Higgins Reflects on Time with Whoopee Feburary 7, 2002

By Phillip Ramati
Telegraph Staff Writer

A day after he left the team, Lee Higgins talked about his sudden resignation as general manager of the Macon Whoopee.

Higgins attributed the decision to the Whoopee's uncertain fate after this season.

"There's not a lot to say," said Higgins, who resigned along with assistant GM Dave Lallo. "I had to look out for what's best for my family. I was very unsure over whether there was going to be a team here next year. I have nothing negative to say about anyone. I'm still going to follow the team, just from a different viewpoint."

Higgins took over the team just over a month before the season started, replacing team president Keith Burdette, who got a job with the Carolina Hurricanes. The brief turnover time made Higgins' job more difficult.

"The job was fine," he said. "The difficulty coming in was that we hadn't sold enough corporate (sponsorships), or enough season tickets beforehand. We got started too late. That was the big thing, not having corporate or season tickets where they should be."

Higgins thinks his successor, Darren Roberts, should do well taking over the front office.

"Everything is set up very well now," Higgins said. "He'll do a great job. I worked with Darren before and he knows how to run operations."

As for the future of the team in Macon, Higgins is unsure what will unfold. The team is owned by Macon Sports Group, which is leasing its ECHL franchise from Elmore-Tuttle Sports Group.

"I think it's salvageable," Higgins said. "I don't know if it'll be here next year with this ownership group, but with (Tim Mouser, president of the Utah Grizzlies) and Elmore-Tuttle involved, they still might do it."

The reaction from the Whoopee locker room was mixed, since the players often don't deal directly with the front office.

"From a personal standpoint, I'm sorry to see Lee and Dave go," coach Gord Dineen said. "I liked and respected both of them. I'm sure they're disappointed that they're not going to be a part of it."

Said forward David Brosseau: "As far as the front office is concerned, it doesn't change anything as far as us going out and doing our job. We don't control any of that. We put ourselves in a good situation with the way we played in January and just want to keep going."

The team is taking a similar outlook over reports of Elmore-Tuttle's interest in keeping the franchise in Macon beyond this season.

"It's pretty much the same as two weeks ago in terms of the future of the team," Dineen said. "I'm keeping the same outlook. (MSG majority owner Brother Stewart) has given us a lot of support and is still very committed to us. The only influence we have is how we play and coach."

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