Goodbye Trust (Hello Shyster?)
December 20, 2001 6:04 PM Subscribe
Goodbye Trust (Hello Shyster?) After 60+ years of Yawkey ownership and a year's worth of politicking, the Red Sox have been sold to a group headed by the current Florida Marlins owner and the man who presided over a fire sale as owner of the Padres (and is pals with Satan). The local heroes dropped out of the group today after a spat. The new owners' remaining local talent consists of former senator George Mitchell and Les Otten, a man who had trouble making money in the ski business. And staying out of trouble.
WOW! Is this breaking news? How is it I was clueless that the Sox were even being offered for sale? Is there a West-Coast bias in Seattle media?
What is Jim Rice up to these days? Is he still hitting coach for the big club?
posted by vito90 at 6:44 PM on December 20, 2001
What is Jim Rice up to these days? Is he still hitting coach for the big club?
posted by vito90 at 6:44 PM on December 20, 2001
WOW! Is this breaking news?
And thank you for all your wonderful posts. Brendan Behan once compared theater critics to eunuchs in a harem: "They see it performed every night, but they're unable to do it themselves."
posted by yerfatma at 7:01 PM on December 20, 2001
And thank you for all your wonderful posts. Brendan Behan once compared theater critics to eunuchs in a harem: "They see it performed every night, but they're unable to do it themselves."
posted by yerfatma at 7:01 PM on December 20, 2001
Vito...The Sox have been talking about selling for as long as I can remember.
posted by Kevs at 7:05 PM on December 20, 2001
posted by Kevs at 7:05 PM on December 20, 2001
Our three main interests in New England are politics, sports and revenge. This story had all three. I can't wait for the tell-all book.
Jim Rice was fired at the end of 2000. Duquette then made a big deal of going after Rick Down and signing him out from under the hated Yankees. Down was fired at the end of this season and then, of course, immediately signed by the Yanks.
Another fun summer out in the bleachers for us...
posted by jpbutler at 7:06 PM on December 20, 2001
Jim Rice was fired at the end of 2000. Duquette then made a big deal of going after Rick Down and signing him out from under the hated Yankees. Down was fired at the end of this season and then, of course, immediately signed by the Yanks.
Another fun summer out in the bleachers for us...
posted by jpbutler at 7:06 PM on December 20, 2001
Now maybe we'll see a new water front stadium? With the big dig cost over runs just make makes you wonder how much more the tax payers will be hit in order to keep the team in town.
posted by brent at 7:13 PM on December 20, 2001
posted by brent at 7:13 PM on December 20, 2001
WOW! Is this breaking news? How is it I was clueless that the Sox were even being offered for sale?
According to the ESPN article, the Sox have been for sale for around 14 months, if my math is decent (439 days).
Now maybe we'll see a new water front stadium?
the same article says "But the sale could save Fenway Park, the oldest and smallest stadium in the majors. Werner's group has said it would like to renovate the ballpark, which opened in 1912 and has a capacity of about 34,000 fans." Can't say who will pay for renovations. I think that since it's owned by these rich fools, they should pay for renovations. If it were public property, i could see otherwise.
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:55 PM on December 20, 2001
According to the ESPN article, the Sox have been for sale for around 14 months, if my math is decent (439 days).
Now maybe we'll see a new water front stadium?
the same article says "But the sale could save Fenway Park, the oldest and smallest stadium in the majors. Werner's group has said it would like to renovate the ballpark, which opened in 1912 and has a capacity of about 34,000 fans." Can't say who will pay for renovations. I think that since it's owned by these rich fools, they should pay for renovations. If it were public property, i could see otherwise.
posted by Ufez Jones at 8:55 PM on December 20, 2001
I think it's funny that Yawkey sounds like Yankee; except that...well...
posted by ParisParamus at 10:30 PM on December 20, 2001
posted by ParisParamus at 10:30 PM on December 20, 2001
(Count the "$600+ million dollars for a group of overpaid whiners" comments as read)
May i also just say that they (the new owners) are assuming $40 million in debt, making the net total $700 million. Unbelievable. So many things i could say....
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:33 PM on December 20, 2001
May i also just say that they (the new owners) are assuming $40 million in debt, making the net total $700 million. Unbelievable. So many things i could say....
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:33 PM on December 20, 2001
aside from who pays for it, the idea of renovating fenway is moronic, idiotic, stupid, foolish, and a waste of time and money. i love the park, i've been going there since i was a kid, and it is high time to tear the sucker down and build a park for the 21st century. this choice of owner group was made simply because the principals involved are Selig's cronies.
y'know, i just really feel sorry for baseball...a couple weeks ago Selig was at Congress crying about what rough shape the sport is in...and now i can see he must not have been lying, since all someone will pay for a franchise is 7/10 of a billion dollars. that is really, really rough, isn't it?
posted by zoopraxiscope at 4:40 AM on December 21, 2001
y'know, i just really feel sorry for baseball...a couple weeks ago Selig was at Congress crying about what rough shape the sport is in...and now i can see he must not have been lying, since all someone will pay for a franchise is 7/10 of a billion dollars. that is really, really rough, isn't it?
posted by zoopraxiscope at 4:40 AM on December 21, 2001
I'm deathly afraid the "Save Fenway" crowd (many who care only about the stadium, as if it would be important without the team; some go so far as to suggest the Sox should "take a year off" if necessary, to renovate Fenway) may gain some momentum here if lack of local ownership makes it harder to get things done. Not that New England politics have ever been incestuous or anything.
that is really, really rough, isn't it?
You obviously don't understand the prestige that comes with losing money as a baseball owner. See? It's the prestige that keeps these guys in a failing industry.
posted by yerfatma at 4:49 AM on December 21, 2001
that is really, really rough, isn't it?
You obviously don't understand the prestige that comes with losing money as a baseball owner. See? It's the prestige that keeps these guys in a failing industry.
posted by yerfatma at 4:49 AM on December 21, 2001
The cable network (NESN) was the real gem here ... The new owners will be able to market NESN as a national channel with the upcoming merger of AT&T Broadband and Comcast.
Good news for the Sox? Well, not really. But that's the way it goes in big sports business these days.
We can only hope that the new owners have enough sense to fire Dan Duquette quickly.
With John Henry being part of this group, it makes me wonder whether this was an orchestrated sale on the part of the Commissioner to advance his goal of contracting two teams so that the remaining teams can make even more money. You can make a difference.
The average ticket price at Fenway is among the highest in MLB. I don't think the average ticket price will go down when the new owners have paid $700 million for the privilege of owning a storied team with a cranky old decrepit stadium.
posted by purplecow at 5:59 AM on December 21, 2001
Good news for the Sox? Well, not really. But that's the way it goes in big sports business these days.
We can only hope that the new owners have enough sense to fire Dan Duquette quickly.
With John Henry being part of this group, it makes me wonder whether this was an orchestrated sale on the part of the Commissioner to advance his goal of contracting two teams so that the remaining teams can make even more money. You can make a difference.
The average ticket price at Fenway is among the highest in MLB. I don't think the average ticket price will go down when the new owners have paid $700 million for the privilege of owning a storied team with a cranky old decrepit stadium.
posted by purplecow at 5:59 AM on December 21, 2001
Ticket prices at Fenway have gone out of control in the last couple of years.
Bleacher seat in
1999: $12
2000: $16
2001: $20
2002: not announced yet
posted by jpbutler at 6:10 AM on December 21, 2001
Um, that last comment didn't have lots of extra spacing when I wrote or previewed it. Off to meta...
posted by jpbutler at 6:11 AM on December 21, 2001
posted by jpbutler at 6:11 AM on December 21, 2001
I think that since it's owned by these rich fools, they should pay
Not likely! For the Marlins, Henry tried to get $320M of state & local money to finance a new stadium on public property. Didn't fly here, but expect more of the same in Boston.
posted by groundhog at 7:34 AM on December 21, 2001
Not likely! For the Marlins, Henry tried to get $320M of state & local money to finance a new stadium on public property. Didn't fly here, but expect more of the same in Boston.
posted by groundhog at 7:34 AM on December 21, 2001
Yes, Yerfatma, I'm horrified of that crowd. It makes room for someone to be bitching at all times...a great tradition here in Boston. I once heard a friemd say that the worst thing that could happen to the Red Sox would be them winning the World Series; Because then, no one would have anything to complain about. Saving Fenway is the equivalent of entering a Model T in the Indy 500...because the vehicle has so much history and nostalgia. WAKE UP. History has never won a ball game.
posted by Greener at 11:38 AM on December 21, 2001
posted by Greener at 11:38 AM on December 21, 2001
I'm torn between whether the Sox winning the Series would be good or bad for the world. I alternate between:
thinking that it would unleash torrents of creativity and wonders that have been stuck under decades of anguish. The Great American Novel, the real living one, would be published. Other works would follow.
thinking that we would all wonder around aimlessly for the rest of our lives and humanity would be the worse for it-- we wouldn't know what it meant to wish for the impossible any more.
posted by yerfatma at 2:56 PM on December 21, 2001
thinking that it would unleash torrents of creativity and wonders that have been stuck under decades of anguish. The Great American Novel, the real living one, would be published. Other works would follow.
thinking that we would all wonder around aimlessly for the rest of our lives and humanity would be the worse for it-- we wouldn't know what it meant to wish for the impossible any more.
posted by yerfatma at 2:56 PM on December 21, 2001
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(Count the "$600+ million dollars for a group of overpaid whiners" comments as read)
posted by yerfatma at 6:06 PM on December 20, 2001