The Penguins and State CLASH

The Penguins and State CLASH

The Pittsburgh Penguins may actually be leaving the city. That is at least what they want the state to believe. When you negotiate a contract you have to be willing to make the other side believe that you are willing to walk away. The Penguins are now to that point. They have bargained, they have dealed, they have conceded points, but now they have threatened to walk.

As Ed Rendell and Dan Onorato continue to play dumb in this whole situation, the Penguins brass came out yesterday and put down the facts. They stated that they offered to pay $2.86 million dollars a year towards the new arena originally, but the state came back and wanted $4 million. That was the number that the Penguins brought to the table yesterday, the exact number the state requested, but again the state said no. All that was said by Rendall was the same thing he has been saying all along, “I still believe that we are very close to getting this deal.”

Really Ed?

What makes you think that?

You aren’t in Philadelphia anymore. You are now talking about the LEFT side of the state. By LEFT, I mean both geographically and politcally. The politics and politicians on this side of the state are more screwed up than the Anna Nicole Smith hearings. This is the same city in which it has apparently been decided to argue for years over who gets the casinos rather than just getting them up and running. It is not just by chance that other casino licenses in the state are being used already as needed, with the working casinos.

I would love to see the Penguins stay, not for the hockey, although I’m becoming a fan, but for the city. Pittsburgh is already on the downswing, and this would just be another step. This city needs the Pens much more than the Penguins needs Pittsburgh, but the politicians don’t see that. Letting the Penguins leave Pittsburgh would be career suicide for for the young leaders of the area, mayor Luke Ravenstahl and county executive Dan Onorato.

What is shocking about all of this is that Mario Lemieux DOES know this about the city of Pittsburgh. He has lived in or around the city his entire adult life. Yet he still is doing everything possible to make this deal happen so the Penguins can stay in Pittsburgh. He already bailed them out of bankruptcy. He let it slide when the Penguins were excluded from the deal that put up state of the art sports facilties on the North Shore. What more does the guy need to do?

This may not be the best next step for the Penguins in their little game of Deal or No Deal that the state is playing with them, but if I were Lemieux, this would be my move. I walk into the next meeting by myself. No lawyers, no NHL spokespeople, nobody. The only thing in my possession is a boombox and a cassette tape. As I put the boombox on the conference table and insert my single of THE CLASH from 1982 that I brought along with me, I say to the political figures, “This won’t take more than a few seconds”, and I push play.

Darling you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll be here til the end of time
So you got to let know
Should I stay or should I go?