Sockers Present ‘Final’ Proposal on Lease

SAN DIEGO —  Socker owner Ron Fowler presented what he called his final proposal Monday for a new lease with San Diego Sports Arena operator Harry Cooper.

Fowler said if a satisfactory agreement is not reached within the next 10 days, he will either sell or fold the franchise.

Since Cooper secured an International Hockey League team for San Diego 1 1/2 weeks ago, Cooper has said the Sockers will have to give up some office space in the Sports Arena. Also, there is a chance the Sockers will lose some prime weekend scheduling dates.

“My feeling on any of the issues is that until we have an agreement on everything, we have an agreement on nothing,” said Fowler, whose team lost approximately $500,000 last season. “The bottom line is, I’m not looking for our cost to go up because of an IHL team. If they want us to move, then they have to provide us with an office, or the cost incurred making the move. That’s the major issue right now.”

Cooper said he wants the Sockers to vacate all but 800-square feet of the Sports Arena office area. Under his plan, the hockey team’s staff would occupy about 2,000-square feet. Cooper said the Sockers’ switchboard and ticket staff would remain in the Sports Arena, but the sales staff would move into a building across the street.

Fowler disagreed, saying that he estimated Cooper wants to relegate the Sockers to about “300-400-square feet” of office space in the Sports Arena.

Also, Cooper said he has offered to increase his subsidy to the Sockers for staffing to $5,000 a game from $3,000.

“To compensate him,” Cooper said. “That will wipe me out of the revenue I get from parking and concessions, and I still have to operate the building.

“He’s never satisfied. He wants me to lose money on it.”

Fowler also disagreed with this. He said that the Sockers negotiated a reduction in their expenses per game to $10,500 from $13,500--the $3,000 Cooper spoke of--but said it was based on a sliding attendance scale and that the Sockers didn’t realize a full $3,000 savings per game. And, he said, the extra $2,000 per game is also on the sliding attendance scale.

“I’m sorry to have parts of this negotiation in print, but if the facts are going to be in print, we’re going to make sure the facts are accurate,” Fowler said.

Fowler said the Sockers will not go forward with their marketing or sell season tickets until the issue is resolved. He said he will give Cooper 48 hours to reply to his proposal and, if no agreement is reached, will look to sell the team.

“If someone else wants to go forward with the Sockers, I would make them available,” Fowler said. “I’m tired of this process. Every time we step forward, things out of our control frustrate us. . . . Because of the question of arena dates and the need to go out and rent office space without anything mitigating that, we’re looking at the cost (of operating) going up instead of going down.

“I’m not looking to do anything to stop the Sockers from playing, but it may be that someone else will have to do it. I love the players and I love the fans, but the cards are stacked against us. What’s the song? You’ve got to know when to fold ‘em. That’s rapidly approaching.”

Fowler was supposed to have filed a letter of credit with the MISL office by last Friday, but he said he informed Commissioner Earl Foreman that he would not be doing so until the arena situation is resolved.

And if it isn’t?

“I hope the people will like a minor league hockey team over an eight-time indoor champion soccer team,” Fowler said. “I think it’s a damn shame, the whole issue. I’m still totally frustrated with the way it has been handled.

“They’re in business, but they’ve got no coach, no anything. I just find it somewhat humorous. Black humor.”

Fowler also said he is unhappy over a report that Vin Ciruzzi, a co-owner of the Sports Arena lease with Cooper, said the arena has given the Sockers $1.5 million over the past five years for payroll.

“I resent strongly his implication that they have covered payroll,” Fowler said. “As long as I’ve been here, we’ve covered our own. There may have been an incestuous relationship before, but there sure as hell hasn’t since I’ve owned the club. I don’t know where that crap is coming from. I don’t care what happened before--(former owner) Bob Bell hung us all out to dry.”

Socker Notes

Midfielder-forward Branko Segota and goalkeeper Victor Nogueira are the only two Sockers signed for next season, and owner Ron Fowler said he will not negotiate with anybody else until the Sports Arena deal is done. If things do work out, he said he does not anticipate contract problems. “I think we will have all of our major players back,” Fowler said. “They want to be back and we want them back.”