Kill Bill (Wirtz), Vol. 2

It seems that a majority of Canada's NHL fans (and who's bigger fans of hockey than the Canadians?) are siding with the owners on the current lockout, which makes it all that much harder if you consider yourself a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks.

The player's union has disputed the financial claims of the owners (19 of 30 NHL teams lost a combined $273 million in 2002-2003), saying revenues were under-reported and expenses were over-reported. But the Blackhawks manage to do okay . . . right?

Thanks to the seemingly infinite resources of Columbia's library, I was able to find that Bill Wirtz was a contender for the title of 2003 Turkey of the Year, as named by the Springfield Journal-Register on Novemeber 26, 2003.

Also, the July 2002 Entertainment Law Reporter had said that Mark Weinberg, the author of the Wirtz-bashing "Career Misconduct," was not allowed to sell the book within 1,000 feet of the United Center without a permit. Weinberg alleged the ordinance did not apply to his book, and if it did, it was unconstitutional.

The Sporting News reported on April 9, 2001 that after first-year coach Alpo Suhonen quit because of health problems, Wirtz insisted assistant coach Denis Savard be named the replacement - mostly with the hopes that the new coach's name would fill seats and not necessarily win games.

Crain's Chicago Business did a more lengthy piece on Wirtz and family on April 14, 1997, detailing many of the Wirtz holdings, including 50% of the United Center, many parking lots in the area, and around 100 buildings near the lakefront in Chicago and Evanston. In addition, Wirtz' Judge & Dolph Ltd. sells 54 % of all wine and liquor in Illinois, their Nevada distributorships accounting for about 50% of liquor sales and 30% of wine sales there. The article also said Wirtz has an insurance agency, horse farms in Illinois and Ohio, and is a significant shareholder in many regional banks. The Wirtz Corp. was cited as growing 7% to 10% annually, living off of Arthur M. Wirtz's simple motto: "Buy smart and hold."

As many originally thought/predicted/feared, the once-smaller hockey leagues are eager to eat up the puck-deprived fans of the NHL. Come January (the supposed deadline for a possible shortened-season if the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement has been figured out), hockey fans may give the Calder Cup more recognition than Lord Stanley.

And, once again (sigh), it's time for Derek to "Eat His Words!"