Mid-summer Inside The Zone

I'd take Pearson from Flint, I saw a lot of work from him. Zehr ?

I think Pearson signed somewhere else all ready, at least I thought I saw that. Jeff Zehr.....wow.....I can get my brains around that one. I hate that guy....could he be a Komet? That guy could be the worst thing that happens to a team as he coasts at times and is a "ME" player first as it seems.....or he could come in and do well. I will pass on Jeff Zehr personally.

Zehr is a cry baby, period! Big, Strong & a Coaster who crys. Could never be a Komet.

What about Ned Braden? Has he signed? He could be our sniper.

Ai, Ai, Ai. Just another day in paradise up in Flint I see. Sheesh, when they said "new owners", I thought they meant "new" as in completely different. I've had it with these clowns. I'd rather go with 6 teams next season then deal with this "Days of our Generals" nonsense.

To mitchwoodsfan: Oh, we'll hear about the players who are cut -- and there will be players cut. Fans will even get to see them play in the preseason. Granted, it is probably more likely that it will be new guys/rookies who are cut. I don't think they would intentionally waste the time of anyone who had worn the black and orange before. But with the preseason roster already so loaded -- and they've yet to fill it out with rookies -- anything could happen.

dont put down the mad ants. its pretty exciting at times and this basketball is actually more enjoyable to watch then the nba. got to see some pretty good talent in the last couple of years and they do go directly to the show from here unlike the current situation in the ihl.

OK, but I guess you have to actually appreciate the NBA to even come close to liking the NBDL....

I will stick with my love for college basketball, the players are paid less, and they try alot harder...oh yes, it is a team game much of the time too...unlike the "clear out" one on one game in the NBA.

Attendance in that league, in Fort Wayne at least, is bad. Just my opinion on the style of basketball they play....I just don't like it. Sorry.

Gruhl....Zehr..... Chelios in a Wings uniform.....

MR SNUFFLUPUGUS ++

Hit: Agreed. I get free box seats to the Mad Ants right on the floor and I still pass most of the time because it's not worth the $4 I still have to spend on parking. It's as if the guys in that league do not know how to do two simple aspects of the game: pass and make free throws. Every once in awhile it's neat to see a former Big Ten player come through as the Mad Ants lose by 15 in the last quarter and are 10 games out of the playoffs. I guess not every minor league team can't be a championship team.

dont like the nba but these guys are mostly right out of college and they do get to play hard plus its the only way ive been able to see guys like earl calloway and wilmont play in person. three of the ants are now in the show but i sure wouldnt pay to see them up there!! i like the cheap tickets and the cheerleaders,ooops, i mean the dance team and the atmosphere even tho the game itself is not as good as college but i guess im just wondering why someone has to attack another ft wayne minor league sport on a hockey blog?? (by the way the ants have led the league in attendance for two straight years and like the ihl you only need around 3000 in the seats to be successful.) go komets sign woods!

Now that I know what the NBDL is (Thanks HitSomebody) I don't know why there would be a scheduling problem. The Coliseum gives them the available dates before they schedule. I do not go to see the Mad Ant's and for that matter the Tin Caps. I love college basketball, not the NBA. I umpired high school and college baseball for 25 years. The "New" stadium is gorgous but I didn't see the need for it. Still don't! I have other things that I would rather spend my money on. I just do not believe bad mouthing any team from Fort Wayne. Minor league sports in general is a tough business. Most teams do not make a lot of money. Piling on them is just not right. Now, Kalamazoo that is a different story! Maybe even Purdue a little. The Buckeyes now that is is easy.

Mitch Woods, Cincinnati Cyclones jerseys=white or red #17= NEAT

Blake is Flint still holding the press conference next week? The ownership group that was to run the club is now going bankrupt. Any word from the Frankes on that situation? As far as the NBDL holding up the schedule I don't buy it I think it has all to do with the Flint situation and it appears we are back to having a six team league.

Yep, I'm famous for lying. Flint is still having the press conference, and the Generals are not the problem on the schedule. They will play next season.

i am not calling u a lair, just can't understand how the NBADL can hold up scheduling for the komets. Is the current ownership group the ones who will own the generals or a is there a new group. on July 7th the ihl stated that the crrent group would run the club? That group is now going belly up.

I am not sure about this but I believe the group going bellyup is the group that owns the building. If that is true than that would clear the way for a group of new Flint owners to buy it. If I am correct than a lot of the stuff going on in Flint makes sence. New owners group without Perani. I do know they wanted to purchase the building. I am sure they would not want to inherit a lot of it's debt. I am just trying to think outside the box. It easy to spectulate on Blake's Blog! No fines, No hassles.

Is the NBADL funded by the NBA? I would think it probably is. If that's the case, there is probably some money backing it, giving them a little more pull than we probably give it credit for. We see Komets crowds vs. Mad Ants "crowds" and it's no contest. So in our eyes, we'd think the Komets have precedence. In reality, the NBA I'm sure has some type of lease agreement with the Coliseum that it cannot break just because the Komets are more popular amongst the winter crowds.

While I know the Komets and Tin Caps are also good (if not notorious) for doing this, I've been to Mad Ants games where the first two rows of the parking lot aren't even remotely full and the PA announcer claims there are 5,000 people at the game... I don't know how much I trust attendance rates in any minor league sport. The crowds are different too. Komets crowds are into the game. Mad Ants crowds you can't really tell are even there other than the drunks who sit at mid-court about halfway up the lower arena.

Blake, I don't believe anyone thinks you are lying. I think you have a lot of hockey fans who are frustrated with all of the off season turmoil. ( I know I am). The way I see it now is that there are three things going on at one time up in Flint. 1) The old ownership group needs to file bankruptcy in order to alleviate them of their debts. 2) The new ownership group has to wait until that is done so they can form a new group which will in no way be connected with the debts of the former owners. 3) This becomes even more complicated because the new owners want to buy the building and probably are unwilling to until they are sure everything is clear legally. Blake, how close am I to being correct on this? As far as the scheduling delay, why is this year different than past years? The NBADL has been in this town for the last couple of years. Last year there was a game or two that was moved but it didn't seem to hold everything up. Is there another team in the IHL that shares a building with a NBADL team? Does the problem stem from another city or is it just Fort Wayne? Anyway, I am sure that I can speak for everyone on this blog when I say that no one thinks you would lie to us. We appreciate the way you update your blog so we are current with the information you receive. (And that is no lie).

Nobody said you were lying to us, Blake. If anything, we're just wondering if the people you get information from are lying to you. Whoa... They actually ARE claiming to have scheduling conflicts? That is too funny, because I was just referencing that Ken Ullyot comment -- the one from that feature story you wrote and posted a link to recently yourself:

Me on 7/16: Schedule delays have nothing to do with Flint, QC or anything hockey related. It

Time for you to go to box and feel shame.

Well, no one can say you don't keep busy! LOL

Okay, so maybe you know exactly what's going on and just can't tell us yet. That's all well and good. But from the fans point of view, it comes down to the old "cry wolf" story. Back on June 26, you quoted Michael Franke thusly:
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Asked about news out of Flint,

we meant the ihl board they dont need to tell us every little thing. its up to flints new owner to make his own bed and make his own announcements. i dont believe that anyone is dumb enough to suggest blake doesnt know something when hes got more inside info and contacts than all of us put together. chill everybody and stop worrying about the other teams when weve got our own th ings to worry about. ie; couple goal scorers, another goaler, woods and who are the right rookies to bring in..who cares about flint or quad city right now? not worth the effort.

Didn't the owners of Wrigley Field and the Cubs just take the exact same route Alan is asking about concerning Flint? Alan, you think quite a bit and if your married, more power to your wife. I think your mind is always running, 24/7. Sheesh. In any event, you may be completely correct.

In other news, great quote, chuckitt: "chill everybody and stop worrying about other teams when we've got our own things to worry about." You later went on to say "not worth the effort." Totally true, when it comes down to it, none of the stuff we worry about on here is worth the effort because no matter what we say or predict on here means anything, but on the other hand, this is a blog and that's kind of the entire point of it; ESPECIALLY in the off-season until we have something relevant to talk about.

Either way, it makes for fun reading ;)

What chuckitt said chill out, don't be a naysayer, besides that Obama is going to fix everything I am a proud owner of government motors. In the next 7-10 days I am going to get even more tan, but wait, what if the sun doesn't come out, what if the wife finds my honey do list I keep losing, geez if these what ifs happen it could be 60-70 days before I get even more tan.

I am not bashing the Mad Ants...I am happy for them and anyone who wants to support them, It just ain't my bag, baby!!! And it is a fact that they don't draw flies out there most games. Sorry for that observation. I love basketball, but just not that style. One on one basketball is more fun to watch at the Park or in my driveway. No offense.

I agree that it is great that Flint is putting "their ducks in a row" is a great thing....but really is that great? They are severely behind and are losing what fans they have left by the minute. No one to accept ticket money, no coach, no General Manager, no player signings, no marketing, no plan, no advertisers, no positive PR, no community involvement, ZERO this summer so far. The Komets have 14 players signed...Doesn't Bloomington have at least that many or more, Dayton has a handful already as well, Muskegon has 6-8 guys inked, Port Huron has half a team, Kalamazoo still has Pickard (attempt at humor).....

My only point is this, it might actually be better to get the ducks or Generals in the row and do so over the course of this next year and maybe try to repair some relationships rather than try and rush a product out to a customer that is furious and uninterested....UNLESS>.....is it possible they might give the season tickets away this season or offer them at severely reduced prices to get cheeks in the seats? This is the only way I can see them pulling this off this season. You might lose money this season, but you make everyone happy for next year....maybe.

Just because a business files bankruptcy doesn't mean its going belly up. Look at GM, did they go belly up. Nope, they reorganized and came out stronger. Has anyone thought that maybe what Fline is doing. Its alot easier to run a business when your out from under a pile of debt. Its funny when the word bankruptcy is mentioned a business is going belly up.

"Travis Prince says The Perani Group likely to declare bankruptcy" by Dan Feldman of the Flint Journal, Thursday July 16, 2009. For those of you who may not know- Travis Prince is one of the owners in the Perani Group. Now the word "likely" does not mean that they will but it certainly leads you in one direction. Therefore, I don't need to think 24/7 to come to a conclusion where one ownership group may be waiting for another to completely be out of the picture before officially starting up. It is true that I am speculating about the new owners wanting to buy the building. However, it is not "insane" as Blake puts it. First of all, it would be a public relations coup as many Flint people have complained about the condition of the building, the lack of heat, the cleanliness, and the condition of the parking lot. If the new ownership group also owned the building they would have more income producing avenues such as concessions and parking. ( Just like the Port Huron Icehawks with McMorran Arena.) I believe Blake when he reports that there is a strong group in place ready to take over. The Flint Journal has reported the same thing. Here are the facts. Flint has made no announcements at all. There has to be something holding that up. ( The new group may have many players signed that we aren't aware of because they need to wait for all the legalities to get done. They may be way ahead of where anybody thinks they are.) Maybe all this is just hogwash and garbage, but there is one thing that I am certain of: I don't need anybody to tell me to "chill." I do not lose any sleep over this but I am interested in the IHL not only surviving, but being strong. Time will tell. Maybe we can all wait the famous "7-10 days" to find out. See ya later.

I think the problem is the Komets and their schedule. Notice how it isn't quite being said by Blake, but somewhat is. Plus most other teams have already announced their home opener and we have not.