According to Komets president Michael Franke, "By early next week I think we'll have some information. I will tell you that the schedling meeing and the all the drafts have been rescheduled and will be coming up late next week."
Asked if he had any plans on heading to Quad City early next week, Franke said, "I can't say."
Asked about news out of Flint, "The ownership group is in place. We'll know more within 7-to-10 days."
Everybody have a good weekend and try to stay cool. I'm going on vacation, but I'll be checking in.
Comments
Thanks for the updates Blake, have a great vacation.
Have a good vacation.
BAM24 strikes out in slow pitch softball.
He-he. That reminds me of... what was it?... I think it was the movie "Dave"... where Kevin Kline asks the secret service agent a question and the agent responds with, "I can't say." Confused by this, Kline presses, "You mean you can't say or you CAN'T SAY?" The agent just looks at him a second and repeats, "I can't say."
Whoa. Another vacation? Is this one because the first one wore you out? LOL. :D
I don't know how to take this no news = good news or no news = nothing great forthcoming...
In my defense, the wind was blowing hard and there was dirt in my eye. Besides, I paid my debt with a Busch Light 30 pack. Can't wait for hockey so Burgee has something constructive to discuss. Only 4 months till he loses his pants. This shot of Mamajuana is for you Shark!
Lunch at trolly, #9, says you strike out at least once this weekend, hey batter batter, whiff, strike 3 again. Skipper and freddy keep me posted.
I heard blake took his blog bonus and is going fly fishing in the maumee.
I have been one of the biggest supporters and cheerleaders of the IHL....but even I am starting to wonder what the heck is the hold-up.....are they stringing this thing along or what. This is getting stupid. If you wait any longer, you might have situation where you are rushing to get things in place instead of doing it the right way....that is if there is a QC team and a Flint team.
I will give Blake credit for asking a direct question. I, too, believe that this has dragged out way too long. My gut reaction is that Quad City must be in or Michael Franke would have answered the question in a different manner. The fact that he states more information will be coming early next week and that the drafts will take place late next week tells me that Quad City must be in. You all know by now how important I think that a second Illinois franchise is to the IHL. The IHL knows right now what the answer is and I believe they are giving the new owner time to get to Quad City to make the announcement. The ECHL meetings are over but one way or another I would like to know what is going on. It seems every week we, as fans of the IHL, are asked to wait and then asked to wait some more. The argument could very well be made that it is none of our business. I would counter that by saying that, all through this, the league has given us only tidbits of information while not making any "official" announcements. That strategy has gone on long enough. Whatever the news may be I am an adult and can accept it, What I find hard to accept is the manner and length of time that this process has taken. Now is the time to give the loyal, money paying fans, of the IHL more than the "we'll get back with you next week ( for the second or third time) and let you know" standard answer that has been their way of doing things. It is time to move on one way or another. I'm sure that this post will anger some but I'm getting tired and impatient with all the mystery. One way or the other, please, let us all move on.
What if......
The new team, if any is negotiating lease agreements, parking kickbacks, concession kickbacks and on and on and on, would u as the owner of that team want anything released prior to wrapping all that up. It really is none of our business but yet it is exciting, got 6 teams, I'd be happy with 5, a 7th team would be great.
When it comes down to it, any economic situation needs both producers and consumers. Can't have one without the other. I know you're all big business Burgee, but crapping on the consumers doesn't help the producers, especially when money is tight. Alan is right, if you jerk people around too much, even the most loyal fans will be tired of being looked at as children or "the stupid public". Parking, concessions, all that stuff can be done after announcing a team. Having fans starting to buy their season tickets with an early announcement would only boost the team's pull in all those areas (minus the lease probably).
I don't know, I'm with Alan, I'd like to know what is going on. One of the millions of downfalls of living in a small town and having to deal with minor league sports I guess. All's well that ends well though. It will all work out as it's meant to. Time to go make some fireworks :)
OK, I'll finally come clean... I took my blog "bonus" and I'm the new owner of the Quad City Quackys (colors, mostly yellow and mauve with a little bit of red-neck), and I'm off this week because I have to wrap up everything in Moline. I figure, what's a more stable investment than a minor league sports team? What could possbily go wrong? So, that sort of makes all of you co-owners, right? 50-cent beer nights!!!! Of course it will have to be root beer because, you know, I'm broke. Our mascot will be giant lips with absolutely nothing behind them, like a brain, but they will be holding an itty bitty straw to always stir things up.
Opening night will be a free book night sponsored by team president Burgee. Hit Somebody, you're my GM; Wendy, head of marketing; ToeBlake, with a name like that you have to be the coach, right? Dschebig, head of off-ice officials (and owner security). RunningKomet, strength and conditioning; Chuckitt and Dubchak have to be co-PR directors to get all the history documented. Alan is our governor, since he seems to have some reasonable opinions. KometsPA, head of Robin Bouchard fan club. Me? I'll be in the mascot suit getting beat up by kids.
No, the scary thing is I've had absolutely nothing to drink. Must be heat stroke.
While I am flatterd by the offer Blake I will choose just to coach from the stands because that way I can keep my undefeated record. Never lost a game from the stands..
Lol, RK--do u walk into a car dealer and say I have $500 a month to spend on a car? Don't do it little buddy.
Stay away from big business! Go the small business route.
And never ever show your hand, get it all up front because the person you're getting it from wants to make a buck too and when you sign your name on the line, guess what, negotiations over!
Blake has had to have pounded a case of PBR to write all that. El presidenti, not me I'm not a people person!
Suddenly I don't feel quite so odd anymore. Or at least not quite so alone in being odd. LOL.
Hey cool. My dad was in marketing. :D
As for the news delay, I see it as more a result of the league being in it's formative years. Things tend to a bit unpredictable at this stage in any business. I certainly hope it isn't them just jerking us around. There is nothing I hate more than being told "You're on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know."
50 cent BEER NIGHT=even with the root in it is OK with me.I would like 1 dollar beer night at the Komets games. I was going through the k-zoo roster & draft and don't think Nebus will be around when the K's draft=maybe little?
All I'm saying is you have to take care of your consumers, too. It's obvious you're all about supply-side economics, being in some sort of business and from the way you voice your opinions on here. However, even you know the customer has to be happy, or else you're out of business. You can try to run a league with no fans in the seats, but I don't think it'll work. Well, unless you think you can somehow match the raging success of Flint.
Conditioning, eh? I can handle that. We start at 6 a.m. tomorrow with an easy 10-miler.
Alright, so since Blake is ripping on Quad City, does that mean they ditched getting into the IHL?? Or is he making fun of them to start getting us to hate them for the upcoming season against them?? Oh how the mind boggles...
Gee, Thanks Blake. I've never seen my name and the words "reasonable opinions" in the same sentence before! Hey Wendy, I don't think you are odd and I understand what you mean by the league being in its formulative years, but remember that the IHL today is the remnant of the old UHL and except for the TRAITOR Pickard, most of the poeple in the league office are the same. So I would submit to you that they have a lot of experience at this. It seems that I remember that July the 1st was some sort of "magic" day for the Quad City people. Maybe we are closer than we think to the official decision since the 1st is Wednesday.
Magic day, eh? That reminds me, since I'm in charge of marketing, I think the team should be named after a fantasy creature. Okay, so dragons and griffons have been used ad nausea already. Maybe a chimera. And as an added bonus, the word chimera has a double meaning: "An impossible or foolish fantasy". Perfect for minor league hockey! LOL.
Speaking of Pickard, check out this fun graphic I made a few weeks ago. You have to be familiar with the Harry Potter movies to fully appreciate it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v12/Myriada/PaulPickard.jpg
Why would ANYBODY be happy in a 5 team league Burgee?? Seriously?
the hundred guys with jobs to play would be pretty happy i bet!
Speaking as one who has at various times in my life had to live where there was no hockey I would be quite happy with a five team league as opposed to no hockey at all.
Watching occasional NHL games on TV and keeping up with things by reading "The Hockey News" (it was pre-internet days) just wasn't the same as being able to go watch a local team play.
I, too, would have no qualms watching a 5 team league. But then, I'm perfectly happy eating exactly the same things every day, so maybe I'm not the right person to ask.
All of this means nothing....
There will be the following teams in the IHL next season:
Bloomington Prairie Thunder
Dayton Gems
Flint Generals
Fort Wayne Komets
Muskegon FuryJack
Port Huron IceBeacons
Quad City Quackers
Relax, enjoy the off-season....next years IHL season will rock!!! I all ready hate Dayton....can you imagine Legault and Willis on the same team?
The one question I do have is this......
With an expansion draft and dispersal draft looming at the end of this week....does Flint have anyone in place as general manager or coach that can appropriately tag players as protected or unprotected and also draft K-Zoo players?
Same goes for QC, will they have any hockey people in place to make roster decisions by the end of the week?
Hey Hit, I'm sure that both Flint and Quad City will be ready to take their turns in the draft. I'm sure that both teams have a lot more in place than has been let known. I am worried about something though. Blake said he was going on vacation and on Justin's blog he said he was going on vacation. You don't think......Oh NO! they wouldn't go on vacation together would they? Yikes...another conspiracy. What are we bloggers supposed to think?
It worries me that maybe things are getting ready to put on hold for another 2-3 weeks. Why would both beat-reporters take vacations if the IHL is getting ready to announce expansion, new ownership, and drafts? You would think that maybe they would work this week and then take vacations next week....I am not dictating their vacation schedules by any means, but are we to conclude that the IHL is getting ready to string this thing along further into the summer?
Quad City has a deadline of July 1st for giving back ticket deposits.
Since I am president I have decided to change my title to dictator, the beatings will continue until moral improves.
I have a great tan.
Cha ching, 30 hit blog bonus coming up for Blake
Anyone caught reading anything by any other author other than Blake Sebring will be forced to stare at a picture of Paul Pickard until googleyed.
I, State your name, do hereby pledge my alligience to the frat..........
I'm on vacation=pool + BEER/ I have 4 Justin Hodgman hockey cards + 1 JR. card of Legault + 2 Mitch Woods jerseys soon to go up in price.