It's been a very long while...

To those who still read: I really apologize for how long it's been since I last wrote on this blog. Hopefully you'll forgive me. The demands and rigors of university life have been very time consuming.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, odds are now 50-50 that AEG will move the San Jose Earthquakes this offseason. Tim Leiweke, president of AEG (who, for those of you who don't know, currently own the Earthquakes), continues his policy of saying a lot but really saying nothing when he says, "At the end of the day, we can't be the owner. We're going to sell San Jose, one way or the other.'' Thanks Tim for telling us something we haven't know for the past two seasons!

More Leiweke gems:

• "We've been doing this for four years. We put $20 million into it. I know people like to kick us and say we haven't treated the city well, but the reality is we saved the franchise here and we've stuck by it.''
• "We've been the savior of the league. We've saved San Jose.''
• "If Landon was coming back from Germany, he was going to L.A. That's where he lives. It has nothing to do with San Jose one way or the other. And Alexi is a free spirit who wanted to be in New York and we gave him that opportunity.''
• "We are just as committed to try and work through the issues in San Jose as we were a year ago."
• "The only difference today is we've made it clear we can't continue to operate the team. It's not in the best interest of the league or the city.''

Point-by-point:

1. I appreciate that AEG's actually allowed San Jose to exist for the last few seasons, but in all honesty, have they really treated this team and the city well? It's well known among Earthquakes fans that the practice facilities (or lack thereof) that the team uses are in terrible shape. The team, which practices at a local college, does not even have changing rooms or a bathroom on site. Marketing in the San Jose community has been negligible. Spartan is an absolute mess of a stadium (as delightful as it can be). It's a wonder that the team still averages over 13,000 fans a season without any double-headers.

2. Don't get too big of a head there Tim. Again, I appreciate what AEG's done, but it disturbs me how fiercely loyal some MLS fans are to AEG's business model. Yes, they've effectively saved MLS and have poured in millions of dollars, but we also need to ask serious questions such as, "What do we want the business model of this league to be?" and "What comes first in MLS, the quality on the field or the money that it generates?"

3. At least we're clear on this now Tim. So much for history and loyalty. Oh, and it's good to know that you promoted Alexi Lalas in New York because he's a "free spirit."

4. "Weeks, not months." Ring a bell Tim?

5. Well right you are Tim! The city needs owners who actually market the team, appreciate the loyal fan base, and care about soccer, not concerts.

To summarize: What did we learn from this article? Nothing we didn't really know before. Except that now we know, officially, that Houston is the relocation destination, and that there are potential local owners. Why does this article strangely ring hollow?