Bettman puts Boots to Balls

I squish you!

According to the National Post, Jim Balsillie's US$238-million bid to purchase the Nashville Predators is about to be rejected by Predator's owner Craig Leipold. The Post's sources say that Leipold is planning to accept a less lucrative offer from California businessman William "Boots" DelBiaggio that would move the team to Kansas City. The last official offer from 'Boots' was in the US$190-million range.

Okay, enough of the bare facts.

First off, what kind of responsible businessman would seriously consider accepting an offer that is almost $40 million LESS than the one currently on the table? Not to mention one that is led by a guy named 'Boots'? It makes you wonder what kind of pressure is being applied to Leipold and by whom.

Anyone who has been following this story knows that Gary Bettman had his bluff called by Balsillie over the Pittsburgh Penguins deal earlier this year (which reportedly cost the Penguins $300,000 in legal bills from the NHL's lawyers). Balsillie followed that up by steaming ahead with plans to move the Predator's to Hamilton, even going so far as pre-selling seasons tickets through Ticket Master (7,200 season ticket sales in one day).

To put it mildly, Bettman is pissed. Bettman has been using every piece of leverage he has to slow down the Ballsy juggernaut and this latest development just looks like more gamesmanship to me. It wouldn't surprise me at all if we later learn that Ballsy does end up buying the Predators and moves them to Hamilton, but only after he commits ritual seppuku in public by kowtowing to Bettman. Oh... and agreeing to some sort of financial penalty to the Leafs and Sabres for moving into there market.

I do have just one other question...

Is there anyone in the entire universe (other than Bettman) who thinks that Kansas City is a better hockey market than Hamilton? To help out you folks south of hockey central, Hamilton is less than an hour away from Toronto in Southern Ontario and the surrounding population is larger than that surrounding Kansas City. Oh... and about 90% of them are hockey mad. As opposed to the 9% around KC who may be able to spell 'hockey'.

Does this confuse anyone else?