Jim Ballsillie is a Vulture

Once again the rumor is making the talk show rounds that Jim Ballsillie is on the verge of buying the Nashville Predators. The basis for this particular version of the story is that Boots DelBiaggio’s 27% stake in the Preds is in the hands of the US Federal Bankruptcy Court.

It has been reported that the local ownership group, headed by David Freeman, has petitioned the court to buy DelBiaggio’s shares. There is also allegedly an agreement in place that the local ownership group would have veto power over any other suitor that may wish to purchase the 27% slice of the pie. I personally am not positive that would hold up in a court of law but it is not logical or a savvy business decision for someone to spend millions of dollars to make a hostile purchase into an entity where they would have minimal say in what was done with their investment.

So why is Jim Ballsillie’s name repeatedly mentioned every time a team is rumored to be for sale or on shaky ground in any way? The answer is simple… Jim Ballsillie is a vulture. Wikipedia describes our local favorite, the turkey vulture, as “a scavenger that feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It finds its meals using its sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gases produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals.”

From the perspective of a die-hard Predator fan who is tired of seeing that nasty bird circling the Sommet Center waiting for the first sign of financial trouble I think the above definition fits Jim Ballsillie like a glove.

Memo to Jim Ballsillie from PredsOnTheGlass – In the immortal words of a sign held by Tennessee first lady Andrea Conte “Get Your Damn Hands Off My Team”.

Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass