Ahh, nameless "sources." So credible. So worth getting hopes up or dashed over. And so worth reporting as actual "news," and not the tabloid rag fodder they should be. My philosophy is, if you have credible information that is true, give your name - or else it's not credible any more. If it's a situation in which you aren't supposed to be giving private information, how about not being a rumor-monger and actually keeping your mouth shut?
There have been more rumors regarding the Phoenix Coyotes/Atlanta Thrashers Move-a-Thon 2011 than Lindsey Lohan's had about her drinking habits. It's become absurd, with credible news sources such as TSN (Canada's version of ESPN and home of the absurdly insulting Jets Meter) claiming that the Atlanta Spirit's only option is to sell to True North Enterprises. Factual information be damned; the Thrashers are moving to Winnipeg!
Forget the fact that the AJC's Chris Vivlamore and 680 The Fan's John Kincade have been reporting for two months about several interested groups willing to buy the team and keep them in Atlanta. Let's ignore the high powered clout of Tom Glavine getting people together to save the team. No matter the NHL Rules, which are clearly complicated in regards to the manner in which teams are sold and moved. Wait - the Board of Governors has to vote on these things? No! Teams just magically move to fanbases that "deserve them more." Or to where "hockey belongs." There's no bureaucracy or diplomacy here. Why do you ask?
Oh, and let's not take into consideration the amazingly long, protracted battle that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's gone through to keep Phoenix in place. Or the fact that NBC would be less than thrilled with losing the nation's eighth largest TV market. There are so many things that make a move this summer improbable.
But not impossible. Yes, the BOG could vote to approve a sale to True North. Yes, they could be Atlanta Spirit's legitimate only option for sale. Yes, there is a very real chance that the Thrashers can move. It sucks as a fanbase to have to deal with this, and it's easy to be accused of being in denial about the possibility that we won't have a team next season. But it's far easier to research some facts and realize that all is not lost, that nameless rumors are just that - nameless rumors - and that maybe it's better to listen to people who have ties to the organization than it is newspapers in the tundra.