's response on Twitter and the initial thought was, "no.... that figure isn't right because I regularly watched those filings myself and it was closer to 1/5th that amount.

Then I watched the actual clip on the PHNX podcast and it just seemed different. Then it dawned on me that Meruelo could have been trying to tell everyone how much he spent altogether, including the 2-3 years of negotiations with Tempe, land and soil surveys, etc. plus the campaign itself, to get TED passed.

If you take all of that into consideration the $7 million figure makes much more sense.

Add the "good will" annex at the Mullett and you more than triple that figure.

Whatever he actually spent, suffice it to say, he didn't spend it in the right places, with the right people.

Basically this. But I don’t know guys, I just watched the press conference…and I feel like the reactions have been a tad bit sensational/blown out of proportion. I fully realize a lot of the missteps that have been made by AM, but also realize that none of us know every behind the scenes detail, and let’s be real he was dealt a bit of a crap hand and had a lot to overcome. COVID hit what was it, one year maybe not even that after he bought the team…walking into an already stressed relationship with Glendale….Then the Tempe fiasco. I don’t know every single thing they did or didn’t do regarding Tempe but I believe that the management team, as well as Bettman and Co. believed it was a slam dunk and would get done…and it didn’t. What’s a guy to do?

As far as the paying bills stuff…again, people say there’s a history of this, ok fine, maybe there is I honestly don’t know. How severe is it? What’s the context? I do believe his statement that you don’t become that successful in a 40 year business career across multiple ventures obtaining state licenses etc, without paying your bills…I feel like there is context missing in these situations but I have no idea.

My perception after watching the presser is that AM is obviously not very comfortable out in front of a large crowd…you can take him at his word with that because it was very obvious. He seems like someone that is probably very personable one on one but doesn’t like the crowds. Fine. I thought the Bettman sighing and eye rolling type of gestures were definitely more for the media and their lines of questioning than they were for AM. He seemed empathetic to AM actually and believe he still wants to work with him and is going to see if he can put on his big boy pants and get it done. If he didn’t then why did he allow a stipulation in the contract that says AM has to be there for ANOTHER 5 years AFTER the building is built? If he wanted him gone and didn’t want to work with him he would have let him just flip it and move on. It seems there is still some mutual respect there between them. I think the biggest thing AM needs to work on is establishing relationships himself. Not his lackey XG or his son, him. He needs to make himself uncomfortable and turn that weakness into a strength or it will continue to hurt him. He needs to get better with the media…he needs to get better addressing fans…he needs to get WAY better at establishing relationships in the community with people that can help him get deals done and do business.

Overall I would say I don’t fully trust AM…there have been a lot of wish washy things that have gone on, but I’m not in the camp that is giving up on him entirely or writing him off. It’s all the actions at this point. If he wins the auction, I’ll see what he does next with cautious optimism. But my sense is this guy has had a lot of frustration taken out on him…some warranted and some not…but I’m not quite ready to turn him into a Batman villain just yet.

Good level headed post.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

Meruelo wants the Coyotes to be a success very badly. He feels the pressure of being the first Hispanic owner and sees himself as opening the door to when it won’t be noteworthy to be a Hispanic owner.

Meruelo simply wasn’t up to the complexities of the Phoenix market. He also mismanaged his personnel. If Meruelo succeeds in bringing back the Coyotes, the NHL should insist on staffing the COO, CFO and middle management with people experienced in professional sports franchises.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Meruelo spent the whole press conference (poorly) regurgitating talking points. When asked to go off script, he got combative and Gary had to step in and spin the narrative.

I'm at the point now where I don't give a shit if anyone questions my intellect or calls me hysterical or whatever other fun dipshit ad hominem crops up. I see the actions, I see the receipts, I see the behavior. Alex Meruelo is a bad faith actor and he's wholly unsuited to the task that is ahead of him. The bar is so low, and yet he still can't clear it.

If he would show a single sign of a change of direction, or altering the way he does business to actually meet the demands of sports ownership and being an actual part of the community, I would chomp down a giant crow sandwich. But the presser was a masterclass of spin doctoring, narrative control, and gaslighting, not anything resembling transparency.

If you think that is in any way a recipe for future success in this or any market, you're delusional.

 

[Dead Coyote]

Going to address this one item.

Meruelo admittedly has trouble speaking at length in a public setting. So the tendency is to jumble contexts around. Unfortunately, people usually take everything directly on its surface in these sorts of events without thinking beyond the words.

I originally saw Randy Keating's response on Twitter and the initial thought was, "no.... that figure isn't right because I regularly watched those filings myself and it was closer to 1/5th that amount.

Then I watched the actual clip on the PHNX podcast and it just seemed different. Then it dawned on me that Meruelo could have been trying to tell everyone how much he spent altogether, including the 2-3 years of negotiations with Tempe, land and soil surveys, etc. plus the campaign itself, to get TED passed.

If you take all of that into consideration the $7 million figure makes much more sense.

That's definitely possible. It's also possible that's what he meant and that he was lying. I mean, Meruelo doesn't exactly have the best track record with that. We'll probably never know, and it is definitely a possibility that he meant altogether or that he meant something differently. I agree that he isn't the best (or perhaps even competent) as a public speaker, so it is quite possible that he was referring to "everything".

 

[Sinurgy]

Does anyone have any links or statements saying whether or not Phoenix is going to be considered in the Utah market or the Vegas market? I've heard it mentioned both ways, I really really hope it's the latter but because f***ing nothing goes right around these parts I'm guessing it's almost certainly the former.

 

[Dead Coyote]

From an Ian Mendes article:

"Smith does not want his pursuit of an NHL team to come off as though he’s poaching the Coyotes from afar.

“People who know me know I’m pretty direct. If that were the intention, I would just come out and say that,” Smith says when asked if it appears he is targeting the Coyotes. “We’re not about trying to mess with anybody else’s world. I know what it’s like to be in a partnership like we are in the NBA. There is a way to go about it.”

Smith maintains an open line of dialogue with NHL officials, but he’s mindful not to step over any lines.

“I don’t want to get involved with how they deliver a team. We’re showing that we’re ready and that’s what we’re putting forward,” says Smith. “We talk to them frequently. They know our interest. They see what’s going on. They see the value, and they’re intrigued.”"

Man, what a f***ing slimeball Smith must be to say this while Bettman and Meruelo are in the middle of trying to sell the team to him.

But what if:

Relo the franchise to SLC and sell to Smith

AM wins June 27, builds new arena

As part of the deal AM gets a new expansion team in AZ

Coyotes2.0 begin with new arena in 2027.

I'm blaming you for this situation we're in now

 

[rt]

Does anyone know if there’s a current affiliation agreement between Utah HC & Tucson Roadrunners? Can Bill Armstrong assign Geekie to the AHL playoffs right now?

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Does anyone know if there’s a current affiliation agreement between Utah HC & Tucson Roadrunners? Can Bill Armstrong assign Geekie to the AHL playoffs right now?

I think absent a new agreement it defaults to the old relationship... Which is why Doan et al. we're able to go down.

 

[rt]

I think absent a new agreement it defaults to the old relationship... Which is why Doan et al. we're able to go down.

Makes sense. Too bad we don’t have a reporter yet.

You want to send a resume to Smith maybe? You could probably get the job was beat writer.

 

[TheLegend]

I was referring to what AM said Glendale wanted to stay in Glendale. AM said Glendale kicked him out.

They essentially did. The narrative has been the unpaid bills, taxes…. etc.

Except their city manager openly admitted the none of that mattered. They (Glendale) wanted to lock the Coyotes up for another 12 years at minimum. Meruelo would have locked himself in for 3+2 rather than ending up at Mullett.

But Glendale knew Meruelo was well along in talks with Tempe. At least one Glendale councilman sent a letter to Lauren Kuby with Katie Strang’s article in an attempt to disrupt the negotiations before the RFP was issued. Joyce Clark goes off on her person blog on how naughty Meruelo is and wanting to soak the taxpayers etc. etc. Then writes and op-ed to the local Tempe newspaper just days before the vote.

There’s more I can add to this all in a neat timeline but it’s irrelevant at this point. Glendale got what they wanted.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

What would be the more Coyotes outcome:

AM skips the auction and skips town because that's what everyone is expecting?

Or

AM actually showing up and winning the auction because that's what no one is expecting?

Or, third option...

AM actually showing up and winning the auction, but then not being able to clear any of the other hurdles to get this built because that's simultaneously what no one and everyone is expecting?

 

[Foggy1097]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions on Meruelo with the information available to them…I have mine. But what I would say is that for people wanting a team back in AZ sooner rather than later, you had better eventually realize and accept the reality that he is your only hope at this point in time. If he ceases to be an option we are looking at a decade or so before a team comes back.

Knowing that fact, my two cents is that people should at least try, however hard it may be, to be cautiously optimistic and think about giving the guy a second chance to get his ducks in a row and get something meaningful accomplished. The alternative of shitting on him at every opportunity, and expressing pessimistic viewpoints and every stage of the upcoming process, will not do anything to help the process of getting a team back. Continued negative public backlash and excessive whining about AM, will only hinder the process of him accomplishing what we all want him to accomplish.

Lastly I would just say that everyone usually gets better at what they do with more experience. AM has never been a sports owner and it’s a lot different environment than his previous business operations, so naturally there was always going to be a learning curve. I’d guess he’s already learned a lot on the fly about how to handle things in the future, and he needs to continue to learn and grow as a sports owner. We all have experience going into something new and sucking. If he continues to not get things done over the next couple years and more and more failures stack up, then well, we have our answer and things will run their course, and an eventual new team will be owned by someone different….which also means it will take a lot longer to happen. I guess we’ll see…

 

[Summer Rose]

What would be the more Coyotes outcome:

AM skips the auction and skips town because that's what everyone is expecting?

Or

AM actually showing up and winning the auction because that's what no one is expecting?

Or, third option...

AM actually showing up and winning the auction, but then not being able to clear any of the other hurdles to get this built because that's simultaneously what no one and everyone is expecting?

I'd go with the third option happening being the most "Coyotes" thing to happen.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

I'd go with the third option happening being the most "Coyotes" thing to happen.

To that point, I have a novel idea. If he wants to leverage the whole theme park districting thing, why doesn't he just build a theme park inside of the arena? Call the folks running Six Flags or Mall of America or whoever and be like, hey you want in? Roller coasters? We know a thing or two about roller coasters, I tell you hwat!

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Makes sense. Too bad we don’t have a reporter yet.

You want to send a resume to Smith maybe? You could probably get the job was beat writer.

I don't think anyone wants that...

 

[Bonsai Tree]

The relo is wholely the fault of AZ. I have no truck with Smith or Utah fans.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

To that point, I have a novel idea. If he wants to leverage the whole theme park districting thing, why doesn't he just build a theme park inside of the arena? Call the folks running Six Flags or Mall of America or whoever and be like, hey you want in? Roller coasters? We know a thing or two about roller coasters, I tell you hwat!

You know, I know the owners of Castles and Coasters... If Meruelo wanted a discussion with them, I could facilitate it.

But considering his lack of outreach skills, I am not going to hold my breath.