Hang onto those Calgary Drillers hats, T-shirts and key chains, they could soon be valuable keepsakes from our city's growing family of dead sports franchises.
Barring a buzzer-beating miracle, the struggling American Basketball Association expansion team is folding after just 13 games, according to president Al Howell.
Howell said yesterday he has been ordered by owner Glen Straub of Florida to slam dunk the club, although head coach Otis Hailey claimed last night he and GM Ruby Richman are working to secure new investors.
"The owner of the franchise has given me instructions to shut the franchise down," Howell announced, adding he is also attempting, against all odds, to find new owners.
"I don't agree with that decision and I'm taking today to see if I can replace him with local ownership. The chances of that happening are relatively slim but that's what I'm attempting to do. I'm not optimistic."
Howell said the team missed its payroll on Jan. 31 proximately $14,000 -- and no one has received a cheque since Jan. 15.
"Nobody is being paid -- it's over," said Howell, who was planning to meet last night and again today with prospective new owners.
Hailey said even if Straub abandons the franchise, he and Richman will continue fighting to find another $150,000 to $200,000 to finish the 36-game season.
"Me and Ruby aren't going to let this thing die -- we've worked too hard for too long to let that happen," Hailey insisted.
Straub stepped forward in early December to assume control of the expansion club that was launched by Hailey and Richman. Straub owns the Miami Arena, former home of the NBA's Miami Heat, and may relocate the club, according to Howell.
Financial uncertainty forced the Drillers to begin the season a month late while disappointing home crowds at the Stampede Corral have peaked at a few hundred per game. From the opening night's announced crowd of 300, it was clear the Grim Reaper would be in the starting lineup every time the squad hit the floor.
Howell noted that hasn't been the only hardship.
"The hardest part is dealing with the league," he said. "You never know from one day to the next which team is going to show up. Three days before the game, Ruby can't confirm who the team is, you know? It makes it all very difficult. It's made it just horrible."
League insiders say the ABA expansion this season from seven to 35 teams has been a disaster, with new clubs needing only to meet the minimum requirements of a $10,000 entry fee and a promise to follow league guidelines.
Howell said the Drillers struggled right from the start because of uncertainty surrounding other clubs.
"The league's so bizarre, it's just crazy," he said.
"The L.A. Stars are in trouble, Orange County collapsed, Ontario Warriors are probably not going to make it, Fresno couldn't travel. Long Beach Jam, probably the best of the bunch, said they wouldn't travel up here. Utah is drawing fewer people than we are and they have a great club to watch. They're getting 300 people a game. Tijuana only played half of the first half of its schedule and now they're back. We couldn't find teams to play.
"Now we've got an owner sitting in Miami going, 'What is this thing?' So the uncertainly has caused the problems."
Scott and Todd Shipley of Calgary, owners of Original Joe's restaurants, reportedly own 5% of the franchise but, according to Howell, aren't about to assume financial control of the team.
ABA chairman/co-founder Joe Newman said late yesterday afternoon he was unaware the Drillers are folding.
