the only upside to the lockout.......we don't have to hear the rangers fan blabbing :P :wave:
oldest sports thread on here,..
:P
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That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Weeks after the NHL and NHLPA made their respective cases, the Alberta Labour Relations Board is expected to determine if the current lockout is legal in Alberta on Wednesday, according to the Edmonton Sun.
The NHLPA is hoping the board will stop the lockout in the province because they feel Alberta’s laws regarding a lockout weren’t met by the NHL. The league argued that ultimately all players belong to the same union and the vast majority of the players in the NHLPA are employed by non-Albertan teams.
The NHL will reportedly appeal the ruling if the relations board’s ruling favors the NHLPA.
Meanwhile, the union and league are also expected to resume their CBA negotiations tomorrow, although the major economic issues won’t be part of the talks.
Post edited by Bathgate66 on
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Donate Organs and Save a Life
TSN is sadly lacking for programming right now... I mean replaying old World Juniors games? Come on.
content is everything now ... consider there is TSN, TSN2, Sportsnet, SNET1 ... and that doesn't factor in the specialty channels like Golf ... they are all lacking content ...
There is a local bar here in Edmonton that is running all their usual radio ads, trying to get people thru the doors to watch hockey...but they have audio spliced in over the word 'hockey', using 'televised darts' instead. It would be funny if it wasn't so....shitty.
First snowfall here today.....Since I was a little kid, every single time someone has lamented the first snowfall or coming winter, my instinctual first thought has been 'at least it's hockey season'.....autumn '12 has been no different, except for the disappointment that follows that thought....makes me f'n bitter! :evil:
Unreal. It's all about the poorer teams. Also there might be a very good chance that the salary cap will not be coming back whenever this sport finally resurfaces. That would be great.
The Predators are an important component of the NHL lockout, as a small, nontraditional market team that has achieved some level of success.
So the league is trying to look out for Nashville’s interests in the next collective bargaining agreement, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an interview with The Tennessean on Tuesday.
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are scheduled to meet again today. They’re trying to agree how to divide $3.3 billion in hockey-related revenues.
The NHLPA also has pushed itself as having the best interests of smaller-market teams at heart. It has proposed revenue sharing of $260 million — with $120 million designated for “troubled franchises” to be doled out at the commissioner’s discretion.
The NHL proposal is $190 million but could grow during negotiations, Daly said.
As for hockey-related revenue, the league is proposing it be shifted from 57 percent in the players’ favor (in the final year of the last CBA) to 49 percent (in the first year of the league’s proposal).
Daly said a smaller percentage also would lower the salary cap, which is $70.2 million. The cap is tied to league revenues per the old CBA.
The issue?
A lower cap probably would mean lower salaries. And after taking a 24 percent pay cut at the end of the 2004-05 lockout, that’s something the players probably won’t want.
Here are excerpts from the interview with Daly:
How does your proposal help smaller markets?
“We instituted as part of our last collective bargaining agreement a pretty comprehensive revenue sharing program. That program will produce about $150 million in revenue sharing this past season.
“Our proposal that’s on the table now would increase that pool fairly significantly up in the neighborhood of $190 million, and depending on how the negotiation ultimately plays out, probably more than that.”
How does a higher percentage of hockey-related revenue for the league help the Predators?
“By definition the smaller percentage will lower the cap, which by definition will lower the floor. We’ve also talked about the concept of changing the structure creating the payroll range.
“The payroll range is currently constructed with a midpoint, and then building kind of room off the midpoint in equal directions to have a top end and a bottom end.
“We’re suggesting using less room on the top end and more room on the bottom end as a way of constructing the range that’s more friendly to small markets, but also creates a dynamic where there will be less player escrow, so there will be less dollars at risk for the players.”
Does your proposal address the signing bonuses and long-term contracts that hamper smaller markets?
“Well certainly both those elements are elements we’ve put across the table to the Players’ Association. I can’t say we have resolution Does this lockout hamper smaller, non-traditional markets more than an established, older market?
“I’m not sure I would buy that. I think it’s important for all markets, I think it’s important for the league, I think it’s important for the Players’ Association, I think it’s really important for the players.”
“I think the really unfortunate part of where we are, is not only the fact that we’ve done significant damage to this season’s revenues, but the bottom line is, by missing games, by missing training camp, by being in a labor dispute and a work stoppage, we’re certainly risking and threatening a slowdown to some of the momentum that we’ve had or been able to generate — some of the popularity we’ve been able to build throughout the league, including in some of the non-traditional markets.
“And I think the longer-term impact of that dynamic is as scary as anything else to us, and something we jointly should have an interest in trying to minimize at this point.”on any of those issues, but they certainly know how we feel about some of the extreme front-loaded long-term contracts.”
And so you see, I have come to doubt All that I once held as true I stand alone without beliefs The only truth I know is you.
i think the small market teams are the excuse for what the nhl owners really want:
1. to break the union
2. more money - you know that if they create a condition that supports small markets that ultimately, the big market teams will make that much more ... the owners lose any credibility to me unless they are willing to profit share ...
i think the small market teams are the excuse for what the nhl owners really want:
1. to break the union
2. more money - you know that if they create a condition that supports small markets that ultimately, the big market teams will make that much more ... the owners lose any credibility to me unless they are willing to profit share ...
exactly.....the league itself, and in particular, the small market Canadian teams were in trouble before the lockout. Dollar parity has levelled the field a bit since those crisis days, but the non-hockey revenue brought in by original six teams make it impossible for small market teams to compete in a salary free-for-all. I'm sure the Maple Leafs bring in enough in licensed merch sales alone to crush most small market teams.
That great socialist experiment that is the NFL is a good model for parity. Letting a few teams dominate the league would be a huge mistake.
Meanwhile, the union and league are also expected to resume their CBA negotiations tomorrow, although the major economic issues won’t be part of the talks.
:fp:
WHYYYYYYY?? nothing frustrates me more than the 'let them sweat' tactic....another way of saying 'we don't give a shit about the fans, this is about money'....keep negotiating until its done ffs
Meanwhile, the union and league are also expected to resume their CBA negotiations tomorrow, although the major economic issues won’t be part of the talks.
:fp:
WHYYYYYYY?? nothing frustrates me more than the 'let them sweat' tactic....another way of saying 'we don't give a shit about the fans, this is about money'....keep negotiating until its done ffs[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. The whole thing and the way it is being handled is a complete fucking joke.
i think the small market teams are the excuse for what the nhl owners really want:
1. to break the union
2. more money - you know that if they create a condition that supports small markets that ultimately, the big market teams will make that much more ... the owners lose any credibility to me unless they are willing to profit share ...
exactly.....the league itself, and in particular, the small market Canadian teams were in trouble before the lockout. Dollar parity has levelled the field a bit since those crisis days, but the non-hockey revenue brought in by original six teams make it impossible for small market teams to compete in a salary free-for-all. I'm sure the Maple Leafs bring in enough in licensed merch sales alone to crush most small market teams.
That great socialist experiment that is the NFL is a good model for parity. Letting a few teams dominate the league would be a huge mistake.
Meanwhile, the union and league are also expected to resume their CBA negotiations tomorrow, although the major economic issues won’t be part of the talks.
:fp:
WHYYYYYYY?? nothing frustrates me more than the 'let them sweat' tactic....another way of saying 'we don't give a shit about the fans, this is about money'....keep negotiating until its done ffs
wtf are they worried about extenuating issues, if they arent fucking playing the game ?
:?:
:fp:
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It's also the agents who need to keep their mouths shut on twitter
it's gotta be frustrating tho ... although i agree - it's in their best interests to stay silent ... it's hard to expect all members to take this quietly ...
I don't follow twitter so I really don't know what has been said. I didn't think Don would be a twitter follower. But Don knows these owners...so he probably knows what their like. Just like the last lockout I suspect the owners will get what they want.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
It's also the agents who need to keep their mouths shut on twitter
it's gotta be frustrating tho ... although i agree - it's in their best interests to stay silent ... it's hard to expect all members to take this quietly ...
i agree, but i just removed all players and agents from my twitter so i wouldn't read that shit lol
London 2005
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
Agree or Disagree
The lockout will end before November!
As expected, the Alberta Labour Board sided with the NHL today, blocking the NHLPA’s attempt to invalidate the lockout for the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.
Bill Daly expresses how “pleased” the NHL is with the decision in the league’s press release:
“We are pleased with the Alberta Labour Board’s ruling today that the lockout of Players is effective on a League-wide basis, including in Alberta, and we are extremely appreciative of the decisive manner in which the matter was handled.
“We are hopeful that this ruling will enable both the League and the NHL Players’ Association to focus all of our efforts and energies on negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to get our game and our Players back on the ice.”
so basically still NO progress,..
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Donate Organs and Save a Life
This is madness. I blame both sides, but most of all I blame the players' misguided denial that the Owners hold the cards here. Their goal should be to lessen the blow, and make it as quick as possible. Why miss out on a year's worth of a $4 Million dollar salary to save like $300K on that? (which will likely be back once the revenues keep growing). It would take a whole lengthy career to make up for that, not to mention those players who have already missed a season.
The owners are already independantly wealthy, and many of them lose a ton of money on the NHL year-to-year anyways. They can wait, and have proved it before.
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Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276
:fp: :(
owners are really trying to turn the screws, and not just in relation to salary....but to contract terms as well as free agency....i understand why the players are fighting, and i do support them, something has to give.
at least basketball is starting up, and the Bears are looking solid.
Y'all wake me up when the hockey season starts or the next time Pearl Jam tours. Whichever comes first.
drivingrl: "Will I ever get to meet Gwen Stefani?"
kevinbeetle: "Yes. When her career washes up and her and Gavin move to Galveston, you will meet her at Hot Topic shopping for a Japanese cheerleader outfit.
This is madness. I blame both sides, but most of all I blame the players' misguided denial that the Owners hold the cards here. Their goal should be to lessen the blow, and make it as quick as possible. Why miss out on a year's worth of a $4 Million dollar salary to save like $300K on that? (which will likely be back once the revenues keep growing). It would take a whole lengthy career to make up for that, not to mention those players who have already missed a season.
The owners are already independantly wealthy, and many of them lose a ton of money on the NHL year-to-year anyways. They can wait, and have proved it before.
Mike Modano was quoted, saying in retrospect, that sitting out the '04 season and missing out on $7.5M probably wasn't the greatest idea. It's not like these guys are getting paid $28/hr.
"It's not worth it. Get a deal done," former Dallas Stars forward Bill Guerin said during a phone call last week.
There was not a single NHL player during the Great Lockout of 2004-05 who was a bigger proponent of the union's fight than this man. No one believed in the cause more than Guerin, and to hear him admit this is a bit stunning.
"I learned a big lesson: It's not a partnership. It's their league, and you are going to play when they want," he said.
Today, Guerin has hindsight and his experience serves as a giant caution to any player who thinks losing a game, much less an entire season, to this lockout is a good idea. His message is simple: Get what you can; start playing; you are not going to win what you think.
"It is not worth it to any of them to burn games or to burn an entire year. Burning a year was ridiculous," Guerin said. "It wasn't worth me giving up $9 million a year, or 82 games plus the playoffs, then having a crappy year and being bought out.... Guys in the NBA making $15 million or however much better think long and hard about this."
The NBA is stuck in a nasty labor fight with the players' union, and the league already canceled the first couple of weeks of the regular season.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has cautioned that if a deal isn't done soon there will be no games through Christmas, at least.
When reflecting on the NHL lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, Guerin sounds like a man who had reality shoved down his throat. There is no bitterness in his voice, just truths, which aren't necessarily positive. The truth is Guerin, or any player, really isn't in charge as long as those who are cutting the checks are unified. If it doesn't sound that much different than your job, it's because it's not.
"We could have waited two years and they would have waited us out -- I would have given an extra 2 percent back to play that year," Guerin said. "When you are in the heat of battle, and you are fired up, you don't think what they are doing is right. But it's not about what is right or wrong -- it's their league. It's theirs. I feel, personally, I didn't like guys giving up a year of their career, for what? A few less bucks? Guys are making more money now than they ever have."
Much of what is taking place right now between the players and owners sounds and feels very similar to the early days of the NHL lockout in 2004. Stern has total autonomy. No owner is talking, which means Stern has solidarity and leverage.
"The only thing you can die in the battlefield for in something like this is guaranteed contracts; everything else is nickel-and-dime stuff and it's not worth it," Guerin said.
Guerin, 41, is retired, and works part time as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He lives with his wife and their four children in Long Island, N.Y., and can do so because he took care of his money while he played.
With the economy in a full dog paddle, and the Occupy Wall Street movement gaining traction, neither side appears to be winning the PR battle. No one sides with owners because they embody the "Big Bank/Wall Street" element that has become all that is wrong with the world.
We all know by now that just because they reduce their costs means they will certainly not pass the savings on to the consumer. They pass the savings on to themselves.
Meanwhile, no one cares about guys who play basketball for a six-figure check.
"People say it's OK for ownership to make money because they worked hard to make money and afford to buy a sports franchise," Guerin said. "But the athlete is dumb and good at his sport and fortunate to play sports and make millions."
This reminds me of the Chris Rock bit on Rich vs. Wealth: "Here is the difference," Rock says, "Shaq is rich. The white man that signs his check is wealthy. I ain't talking about rich, I'm talking about wealth."
This stupid thing could end today, tomorrow, next month or whenever.
Most of us have problems that don't compare so we don't care about this. For the vast majority of us, the NBA is a luxury rather than a need. We don't really need the NBA, because it's just a movie.
Guerin sounds like a man who learned this lesson, and one of the many truths that exist in our world.
"For so long, I thought so long and hard about it," he said. "But when you think about it, I tell guys it wasn't worth it."
That's funniest part of this lock out is people have actually taken sides...it's millionaires fighting billionaires...I'm guessing a good majority of teams don't make money till the playoffs...and do these players really think the Illitch's, Jacobs, Snider, Molson's is hurting for money...they all got their other business's...and some of these players lose credibility with me when there in Europe just till the lockout ends displacing hockey players who really have no choice but playing Europe. None of these hockey players need the money, and if they do then they need some serious financial counseling.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
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Okay, I'm pretty sure the NHL already understands what that's like. Maybe not in the northeast, but trust me, teams in other parts of the country understand not having fans. LOL
drivingrl: "Will I ever get to meet Gwen Stefani?"
kevinbeetle: "Yes. When her career washes up and her and Gavin move to Galveston, you will meet her at Hot Topic shopping for a Japanese cheerleader outfit.
Okay, I'm pretty sure the NHL already understands what that's like. Maybe not in the northeast, but trust me, teams in other parts of the country understand not having fans. LOL
good point
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Okay, I'm pretty sure the NHL already understands what that's like. Maybe not in the northeast, but trust me, teams in other parts of the country understand not having fans. LOL
Isles fans have been doing this since 94. bout time the other fans join in.
Ron: I just don't feel like going out tonight
Sammi: Wanna just break up?
Comments
oldest sports thread on here,..
:P
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The Alberta Labour Board will rule on the Lockout!
Read More: http://fb.nbcsports.com/XF5
Weeks after the NHL and NHLPA made their respective cases, the Alberta Labour Relations Board is expected to determine if the current lockout is legal in Alberta on Wednesday, according to the Edmonton Sun.
The NHLPA is hoping the board will stop the lockout in the province because they feel Alberta’s laws regarding a lockout weren’t met by the NHL. The league argued that ultimately all players belong to the same union and the vast majority of the players in the NHLPA are employed by non-Albertan teams.
The NHL will reportedly appeal the ruling if the relations board’s ruling favors the NHLPA.
Meanwhile, the union and league are also expected to resume their CBA negotiations tomorrow, although the major economic issues won’t be part of the talks.
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First snowfall here today.....Since I was a little kid, every single time someone has lamented the first snowfall or coming winter, my instinctual first thought has been 'at least it's hockey season'.....autumn '12 has been no different, except for the disappointment that follows that thought....makes me f'n bitter! :evil:
The Predators are an important component of the NHL lockout, as a small, nontraditional market team that has achieved some level of success.
So the league is trying to look out for Nashville’s interests in the next collective bargaining agreement, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in an interview with The Tennessean on Tuesday.
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are scheduled to meet again today. They’re trying to agree how to divide $3.3 billion in hockey-related revenues.
The NHLPA also has pushed itself as having the best interests of smaller-market teams at heart. It has proposed revenue sharing of $260 million — with $120 million designated for “troubled franchises” to be doled out at the commissioner’s discretion.
The NHL proposal is $190 million but could grow during negotiations, Daly said.
As for hockey-related revenue, the league is proposing it be shifted from 57 percent in the players’ favor (in the final year of the last CBA) to 49 percent (in the first year of the league’s proposal).
Daly said a smaller percentage also would lower the salary cap, which is $70.2 million. The cap is tied to league revenues per the old CBA.
The issue?
A lower cap probably would mean lower salaries. And after taking a 24 percent pay cut at the end of the 2004-05 lockout, that’s something the players probably won’t want.
Here are excerpts from the interview with Daly:
How does your proposal help smaller markets?
“We instituted as part of our last collective bargaining agreement a pretty comprehensive revenue sharing program. That program will produce about $150 million in revenue sharing this past season.
“Our proposal that’s on the table now would increase that pool fairly significantly up in the neighborhood of $190 million, and depending on how the negotiation ultimately plays out, probably more than that.”
How does a higher percentage of hockey-related revenue for the league help the Predators?
“By definition the smaller percentage will lower the cap, which by definition will lower the floor. We’ve also talked about the concept of changing the structure creating the payroll range.
“The payroll range is currently constructed with a midpoint, and then building kind of room off the midpoint in equal directions to have a top end and a bottom end.
“We’re suggesting using less room on the top end and more room on the bottom end as a way of constructing the range that’s more friendly to small markets, but also creates a dynamic where there will be less player escrow, so there will be less dollars at risk for the players.”
Does your proposal address the signing bonuses and long-term contracts that hamper smaller markets?
“Well certainly both those elements are elements we’ve put across the table to the Players’ Association. I can’t say we have resolution Does this lockout hamper smaller, non-traditional markets more than an established, older market?
“I’m not sure I would buy that. I think it’s important for all markets, I think it’s important for the league, I think it’s important for the Players’ Association, I think it’s really important for the players.”
“I think the really unfortunate part of where we are, is not only the fact that we’ve done significant damage to this season’s revenues, but the bottom line is, by missing games, by missing training camp, by being in a labor dispute and a work stoppage, we’re certainly risking and threatening a slowdown to some of the momentum that we’ve had or been able to generate — some of the popularity we’ve been able to build throughout the league, including in some of the non-traditional markets.
“And I think the longer-term impact of that dynamic is as scary as anything else to us, and something we jointly should have an interest in trying to minimize at this point.”on any of those issues, but they certainly know how we feel about some of the extreme front-loaded long-term contracts.”
All that I once held as true
I stand alone without beliefs
The only truth I know is you.
i think the small market teams are the excuse for what the nhl owners really want:
1. to break the union
2. more money - you know that if they create a condition that supports small markets that ultimately, the big market teams will make that much more ... the owners lose any credibility to me unless they are willing to profit share ...
That great socialist experiment that is the NFL is a good model for parity. Letting a few teams dominate the league would be a huge mistake.
:fp:
WHYYYYYYY?? nothing frustrates me more than the 'let them sweat' tactic....another way of saying 'we don't give a shit about the fans, this is about money'....keep negotiating until its done ffs
WHYYYYYYY?? nothing frustrates me more than the 'let them sweat' tactic....another way of saying 'we don't give a shit about the fans, this is about money'....keep negotiating until its done ffs[/quote]
My thoughts exactly. The whole thing and the way it is being handled is a complete fucking joke.
:P
wtf are they worried about extenuating issues,
if they arent fucking playing the game ?
:?:
:fp:
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/sto ... ckout.html
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
It's also the agents who need to keep their mouths shut on twitter
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
it's gotta be frustrating tho ... although i agree - it's in their best interests to stay silent ... it's hard to expect all members to take this quietly ...
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
i agree, but i just removed all players and agents from my twitter so i wouldn't read that shit lol
Toronto 2011 night 2
Hamilton 2011
London 2013
The NHL is pleased with Labour Board's decision.
Read More: http://fb.nbcsports.com/ru5
Agree or Disagree
The lockout will end before November!
As expected, the Alberta Labour Board sided with the NHL today, blocking the NHLPA’s attempt to invalidate the lockout for the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.
Bill Daly expresses how “pleased” the NHL is with the decision in the league’s press release:
“We are pleased with the Alberta Labour Board’s ruling today that the lockout of Players is effective on a League-wide basis, including in Alberta, and we are extremely appreciative of the decisive manner in which the matter was handled.
“We are hopeful that this ruling will enable both the League and the NHL Players’ Association to focus all of our efforts and energies on negotiating a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in order to get our game and our Players back on the ice.”
so basically still NO progress,..
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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thats grerat !
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
thats grerat !
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
This is madness. I blame both sides, but most of all I blame the players' misguided denial that the Owners hold the cards here. Their goal should be to lessen the blow, and make it as quick as possible. Why miss out on a year's worth of a $4 Million dollar salary to save like $300K on that? (which will likely be back once the revenues keep growing). It would take a whole lengthy career to make up for that, not to mention those players who have already missed a season.
The owners are already independantly wealthy, and many of them lose a ton of money on the NHL year-to-year anyways. They can wait, and have proved it before.
owners are really trying to turn the screws, and not just in relation to salary....but to contract terms as well as free agency....i understand why the players are fighting, and i do support them, something has to give.
at least basketball is starting up, and the Bears are looking solid.
and i save $172 on my center ice package
Y'all wake me up when the hockey season starts or the next time Pearl Jam tours. Whichever comes first.
kevinbeetle: "Yes. When her career washes up and her and Gavin move to Galveston, you will meet her at Hot Topic shopping for a Japanese cheerleader outfit.
Next!"
The players got the Fehrs involved, which from the beginning is not productive.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/10/19 ... s-its.html
"It's not worth it. Get a deal done," former Dallas Stars forward Bill Guerin said during a phone call last week.
There was not a single NHL player during the Great Lockout of 2004-05 who was a bigger proponent of the union's fight than this man. No one believed in the cause more than Guerin, and to hear him admit this is a bit stunning.
"I learned a big lesson: It's not a partnership. It's their league, and you are going to play when they want," he said.
Today, Guerin has hindsight and his experience serves as a giant caution to any player who thinks losing a game, much less an entire season, to this lockout is a good idea. His message is simple: Get what you can; start playing; you are not going to win what you think.
"It is not worth it to any of them to burn games or to burn an entire year. Burning a year was ridiculous," Guerin said. "It wasn't worth me giving up $9 million a year, or 82 games plus the playoffs, then having a crappy year and being bought out.... Guys in the NBA making $15 million or however much better think long and hard about this."
The NBA is stuck in a nasty labor fight with the players' union, and the league already canceled the first couple of weeks of the regular season.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has cautioned that if a deal isn't done soon there will be no games through Christmas, at least.
When reflecting on the NHL lockout that wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, Guerin sounds like a man who had reality shoved down his throat. There is no bitterness in his voice, just truths, which aren't necessarily positive. The truth is Guerin, or any player, really isn't in charge as long as those who are cutting the checks are unified. If it doesn't sound that much different than your job, it's because it's not.
"We could have waited two years and they would have waited us out -- I would have given an extra 2 percent back to play that year," Guerin said. "When you are in the heat of battle, and you are fired up, you don't think what they are doing is right. But it's not about what is right or wrong -- it's their league. It's theirs. I feel, personally, I didn't like guys giving up a year of their career, for what? A few less bucks? Guys are making more money now than they ever have."
Much of what is taking place right now between the players and owners sounds and feels very similar to the early days of the NHL lockout in 2004. Stern has total autonomy. No owner is talking, which means Stern has solidarity and leverage.
"The only thing you can die in the battlefield for in something like this is guaranteed contracts; everything else is nickel-and-dime stuff and it's not worth it," Guerin said.
Guerin, 41, is retired, and works part time as an assistant for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He lives with his wife and their four children in Long Island, N.Y., and can do so because he took care of his money while he played.
With the economy in a full dog paddle, and the Occupy Wall Street movement gaining traction, neither side appears to be winning the PR battle. No one sides with owners because they embody the "Big Bank/Wall Street" element that has become all that is wrong with the world.
We all know by now that just because they reduce their costs means they will certainly not pass the savings on to the consumer. They pass the savings on to themselves.
Meanwhile, no one cares about guys who play basketball for a six-figure check.
"People say it's OK for ownership to make money because they worked hard to make money and afford to buy a sports franchise," Guerin said. "But the athlete is dumb and good at his sport and fortunate to play sports and make millions."
This reminds me of the Chris Rock bit on Rich vs. Wealth: "Here is the difference," Rock says, "Shaq is rich. The white man that signs his check is wealthy. I ain't talking about rich, I'm talking about wealth."
This stupid thing could end today, tomorrow, next month or whenever.
Most of us have problems that don't compare so we don't care about this. For the vast majority of us, the NBA is a luxury rather than a need. We don't really need the NBA, because it's just a movie.
Guerin sounds like a man who learned this lesson, and one of the many truths that exist in our world.
"For so long, I thought so long and hard about it," he said. "But when you think about it, I tell guys it wasn't worth it."
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/10/19 ... rylink=cpy
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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Okay, I'm pretty sure the NHL already understands what that's like. Maybe not in the northeast, but trust me, teams in other parts of the country understand not having fans. LOL
kevinbeetle: "Yes. When her career washes up and her and Gavin move to Galveston, you will meet her at Hot Topic shopping for a Japanese cheerleader outfit.
Next!"
good point
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life
Sammi: Wanna just break up?