Franchise Notes

RUMOR MILL: In Sacramento, Mark Kreidler reported that the "newest theory" involving the Maloofs and the NBA Kings is that the Maloofs will "sell the franchise at the absolute peak of its skyrocketing value, then use the whopper profit to take an expansion franchise or some other team to Vegas." Kreidler added, "I like the originality of this notion. ... [But] it does suffer slightly from having no basis in fact" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/17).

COLD CASH: Oilers President Patrick LaForge, on reports the team made a $2M profit on the November 22 outdoor game: "I haven't seen the final books, but we were planning to make about $700,000. That was our plan, though we had to move a lot of snow off the ice, so hopefully that didn't cut into it too much" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/18).

YARDE SIGN: In Boston, Kevin Rothstein reported that Patriots season-ticket holer Craig Yarde planned to "protest the Patriots' yanking his tickets after one of his male customers was arrested using the ladies' room" at Gillette Stadium. Yarde was going to "load a giant sign saying 'Yarde Metals: 20 Years of Loyalty Down the Toilet,' onto a truck adorned with two brand-new Kohler toilets" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/17).