Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - IceRays better off without league MVP, coach Hall says

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Thursday, December 16, 1999

IceRays better off without league MVP, coach Hall says

By Mark Button
Caller-Times

Taylor Hall would just like to know why.
   He could have used a little more warning, too.
   Other than that, the Corpus Christi IceRays coach says the team is ready for life without Chris Robertson.
   Robertson quit the team Saturday night, minutes before the team bus departed for a road game and the same day Robertson came off the injured-reserve list after being sidelined for the first eight weeks of the season with a knee injury. Robertson has declined public interviews in favor of issuing two statements that did not specify why he quit.
   On Wednesday, Robertson faxed a one-paragraph statement to media outlets. The statement responded to comments from IceRays general manager Bill Davidson, who called Robertson "a quitter."
   "I apologize to the fans that Mr. Davidson has resorted to name-calling," Robertson wrote in the fax. "I believe my credentials as a leader and as an athlete speak for themselves. . . . Out of respect for the players, fans and various local businesses that support the IceRays, I wish the team the utmost success on the ice."
   Meanwhile, the IceRays held a media luncheon in which Hall said the team will be better off without last season's WPHL Most Valuable Player. Hall said he is talking to nearly every other team in the league about trade possibilities for the 6-foot, 190-pound center, who recorded 109 points in 64 games last season.
   Still, no one knows for certain why Robertson quit.
   "I would like to know," Hall said. "We did disagree on a few minor things. There were some players I had on the team that he didn't think should be here, and I know he didn't agree with the practice I held after Friday's big loss to Central Texas. But those are little things; we never got into a shouting match or anything like that - our disagreements were minor, I thought.
   "He was the highest-paid player in the league, but we have to go on without him."
   Hall said he has moved past Robertson's decision to quit the IceRays but added he is curious as to why Robertson handled the situation the way he did.
   "I don't think Chris should be judged on what he did," Hall said. "It was his decision and I'm not clear on the reasons behind it. I'm just disappointed with how it happened.
   "I've always viewed Chris as a professional, and the way he handled informing me was very inconsistent with the way I've perceived him in the past. I just wish he would have given me some warning. I mean, even 10 minutes would have helped. But I found out when the entire team found out. With something like that, I would like to have known first, so I would have had time to deal with it. As it was, it put me in a very awkward position."
   It was also awkward for team captain Jody Praznik, a longtime friend of Robertson's.
   "We've been friends for probably 12-to-15 years," Praznik said. "I do not dislike him for the decision he made; it's his decision. I'll continue to be friends with him because I understand it was a decision he felt he had to make for himself. As a team, we just have to go on."
   Hall suspended Robertson without pay after Robertson left the team, securing Robertson's rights as an IceRay until he is traded or released. Hall said almost all the WPHL coaches have been trying to contact Robertson.
   "They're all waiting to talk to him," Hall said. "They're all like me: they want to know if he still wants to play. But everyone has indicated that they would be willing to give up something really good (in a trade) for him."



Staff writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at buttonm@caller.com

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