...under-capitalization problems caused the league
to step in before the team could begin operation. [See "Scorch
Scratched"]
People working for the
organization learned about it when they were locked out, and the phones were
disconnected. Those who had purchased season tickets were given no avenue
to even find out where their money had gone.
The WPHL ended up with
a lot of headaches closing down the Scorch, dealing with a few angry season
ticket holders, unpaid employees, and locked-out players.
A Sports Network
to Rival Even Mighty ESPN®
These closures, while
minor burps in the media, were the red hot topic of discussion on the greatest
news system in the minors: The front office water cooler.
I don't think that anyone
in minor league hockey could have missed the tongue-wagging buzz about the
closure of the Scorch.
Perhaps we should give
the UHL and its president, Richard Brosal, the benefit of the doubt. After
all, they could have been on the washroom gossip circuit and missed the news
bulletin at the water cooler entirely.
If you're the UHL, though,
which is one of the oldest and most established leagues in minor league sports,
why would you welcome to your fold an owner who has such a poor history operating
teams?
Signs and Portents
The UHL won't share its
secrets for the management and financial reviews that it does on owners.
It could go a bit Sumerian,
involving the slaughtering of a goat and the study of its entrails for signs
and portents of the future.
It could involve a complex
set of background checks, financial analysis, and strict fiscal requirements.
Even the most modest
background check should have turned up Milano's past franchise failure and
the gross under-capitalization that seemed, from outward appearances, to get
both prior franchises into some degree of hot water.
When we asked if there
was a screening procedure for the admission of franchises, Brosal told us
that there was. When we asked what that procedure was, or what standards were
used to screen owners, we were told: "It's none of your business."
We pointed out that it
might be the season ticket holders' business in Columbus, Ohio, whose money
seemed to be at a higher risk with a Milano-run franchise, if history is any
indicator.
Brosal was adamant that
the Columbus organization was a top-flight sports enterprise. For our August,
2003 story "UHL
Joins Expansion Team Gold Rush" he went on the record saying about
Mr. Milano:
"He's been
nothing but a gentleman and an unbelievably great businessman to work with.
We don't foresee any problems with Joe Milano."
When the team announced
its closure last Friday, Brosal issued a press release then refused our calls.
We understand. He was worried about an "I told you so." It really
is hard to rationalize such a glowing compliment when the reality of the Stars'
mid-season closure is bitch-slapping you in the face.
Said the Man
to the Horse: 'It really is water, you know..."
For the "Gold Rush"
article in the pre-season, we really had to ask if Brosal had been on the
washroom gossip circuit and missed the news on Milano.
After all, if the league's
screening system had missed Mr. Milano's other operations, one might think
that the President of the UHL would be most interested in preventing that
kind of debacle from happening in his league.
Brosal's answers to the
MLN reporters came off in tone as smug, arrogant, and showed no interest in
dealing with the troubling...
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