The NHL in Vega$

If I'm betting right now on a Penguins' final destination against pro sports' tendency to expand, I'm making Vegas an even-money proposition.

It's a hunch, but let's look at Las Vegas:

. . . the 29th largest city in the United States in 2000, but recent estimates suggest that the city's population has since surpassed that of Atlanta, Nashville, Washington, D.C., Louisville, Denver and Boston to place it 22nd in rank. It is likely to surpass Milwaukee and possibly a few other cities to reach the top 20 by the time of the 2010 Census.

Bigger than Milwaukee! Yowsa!

The gambling question has always made the proprietors of pro leagues look away from Vegas, but in recent years their cool sanctimony has withered under the changing climate.  The NBA will hold its All-Star Weekend in Vegas in '07 (if only to ensure the likelihood everyone shows up for media day and indeed, the game itself, all-star games being the most overrated and bloated non-events on the calendar there is, in any sport). Casinos are a part of the landscape now, and indeed all three slots emporiums in the running for a Pennsylvania gambling license include to varying degrees a Penguins home in their pitches - the winner will be determined in a critical gaming board decision Wednesday (and for the latest on the boondoggle beat, always check in on Field of Schemes). The WNBA put a team in a casino, for heaven's sake (like the 07 NBA all-stars, no betting is allowed on games). And let's just raise a glass and leave it at that for the debt the NFL owes to Vegas sports books that are packed to the gills every Sunday afternoon.

This is not something that can be called an ill-conceived, doomed notion borne out of desparation, and it has nothing to do with sanctimony: If the NHL doesn't get there first, someone else will, and soon. Just a hunch, but I reckon the thought has done a lot more than crossed Gary Bettman's mind. It'll happen. Far greater hockey minds than this one are touting Kansas City, for one, if the Penguins do up and move. But Vegas, and a major pro franchise? It's just a question of when.

Photo of the Day: Best fiver

PETER MORRISON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dickie Best, father of the late George Best, shows off new bank notes in Belfast.

Related: Rush for Bestie fivers begins today (Belfast Telegraph).

Best notes prompt auction fever (BBC News).

Another long contract

In light of yesterday's latest outbreak of long-term lunacy on Long Island, it's natural (at least to me it is, in the bloggerhia sense) to pick up on this item from this morning's Daily Mirror:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Fabregas: Food fighter signs on for eight years.

Cesc Fabregas has agreed a record £20million, eight-year contract to stay with Arsenal.
The Spanish teenager will sign the longest deal in English football next week.
Fabregas has pledged his future to the Gunners despite interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Longest in history? Not sure, but in the post-Bosman ruling era of free player movement and longer contracts, none others this lengthy pop to mind and a little web-searching this morning was no help. Kids, go to it.

Fifteen years for soon-to-be-25-year-old Rick DiPietro vs. eight years for Fabregas, 19. It's kind of like comparing apples to pomegranates, but that Islanders deal looks worse and worse on this scale, doesn't it?

Meantime, former Gunner Ashley Cole, having whined his way out of north London, is delivering the coup de grace in excerpts from his new book in the Times Online, in which he lowers the boom on Fabregas, among others:

Cole also condemns Francesc Fàbregas as an “unproven featherweight” compared with the “heavyweight champion” that is Patrick Vieira, criticism unfortunately timed given that Fàbregas is on the brink of signing a new eight-year contract.
In the most detailed account of the infamous Battle of the Buffet at Old Trafford two years ago, Cole hints that it was the Spanish midfield player who threw the pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson. Cole confirms that the culprit was not English or French and is believed to be referring to Fàbregas.
“This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush,” Cole says. “All I’ll say is that the culprit wasn’t English or French, so that should narrow it down.”

An unproven featherweight AND a food fighter! Perhaps the Islanders don't come off so bad after all.

Pro sports' richest: Updating the list

Last time we looked, the richest clubs in the world, at least according to the latest Forbes valuations, had Manchester United at the top of the global heap.

But with the business magazine's latest NFL projections out last week, and the Washington Redskins just getting filthier and filthier in the chips, it's time to change up the order. Here they are, your world top 10, according to Forbes, and of course as they roll out the various sports thru the coming year this'll be an opportunity to shuffle the deck:

1 Washington Redskins (NFL) $1.423 billion
2 Manchester United (England) 1.373 billion
3 New England Patriots (NFL) 1.176 billion
4 Dallas Cowboys (NFL) 1.173 billion
5 Houston Texans (NFL) 1.043 billion
6 Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) 1.024 billion
7 Real Madrid (Spain) 1.012 billion
8 Denver Broncos (NFL) 975 million
9 Cleveland Browns (NFL) 970 million
10 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) 955 million

They're at the post

Time to wrap things up around here, right in the middle of our Blue Jay bloggers roundtable, but before dispensing with the usual send-off into the weekend, a note pointing ahead to next week -- specifically Tuesday, in conjunction with the Jays' 30th season opener. If you have any opening-day memories, stories and anecdotes send 'em along and we'll have some fun -- you might even win a prize from the library for it. Oh, and speaking of opening day . . .

Sports around town. It's Woodbine, back in the saddle on Saturday, with lots of talk about the installation of a Polytrack surface this summer (how long until the drums start beating for year-round thoroughbred racing in these parts? They're kicking around the artificial dirt even in better climes like California). Here's one to check in on from time to time: Longtime Star handicapper Jennifer Morrison has her own blog.

One last look. Andrea Bargnani - the next Nowitzki?, and another clip over at Raptorblog. One thing we do know: Bryan Colangelo likes him a lot, and he's not alone among the NBA GM fraternity.

Two One last read(s). Following on Bargnani, Raptors HQ has its latest European update, and to augment your Final Four viewing, check out Scott Carefoot's top 10.

The highest-valued sports club in the world has the Red Devil Airbus A380 to prove it (thanks to Alex Della Rocca for the picture).

Factoid. Combining those Forbes franchise values from Thursday, here's the top 10 franchises overall (soccer, and the four top North American pro leagues) plus some others of interest (US $):

Manchester United $1,373 million
Washington Redskins 1,274 mil.
Dallas Cowboys 1,063 mil.
New England Patriots 1,040 mil.
Real Madrid 1,012 mil.
Philadelphia Eagles 952 mil.
New York Yankees 950 mil.
Houston Texans 946 mil.
AC Milan 921 mil.
Denver Broncos 907 mil.
Plus:
Boston Red Sox 563 mil. (No. 2 in MLB)
New York Knicks 543 mil. (No. 1 in NBA)
Toronto Maple Leafs 325 mil. (No. 1 in NHL)
Toronto Raptors 278 mil.
Toronto Blue Jays 214 mil.

Watching. LSU vs. UCLA, NCAA semifinal, Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Sportsnet/CBS. Lots to choose from this weekend, but LSU look to me like the class of this tournament -- which means they're probably going to lose, the way this tournament has gone.

Not watching. Friday Night Fights, Saturday, 8 p.m., TSN. If it's Saturday, why are they called Friday Night Fights?

Soccer's moneyed elite

Forbes has just come out with its another one of its annual and invaluable sports franchise valuations, this one on the megabuck world of big-time European football, er, soccer, as we call it, and as usual there's lots of good reading.

These things are invariably bollocked by team owners, but as estimates go they're pretty good.

What's notable here? Off a quick first glance, Arsenal's value has increased the most among top clubs over the past year, at 37 per cent (after a 27 per cent increase in '05) and they are now rated by Forbes analysts at No. 4 overall, behind the unchanged top 3 of Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan. With the new Emirates Stadium (cap. 60,000) opening next season to replace the 38,500-seat Highbury and a bevy of emerging stars, the Gunners are heading into a golden era:

Arsenal rose the most in value during the past year because prior to the 2006-07 season the team will move into a $700 million stadium that could increase its annual revenue by as much as $60 million. More than $1.5 billion in stadium improvement subsidies by the German government to prepare for hosting the 2006 World Cup markedly improved values for Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen.

Where does that leave Thierry Henry, who has fallen down to 12th on the top 20 highest paid players? No wonder this guy's leaving his options open.