Ramblin' Fan » 8th District Court of Appeals

Progress Continues To Be Made

Justin Stine — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 05:51:49 +0000

I was cautiously optimistic in my post about the “secret” meetings the other day, and I’m feeling even better today after the latest chatter on Twitter involving CBS’ Sports analyst Mike Freeman and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King. Freeman posted on Twitter today that multiple sources keep telling him than an agreement between the owners and the players sould be struck before the 8th Circut Court of Appeals rules on the case in July. Peter King then retweeted Freeman’s post and added “You’re on to something, Mike.” King went on to post “I’m not saying it’ll happen. Let’s make that clear. But I’m more optimistic about a settlement than I’ve been in a while.”

When I see people who are in the know like Freeman and King sounding so optimistic, it really makes me think that things are starting to turn around. The meetings last week were reportedly positive, and if a deal is reached by July we should have no problems getting the season going without issue. I know I have been skeptical, so the fact that I’m starting to come around should be at least some indication that things are getting better. Again, I caution everyone to not to get too overly excited here, but you should certainly feel better about negotiations. Things are better

‘Secret’ Meetings Conclude Thursday

Justin Stine — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 09:00:17 +0000

Before I get started on the NFL stuff, I’m going to digress on something that has nothing to do with the NFL. I want to give a shoutout to a former college baseball teammate of mine. Brian Dinkelman, who I played with for two years in college and against for two years in high school, was called up to the Majors today by the Minnesota Twins. Congrats to Dink, who is one of the best players and nicest guys I have ever had the privilege to call my teammate. I know he has worked hard, and nobody deserves this more than him.

Now, on to the NFL’s “secret” meetings. The owners and NFLPA concluded their three-day meetings on Thursday, and apparently their is at least a little progress. With the court date scheduled for Friday, it’s good to see the two sides getting together, even if it wasn’t as secret as they might have thought. Nobody is doing much talking about specifics from the meeting, but the two sides getting together is at least a start. We are starting to get close to the breaking point, and I’m starting to get the feeling that a solution is finally getting closer. I was pretty skeptical there for awhile, but I really think we won’t miss any football this season. These next few weeks are of vital importance, so it will be worth keeping an eye on the situation.

Nobody wants this thing to continue to drag on, so here’s hoping a resolution is on the horizon. Friday is a big day, but just one of many we will have in the coming weeks. At least we are on the right path.

No Ruling On NFL Case Yet

Justin Stine — Sat, 14 May 2011 07:28:47 +0000

It has been two weeks since the NFL lockout case has been on the table at the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, and there has still been no ruling on the NFL’s request for a stay of Judge Susan Richard Nelson’s Disctrict Court decision. Obviously we were all hoping that we would know more by now, but that’s just not the way these things work. The earliest a decision could come would be Monday, but many insiders believe that the court may stay silent until the appeal is heard on June 3. The two sides will be back in mediation on Monday, so there could be some new developments early next week, but I doubt it.

Don’t be shocked if we all stay in limbo for a few more weeks, because it seems to me like the judges have no desire to make a ruling before then. Unfortunately, the longer this thing drags on in the courts, the more time is misses and the greater the potential for there to be missed time in the upcoming season. I was hoping that we would at least have seen some progression in this whole thing by now, and the fact that the two sides seem to be farther apart than ever makes me even more nervous. This thing is a long way from being resolved, so get comfortable, because we aren’t going anywhere any time soon.