Now that the Burke firing is setting in we can start to look at it from different angles. Namely, the way it was handled by MLSE. This was the first time Anselmi (Peddie's replacement) has really been in the forefront of the public eye. He's given some radio interviews in the past and had his name has popped up around the Toronto FC, but this was really the first time we Leafs fans got to see him in action. I didn't like what I saw in the slightest. Remember, Anselmi is the guy who was in charge of the disaster that is the TFC from day 1, a team that just hired its 8th head coach in 7 years.
Anselmi acted today like he was a puppet of the owners. He tried his best to dance around questions, didn't give straightforward answers, and spoke very corporate-like. He kept on referring to the "board of directors" and "shareholders," as if that's something fans of a pro sports team want to hear. Ultimately though, he failed to say why Burke was fired. He cited "tone of leadership" and the fact that the owners thought they and Burke couldn't have a "long-term relationship" but he still failed to explain himself. Bob Mccown interviewed Anselmi and pretty much eviscerated him for not answering questions. You tell by the change in Mccown's tone over the interview, he was definitely getting annoyed.
As I alluded to earlier, Anselmi looked like a puppet of the owners. I may be criticizing him for not answering questions and speaking very corporate-like but he's obviously acting on orders from his bosses. Thing is, where are his bosses? Where was Nadir Mohamed or George Cope? Why was Larry Tannenbaum refusing to answer questions over in New York? The veil of secrecy is disconcerting. When you have a 1-man owner like Mark Cuban or Terry Pegula what you see is what you get; you know exactly who they are and what they're all about. But with this MLSE board of directors, Leaf fans have no idea. There's many questions left unanswered about our ownership group. Where were they? Why were they hiding today?
We can debate whether Burke deserved to fired or if it was the right time to fire him ad nauseum. Regardless, what we saw today was a corporate puppet refusing to answer tough questions, an ownership group in hiding, and inadequate reasoning given for the firing of the President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thanks MLSE.
Anselmi acted today like he was a puppet of the owners. He tried his best to dance around questions, didn't give straightforward answers, and spoke very corporate-like. He kept on referring to the "board of directors" and "shareholders," as if that's something fans of a pro sports team want to hear. Ultimately though, he failed to say why Burke was fired. He cited "tone of leadership" and the fact that the owners thought they and Burke couldn't have a "long-term relationship" but he still failed to explain himself. Bob Mccown interviewed Anselmi and pretty much eviscerated him for not answering questions. You tell by the change in Mccown's tone over the interview, he was definitely getting annoyed.
As I alluded to earlier, Anselmi looked like a puppet of the owners. I may be criticizing him for not answering questions and speaking very corporate-like but he's obviously acting on orders from his bosses. Thing is, where are his bosses? Where was Nadir Mohamed or George Cope? Why was Larry Tannenbaum refusing to answer questions over in New York? The veil of secrecy is disconcerting. When you have a 1-man owner like Mark Cuban or Terry Pegula what you see is what you get; you know exactly who they are and what they're all about. But with this MLSE board of directors, Leaf fans have no idea. There's many questions left unanswered about our ownership group. Where were they? Why were they hiding today?
We can debate whether Burke deserved to fired or if it was the right time to fire him ad nauseum. Regardless, what we saw today was a corporate puppet refusing to answer tough questions, an ownership group in hiding, and inadequate reasoning given for the firing of the President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thanks MLSE.