And the new RoughRiders' owner is .....

the Philadelphia Flyers. OK, not really the Flyers, but the group that owns the NHL franchise. A couple of sources have confirmed that the likely new owner of the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders is Comcast Spectacor, a Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment firm that owns the Flyers, the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League.

Comcast Spectacor also owns the Wachovia Center in Philly, which is home to the Flyers and Sixers, as well as the soon-to-be-torn-down Wachovia Spectrum. A subsidiary of CS is Global Spectrum, which advertises itself as "the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field." Global Spectrum manages and operates "public assembly facilities" throughout the United States and Canada, which would seem to indicate an additional purchase of the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena could be included in this deal.

You can read more about Comcast Spectacor on its Web site: www.comcastspectacor.com.

Word is the deal to buy the RoughRiders from primary owners Michael Reinsdorf and Stephen Edelson is still being finalized but is close to fruition. Stay tuned.