Judge Moves Up Coyotes Timetable

((HT: Arizona Republic/Craig Harris))

A judge handling the Coyotes bankruptcy case could decide in two weeks whether the financially beleaguered team stays in the desert or moves.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Redfield Baum on Wednesday put on a fast track a decision whether the highest bidder could relocate the team. A hearing will occur June 9, and the judge said he would rule shortly thereafter. A hearing on the issue previously wasn't scheduled until June 22.

Saying he wanted to deal with the "10,000-pound elephant in the room," the judge said it was beneficial to all sides to quickly determine whether the team could relocate.

The Coyotes sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection May 5, and as part of a reorganization plan owner Jerry Moyes agreed to sell the team to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie for $212.5 million. The deal, however, is contingent on Balsillie moving the team to Hamilton, Ontario. No other bidder has officially made an offer for the team.

The National Hockey League and city of Glendale, where the team plays, have vigorously opposed the sale. The NHL says it alone can approve who owns a team and where a franchise plays. Glendale, which spent $180 million on Jobing.com Arena, contends it has a valid lease that obligates the Coyotes to play there for 26 more years.

The Coyotes, who have lost more than $20 million a season and never have made a profit in Arizona, say because the team is bankrupt it's up to a judge to decide what's in the best interest of creditors and that should supersede the league's authority and the lease with Glendale.

If the judge rules in the favor of the Coyotes, it would set a precedent in professional sports, where leagues for the most part have long controlled who can own teams and where they play.
Major League Baseball, the NBA and NFL all have filed briefs in support of the NHL's position.
The NHL said if the Coyotes win, it would appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The judge also set June 22 as the sale auction should the Coyotes win. If the NHL wins, an auction for the team is set for September 10.

Waldie and Shoalts have the details from the Globe and Mail as well...

The biggest issue they address is the idea of Jerry Moyes running the Coyotes in the interim...

Judge Baum announced that three executives of the current ownership group, led by Jerry Moyes, will run the team on a day-to-day basis. Moyes's group and the National Hockey League will also appoint one person as a “point person” who will review the finances on a weekly basis. If the two point persons can't agree on something, either one can bring the issue to court.

The ruling is on an interim basis only and the judge will continue to hear arguments about who controls the club.

The NHL has argued Moyes turned over control last fall in return for financing. Moyes has argued the league was only giving voting control over some issues and that his group retained day to day authority.

You Can't 'T' Superman!

Apparently the NBA has had 2nd thoughts about Dwight Howard's Technical Foul in last night's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Championships. Howard who was...well...happy about the ball going in after he shot it and was fouled really hard by Cleveland's Anderson Varejao. Howard proceeded to what he called "Celebrate" was issued a Technical for Taunting. The reason it was a "Big" issue, that would raise Howard's total to 6 Technical's in the playoffs, one more and he would be suspended for a game. Not good for a team going after a title.

Check out the story on Dwighthoward.com. ((scroll on down towards the bottom, there wasn't a specific link for the story itself))

It's interesting that we found this story here before it was released to the masses...but that is a story for another day.

((Video Courtesy: You Tube/TNT Sports))

Gone..or is he?

A report by Speed TV's Robin Miller (article here ) Indianpolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George has apparently been voted off the island. However, according to this story in the Indianapolis Star here, that story is completely untrue.

It's no secret that like any family, the George's and the Hulman's who hold a "Vise-like" grip over the speedway and quite honestly, most of open wheel racing have some issues that need to be worked out. The question here is: Who do you believe?

George (pictured here Courtesy: Gavin Lawerence/Getty Images), who has been running the Speedway since 1990 also, is the President of the Indy Racing League and Hulman and Company, along with running his own racing team on the IRL circuit. Not to say that is a conflict or anything...but.

Most race fans will tell you that the Indy 500 has never been the same since George's power play in the early 90's when it became 2 groups, the IRL and CART. The CART drivers were not allowed to race at Indy for years and...well, when they left, so did a majority of their fans.

We don't know how this will play out or for that matter how much of it is true...it will be interesting to see if for no other reason than the 500 has begun to regain some of its luster, it remains to be seen how long that will hold.

Here is the man himself, Tony George ((Courtesy: WISH-TV))follow the video link here .

Patty Says "No"!

In a bit of a surprise, Patrick Roy, former all-world goaltender has said "No" to coaching and being the General Manager for the Colorado Avalanche. The rumors of Roy being offered the job(s) have been circulating for the past week or so, though nobody had actually confirmed that there was a job offered, at least the coaching one...until today.

((Patrick Roy/Courtesy: Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press))
The story was broken this morning by the Denver Post here .

The ironic part of this is that the Avalanche haven't fired coach Tony Granato, yet...though they did fire the GM Francois Giguere last month. Roy, a goalie during the glory years for the 'lanche spoke of family reasons as to why he decided to say no. A press conference was scheduled for later

However, the Calgary Herald speculates here that Roy may actually be holding out for a job with his "other" former team, the Montreal Canadiens. That job, which is kind of like managing the New York Yankees wouldn't be easy for a newbie to Professional Coaching, but the Herald speculates that Roy, wanting to not have to rebuild a team...would have a ready made contender should he end up in Montreal. Stay Tuned...this should be interesting.

((Patrick Roy with Canadiens//Courtesy: Camwest News Services File))

Kiffin Faces The Music At SEC Spring Meetings

For most of Tuesday and Wednesday those of us at the OSG HQ have talking to our sources at the SEC Spring Meetings down in Destin, Florida and sitting back and taking in all the articles and stories from other blogs and newspapers of Lane Kiffin's appearance amongst his SEC head coaching peers. No need to recount Kiffin's actions since getting the Tennessee gig but he's not apologizing for it.

Kiffin says he won't apologize simply because his actions have made Tennessee the most talked about 5-7 team this off-season and top of mind of football recruits around the country. It's no secret that UT has to recruit nationally because the state of Tennessee simply doesn't produce enough Division 1 talent. So in 6 months Kiffin became aggressive in putting Tennessee on the national map during the recruiting season. It paid off with a top 10 class including what many consider the top player in the country running back Bryce Brown.

In the meantime he poked jabs at Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier. According to FOSG Tony Barnhart of the AJC.com, Kiffin and Spurrier rode an elavator together and patched things up.

As for Urban Meyer, he said he would be "professional" in his first face-to-face contact but don't be surprised if ice forms on the walls and both coaches can see their breath. When asked about Meyer, Lane Kiffin reinforced his reputation as the king of the one liners by saying "I don’t have a relationship with Coach Meyer, but I did ask for adjoining (hotel) rooms,” with a laugh. If that were the case, would it surprise you if Urban Meyer left a stinky gift in his bed.

And Nick Saban's comments were typical, thought out, precise and to the point.

“Everybody has to have their own way of handling things and heavens knows I’ve made my share of mistakes with the media,” Saban said. “But we try to represent our organization in a first-class way and do it with loyalty and integrity.”

Our favorite comment comes from Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino who to this date has not been insulted by Kiffin but the two were on the Jacksonville Jaguar coaching staff a few years back.

“I’ve laughed about it, it has put a smile on my face,” Petrino said. “Maybe if we want to quit talking about it, those guys (Meyer and Kiffin) can go jump in that Ultimate Fighting ring. That would sell some tickets.”

That would be awesome. Much better than yesterday's Jose Canseco fiasco.

Photo Courtesy: AP

Mark Cuban Versus The SEC

((HT: myFoxDFW.com))

The Dallas Mavericks are out of the NBA playoffs, and the spotlight is now following the team's controversial owner, Mark Cuban, to a different venue -- federal court.

The insider trading suit filed against Cuban by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last year received its first hearing Tuesday. Attorneys presented oral arguments on a motion by the billionaire owner to have the case dismissed.

U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater heard arguments Tuesday on Cuban's motion to dismiss the Securities and Exchange Commission suit, but didn't rule.

Cuban, sporting a black suit rather than his usual T-shirt and jeans, declined to comment afterward. He sat quietly in the front row of the court gallery throughout the proceeding.

The hearing provided yet another window to a case that has captured the attention of the country's legal minds, some of whom believe it represents an unprecedented step by the SEC.

"The basis on which they're going after Cuban hasn't been tried before," said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who formerly worked as an attorney in the SEC's enforcement division. "Whether the SEC is going to be able to stretch (its authority) that far certainly remains to be seen."

The SEC alleges that Cuban engaged in insider trading when he sold his shares in a Canadian Internet search engine company, Mamma.com Inc., after receiving confidential information that the company planned to sell additional shares through a private offering in 2004. Cuban was able to avoid more than $750,000 in losses by selling his shares, according to the SEC.

The government's case is based on the contention that, by violating an oral agreement to keep the sensitive information confidential, Cuban committed insider trading.

Cuban and his legal team, while not admitting that the facts detailed in the suit are true, say the government's premise is wrong. They say Cuban, whose shares represented a 6.3 percent stake in Mamma.com, was never an "insider" because he didn't have a fiduciary or similar duty in his relationship with the company.

Cuban's motion to have the case dismissed has sparked a series of pleadings and briefs in which he has attacked the government's position and the government has pushed back with equally sharp elbows.

The SEC argues that a confidential agreement is sufficient to establish a fiduciary relationship and derides Cuban's attempt to say it isn't so.

"Cuban's argument that a person can promise confidentiality and then deliberately and furtively break that promise by trading on the confidential information is shameless," the SEC stated in a memo opposing his motion to dismiss.

"Cuban accepted a duty of trust and confidence to the source of the information and was therefore legally obligated to abstain from trading or first disclose his plan to trade."

Five respected law professors have filed a brief in support of Cuban's position. The professors -- Alan Bromberg of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Stephen Bainbridge of UCLA, Allen Ferrell of Harvard, Todd Henderson of the University of Chicago and Jonathan Macey of Yale -- weren't compensated for signing off on the brief, according to the document.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Bromberg said he researched the case after being contacted by Cuban's attorney, Ralph Ferrara, and came to the conclusion that the SEC has gone too far.

"It's like if somebody from company X called you and mentioned there's about to be an acquisition at a very attractive price but asked you not to tell anybody," Bromberg said. "You might say, `Well, sure, I never spill information I get from prospects or contacts,' or you might say, just as a courtesy, `I'll keep this information confidential.' Does that make you an insider? We don't think so."

Thomas Lee Hazen, a law professor at the University of North Carolina who has written extensively on securities law, said he believes the SEC is on solid ground.

"What you've got is a rule that clearly covers people who are under a duty of confidentiality," Hazen said. "It would seem to me that a contractual duty could easily be enough (to charge someone with insider trading)."

No matter where legal experts stand, they agree on one thing: If Cuban doesn't prevail, Tuesday's hearing could be the first chapter in a long and contentious case.

"Frankly, the district court is probably just a way station to the Fifth Circuit or even the Supreme Court," Henning said. "Mark Cuban has some pretty deep pockets."

Here's Fox4's coverage with Matt Grubs on site...

Pens Take Eastern Conference Over Canes

((HT: CBC/NHL))

Here's the last 30 seconds or so of the game where the Pens took out Carolina once and for all, 4-1. Pittsburgh made the Canes look like they were standing still at points in the series- a 4-game sweep.

You'll see the Penguins, and Sidney Crosby, do something a little different when the trophy presentation is made by Bill Daly.

Bob Cole, as he should, has the call...

Another Rehab Start For Smoltz

((HT: WHDH-TV))

Rehabbing pitcher John Smoltz ((pictured, thanks WMUR-TV))took another step toward returning to the Boston Red Sox.

The 42-year-old right-hander tossed 3 1-3 innings for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday night, allowing one run and three hits while striking out two and throwing 60 pitches.

"Another rung in the ladder," he told nearly 30 reporters -- many of them from Boston -- in a cramped interview room under the stands. "My radar screen has Boston on it. As long as that's the carrot dancing in front of you, you just keep doing what you're doing."

Leadoff batter Todd Donovan lined a single up the middle that had Smoltz ducking for cover, but he retired the next eight hitters before Donovan singled again in the third and scored on Adam Calderone's triple. Smoltz got the next batter on a fly to left to end the third, and the crowd of 8,903 -- a record for MerchantsAuto.com Stadium -- rose to a standing ovation, thinking he was done for the night.

But he came out again for the bottom of the fourth and threw one more pitch for a harmless fly to right. Sea Dogs manager Arnie Beyeler came out to get him, and Smoltz shook hands with his catcher and tipped his hat to the cheering crowd as he left with Portland leading 3-1.

Dave Eid has the highlights from Manchester, thanks to our friends at WGME-TV13 in Portland

"I was hoping he would let me stay in there, but I understand," said Smoltz, who was projected for four innings and 65 pitches.

Smoltz reported no pain and said he was throwing in the 89-91 mph range. He said his splitter and changeup were successful, but that his slider needs work.

"I have to temper what I've been doing, because I can't wait," he said. "This, more than anything I've done in my career, is going to take a lot of patience."

Smoltz, who was 14 years older than the next-oldest player on the Sea Dogs' roster, has 210 major league wins -- and 154 saves. He had surgery last June to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, then signed with the Red Sox in the offseason after 20 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Smoltz threw 29 pitches in three scoreless innings during his first rehabilitation outing, pitching for Boston's Class-A affiliate in Greenville, Ga., on Thursday. He said he expects to pitch five innings for Greenville on Sunday, then go to Triple-A Pawtucket for two more starts.

That would have him available for the Red Sox rotation on June 16 against the Florida Marlins, with his second start for Boston coming against Atlanta on June 21.

Smoltz said he had requested that his first start not be against his former team.

"That game would be too big," he said. "There would be so much surrounding it, a breath wouldn't come easy."

Adam Kilgore's report from the Boston Globe is in black...

Tyson's Daughter Doesn't Make It...

Normally, Mike Tyson gets reported on in pages such as ours for something foolish that he either did or said. Unfortunately, this time we have to report on some bad news. Tyson's 4-year old daughter passed away this afternoon after being hospitalized from an incident where she tangled with a cable on a treadmill. The cable was wrapped around her throat and apparently had done significant damage.

((Mike Tyson Courtesy/ABC15.com))

The story from the Arizona Republic here .

Exodus Tyson was only 4-years old. The incident, which happened on Monday can according to all reports be only described as a horrible accident. We here at OSG Headquarters offer condolences to all concerned.

Though we couldn't find an updated Video story on the incident, we did find this recent interview Tyson did at the premier of the Documentary Movie on his life story.

((Courtesy/Yahoo Sports/Younghollywood.com))

Balsillie Sets Coyotes Deadline

((HT: Arizona Republic))

Jim Balsillie's bid to purchase the Coyotes and move the franchise to southern Ontario, Canada, will be withdrawn if it isn't approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court by the end of June.
Balsillie's deadline appears in documents filed Tuesday by the attorneys for Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes.

The Canadian businessman says the sale must be completed before the end of next month to allow for setting the team's schedule for the coming season, readying its new home arena in Hamilton and resolving other matters.

Balsillie has offered $212.5 million to purchase the team, contingent on moving it to Hamilton. The NHL wants to find a buyer to keep the franchise in Glendale and says Balsillie needs league approval to purchase and move the team.

David Shoalts from the Globe and Mail continues...

Thomas Salerno said in the document that Balsillie notified the Coyotes that he made this ultimatum in his offer because he “nor any other known entity will fund another year of significant losses.”

Balsillie had said at one point he would be willing to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix for one more year as long as the NHL was willing to pay for the losses. But the NHL declined to respond. This season, the Coyotes are expected to lose more than $45-million (all currency U.S.).

The statement was made as part of a request for amended bidding procedures that was filed in preparation for Wednesday's hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Redfield T. Baum.

The judge is to get a progress report on mediation between the NHL and the Coyotes on how the team will be operated before the sale and to set a timeline for a bankruptcy hearing and sale.

The sale can only proceed if the judge rules at another hearing, scheduled for June 22, that the Coyotes can be moved.

At this point, both sides have agreed on how the Coyotes will operate but have significant differences on the timing of a sale and relocation.

Balsillie, the co-founder of Research In Motion, has offered to buy the Coyotes on the condition he can move them to Hamilton for the coming hockey season. He and the Coyotes originally wanted this completed by the end of June but in the amended request filed on Tuesday they want the deadline moved up to June 12.

Salerno argues that this will allow the new owner “adequate time to, among other things, get the new arena ready for the 2009-10 season, obtain and line up sponsors and television contracts, and sell tickets to games.” It will also give the new owners control of the team before the NHL draft begins on June 26.

The request notes the NHL has agreed to a similar deadline (June 15) but with the exception that the league wishes more time to review ownership and relocation applications. But that is a major sticking point, since the league argues it is not possible to move the Coyotes until the 2010-11 season. The NHL says there are relocation procedures to be followed and the 2009-10 schedule has already been determined.

Judge Baum will have to sort out the disagreement at Wednesday's hearing.

Kevin McGran gets in to the details of the document in the Toronto Star...

FSU Gets Judgment June 2

((HT: Gainesville Sun))

Florida State is scheduled to open its 2009 football season Labor Day night against archrival Miami. The most important date of the year for the school and coach Bobby Bowden ((pictured, thanks Gainesville Sun)) could be this week.

The university expects to hear from the NCAA as early as Tuesday on its appeal of sanctions resulting from an academic cheating scandal that included taking away as many as 14 victories from Bowden's coaching record.

Such a penalty would leave Bowden unable to keep pace with Penn State's Joe Paterno in their competition to finish long coaching careers with the most wins at the major college level.

"It's just us two and you'd hate to give up in a good battle like that," Bowden recently told the Palm Beach Post during a South Florida booster tour stop. "But as far as losing sleep over it, I don't do that."

Bowden, who turns 80 in November, now has 382 wins, one fewer than the 82-year-old Paterno.
But losing even a handful of those wins in the middle of a long effort to lead the Seminoles out of a decade of mediocrity, would seem to finish Bowden's otherwise distinguished career in an ignominious fashion.

Florida State athletic director Randy Spetman said there's no question Bowden will coach the 2009 season.

"He's coaching for the love of coaching and for the game and the energy, enthusiasm and tradition he's brought to Florida State," Spetman said. "That's why he's there every day and I'm glad he is."

Despite the endorsement, several disturbing trends have raised questions about whether it's time for Bowden to step down.

The 2009 NFL draft, a run of embarrassing player discipline issues in 2008, a clumsy coaching arrangement and declining attendance only adds to the discomfort of some longtime boosters concerned about the fate of a once-proud program that produced an unprecedented run of 14 straight seasons of 10 or more wins, two national titles and Heisman Trophy winners.

Jim Bryan of Tallahassee has owned season tickets for nearly 35 years and says he's among a growing group of fans disenchanted with the program, starting with Bowden's hiring of son Jeff as offensive coordinator in 2001.

"Over the years Bowden was very humble and never defensive when he was criticized or the team was criticized," Bryan said. "When his son started getting criticism he got very stubborn, very defensive and he didn't come off of that. So unBowden-like."

Bryan said that decision was the beginning of the decline.

"He lost control of the program because of it," Bryan said. "It tarnished his image."

Bowden's career record was a gaudy 315-87-4 at the end of that streak. He's a mortal 67-36 since.

Florida State has already contracted with offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher to take over by the 2011 season or will pay a $5 million penalty and President T.K. Wetherell is on record that he won't make a penalty payment.

Bowden said it would be natural that Fisher is getting antsy.

"I would," he said.

Other events have some boosters concerned that Bowden's renowned folksy southern charm no longer offsets claims by opposing recruiters that the program has dipped precipitously in the last decade and that Bowden won't be there much longer.

The decline in talent has been underscored by the NFL's increasing disinterest in Seminole athletes on draft day.

Florida State had one player drafted this spring: Defensive end Everette Brown in the second round. That has happened only one other time in Bowden's 33 seasons, in the 1985 draft.

"The draft shows you our problem," Bowden concedes. "One guy?"

It highlights one of several problems on the field, and there are many off it.

The university now is focused on an $82 million budget shortfall and doesn't plan to comment on its present differences with the NCAA, vice president Lee Hinkle said. She said the school refrain from commenting until its differences in the case are settled.

"The penalty requiring the university to vacate wins is excessive and inappropriate," Wetherell said at the time the sanctions were first announced.

The cheating occurred mainly through online testing for a single music history course in the fall of 2006 and the spring and summer semesters of 2007. It included staffers helping students on the test and in one case asking one athlete to take it for another.

T+SVP= Three Strikes You Out!!!

Yeah, okay, everyone has this, too...
((HT: Awful Announcing/ESPN))

We just want to put it in the archive with the rest of the stuff...

Sutter Thinks He's The Man

((HT: CP))

Darryl Sutter ((pictured, thanks Jeff Vinnick/Getty)) says he's the best man right now to coach the Calgary Flames, but he's looking at other candidates before he makes his final decision.

Four days after the Flames announced the firing of Mike Keenan, Calgary's general manager told reporters he wants to have a new head coach in place by the NHL entry draft June 26-27 in Montreal.

"Right now I'm the best one," Sutter said when asked when he was in the running for the head-coaching job.

"All the best coaches in the league are under contract. There's three guys who are excellent. I won't tell you who they are, but then I'm fourth. If I find out at the end of the search that I think I'm the best candidate, then I am the coach."

Sutter joined the Flames as head coach Dec. 28, 2002 and added general manager to his job description less than four months later. He coached the Flames to the Stanley Cup final in 2004.
After the 2005-06 season, he stepped out from behind the bench and promoted Jim Playfair from assistant to head coach.

Playfair was moved to associate coach when Keenan came on board in 2007.

After four straight exits in the first round of playoffs, and the last two under Keenan, Sutter's next choice for a head coach will be critical.

Playfair has been offered the coaching job with the Flames' new AHL affiliate in Abbotsford, B.C.
Assistant coaches Rob Cookson and Rich Preston and goaltending coach David Marcoux will not be offered contract extensions when their deals expire June 30, Sutter said.

The Mighty Quinn Is An Oiler

((HT: TSN))

The Edmonton Oilers have found their men.

Pat Quinn ((pictured, thanks Edmonton Journal))was announced as the new head coach at a news conference today with former Rangers coach Tom Renney being named an associate head coach.

Kelly Buchberger, who was an assistant coach with the Oilers last season is remaining on the bench.

"I'm certainly aware of the history of the Oilers," Quinn said. "I'm fully aware of the passion of the fans and the work ethics and the appreciation of talent here. I think we have the opportunity to help this team win and I'm excited to have Tom and Kelly (Buchberger) here. It's a thrill and a joy to return to the rink and I'm happy to be here again."

The move reunites Quinn and Renney with general manager Steve Tambellini from their days together with the Vancouver Canucks. Quinn worked as head coach and general manager for 11 seasons in Vancouver and was behind the bench from 1990 to 1996. Tambellini spent two decades working in Vancouver's front office before joining the Oilers last summer. Renney got his first NHL head coaching job with the Canucks in 1996.

"If I think of leadership, I think of Pat," Tambellini said. "If I think of the way you want to be treated as a player, I think of someone like Pat Quinn. If I think of someone who sets and example morally for an organization of how to go forward, I think of a man like Pat Quinn."

Quinn becomes the ninth head coach in the Oilers' 30-year history, replacing Craig MacTavish, who was fired last month.

Quinn's first stint as an NHL coach came in 1978-79 with the Philadelphia Flyers and also worked behind the bench and in the front office with the Los Angeles Kings, Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.

He coached five seasons in Vancouver, winning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 1992 and leading the team to the 1994 Stanley Cup final where they lost to the New York Rangers. He joined the Maple Leafs for the 1998-99 season and led the club to two straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Final.

Quinn was also coach of Canada's Olympic entry for Salt Lake City in 2002 and led the Canadian National Men's Hockey Team to gold, ending the team's 50-year drought. Two years later, he returned to coach Team Canada in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey leading them to a championship finish.

After his stint with the Maple Leafs, Quinn worked as Canada's national men's team coach for the 2006 Spengler Cup and led Canada to its fifth straight gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship.

Quinn also has hockey ties to Edmonton, where he was an added player on the Oil Kings 1963 Memorial Cup championship team. One of his teammates was Former Oilers coach and general manager Glen Sather.

Renney, who was fired near the end of the 2008-09 season by the New York Rangers after five-seasons behind the bench expressed his happiness being behind the bench in a support role with Quinn.

"This is a no-brainer," said Renney. "This is a slam dunk. I want to do everything I can within Pat's framework to being a winning product on the ice for our fans."

Here's the coverage from Global Edmonton's noon news... Shaye Ganam is your anchor...

It starts about the 10-minute mark...

And here's Quinn's time with CBC's George Stroumboulopolous on "The Hour..."

Canseco Gets Bashed In MMA Bout

This falls under the much used phrase "desperate times call for desperate measures." Jose Canseco is a desperate man who needs money. So to score a big payday Canseco walked into an MMA ring in Tokyo, Japan Tuesday to fight a 7 foot 2, 330 pound South Korean named Hong Man Choi and you guessed it, Canseco got the you know what beaten out of him.

A minute into the fight, Canseco seemed to twist his right knee and was hobbling around the ring. Canseco tried a leg kick and that was when Choi, a sumo wrestler, went for the kill dropping Canseco and landing blows to the back of his head and it was all over. The fight only lasted 1 minute and 17 seconds with Choi winning by KO.

Hit the play button to watch this bout. It won't take long. (Thanks Youtube)



After the fight, Canseco was quoted by the AP: "I hurt my knee back home real bad but I didn't want to disappoint the fans," Canseco said. "I knew that at some point during the fight my knee was going to give out and once I was down I knew I wasn't going to get up. He's just too heavy to move."

Obviously Canseco was way over his head with this new venture into MMA. According to reports Canseco was quoted Monday at the pre-fight press conference, "I'm not gonna lie to you, 'm scared," Canseco said "This guy is huge. I'm a 44-year-old rookie and have had a lot of challenges in my baseball career and hopefully, I can do well tomorrow." So the former slugger was defeated before he stepped in the ring.

Canseco knew how to bash a baseball 500 feet while fully drugged up but he can't bash in the ring. I'm willing to bet his MMA career ended under a mountain of a man from South Korea.

Photo Courtesy: Inouye/AP

Raw Is Kroenke...McMahon Is Raw...

((HT: WWE/USA))

Now, if this don't beat all...
Vincent K. McMahon as a face on "Monday Night Raw" taking on "Stan Kroenke" at the Staples Center while the Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets.
Special Guest Appearances by "David Stern," "Jerry Buss," and "Jack Nicholson..."

Enjoy it before it gets pulled...

The beatdown/Part 2 is found ((while it lasts)) by clicking in black...

Double Duty For Saint Patrick...?

((HT: TSN/CP))

Patrick Roy ((pictured, thanks Brian Bahr/Getty)) could be head coach and general manager of the Colorado Avalanche if he accepts the posts from his former club.

According to Ruefrontenac.com - a Montreal-based news website - Avs president Pierre Lacroix has offered Roy both jobs and that Roy wants to hire former teammate Sylvain Lefebvre and Drummondville head coach Guy Boucher as his assistants.

The GM posting became vacant after Lacroix fired Francois Giguere last month and Tony Granato is still the team's head coach.

The Montreal report added that Craig Billington - the Avs' vice president of hockey operations and Roy's former backup, could serve as a co-general manager.

The Denver Post reported last week that the Avalanche offered Roy the coaching job, and added there was a possibility he might get the vacant general manager's job as well.

Ruefrontenac.com also reports that Lacroix is offering Roy almost full control over the club's hockey operations as a way of trumping any potential offer from his other former team - the Montreal Canadiens.

Since retiring in 2003, Roy has been part owner and head coach of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, winning a Memorial Cup title in 2006.

All the above story does is give us an excuse to show this again...

Temporary Truce Between Coyotes and NHL

((HT: Shoalts/GlobeSports))

The war in Phoenix has reached a temporary truce as the NHL and Coyotes majority owner Jerry Moyes will tell a bankruptcy court judge tomorrow they have essentially agreed on how to operate the team.

Judge Redfield T. Baum has scheduled a hearing for a progress report on the mediation he ordered on the issue of who controls the team and how it will operate. The judge said last week the matter was largely irrelevant since both sides want to sell the team, but he was prepared to make a ruling if they could not agree.

The NHL will continue to lend the Coyotes money to keep them operating. The league said in court documents filed this month that it lent the team $13.4-million (all currency U.S.) after advancing it $31.4-million from its portion of revenue sharing.

A source of conflict remains: the timeline for the bankruptcy petition, sale of the team and its possible relocation.

The Moyes camp wants it done quickly so that the winning bidder, be it Jim Balsillie and his $212.5-million offer or anyone else, can move the team by the start of the season this fall and avoid another year of $40-million losses in Phoenix.

The NHL is adamant that is too soon for a move. The league cited its procedures for allowing a franchise to move and logistical problems with the schedule.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed in an e-mail that an agreement is basically in place on operating the team. As for the timeline, Daly wrote: “I guess it will be up to the court to decide.”

It could not be confirmed, but it appears the Coyotes will operate as they have since the NHL began giving the team financial assistance last November. The team’s executives will handle the day-to-day decisions subject to NHL approval.

Meanwhile, Balsillie is working on the housekeeping aspects of his bid to buy the Coyotes out of bankruptcy and win a court decision allowing him to move them to Hamilton. One week from today, the co-founder of Research In Motion expects to officially apply to the NHL to move the Coyotes, as directed by the court.

In the unlikely event the governors approve the bid, then Judge Baum will not need a hearing on June 22 to decide the relocation issue and the court fight will probably end.

Most likely, though, the governors will reject the bid or reserve a decision, which means Judge Baum will decide if the team can be moved, possibly at the hearing on June 22. There is also an anti-trust lawsuit pending, filed by the Coyotes’ owners, which accuses the NHL of acting as a cartel to prevent the Coyotes from doing business by moving to a better market.

The website established to support Balsillie’s efforts to move the team to Hamilton has become so popular, its merchandise is being exploited by knockoff artists.

Balsillie’s spokesman, Bill Walker, issued a warning yesterday about counterfeit merchandise being sold.

Balsillie Submits Formal Bid To NHL

((HT: TSN/CP))

Jim Balsillie ((pictured, thanks Getty)) has formally asked other NHL owners to let him into the club.

The Canadian billionaire filed an application with the league's board of governors seeking a transfer of the Phoenix Coyotes ownership interest, one of his representatives confirmed Monday.

During a bankruptcy hearing last week, Judge Redfield T. Baum questioned why Balsillie was pursuing an antitrust suit against the NHL if his bid to buy the team hadn't officially been turned down. He's expected to file an application to move the team early next week.

If the board of governors vote down his $212.5-million bid or withhold a decision on it, court proceedings will continue with a scheduled June 22 hearing in Phoenix, where Baum is to hear arguments about whether the franchise can be relocated as part of a sale.

In the meantime, the parties will be back in court Wednesday to provide an update on mediation between Coyotes majority owner Jerry Moyes and the NHL over who currently controls the team.

There is still some work to be done on that front.

"There has been no mediation," deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email. "The parties have exchanged ideas. Nothing has been finalized to this point."

During last week's hearing, lawyers for the NHL said the league would be comfortable paying the Coyotes bills until a new buyer for the team is found.

Unless the board of governors takes the unlikely step of approving Balsillie's bid, the court will likely end up overseeing an auction for the team over the summer.

Kevin McGran adds from the Toronto Star

A second application – from Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes – to move the team to Hamilton is expected to be filed next week.

If the Blackberry baron wins approval from the league's board of governors, he'd be that much closer to having a team in Hamilton. If he fails to gain approval, his camp believes it would have the basis for an antitrust suit, a legal manoeuvre with the goal of having the team play in Copps Coliseum next season.

Balsillie has been approved before, when he came close to buying the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006. He and his camp – as outlined in their various court filings – believe a failure to approve him this time would show bias on behalf of the NHL in large part because of his oft-spoken goal to bring a seventh team to Canada.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly said there is no ill-will between him and Balsillie, but the league wants Balsillie to follow the rules. The league believes Balsillie is trying to sidestep the rules by acquiring the money-losing team in bankruptcy court.

Q-Stache Out 10-Grand

The NHL has fined Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville $10,000 for harsh criticism of officiating in his team's loss to Detroit in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Quenneville fumed over a roughing call against defenseman Matt Walker during a scrum as the first period ended Sunday. The Red Wings scored on the ensuing power play 1:13into the second period extending their lead to 3-0, and went on to win 6-1 and take a 3-1 edge in the series.

"I think we witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports there," Quenneville said after the game. "Nothing play.

"They scored, it's 3-0. They ruined a good hockey game and absolutely destroyed what was going on the ice. ... Never seen anything like it."

The Blackhawks will try to avoid elimination Wednesday in Detroit.