Saturday, December 10, 2011

Week 20 begins with my beloved Leafs being sold to a pair of strange bedfellows

Good Saturday evening to you all, I hope that you've started your weekend off well.

What can I say, my beloved Maple Leafs have been sold.  The rumor that has been speculated on for weeks in Toronto has finally come to fruition.  For $1.3 billion, the Leafs have been sold to two competing broadcast giants in Canada, Bell and Rogers. 

Imagine Verizon and Comcast buying a majority share of say, the Yankees, or the Packers.   Well that's what happened yesterday in Toronto. 

Two of the media giants having major control over the 4 major sports teams in Toronto (Leafs, Jays, Raptors and Toronto FC) is a scary thought.   

Here's the article that outlines the sale.

To be honest, I can't decide what I prefer when it comes to ownership of the Leafs.  Go back to the 60's thru the early 90's when individuals such as Harold Ballard and Steve Stavro owned the team?  Maybe the only way that teams like the Leafs can be owned in this day and age are by media conglomerates. 

It's sad, because even though Ballard was a screw up when it came to his heavy handed approach of running the team (into the ground during the 80's), it sure was a helluva lot more interesting than the last several years with the Teachers Pension Fund running the show, caring more about the fund than the club. 

Only time will tell how things shake out with the new owners, but in the meantime, I'll enjoy the exciting young group of players we have now, such as Phil the Thrill...


One card rule


I don't care what any of the so called "experts" say, I still do, and will always like this deal.  Phil has matured into a thrilling hockey player with a chance to be a 40+ goal scorer for the next several seasons.  The fact that he is wearing an "A" on his jersey, even on a part time basis, shows the faith that management has in him.

You can't tell me as well that Boston's GM Peter Chiarelli didn't overpay a bit as well for Tomas Kaberle at the deadline last year as a bit of a payback for the Leafs taking what was considered a sore spot in the Boston dressing room off of their hands.














I believe that Only Time Will Tell  on this new ownership group.

Thanks for reading, Robert

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