Dilemma in the Desert

If you haven't seen The Never Ending Story, this remake should suffice. The Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy situation has completely overshadowed whatever else has happened in the hockey world this summer, and will continue to occupy the spotlight until Judge Redfield T. Baum decides on the appropriate course of action.

I can't speak intelligently on these matters as they pertain to American Bankruptcy Law or Competition Rules, but I can chime in on some of the issues underlying this whole mess, the most prominent being NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's apparent vendetta against RIM boss Jim Balsillie. Let's remember, a few years back when Balsillie attempted to buy the Nashville Predators, the league elected instead to give the team to one Mr. William "Boots" Del Biaggio. The latter is now serving an eight-year prison sentence for his involvement in an investment scheme, prior to which, he needed financial assistance from the NHL to keep the Predators afloat. All the while, it is the mandate of the NHL that Jim Balsillie is "not of the character" required to be an owner in their league. Really? Give me a break.

The simple fact of the matter is that pride is hard to swallow. Gary Bettman is embarrassed. Embarrassed about taking the game to markets that can't sustain franchises (Phoenix, Nashville, South Florida, and Atlanta) and embarrassed about what happened the last time he hand-picked someone to help a team out of financial hell. One of the lessons we can take from this is that it is never a good idea to sell a professional sports franchise to an adult with a nickname. The other is that Bettman is simply prolonging the admittance of his mistakes.

At the end of the day, Bettman and his owners may get their way, but it will only postpone the inevitable. Think of it like Terminator 2.

Eventually, there will be no more professional hockey in Phoenix. Eventually there will be another professional hockey team, maybe even two more, in Southern Ontario. And eventually Jim Balsillie will own a professional sports team, more than likely in the NHL. Eventually.

Jerry Moyes, Wayne Gretzky, and the fans of the Coyotes want someone to stop the bleeding, and they want someone to provide them with some closure on this thing. Redfield T. Baum may be that person, but alas, we wait.