Blazers moving to AAA?

[Laramie]

It's just been rumored and I'll say rumored that stories will begin to surface that the Edmonton Oilers are in town and looking at a possible purchase of the Oklahoma City Blazers with the intent of moving them up to AAA.

Has anyone in Tulsa heard this?


Source:  OKCTalk   Blazers' forum section.

I'll see if I can provide a link?

Link:  http://www.okctalk.com/oklahoma-city-blazers/14962-blazers-aaa.html

[Hoss]

quote:Originally posted by Laramie

It's just been rumored and I'll say rumored that stories will begin to surface that the Edmonton Oilers are in town and looking at a possible purchase of the Oklahoma City Blazers with the intent of moving them up to AAA.

Has anyone in Tulsa heard this?


Source:  OKCTalk   Blazers' forum section.

I'll see if I can provide a link?

Link:  http://www.okctalk.com/oklahoma-city-blazers/14962-blazers-aaa.html

Yes..there's also been quite a big shake-up at the current organization's front office.  Brad Lund has been asked to resign (GM), some sales staff and the assistant coach has been asked to resign as well.

The rumor is the rep from Edmonton gave OKC a '50-50' shot at the franchise.

It's just AHL hockey.  I would love to see that here in Tulsa, since it appears our current oaf of an owner won't ever field a team worth a bucket of spit.

[USRufnex]

Dang.

Brad Lund leaving?  Does this mean Express Sports is taking a backseat?!?

You know, there's a certain pro soccer league that would love to see Brad Lund/Express Sports run a soccer team in Edmond to play at Wantland Stadium.... and btw, Brad used to work for the Tulsa Roughnecks back in the day...

http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/index.html

The same folks who like to see a revival of the Tulsa Roughnecks at the new ballpark or.... the old Driller Park...

http://theoffsiderules.blogspot.com/2008/05/usl-open-to-resusitating-tulsa-nasl.html

HEY LARAMIE!  REMEMBER THIS ONE?!?

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11084&highlight=tulsa+world+article+MLS+typos

[cannon_fodder]

Personally, I think we should get some state money to them ASAP for that franchise.  Who needs health care in Tulsa when there are pro sports franchises we can get in OKC!

[USRufnex]

Hmmm, CF.

Do BITTER much?

OKC got some state funds to help with attracting an NBA team.... I say, good for them, and good for the state of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City...

Get over it.

Maybe we can cancel the downtown ballpark to  fund the downtown hospital... or live with poorer streets...

But yeah, it's all OKC's fault...

[Hoss]

quote:Originally posted by USRufnex

Hmmm, CF.

Do BITTER much?

OKC got some state funds to help with attracting an NBA team.... I say, good for them, and good for the state of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City...

Get over it.

Maybe we can cancel the downtown ballpark to  fund the downtown hospital... or live with poorer streets...

But yeah, it's all OKC's fault...

CF ain't the only one bitter about that deal.  And there's a damn sight more than just two of us.  Wouldn't have been so bad if OKC hadn't taken the attitude of 'shove it' to Tulsa and decide that they either name the team OKC and not Oklahoma, but yet they still market it as an entire-state team.

You bet there's bitterness, and to shout someone down about it shows you don't know a lot about what happened with the NBA franchise move.  Or at the very least, didn't pay attention.

[cannon_fodder]

Ruf, if the city said we can no longer afford the ball park because we need to fund OSU-MC and argued it would have a more positive economic, social, and over benefit to the city I'd accept it.  

But... when the state funds public hospitals in one part of the state along with sports franchises and ignores both in another part of the state (with a not-insignificant population) I disparity pisses me off.  Your dilemma proves that point:  Tulsa should have to choose between a new stadium and health care.  OKC should not.

Welcome to the provinces.

And no, it is not OKC's fault.  Largely it is our representatives fault for not standing up to crap like that.  I can't blame OKC for wanting to take as much money as they can from state coffers.

OKC can and should do as well as it pleases.  What is good for OKC is generally good for Tulsa.  "Generally" because if it comes at Tulsa's expense it is not good for Tulsa.  It seems disproportionate public funding for health care is in that category.  When there are funds for pro-sports in OKC but not health care in Tulsa, it really bothers me.

[RecycleMichael]

I thought we were talking hockey...

If Sarah Palin was really a hockey mom, she would have taught her daughter to keep players out of the crease.

[dbacks fan]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael

I thought we were talking hockey...

If Sarah Palin was really a hockey mom, she would have taught her daughter to keep players out of the crease.

But instead, her boyfriend wound up in the penalty box.....

[bmuscotty]

http://okcslackers.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=7158

[Laramie]

quote:Originally posted by USRufnex


HEY LARAMIE!  REMEMBER THIS ONE?!?

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11084&highlight=tulsa+world+article+MLS+typos

Yes, I remember that one and how wrong I was about OKC getting major league soccer.  

U.S. Rufnex, you have a better insight on soccer than I do, so wherever they (?) put a team (Tulsa or OKC) it will have my support.

Unless Bob Funk has done a complete turnaround; then, he is the only person who could bring Major League Soccer to Oklahoma (OKC or Tulsa) and Tulsa is a proven market.

I heard Bob on many occasions exciting people about possibly bringing something professional on the major level to Oklahoma City or Tulsa; however, I still believe that he is just a lot of talk.

U.S. Rufnex, I haven't visited that soccer board in years.  The Seattle fan base appear to be really excited about it though.

[USRufnex]

Seattle's soccer fans are excited because promised Major League Soccer expansion was sold to the taxpayers back in the 90s as part of the reason Quest Field was built w/soccer specs in the first place.... then Mike Holmgren insisted on a particular version of field turf for the Seahawks, then MLS's new commissioner Don Garber downplayed Seattle's stadium as too big for MLS anyway...

...then Paul Allen finally entered the mix and presto... Seattle will have a team playing at Quest Field... soccer specific stadium no longer necessary...

Bob Funk/Express Sports in 2002 came up with a good nuts-and-bolts plan to beef up planned  expansion of UCO's Wantland Stadium to MLS specs... they would have needed to come up with about $10 million dollars for the expansion fee and $10 million extra had to come from somewhere to expand the stadium from 10k+ to about a 20k capacity needed...

My guess is that Bob Funk balked at owning a team that would lose $2mil per year, and opted instead to buy the Oklahoma Redhawks....

Dean Blevins reported that OKC/Edmond was "50/50" to get in...... Tulsa's chances were based on something no other city had ever done... publicly fund a "soccer specific stadium" with a sales tax... but it didn't make the cut for Vision 2025... and the rest is history.

Brad Lund was the spokesman for OKC/Edmond's Major League Soccer efforts back in 2002.... while Mayor LaFortune was left holding the bag for Tulsa since everybody else in T-town apparently signed those dreaded "confidentiality agreements"...

Ah, memories.    [:I]

[USRufnex]

quote:Originally posted by Hoss



You bet there's bitterness, and to shout someone down about it shows you don't know a lot about what happened with the NBA franchise move.  Or at the very least, didn't pay attention.

Know what happened, paid attention, understand that most major league sports teams in this country extort tax monies in some form from state entities.... wish it hadn't happened, wish Mayor Taylor had more of a backbone on this issue.... but it coulda been worse....

http://www.ibj.com/html/detail_page_Full.asp?content=18441