Franchise Notes
 |
Thrashers Ownership Group Say Waddell Will
Stay GM Despite Disappointing Season |
In Atlanta, Craig Custance notes Thrashers GM & coach Don Waddell's job is "safe, despite the fact that the Thrashers have taken a step backward this year and a playoff berth is highly unlikely." Atlanta Spirit co-Owner Bruce Levenson said that his group has "no plans to make major changes in the Thrashers front office following the season." Levenson said Waddell "has built an organization of 17 top-notch hockey people, those people will be involved in this. (Keeping Waddell) might not be the popular thing to do in some circles but I think it would be foolish and short-sighted to tear down this organization at this juncture" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 3/11).
LIVERPOOL: English Premier League club Liverpool co-Owner Tom Hicks has "refuted claims that he blocked an attempt to have a Liverpool fan installed" on the team's BOD as part of negotiations with Dubai Int'l Capital (DIC) over the group's potential investment in the team. DIC sources said that the fan issue was "one of the reasons why talks between the two parties collapsed," and a DIC source "maintained that the idea of a fan on the board did not appeal to Hicks' negotiators." Hicks' advisers said in a statement, "At no time during any such meetings did DIC propose, nor did [Hicks] or his representatives reject, any such proposal" (London INDEPENDENT, 3/12).
GLADIATORS: AFL Gladiators co-Owner & President of Football Operations Bernie Kosar, who helped bring the Las Vegas team to Cleveland this year, said that the "timing was right to bring arena football to northeastern Ohio." In Columbus, James Walker notes attendance for the AFL is "at an all-time high," as the league in '07 averaged more than 12,000 fans per game. The Gladiators in their home opener at Quicken Loans Arena against the Destroyers drew more than 17,000 fans. Kosar: "I don't want people to think I'm just doing this to throw my name behind something and just have it as a marketing ploy." Kosar added of the sport, "If you win and if you play hard, I think it's going to be received real well here" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 3/12).
WIZARDS: The MLS Wizards on Monday formally introduced Argentine F Claudio Lopez as the team's first designated player. Wizards Technical Dir Peter Vermes: "When you talk worldwide, it's obvious Claudio is a bigger name than anyone in our league outside [Galaxy MF David] Beckham" (K.C. STAR, 3/11).
|
