Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Welcome back to earth, you greedy SOBs
After months of deft negotiation, strategic sound bites and hard-line battle tactics, the NHL and NHLPA have come to terms on a tentative union contract which will allow for a 2005-06 hockey season.
The geniuses at the players' union have been able to wrangle away from the owners some key concessions, including a 24% salary roll-back, a hard salary cap, and (correct me if I'm wrong) an exclusive Sports Illustrated photo-shoot featuring bikini-clad players' wives serving cigars and scotch to lounging team owners.
Any pundit with half a brain (i.e. pundits not named "Al Strachan" and "Glenn Healy") could have predicted the owners -- who are not dependent of their franchises for income -- would outlast twenty-something meatheads, "men" coddled from peewee hockey onwards who cannot fathom having to have a job past the age of 35.
The thing is, I'm still going to attend the games, cheer on Iggy, Kipper and the rest, and not begrudge them for entertaining me. I'm not going to be dishonest and say that I'm done with the greedy players and owners and coaches and hot dog vendors. I love hockey, I enjoy the action, it's something I "get". I can't wait for next season to start.
If anyone tells you otherwise, then they're no fan of the game itself. It's too good to be ruined by a crew of fiscally irresponsible nincompoops.
And so I say, thank-you, players, for coming to terms with being such stupid morons that it took you more than a year to realize how good you had it. I'm happy you've finally realized the errors of your ways.
Now, get back to work, idiots. I got me some hockey to watch.
The geniuses at the players' union have been able to wrangle away from the owners some key concessions, including a 24% salary roll-back, a hard salary cap, and (correct me if I'm wrong) an exclusive Sports Illustrated photo-shoot featuring bikini-clad players' wives serving cigars and scotch to lounging team owners.
Any pundit with half a brain (i.e. pundits not named "Al Strachan" and "Glenn Healy") could have predicted the owners -- who are not dependent of their franchises for income -- would outlast twenty-something meatheads, "men" coddled from peewee hockey onwards who cannot fathom having to have a job past the age of 35.
The thing is, I'm still going to attend the games, cheer on Iggy, Kipper and the rest, and not begrudge them for entertaining me. I'm not going to be dishonest and say that I'm done with the greedy players and owners and coaches and hot dog vendors. I love hockey, I enjoy the action, it's something I "get". I can't wait for next season to start.
If anyone tells you otherwise, then they're no fan of the game itself. It's too good to be ruined by a crew of fiscally irresponsible nincompoops.
And so I say, thank-you, players, for coming to terms with being such stupid morons that it took you more than a year to realize how good you had it. I'm happy you've finally realized the errors of your ways.
Now, get back to work, idiots. I got me some hockey to watch.
Link posted by Rob Huck : 1:28 PM
