Tony Tavares

It's a safe bet that within hours of the Mighty Ducks' announcement they will not rehire Ron Wilson as coach, General Manager Jack Ferreira began receiving phone calls and resumes from hopeful replacements. Reportedly, Mike Keenan contacted the Washington Capitals to inquire about the general manager's job before the news of David Poile's dismissal was official. For a job with an up-and-coming team like the Ducks, applicants are sure to act just as quickly--and to be more plentiful.

In the end, Disney was everything Ron Wilson was not; insecure, misguided and gutless. In the end, the man most responsible for the public execution of hockey's hottest coach did not even have the courage to show up for it. And just where was Tony Tavares on Tuesday afternoon while loyal employees were scrambling to explain his bloody footprints on Ron Wilson's reputation? Wherever it is that Georgia Frontiere used to go when the going got tough, one suspects.

Mighty Duck fans were surprised to hear that Coach Ron Wilson had been fired Tuesday, then let stronger emotions take over. "I am so [angry]," Newport Beach resident Doug Keith said at the Angel game Tuesday night. "My God, the guy won and the players liked him. He seemed to be ideal. He beat the [Phoenix] Coyotes in the playoffs. Detroit beat them in four, but they had five or six overtime [periods]. It's an ego thing. It's always an ego thing with Disney."

Ron Wilson, who led the Mighty Ducks to the NHL playoffs in only their fourth season, won't be back for a fifth. Citing "philosophical differences," team officials decided not to renew Wilson's contract. **** "Ron's a good coach and he's a good quote. It's a bad day." General Manager Jack Ferriera **** "I've always wanted to stay here and tried to make that known. I can't control what other people say or newspapers write."

Ron Wilson's deal to return as Mighty Duck coach, once considered only a formality, collapsed because of a strained relationship with team President Tony Tavares that reached the breaking point Tuesday. Citing "philosophical differences," General Manager Jack Ferreira said Wilson's contract will not be renewed, leaving him free to seek a job with another NHL team. Tavares did not attend a news conference at the Pond of Anaheim because he had "a prior commitment," Ferreira said.

When the Walt Disney Co. assumed managing control of the Angels last May, adding Anaheim's baseball team to a burgeoning sports empire that includes the Mighty Ducks, Tony Tavares had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "When I first took this job, my real fear was that we play 82 hockey games and 162 baseball games a year, which equals 244 nights of potential aggravation," said Tavares, 47, the president of Anaheim Sports, Inc., which runs both clubs.

He may be known as "Meddling Mike" in the entertainment industry, but Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner is hands-off when it comes to running the company's two professional sports teams. "There's this perception that Michael has his fingers in everything, but that's the farthest thing from the truth," said Tony Tavares, president of the Mighty Ducks and Angels. "Mike is not involved in day-to-day decisions at all.

A few weeks ago, Tony Tavares, president of the Mighty Ducks, was asked about the team's games being switched from Fox Sports West to the new Fox Sports West 2 network. "I'm not upset about it," Tavares said. "But I didn't say I wasn't concerned." On Wednesday, that concern was served to Fox Sports West in the form of a lawsuit that seeks to put the Ducks back on Fox Sports West and in front of 4 million viewers, some of whom live in Orange County. On Fox Sports West 2, the suit says, the Ducks can be seen by only 350,000-400,000, none of whom live in Orange County.

It's nights like Wednesday that make Tony Tavares' blood boil and his stomach churn. As his first year as Angel president drones on, Tavares finds the club's uninspired play no easier to take now than he did back in June or July. It grates on his nerves, to be sure. But it also has strengthened his resolve to turn the Angels into winners. He's certain he doesn't want to come to Anaheim Stadium next year, see it more than half empty and hear those who are there rooting for the opponents.

So here they are at the All-Star break, foundering when almost everyone predicted they would be flying. The Angels have had five winning streaks of four games or more, including two seven-game streaks. They also have had seven losing streaks of four games or more, including two six-game skids. Is this any way to win a division title?