Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler OT the Mets sign Carlos Beltran

[Something to consider is that the hockey impasse is not getting great airtime in the US - with the exception of a few markets.]

Your right. I havent seen one report on it. I didnt even know there was a strike.
I knew there was something missing.

Try enduro racing, then tell me it's not a sport.

Let's be clear, it is a lockout, not a strike.
The players are/were prepared to play, the owners did not want to continue in the manner to which the game had become.

One thing I find funny, the players get mad and upset when "replacement players" are mentioned. Yet, they did not care one bit when they went to Europe and took other players jobs......

Both sides are to blame, the owners for giving such contracts that now strangle them, and the players for not making solid adjustments. The players recent offer was nothing more than an attempt to get the fans on their side. But while offering one time relief, in a few years the mess would be worse than it is now.

Quite honestly, after playing Junior B hockey in the mid 1980's, the game has degraded to the point where I can't watch the garbage - CALL THE RULES!!!!

I would not miss the game if they never returned!

while i do agree with you Mike that both sides are to blame, it's hard not to side with the owners. Yes salaries have gotten out of hand and yes the owners were the ones to pay the exorbitant salaries. However, they are bound to a large degree by the rules of the current CBA and LACK of a free market system. A free market system is not at all what we want anyways (as the players contend). Smaller markets, including all Canadian teams (with the exception of Toronto) would not be able to compete.

As far as i'm concerned, the best run sports league in NA is the NFL - because they have a salary cap. It appears to do a wonderful job of creating parity between the teams. When everyone can compete, it makes things much more interesting.