To review.....
I also am saddened for the PHX/ARI fans. They have endured sorrow and sorrow and sorrow. Emotionally, it has been nothing but a roller coaster, and that's sad, because without fans, no sports exist.
In retrospect, this ending was more or less assured the moment that Ellman and Moyes split the team away from the development in the West Valley. All of the problems in Glendale are because of a single fact: Like a lot of places, there isn't enough hockey-interested money in the Valley to support a team on its own, and there isn't enough to split it between the host city and the team to make both of them happy. So, either the host city loses big time (IA's lease), or the team loses big time....and those aren't situations that will last.
Tempe could have worked. The new location might have worked. But the possibility of each is what has driven the changes in Glendale with respect to their arena.....ie, everyone knows that 3 arenas in the Valley is one too many.
And, finally, Meruelo turns out to be exactly what all of his prior behavior indicated....a very predatory business man, and I don't blame any fans one bit for vowing not to support him even if he gets the team back (which I highly doubt will happen). I susupect that there will be further news come out that makes it difficult for him to completely finance his project (if he even bids on the land). And I suspect that such news will make it difficult for him to sell all the high valued seats for games should the arena get built anyway. It's going to be a bit like the last year of the North Stars in Minnesota, in which Norm Green was a pariah in the Twin Cities, and everyone hated him, and wouldn't support him.
Just my 2 thoughts. 15-20 years of a sad situation.
I also am saddened for the PHX/ARI fans. They have endured sorrow and sorrow and sorrow. Emotionally, it has been nothing but a roller coaster, and that's sad, because without fans, no sports exist.
In retrospect, this ending was more or less assured the moment that Ellman and Moyes split the team away from the development in the West Valley. All of the problems in Glendale are because of a single fact: Like a lot of places, there isn't enough hockey-interested money in the Valley to support a team on its own, and there isn't enough to split it between the host city and the team to make both of them happy. So, either the host city loses big time (IA's lease), or the team loses big time....and those aren't situations that will last.
Tempe could have worked. The new location might have worked. But the possibility of each is what has driven the changes in Glendale with respect to their arena.....ie, everyone knows that 3 arenas in the Valley is one too many.
And, finally, Meruelo turns out to be exactly what all of his prior behavior indicated....a very predatory business man, and I don't blame any fans one bit for vowing not to support him even if he gets the team back (which I highly doubt will happen). I susupect that there will be further news come out that makes it difficult for him to completely finance his project (if he even bids on the land). And I suspect that such news will make it difficult for him to sell all the high valued seats for games should the arena get built anyway. It's going to be a bit like the last year of the North Stars in Minnesota, in which Norm Green was a pariah in the Twin Cities, and everyone hated him, and wouldn't support him.
Just my 2 thoughts. 15-20 years of a sad situation.
