Hartford/Ann Arbor Trade On Hold Indefinitely May 20, 1999
Hartford Whalers owner Jeremy Chrabascz issued the following statement just
moment ago:
We've just received word that Ann Arbor owner, Michael Kennedy has decided
to hold off on trading David Wells or Jeff Kent for the time being.
Although admitting he liked the trade he stated he wanted to see what
direction his team was headed in. Kennedy also stated that he would give
Hartford first priority on any future trade talks involving Wells or Kent.
That being said, and although I consider it a fair statement, I cannot deny
that we are disappointed. Kennedy went from saying that "I will be
confirming..." to "I think I'm going to hold off." A frustrating turn of
events for the Whalers franchise.
Nonetheless, the Whalers have made the following decision; we haved pulled
everyone off of the trading block for the time being. Unlike our McCoy
counterparts, we've decided not to panic and go with the status quo. We'll
be making lineup adjustments and competing with what we've got. We're only
1 1/2 games back of Deadwood and our pitching has been fine. We simply
need our offense to come around. Shortstop Kurt Abbott will be returning
within the next few days and should provide a significant boost. Tilson
Brito has filled in nicely but nothing can replace Abbott's power,
leadership and defense. By not talking trade with ANYONE now, I'm am
officially issuing the following challege to the Hartford Whalers players:
Pull together, play together and win the division and bring joy and pride
back to the city of Hartford. I will not be moving anyone for awhile,
unless we're delluged with injuries. Instead, I'm going to believe in my
team and its abilities. We'll see how they respond.
