ajc.com | Braves | Bartholomay looking into Braves bid
Creg (reading the AJC so I don’t have to!) points me to this story. Bill Bartholomay, who owned the team for many years and stayed on as chairman (he still holds that job) and minority owner because the Lords of the Realm wanted him to keep an eye on Ted, is supposedly looking into re-acquiring the team. Ted is supposedly one of the people possibly part of Bartholomay’s group, as is Stan Kasten.
My preference is that the Braves go as a package with TBS. I believe that’s also what the Lords would like. A new owner who didn’t own TBS would likely force a new TV deal, one with a reasonable rights fee. And the owners hate that idea because they couldn’t pretend the Braves were losing tens of millions of dollars every year.
In my opinion it’s more likely for Turner South to be part of the package than TBS.
It’s possible that Turner South could be packaged along with the Braves and TBS. AOL may be trying to sell the Braves without TBS but I imagine they’ll find it very hard to do so.
I posted this in the Braves newsgroup also, and will repeat here. Isn’t this a potentially MAJOR conflict of interest? I mean, Kasten and McGuirk have been badmouthing the Braves’ finances for quite some time now. That would have the effect of making it less attractive to potential buyers, leaving it cheaper for them to buy themselves. That’s, um, not good.
And as noted by others in other forums, doesn’t it seem weird that these guys would pony up $300-400m to buy an asset they themselves claim loses $20m a year? Unless – say it ain’t so! – they’ve been _lying_ about those losses all this time!
This is quite stinky.
Colin
Anybody else willing to give their right eye for somebody like Mark Cuban to buy this team?
I have to say it:
Bong robbed of hit!
If only that Bong was more hittable …
Forbes magazine just reported that the Braves “value” is in the top six of the game and comes in around $423,000,000 not including the related entities.
Immediately after Forbes came out with their numbers, teams started badmouthing them and saying that they are lying. Unfortunately, none are willing to open up their books and the books of wholly owned sister corporations. And yet cities keep ponying up hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate welfare for these clubs. I don’t mind all public assistance, but I do mind it where public money goes in and no public disclosure comes out.
It’s definitely a conflict of interest. The problem is that, normally, the parent company (AOL) wouldn’t want the president of one of its holdings badmouthing that holding’s financial state of affairs.
Beyond AOL maintining the MLB party line about clubs losing money, I think one of the reasons they want the Braves to look financially unattractive is so that AOL shareholders will be happy when the Braves are sold. AOL looks like there’s actually someone steering the ship by dumping a non-core, ‘unprofitable’ holding. Financial analysts/shills rejoice, and the stock goes up.
On top of that, with (supposedly) tougher SEC oversight, AOL is probably a little bit nervous about being involved in an industry where cooking the books is not only routine, but expected. I realize that in this case they are hiding money instead of fabricating it, but I can’t imagine they’d want to draw the SEC’s attention and risk a large inquiry into AOL’s bookkeeping.
Did anybody notice that in Sports Illustrated’s season preview, in discussing the offseason moves, they made it a big point to mention how much money the Braves are losing.
SI is of course part of the AOL/TW “family”.
for don sutton – have you ever saw a runner try to steal home when the catcher returns the ball to the pitcher?
FOR DON SUTTON:
In 1971,(Ithink) it was.. a p;itcher got married on Sat. around noon. After the wedding came to the ballpark and pitched a ballgame….I’m thinking that was you……am I right? Or who was it?
If you can e-mail this back to me, for I don’t always get to see the games on tv….
Thank you and get the Braves on a roll….
I sure do miss Tom Glavin being there also Millwood…
Thanks
Rink
My question is does MLB have anything planned to
pay tribute to those lost on September 11, 2001?
David Garner
Tullahoma, Tennessee