Paul Allen, Trail Blazers and Seahawks owner, dies at 65

gstommylee

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I remember seeing an article 2 weeks ago when Paul said he was going for treatment. How unfortunate and very sudden, Rest In Peace. Live your life like it's the last day folks.

Must been a really advanced stage of NHL this time for him to pass away 2 weeks later. He battled it before and beat it.
 

BattleBorn

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Must been a really advanced stage of NHL this time for him to pass away 2 weeks later. He battled it before and beat it.
Sometimes it's mental. I believe a lot of it is mental, perhaps not in this case, but I think, as humans, we grossly underrate the power of our will and mind.
 
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StreetHawk

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Not to sound morbid, but interested to see what this does for Portland's chances at the NHL. It was already sort of Plan C or Plan D to begin with behind Seattle, QC, Houston.
I think it likely hinges on 2 things.

1) who has control over the arena and the blazers. That person or company will decide if they want to pursue an NHL team
2) MLB is looking to expand and Portland is a consideration. For that market, baseball and basketball enables the city to have sports all year long as baseball starts in April which is the End of the nba season. Baseball ends in September and basketball tips off in October.

Not sure if Portland can handle 3 pro sports teams but for sure they can do 2. And with the winter hawks they do have hockey.

I would rather see the NHL max out at 32 teams. Figure out their markets first.

With Portland and Houston they would just be looking to add another tenant to the arena they control. Seattle is paying so that they can upgrade their arena with the hopes of getting an NBA team later. But they better make sure that their NHL owner can afford to buy an NBA team.
 
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StreetHawk

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Must been a really advanced stage of NHL this time for him to pass away 2 weeks later. He battled it before and beat it.
Sad that he’s gone. But, even though he only lived to 65, he lived his 65 years to the fullest. Man accomplished a lot, changed the world, inspired a lot of people, and did a lot to help others. And he had fun doing it.

To paraphrase a line from gladiator, what he did in life will echo through eternity.
 

gstommylee

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I think it likely hinges on 2 things.

1) who has control over the arena and the blazers. That person or company will decide if they want to pursue an NHL team
2) MLB is looking to expand and Portland is a consideration. For that market, baseball and basketball enables the city to have sports all year long as baseball starts in April which is the End of the nba season. Baseball ends in September and basketball tips off in October.

Not sure if Portland can handle 3 pro sports teams but for sure they can do 2. And with the winter hawks they do have hockey.

I would rather see the NHL max out at 32 teams. Figure out their markets first.

With Portland and Houston they would just be looking to add another tenant to the arena they control. Seattle is paying so that they can upgrade their arena with the hopes of getting an NBA team later. But they better make sure that their NHL owner can afford to buy an NBA team.

1) Allen owned both the NBA and the arena. So both will be sold as 1 package.

Regarding the NHL it comes down is $$$. Will the new owner have the $$$ and the will to pay that high of a price for a team that's only 22 in the tv market.

I don't know how portland is expected to get a team with its high price and team #32 is basically taken by Seattle. I don't see any reason NHL should go beyond 32 teams.
 

StreetHawk

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1) Allen owned both the NBA and the arena. So both will be sold as 1 package.

Regarding the NHL it comes down is $$$. Will the new owner have the $$$ and the will to pay that high of a price for a team that's only 22 in the tv market.

I don't know how portland is expected to get a team with its high price and team #32 is basically taken by Seattle. I don't see any reason NHL should go beyond 32 teams.
Arena and the blazers are a package deal as the team owner wants control of the arena.

A team is worth what is it is in that market. So, if the NHL wants $650 mill as the standard price then some markets will pass on it. Houston and Portland have nba teams. They are not desperate like Seattle is with all of the red tape that has come along with the OVG and Hansen with sodo about an arena and needing to secure a team before they ok anything.

Now if a team could be relocated they will explore it but I don’t see either city biding for an expansion team.
 

gstommylee

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One thing about seattle, thete is no red tape with the key arena plan. Everything between city ovg and nhl has all choreography together. The moment the deal was finalized, the nhl moved forward towards granting team in december

Portland is an unkown on who will pay that price for a team now.
 

TheLegend

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From what I gathered, and I was just following from a distance, it wasn't about finding a location, it was about Spanos having a location in mind, and the city doing everything it could to get him what he needed EXCEPT put it where he wanted.

It wasn't a matter of San Diego not making an effort to keep the Chargers, it was an issue of Spanos wanting what he wanted and not being willing to avoid looking a gifted horse in the mouth.

In the end it was all about money..... and Dean Spanos wanting to be in LA. City tried to boost the hotel tax to pay for a new stadium and it failed. It never really had a chance since tax votes in CA require a 66% majority to pass. And the vote was limited to the within the city and not the county.

The NFL is still not sure what to do with them. The Chargers are suffering at the gate in spite of their current record and Spanos has had to lower his estimates for playing in Inglewood by nearly 60% once they move in.



That prompted a former Chargers blogger to dive back into another look at the whole opera...

Amid Reports Of The Team Moving Back To San Diego, What Can The NFL Do About the Chargers?
 

Melrose Munch

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I think it likely hinges on 2 things.

1) who has control over the arena and the blazers. That person or company will decide if they want to pursue an NHL team
2) MLB is looking to expand and Portland is a consideration. For that market, baseball and basketball enables the city to have sports all year long as baseball starts in April which is the End of the nba season. Baseball ends in September and basketball tips off in October.

Not sure if Portland can handle 3 pro sports teams but for sure they can do 2. And with the winter hawks they do have hockey.

I would rather see the NHL max out at 32 teams. Figure out their markets first.

With Portland and Houston they would just be looking to add another tenant to the arena they control. Seattle is paying so that they can upgrade their arena with the hopes of getting an NBA team later. But they better make sure that their NHL owner can afford to buy an NBA team.
I think Portland can have 3 teams. People forget they would at least have all of oregon and the Vancouver, WA area too.
 

aqib

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Feb 13, 2012
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You are aware the City of San Diego literally subsidized Chargers' ticket sales for three years at the cost of tens of millions to the city in the mid-90's, no?? I was living in the east county from mid-1994 through 2001 and saw it first hand.

Which is actually an indication that SD wasn't a great place for an NFL team. Although I always thought going to LA as a second team was a bad idea. If they went alone they may have had a shot to succeed
 

PCSPounder

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Not to sound morbid, but interested to see what this does for Portland's chances at the NHL. It was already sort of Plan C or Plan D to begin with behind Seattle, QC, Houston.

Three distinct possibilities seem to be emerging in regards to the Blazers (which absolutely affects said NHL chances), although given what's described as a set of tangled arrangements, don't be surprised by a different outcome.

(1) The NBA has a plan, a line of vetted people who want to own a team, and can probably make life difficult for others who want to buy... if the succession plan allows for that (well, if it can allow for that). I would think it does. Larry Ellison, maybe? If THAT, and if the NBA has sufficient influence on the process, don't hold your breath for NHL.

(2) Bert Kolde has been Allen's right hand man at Vulcan with the Blazers. His name has popped up more than once this week. I don't think he has the money by himself, but if he builds a consortium with the money, I would think that the succession plan has paved this road. This means a slightly larger chance at NHL than under #1, but not much.

(3) Merritt Paulson supposedly has a consortium... and if allowed to buy, he's thinking a major sports project at the Rose Quarter. The NHL chances go up significantly... IF and only if he has the right consortium to actually make the purchase and start the development. Merritt is the managing partner, not the money guy, so the money matters. Thing is, as you can infer from my previous comments, I think the road isn't paved the way MP wants it to go.

You could argue that Bill Gallacher could tip the whole thing depending on which consortium he supports. I... don't know.

The other wildcard: what if Portland Diamond Group wants a piece of the Rose Quarter? They were promising a post-World Series announcement about a site (as in next month). BY THE WAY... as long as they are proposing a privately-funded stadium, it will "only" take two public proposals to deny Portland at the altar again. Don't act like these guys have their act together; they already bungled things once, and arguably leave doubt given another party purchased one of their proposed parcels of land (even if they say it's not out of reach down the road). I have thought less of this outfit the further they've gone down this road.
 
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TheLegend

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Which is actually an indication that SD wasn't a great place for an NFL team. Although I always thought going to LA as a second team was a bad idea. If they went alone they may have had a shot to succeed

Team was only there for 50+ years..... :rolleyes:

You also knew the Chargers originally started in LA, right?? Spent one year there then moved to SD.

I’m beginning to believe you know little, if anything, about the franchise and its history in SD.
 
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Melrose Munch

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Team was only there for 50+ years..... :rolleyes:

You also knew the Chargers originally started in LA, right?? Spent one year there then moved to SD.

I’m beginning to believe you know little, if anything, about the franchise and its history in SD.
Chargers were having blackout problems 15 years ago as you know and Spanos wanted a downtown stadium. San Diego to most people is not a great sports market.
 

Grudy0

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Mar 16, 2011
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Three distinct possibilities seem to be emerging in regards to the Blazers (which absolutely affects said NHL chances), although given what's described as a set of tangled arrangements, don't be surprised by a different outcome.

(1) The NBA has a plan, a line of vetted people who want to own a team, and can probably make life difficult for others who want to buy... if the succession plan allows for that (well, if it can allow for that). I would think it does. Larry Ellison, maybe? If THAT, and if the NBA has sufficient influence on the process, don't hold your breath for NHL.

(2) Bert Kolde has been Allen's right hand man at Vulcan with the Blazers. His name has popped up more than once this week. I don't think he has the money by himself, but if he builds a consortium with the money, I would think that the succession plan has paved this road. This means a slightly larger chance at NHL than under #1, but not much.

(3) Merritt Paulson supposedly has a consortium... and if allowed to buy, he's thinking a major sports project at the Rose Quarter. The NHL chances go up significantly... IF and only if he has the right consortium to actually make the purchase and start the development. Merritt is the managing partner, not the money guy, so the money matters. Thing is, as you can infer from my previous comments, I think the road isn't paved the way MP wants it to go.

You could argue that Bill Gallacher could tip the whole thing depending on which consortium he supports. I... don't know.

The other wildcard: what if Portland Diamond Group wants a piece of the Rose Quarter? They were promising a post-World Series announcement about a site (as in next month). BY THE WAY... as long as they are proposing a privately-funded stadium, it will "only" take two public proposals to deny Portland at the altar again. Don't act like these guys have their act together; they already bungled things once, and arguably leave doubt given another party purchased one of their proposed parcels of land (even if they say it's not out of reach down the road). I have thought less of this outfit the further they've gone down this road.
I had bumped up the old Portland - Gallacher grabbing NHLtoPDX domains for this very reason.

Four months ago, it was reported that the Winterhawks bought some NHL to Portland domains; the given reason was to ensure no one else picked them up and became domain squatters. I'm thinking there's more to the story there - like maybe some in the Gallacher camp knew that Paul Allen's health was deteriorating. One doesn't make a purchase unless there's been credible information...

In other words, why worry about squatters for an NHL to Portland domain four months ago, unless you knew something was upcoming that could make the discussion a real possibility, such as the impending news of Paul Allen's death?

I also have to wonder with respect to those in the know, if Paul Allen had reached out to the NBA to discuss what he'd like with respect to his own succession plan. The NBA themselves may have buyers vetted and lined up, but it isn't like they'd ignore Bill Gallacher if he has the means and the ability to purchase. For all we know Gallacher may be on the list.
 

TheLegend

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Chargers were having blackout problems 15 years ago as you know and Spanos wanted a downtown stadium. San Diego to most people is not a great sports market.

They had a blackout issue due to the team being horrendously bad.

We’re talking Ottawa level bad as a comparison.
 

TheLegend

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The Chicago Bears have been pretty bad yet they never had those problems.

Chicago isn’t San Diego.

San Diego’s relationship with the Spanos family was never that great. But the old man (Alex) knew not to push it too far. When he passed away, Dean took it over and drove it right off the cliff.
 
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PCSPounder

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I had bumped up the old Portland - Gallacher grabbing NHLtoPDX domains for this very reason.

Four months ago, it was reported that the Winterhawks bought some NHL to Portland domains; the given reason was to ensure no one else picked them up and became domain squatters. I'm thinking there's more to the story there - like maybe some in the Gallacher camp knew that Paul Allen's health was deteriorating. One doesn't make a purchase unless there's been credible information...

In other words, why worry about squatters for an NHL to Portland domain four months ago, unless you knew something was upcoming that could make the discussion a real possibility, such as the impending news of Paul Allen's death?

I also have to wonder with respect to those in the know, if Paul Allen had reached out to the NBA to discuss what he'd like with respect to his own succession plan. The NBA themselves may have buyers vetted and lined up, but it isn't like they'd ignore Bill Gallacher if he has the means and the ability to purchase. For all we know Gallacher may be on the list.

Let me warn you about something, however. Those can't be terribly expensive domains. So it only means so much. Also, the other domains the Winterhawks bought are just as telling to me. They're keeping all their options open, partly because they're hedging on the WHL and have to. Maybe they end up making a play for someone's AHL franchise... but they can't be openly doing that given contractual obligations between them and the city and Vulcan (and I'm sure the contract can rather easily be changed, but doing so too soon sends signals that cause tickets to go unsold). The ECHL... eh, let's not go overboard here.

Doesn't mean Gallacher wouldn't seize on an opportunity. Just that no doors were closed in that action.
 

No Fun Shogun

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Say what you want about the McCaskey's, at least they never cried crocodile tears and had constant sob stories about threatening to move the Bears. The Spanos clan became a poison pill that tried to bully their way to everything they wanted, and as a result a significant portion of the fanbase just had a **** 'em attitude and moved on, especially when it became readily obvious that they were looking for the first chance to bolt out of San Diego the moment they had the ability to do so.

And the fact of the matter is that alternative distractions in a market tend to hurt sports teams when they aren't good. I love Chicago, best summer city in the nation. But it blows here late fall/winter, so really there's sports and not much else to distract oneself with. In San Diego, though? An advanced iteration of humanity could terraform an entire world and be hard pressed to construct a climate more permanently favorable to enjoyable human life than the area around San Diego. If their team sucks, San Diegans just go outside and enjoy themselves.
 

Melrose Munch

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Chicago isn’t San Diego.

San Diego’s relationship with the Spanos family was never that great. But the old man (Alex) knew not to push it too far. When he passed away, Dean took it over and drove it right off the cliff.
Come on - all teams go through droughts. No reason to come to the point where games are taken off TV.
 

Melrose Munch

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Why not??

If the product is horrible and ownership openly doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the fans, you expect them to continue buying tickets??
It shouldn't be empty. But it brings the question of why said people want a team when there are other places who have a more attentive audience.
 
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