In today’s podcast we look at ticket gate and the stupidity that surrounds it. I give a quick take on the TIME cover and then does AHL success translate to the NHL.

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Super Happy Fun Time Podcast May 11th

BREAKING NEWS! POLITICIANS GET PERKS!

So this week in manufactured scandals it has their out that members of the Manitoba Government have received Jets tickets. Crown Corporations are big sponsors of the Jets, they advertise with the team and in return they get X amount of season tickets which they are free to do what they want with.

Some of these tickets went to high ranking Government Officials like Cabinet Ministers and the such. When this news broke the vocal minority went nuts (as usual). The problem is its hard to tell what they are mad about. Are they mad that the Government is sponsoring a professional sports team or are they pissed because they have better seats?

It seems that the better seat argument is winning the day.

Now lets be clear they are not getting these tickets for free. The Crown Corporations are spending money with the Jets for advertising and in return get tickets just as anyone else would. You can argue that they shouldn’t be advertising in the first place but the truth is that they would be no matter what and a Jets game is great bang for their buck.

If Jim’s pizza becomes a sponsor then they get tickets. If Mandy’s Dress shop comes on board they get tickets too. So then why should the MPIC or Manitoba Hydro be any different?

The truth is people are mad because these are prime seats that the public doesn’t have access for and in a round about way are being paid for with Tax payer dollars. Good tickets are at a premium and when someone gets something you don’t have its natural to be a little jealous.

This is a non-story that is being blown out of proportion by a  couple small groups that have scores to settle. The Torries are jumping on this as a way to attack the NDP and others in the community who are not a fan of Pro sports are using this as a way to score some points.

Sponsors get tickets. Its that simple. Every big advertiser of the Jets gets tickets and lets not act like this is something new. It happens with every team and in every city.

And if you are so naive that this is the first perk members of Government have ever gotten then you just need to go and live in a bubble. Politicians get perks, always have always will. Is it right? Thats a philosophical argument for another time and place.

Here’s another bombshell for you, these same crown corporations also get tickets to the Bombers, Opera, Ballet, Theater and countless other events that they sponsor. Not really seeing the outrage at the same level when a board member for Hydro gets free tickets to Swan Lake.

Its the same issue so why aren’t we seeing the Torries going after the NDP for all the freebies and not just Jets tickets? Its simple no one cares about the others at the same level that they do the Jets. Even though the season is over the Jets are still the talk of the town and thus is going to be a lightning rod. And lets not pretend that the Torries didn’t take their share of perks when they were in power. In politics the party in oppositions job is to be outraged. With a booming economy and low unemployment the Torries need to find an issue to get up in arms about.

I for one have no problem with these corporations getting tickets and giving them out to their employees. The problem is that it just looks bad when people who can afford their own tickets are getting some for free. So here’s the solution. Make them “pay” for their tickets into a fund for a charity and then the problem is solved.

Lets just not blow this out of proportion to score some cheap political points.

In today’s podcast we look at the end game in Glendale, LA’s rise, The Jets at the worlds and much more.

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Super Happy Fun Time Podcast May 7th 2012

Today on the podcast:

We look back to a year ago, more on the coyotes ownership saga and a glance at this weeks happenings in the NHL. Right click and save the the file and download it to listen at your pleasure.

Super Happy Fun Time Podcast May 4th

It seems every second or third piece I write or talk about on the Podcast has do do with some BS that Winnipeg Free Press “writer” Gary Lawless wrote. I’ve had a ton of material handed to me from his columns where he chastised the fans, told the team to give up on the season and pushed internet rumors about players he didn’t like.

There are hundreds of other things I would like to write about but almost each week Lawless prints something that needs to be addressed. I can’t wait until the guy takes a vacation so I can write about something other than the misinformed crap he spews.

This weeks adventure in journalism deals with the story that broke this weekend about Alex Burmistrov being offered a deal to leave the Jets and join the KHL.

It seems some blogger in Edmonton heard a rumor and decided to print it as fact without checking with any sources. Turns out Burmistrov is staying with the Jets and the whole thing was squashed pretty quickly. His agent and the NHL both confirmed that Burmistrov is under contract with the Jets and cannot just pull up stakes and move to the KHL.

Now this is what Lawless reported in his column yesterday and if he would have just left it as that I would be writing about something else but oh no good Ol’Gary had to interject his very special form of analysis into the situation.

“He doesn’t like to be told what to do. He response is always, ‘No respect, no respect,’” said one Jets veteran, when asked this season about Burmistrov. “His English isn’t great and he gets his back up. He gets defensive. The only guy that can talk to him is Antro (Nik Antropov).”

Jets coach Claude Noel and Burmistrov had words on a few occasions this season and the player’s exit meeting at season’s end must have been interesting. There has been lots of talk within the organization about what is best for the player’s development and the St. John’s IceCaps have been mentioned more than once.

Now this would be of some significance if the quote was actually attributed to someone but Gary uses unnamed sources to do what is known in the world of journalism as “stirring the pot”. No one knows what was said at the exit interview but Lawless says that it “must have been interesting” which implies that some fireworks happened.

No one for the Jets has said anything on the record about Burmistrov, his attitude or if he should be sent to the AHL. Maybe there has been some private conversations but unless you are willing to put a name to the quotes then they mean nothing. Its just rumors and its only purpose is to create controversy where none currently exists.

There is a story here and its about the KHL trying to actively poach players from the NHL not Burmistrov’s attitude or lack of production. So what happens is that instead of doing a real column that involves research and formulating an original thought on a topic of importance we get another hit piece full of unnamed sources and unattributed quotes.

This isn’t the first time Lawless has doen this. He did it to Evander Kane . He printed rumors that no one would go on the record about dealing with somethings people had said about Kane on the internet. He wrote them under the guise of defending a player whom he admitted that he did not get along with. By printing those rumors he gave them validity.

Journalists have to use unnamed sources sometimes, its just part of the business. Sometimes a source needs to protect themselves and their job so to keep the info flowing the writer just says “sources say” and everyone is happy. The problem is when a journalist just relays solely on that then they can pretty much print what ever outlandish thing they want. No one can ever check the quote and you have a nice exclusive for your story.

I’m not saying that he made these quotes up I’m just pointing out that there is no way to check if what is being said is accurate if the quotes always come from unnamed sources. If you are going to say it then be a man about it and put your name to it. If the source is unwilling then don’t print it.

Words still have power and even though newspapers are falling from relevancy the things said in their still strike a chord with people. We need to be careful that the media doesn’t just devolve into FOX News style journalism where you broadcast every rumor without checking any of the facts.