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| The Apprentice: Hockey Version With Bob & Gary!; What would Donald Trump do to help them? | |
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| Topic Started: Saturday Jul 19 2008, 01:48 PM (22 Views) | |
| Acer | Saturday Jul 19 2008, 01:48 PM Post #1 |
T0rp3d0Z Master
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This is pretty funny stuff. The Apprentice: Hockey Version with Gary Bettman and Bob Goodenow/Bob Goodenow and Gary Bettman. Vice-versa. See what they have to say here. Read on: Source: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/columns/analysis/...res_050213.html A door in the wall slowly opens. Out from the darkness emerges a man, well dressed, but poorly coifed. He walks toward the boardroom table in the centre of the room, pulls out the high-backed leather chair parked at its edge and sits down. On his right side sits an older man who could be your grandfather, but his countenance is that of a mafia boss. To his left is a pretty, if severe, blonde woman in a freshly pressed suit. All three stare sternly at the two men seated across from them. Trump: Gary, Bob, you guys know why you've been brought to the boardroom, right? The NHL is one of the top brands in all of sports. There are hockey fans everywhere. But a $2-billion industry is in jeopardy because you two can't find a way to divide the pie. (Gary and Bob sit quietly. Gary is leaning over the table, his weight bearing down on the mahogany slab. Bob leans back in his chair.) Trump: If you ask me, that's some awful leadership. Both of you performed horribly in this task. (Trump pauses to gauge Gary and Bob's reaction) Trump: Bob, who should get fired? Bob: Gary, Mr. Trump. We made a good offer. The players were willing to take a 24-per-cent pay cut, but Gary said it wasn't enough. And then we even gave up our big bargaining stance and caved on the salary cap... Gary (interrupting): Cost certainty. Bob (rolling his eyes): Salary cap. Gary (in a condescending tone while reaching over to touch Bob's arm):[/I] Cost certainty. Bob (visibly agitated): Salary cap! Trump: Enough. Whatever. Bottom line a deal isn't done, you've made history by cancelling the season, and that's unacceptable. Gary, what happened? Gary: First off, Mr. Trump we're here today because Bob refused to enter into a partnership with the league. He dragged his feet and waited for more than a year to make any kind of proposal whatsoever and during the same period six NHL offers were rejected. Bob: Come on Gary, there were no offers… Sure, there were meetings -- we discussed some concepts -- but Mr. Trump, I'm telling you there were no formal offers… Carolyn (interjecting): Instead of busting their humps to get a deal done before the season started, they spent last summer doing just this -- bickering about whether there were or weren't any offers. They didn't really start talking until Christmas time. And then it came down to all-nighters once Gary laid down that deadline. They were like a bunch of freshmen cramming for exams. (Trump scans Gary and Bob's reaction as she speaks.) Trump (scolding): Doesn't sound like you guys used your time wisely. Where was the sense of urgency, Bob? Bob (getting defensive):[/I] This is Gary's lockout. He's rejected all efforts to compromise. We would have started the season without a deal, but Gary said no way. Trump: That doesn't sound good. What do you say to that, Gary? Gary: Hockey is the greatest game in the world, but our league's economics need fixing. We owe it our fans to solve the problems facing our game. We lost $300 million last year. More than half our teams are in trouble. George (while looking at Gary): Aren’t you the commissioner of the league? Isn't it ultimately your fault if things don't go well? Gary: No… George (interrupting): So you're not the league's top guy? Gary: Now, listen… George (interrupting): In my world, if you’re the boss, you're ultimately responsible if the business is losing money. That's what it means to be a leader. Bob (in a satisfied tone): I agree. Trump (raising his voice at Bob): Are we talking to you? Gary: Look, the players took advantage of a flawed system. They found loopholes in it. They took advantage of our owners' competitive nature to drive up salaries … (The corner of Bob's mouth curls in a slight smile) Gary (emphatically): Players earn twice as much today as they did 10 years ago. That's why the game is in this mess. Salaries have out-stripped profits. Mr. Trump, you're one of the world's greatest business minds, surely you know that can't go on. Trump: I'll tell you what can't go on -- not sticking to a budget. It sounds like you've got some stupid owners who can't control themselves, so you want the players to do it for you. What do you think, George? George: That's what it sounds like to me. (Bob's smile grows) Trump: Bob, you’re smiling. Is this amusing for you? Bob (squelching his smile): No, but you hit the nail on the head, Mr. Trump. You're a businessman; I'm sure you'd agree the market should dictate salaries. Supply and demand is the best way -- Gary (interrupts): Every business needs to be able to predict its costs. It's basic economics – everybody knows that. Trump (sharply): Gary, quit interrupting! Bob: Mr. Trump, Gary says the league is losing a ton of money. Maybe it is, but we don't know how much. They won't open their books. These big companies can hide their profits … Gary: Bob come on, Levitt looked at our books. He corroborated what I'm saying. Bob (rolling his eyes): He would, wouldn't he? You paid him, and he said it. Mr. Trump, it was simply another public relations move, Mr. Trump. Carolyn: You mean Arthur Levitt, the former chairman of the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission? George: Levitt's a corporate-crime fighter. He's built his reputation on bringing down companies with shady accounting practices. You doubt his findings? Trump: Bob, the guy's such a straight arrow, even I'm afraid of Arthur Levitt. Not that I need to be … (George raises an eyebrow) Trump: Gary, what was with all that '11th-hour' stuff? How many 11th hours are there in a day? Gary: We wanted to save the season, and thought our negotiations addressed some of players' needs. Bob: Yeah, and we were willing to play that game. We jumped off the cliff and accepted the idea of a salary cap, and -- Gary: Cost certainty. Bob: Salary – Trump (scolding): I'm warning you two. Listen, Bob, what about the kind of leadership you showed here? You waited until the last minute to cave on your no-cap position, but you could have done that months ago and saved everyone the trouble. Maybe even saved the season. Bob: But we were all united in our opposition to a salary cap. (Trump's glare stifles Gary) Carolyn: That's not what I've heard. Just recently, weren't some of your players saying that a salary cap wouldn't be that bad? Bob: That was Jeremy Roenick. Nobody listens to him. Carolyn: There were others besides him. But later they all claimed they'd been misquoted. What happened Bob, did you twist some arms to get them back in line? Trump: Sounds like you're quite the dictator. (Gary snickers) Trump: Enough with the snickering, Gary. It's really very annoying. Bob: Mr. Trump, we were responsive, we were realistic. When the deadline loomed, we made the moves. That's leadership. What Gary did isn't leadership. Talk about a dictator. Trump: But that leadership came too late, didn't it? What good is that? If my good friend Rudy Giuliani waited a couple of days after 9/11 to show leadership, where would that have left New Yorkers? Carolyn: Exactly. Did you know neither of them attended a negotiation session for months? Trump: What? Carolyn: They sent their henchmen to do the dirty face-to-face meetings. Both Bob and Gary stayed out of the mix and tried to run the show from a distance over the phone. Trump: Carolyn, you're telling me that at crunch time, they weren't anywhere to be found? Carolyn: Afraid so. Apparently the atmosphere gets toxic when these two guys are in a room together. Trump: That's ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the fact that you two were only $6.5 million apart when you cancelled the season. I spent more on Melania's engagement ring. Gary: That's $6.5 million per team, Mr. Trump. League-wide, it's almost $200 million. I bet you didn't spend that on Melania's ring. Trump: No, but have you seen her shoe closet? Anyway, I've heard enough. Listen, Bob, Gary, I like you both. Gary, you're a good New Yorker who rarely pulls punches. And Bob, what's not to like about a hockey-playing Harvard grad? But you guys broke a cardinal rule -- letting personal vendettas interfere with business. And you've taken a $2-billion business and made it irrelevant almost everywhere. I mean, who's talking hockey these days? I'm tired of the finger-pointing, I'm tired of the PR games, and most of all, I'm tired of the way you've both forgotten about who really pays your bills – the fans. Sure, Gary, you're fixing it for the fans, you say. But you don't fix something by destroying it. Bob, as I see it, you haven't done enough. Your guys haven't been paid in months, the fans are against you and things are going to get a lot worse now before they get better. I know I'm breaking the rules by doing this, but this is my show. I can't have either of you ever working for me. Gary, Bob, you're both fired. Now, out! (Gary and Bob skulk out of the boardroom) Trump (to Carolyn and George): I feel good about that decision. |
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12:36 PM Nov 26
