I received Professor X, Jubilee, and Blastaar from HasbroToyShop today.  Got two of each, including both Blastaar variants.

Bah, keep missing them.  Five figures I want off there right now so it would be great if they'd go back in stock.  Maybe I'll get lucky and find them on the Big Island. 

I was ale to buy...

Yeah, take my word for it.  Don't drink and shop online.  EBay or otherwise.   

No big deal, I'll get the figure in time.  One nice thing about my collecting apathy is that while I get frustrated, there's no more angst in dealing with things.  If I get them, fine, if not, whatever.   

I really am just baffled. 

I understand the players are feeling stepped on.  OK, I accept that, you're getting shafted.  I'll leave my personal views aside on your stance.  If the season is cancelled you will get exactly zero dollars of income from your NHL employer this year (escrow doesn't count, you're paying yourself from previous years).  Zip.  Zero.  Nada. 

The owners will generate zero revenue from their playthings this year.  So they hurt too.  For ten or so of the teams that means they're losing profits outright and it hurts probably pretty badly.  Those are successful markets.  Another ten teams (generously stated) are break even teams so while they're hurting in the sense of damage to the market, they're neither winning nor losing.  The last ten teams are money losers and for them this ends up being LESS of a loss. 

That said, each of those owners has other income and revenue streams that are significantly larger and allowed them to purchase their playthings.  That other income is taxed.  They are able to write off the losses from their plaything against their general revenue so even if they're losing, they're still winning.  Twenty of the teams are net zero or losing while playing but are net positive while not playing because of tax write-offs.  The other ten teams are the ten teams the players want to increase the share of revenue that is spread around to the lesser teams.  Huh? 

So at what point are the player demands going to appeal to the entire group of owners?  Never would be the answer. 

So the players are left with losing the battle but being paid some percentage less than previously of the total NHL revenue stream (yes Virginia, revenue is NOT profit).  Essentially they're looking at, for the average player, a salary of 2.4 million dollars a year less about 25%.  That's a pretty serious kick in the nuts but help me out here, what are the alternatives? 

If the season goes, Phoenix will most likely fold or relocate.  If it relocates, the players are ok, but ya think Shane Doan is going to want to go to Quebec City? 

Bah, enough ranting.  Anyone figure the players are clever enough to understand this: Lock out clock.  Whatever Fehr put in the kool-aid is pretty potent

I promised myself I'd never sleep in a hotel room with so many men again after the last Celebration I went to...

 

Totally forgot this was even going on... gotta get out of the JD Fantasy Cellar.

I can probably help you with that this time around.

... even though they supposedly can leave anytime.

Knowing what we do about the Governor I'm thinking Woodbury is kind of like Hotel California. 

Holiday2012 for a 20% discount

D'oh!