Pittsburgh News:
Mario Lemieux's holding his annual Mario Lemieux Invitational Golf Outing (always star-studded) in Pittsburgh this week, and was speaking publicly about the Penguin's status here in Pittsburgh.
He's disappointed, obviously, because our financially strapped city is dragging their feet in every way possible abut the Penguins (who sport the oldest arena in the NHL) receiving a new arena.
Headlines and reports say that the Penguins aren't for sale YET, but that Lemieux said that without help (and the Pennsylvania Slot Machine legislation going through to help fund it) the likelihood of sale is there. Without a new arena he just can't make the team marketable or guarantee they will last here.
In a sense, this isn't anything new but people were in a panic on the news channels this evening.
It's disappointing to hear it uttered publicly, but it's nto the first time either. Our city is financially in the toilet right now, which sucks, but they are still improving. New stuff's going up routinely.
I think a new Arena's a good idea, and if they'd finally get the slots going we'd have an arena/gambling establishment in the city as well, which would undoubtebly generate revenue. That seems to have lots of opponents though itself.
The fact the city backed the new stadiums (plural) for the Steelers and Pirates who no longer wished to share, I think it's simply disrespectful of the city to neglect our most recently successful sports team, the Penguins.
The Steelers will always be #1, but the Penguins will always be #1 to me, and should be #2 to the city. Pirates have a nice stadium, but that's ALL they have, and they're not even known for "giving back" to the community like the Pens have.
I hope the state/city help get us a new arena for the Pens and that my favorite team (and the only one I support till they're out of the running ANY year) doesn't get sold off and leave the city.
It seems like the city's not even willing to discuss it sometimes, and they're telling Lemieux he's 100% on his own t get this stadium built.
![Roll Eyes ::)](https://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/Smileys/classic/rolleyes.gif)