Every pancake, no matter how thin, has two sides. That is being tested at Raleigh’s PNC Arena. The relationship twixt The NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the NC State Wolfpack is fraying.
At issue is who controls scheduling dates and how cooperative that “who” is to accommodating the needs of the other…. or IS that really the issue ?? ……..
At first blush this would seem to be a BobLee subject but I’m gonna bat it around and see what we can see. There is a “Jim Goodmon factor” in this and we do soooo love to shine the AgentPierce spotlight on Raleigh’s Numero Uno Constipated Limo-Liberal.
The PNC Arena (aka the ESA, aka the RBC Center, aka Whatever it will be in five years) was built with tax-payer dollars and is run by an Authority that represents those taxpayers. There are standard contracts twixt NC State and The Hurricanes stipulating who gets to do what and when they can do it.
Such legal agreements are standard in multi-tenant arenas around the country. There is nothing unique about this one, in fact, it is simpler than most. Imagine herding the tenant cats at Madison Square Garden or other “Big City” venues where there are union thugs and really nasty high rollers involved. The PNC just has The Wolfpack and The Hurricanes….. piece o’ cake…. right? Weeeeellll, it used to be but apparently not any more.
The valued commodity in this brouhaha is TIME, aka “playing dates”…… who – Canes or Wolfpack – gets to use the building on what dates. The current agreement clearly gives “first pick” to NC State. That has always been the case and, until the past few years, worked just fine.
NC State thru Athletics Direstor Debbie “Frau” Yow has first dibs on when NC State needs the building for its basketball program. Frau notifies “the Authority” by a specified date each year of its desired dates. Then The Canes select theirs. Then what’s left is allocated for assorted annual traveling shows (circus, et al) and concerts. As with airline seats and hotel rooms….. every day that the building sits empty is potential revenue lost forever. The perishable product is TIME.
Both sports entities are members of larger entities (The ACC/NCAA and the NHL respectively). Those governing bodies must be accommodated in a timely fashion. Schedules must be set well in advance and coordinated with other members of their organizations.
The NHL doesn’t care when NC State plays some whozit cupcake in early December. The NHL DOES CARE when it can release its master schedule and know when the Minnesota Wild comes to Raleigh. Minnesota Wild ????
Blah blah yadda yadda….. Here are the boring details – CLICK
Those goggle-eyed nitwits that BobLee labeled “board monkeys” think that all ADs do is hire/fire coaches and screw up uniforms and what music is played when the team takes the floor. Ergo every “board monkey” worth his Lunatic Fringe tattoo thinks he would be an incredibly fine Athletics Director at Whatsamatter U or NC State in this case.
If the Wolfpack and Hurricanes co-existed amicably for the past decade+ under this polite give/take arrangement….. recognizing the respective needs of the other…. what is now fanning these flames of discord ???
When asked Tuesday what has changed in the relationship, Hurricanes president and general manager Jim Rutherford responded, “I don’t want to comment on that. I have an answer for it, but I would prefer to try and work through this and make it work for both sides.”
“Interested observers” immediately sliced and diced what Rutherford “skated around” and came up with FRAU YOW. Is Madame Yow the “what has changed”?
NOTE: Frau DID arrive at NC State with “does not play well with others” baggage in her CV.
If indeed Frau IS the “what” is she to be applauded by PackNation or called out by CaneNation? PackNation is mucho larger than CaneNation so Frau has sheer volume or her side.
The Canes have established a loyal little fan base of 20,000 or so locals, mostly immigrants to the area. NC State has 100 years of alumni in the multiple 100,000s across the state. Advantage – Wolfpack. Frau knows that.
Is “Kay’s sister” now playing “hard ball” and not releasing dates to the Canes in a timely fashion so as to better accommodate Mark Gottfried and his (and her) master plan to turn NC State Basketball into “The UCLA of The Triangle” ?
Some women collect sno-globes or porcelin swans. Does Frau Yow collect detached testicles from vanquished adversaries? Does she have a waiting speciman jar labeled “Rutherford”?
Frau also knows that “being a bitch” will play well with her notoriously paranoid fan base. She has their support UNTIL either football or basketball loses two games in a row…. then all bets are off. Tuff bidness!
Enter the interested observers of ABW – Anybody But Wolfpack. Led by the goggle-eyed loonies of Franklin Street, the ABW will quickly side with the hockey team in this fight despite not knowing (or caring) squat, jack, or diddly about hockey.
This will be publicly fought out ‘tween Frau Yow and Jim Rutherford. Rutherford’s boss – Peter Karmanos – will likely step in and NCSU Chancy Randy might weigh in.
Karmanos will play the usual threat: “I’ll move my team to ______; and you gap-toothed hicks can wiggle your little wuffie finger thingy as this building goes broke.” Pro team owners always play that card which is why they are as popular as jock itch.
Someone will be assigned by The Authority to “go talk with Frau and get her to play well with others”. There will be no volunteers to undertake that assignment.
The Authority has some NC State fat cats on it. They would rather NOT “go talk to Frau”. Brrrrr…. scary!
The “general public” does not care if the building goes broke because that is yucky bizness and they only care about chest-pounding and bloviating.
Have we mentioned that Jim Goodmon – Raleigh’s #1 Constipated Limo Liberal – is a partner with Peter Karmanos in all this? He is.
Jim Goodmon is notorious for using his (inherited) media blow torch (WRAL / Capitol Broadcasting) to attack any entity he doesn’t like. Will Jim public blame Frau…. or somehow find a way to blame Thom Tillis and his eeeeevil Republicans? The latter is more likely.
Will Jim even have his minion weasels attack Art Pope as somehow at fault? That makes no sense whatsoever but that never stops Jim from throwing public tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.
Howsabout those woeful going-broke folks at The N&O? Who will they support? Lots more State folks than Cane folks but everybody knows “The N&O hates NC State because _______.”
Should Pete Karmanos simply hire Gary Williams to solve the “Frau problem”?
This silliness has a shelf life of several weeks then “the media” will go back to covering up the latest ObamaStink.
