Personal matters should stay that way
Given Larry Quinn's comments on WHTK that the Sabres have absolutely "moved on" from the Amerks, this is probably moot now, but ...
I can't get over the notion that the Amerks weren't sold to the Sabres because Donner's ex-wife had to sign off on any sale, and she refused to do so. One reader's comment about Donner's marital discord being a regular topic of conversation at Amerks games is unbelievably intriguing.
It's just mind-boggling to me that the future of a 52-year-old, tradition-laden franchise might have been decided by a divorce decree. Of course, the contents of a divorce settlement would be sealed, so there's no way to know for sure, short of talking to one of the primary players, i.e. husband, wife and/or attorneys.
And, quite frankly, now that I think about it, I'm not sure that's something I'd want to do. Sure, I'm DYING to know if and why Donner's ex-wife nixed a sale to the Sabres. Spite? Money?
But as a product of divorced parents myself, I know how excruciatingly painful divorces can be for all involved, and I just don't know if I'd want to force them to dredge all that up again, especially in public.
In fact, I think I might have tracked down Donner's ex-wife. If I wanted to, I could hound her for answers.
But I don't want to. She's certainly not a public figure, and it would be unfair to drag her into the spotlight, let alone make her relive her divorce.
And, regardless of what Steve Donner is or isn't, or what he has or hasn't done with his sports teams, personal matters like a divorce perhaps should be off limits for the media, no matter how titillating, even if those matters might affect the fate of a beloved sports team. That's stuff for the tabloids and trash TV.
I understand that by writing this post, I'm actually drawing attention to the divorce and bringing it out into the open. But I think that the public should know, in very general terms, that the future of the Amerks, the team they love and support, might have been determined by the divorce decree. Plus, as the aforementioned reader noted, this is already a hot topic of conversation in the community, and many facets of the divorce's progress are public record and available at the Monroe County Clerk's office.
As a result, I believe this subject does warrant at least some notice and mention, because it could be so important to the future of a popular sports team. I think it IS important to know, in general terms, that the ex-wife might have had veto powers over any sale.
But that's ALL we should know. No details, no names, no dirt. Leave the specifics, no matter how juicy, sealed in court records.
So, unless Steve Donner's ex-wife voluntarily comes forward on her own and wants to talk about this — which is very, very unlikely — this will be the last time I discuss Steve Donner's divorce and his ex-wife. It's not right, and besides, it's all a moot point anyway, because the Sabres are gone.
I can't get over the notion that the Amerks weren't sold to the Sabres because Donner's ex-wife had to sign off on any sale, and she refused to do so. One reader's comment about Donner's marital discord being a regular topic of conversation at Amerks games is unbelievably intriguing.
It's just mind-boggling to me that the future of a 52-year-old, tradition-laden franchise might have been decided by a divorce decree. Of course, the contents of a divorce settlement would be sealed, so there's no way to know for sure, short of talking to one of the primary players, i.e. husband, wife and/or attorneys.
And, quite frankly, now that I think about it, I'm not sure that's something I'd want to do. Sure, I'm DYING to know if and why Donner's ex-wife nixed a sale to the Sabres. Spite? Money?
But as a product of divorced parents myself, I know how excruciatingly painful divorces can be for all involved, and I just don't know if I'd want to force them to dredge all that up again, especially in public.
In fact, I think I might have tracked down Donner's ex-wife. If I wanted to, I could hound her for answers.
But I don't want to. She's certainly not a public figure, and it would be unfair to drag her into the spotlight, let alone make her relive her divorce.
And, regardless of what Steve Donner is or isn't, or what he has or hasn't done with his sports teams, personal matters like a divorce perhaps should be off limits for the media, no matter how titillating, even if those matters might affect the fate of a beloved sports team. That's stuff for the tabloids and trash TV.
I understand that by writing this post, I'm actually drawing attention to the divorce and bringing it out into the open. But I think that the public should know, in very general terms, that the future of the Amerks, the team they love and support, might have been determined by the divorce decree. Plus, as the aforementioned reader noted, this is already a hot topic of conversation in the community, and many facets of the divorce's progress are public record and available at the Monroe County Clerk's office.
As a result, I believe this subject does warrant at least some notice and mention, because it could be so important to the future of a popular sports team. I think it IS important to know, in general terms, that the ex-wife might have had veto powers over any sale.
But that's ALL we should know. No details, no names, no dirt. Leave the specifics, no matter how juicy, sealed in court records.
So, unless Steve Donner's ex-wife voluntarily comes forward on her own and wants to talk about this — which is very, very unlikely — this will be the last time I discuss Steve Donner's divorce and his ex-wife. It's not right, and besides, it's all a moot point anyway, because the Sabres are gone.
posted by Ryan Whirty at
7:40 PM
1 Comments:
In the immortal words of Tony Gutilla Sr, "Nothing is beyond negotiation". The Sabres/Amerks mess, co-joined with the Rhino/Knoghthawks fiasco, mingled in with the Pae-Tec/Blue Cross Arena bifudification, kinda makes me wonder..."Was I sleeping when Donner took control of all of these entities?" And when did he let everything go bad? For years everything was status quo, the teams had success, people came to all the parks & venues. There was no bickering over parking lot rents and police overtime pay and vendor non-payment. Or was there? Was it just handled more quietly and under the rug? Is this a new group of suppliers that is more voacl or is Donner really having difficulties? Ryan, you're absoutely right...an interview of unprecedented depth needs to be done here, before the Amerks head to the straits of Tangier, before the arenas stand empty, before we're all shaking our heads wondering once again..."What just happened?"
By
rick from west webster, at 4:51 AM
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