Sullivan - Cuban moving up on the outside

[RynoRules]

Yes. The other owners have to approve who even gets to bid. Cuban was approved to get a bid package and both parties (Cubs and Cuban) wouldn't waste their time if the buyer wasn't acceptable.

 

Awesome. I was really concerned that Reinsdorf would try and block this with all his might. The Cubs are only half of what they could be and they still make the Sox look silly. Imagine what a motivated owner will do with them.

[Peoriaman]

Yes. The other owners have to approve who even gets to bid. Cuban was approved to get a bid package and both parties (Cubs and Cuban) wouldn't waste their time if the buyer wasn't acceptable.

 

But are the requirements for being approved as a bidder a bit more lax than for being approved as an owner?

 

Not really. The owners are instructed to not approve bidders if they don't think they are qualified.

 

What people forget is that owners badly want the Cubs (and all other teams) to sell for outrageously high prices. That does nothing but increase the value of their own franchise. The Cubs have discussed the bidders with the other owners to make sure that there would be no problem with approval of all of them. Selig has done the same. This is a small group of people and they comminicate regularly about these things. The Cubs President was a M & A guy before he was appointed Cub President--he knows what he is doing.

 

 

On top of all this--and don't underestimate this--any arbitrary disapproval of a qualified potential owner would open up MLB to a serious and very expensive lawsuit--and Sam Zell would not hesitate to go this direction.

[shnsajax]

imagine a Cuban/Ozzie yelling match :-).

[SweetZombieJesus]

while Boston Red Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to the New York Times that he could think of "no one better suited to reverse the fortunes of the Cubs for the long term" than Cuban.

 

 

I'm sure Selig and Reinsdorf feel the same way :roll: It's not in their best interests if Cubs become a yankees/red sox level team. It's better served they become more of a dodgers type

[davell]

Are you guys expecting some sort of huge jump in payroll if Cuban DOES become the owner? I can see one splashy move in his first year, but I don't see the Cubs becoming a 180-200ish mill payroll team anytime soon either......

 

I kind of expect this upcoming offseason to have little movement whatsoever, partly because I don't think we'll have ownership in place and partly because our payroll will jump up decently without adding anyone. Keeping Dempster and Wood would be all I'd expect anyway and it's possible that doesn't even happen.

 

If Cuban were to add tons of money somewhere, I could see it happen with scouting. I don't really have any complaints with what the Cubs are doing personally(big signees in Pac Rim, numbers in DR basically) but I could see Cuban spending big on the biggest name guys coming out every year.

 

Part of me also thinks that maybe Cuban has had to basically aliviate everyone's fears by promising as much actually, as far as payroll goes. Totally conjecture on my part, partially because when this process started, I thought he had absolutely zero chance and it appears as if he now is definitely in the running at least.......

[shnsajax]

while Boston Red Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to the New York Times that he could think of "no one better suited to reverse the fortunes of the Cubs for the long term" than Cuban.

 

 

I'm sure Selig and Reinsdorf feel the same way :roll: It's not in their best interests if Cubs become a yankees/red sox level team. It's better served they become more of a dodgers type

 

I completly disagree!

[DivineBovine]

Cuban would be great, but I have no complaints about the current ownership. They have opened up the purse strings and put together one of the better Cubs teams I have witnessed in my lifetime.

 

 

Years and years of signing players like Hundley and Alou. Letting Maddux walk over a lousy million bucks. All those years claiming the Cubs were losing money because they had to pay other teams for broadcasting games on WGN. Sorry, the Trib hasn't fooled me. Its easy to write checks that someone else is going to have to pay.

 

Trust me, the Cubs will be way better off with Cuban than a corporation whose sole objective is making money.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I don't see what was so bad about signing Alou, unless you're saying signing Hundley was a good thing

[Old Style]

Maybe Stern is endorsing Cuban in hopes that he will be less a part of running the Mavs if he becomes the Cubs owner.

[RedIvyCub]

Yes. The other owners have to approve who even gets to bid. Cuban was approved to get a bid package and both parties (Cubs and Cuban) wouldn't waste their time if the buyer wasn't acceptable.

 

But are the requirements for being approved as a bidder a bit more lax than for being approved as an owner?

 

Yes...not so much lax as less detailed as it takes to be approved as the owner.

Edited August 4, 2008 by RedIvyCub

[RedIvyCub]

Yes. The other owners have to approve who even gets to bid. Cuban was approved to get a bid package and both parties (Cubs and Cuban) wouldn't waste their time if the buyer wasn't acceptable.

 

But are the requirements for being approved as a bidder a bit more lax than for being approved as an owner?

 

Not really. The owners are instructed to not approve bidders if they don't think they are qualified.

 

What people forget is that owners badly want the Cubs (and all other teams) to sell for outrageously high prices. That does nothing but increase the value of their own franchise. The Cubs have discussed the bidders with the other owners to make sure that there would be no problem with approval of all of them. Selig has done the same. This is a small group of people and they comminicate regularly about these things. The Cubs President was a M & A guy before he was appointed Cub President--he knows what he is doing.

 

On top of all this--and don't underestimate this--any arbitrary disapproval of a qualified potential owner would open up MLB to a serious and very expensive lawsuit--and Sam Zell would not hesitate to go this direction.

 

Here is where you are off. When a group wants to bid for a club, said group must sign a release which states that they have no recourse if they are not chosen as the winning bidder for the ballclub...i.e., cannot sue. Tribune had to sign a similar agreement.

 

BTW, yes, Kenney (the self proclaimed chairman) was the lead General Counsel and was involved in M&A with Tribune on the legal side of things. This saying, he was involved with the acquisition of Times Mirror Company which quite frankly began the downward spirla of the Tribune Company and why they are where they are today.

[TheDude]

Cuban would be great, but I have no complaints about the current ownership. They have opened up the purse strings and put together one of the better Cubs teams I have witnessed in my lifetime.

 

They're doing well this year, but if Lou hadn't come around to the fact that OBP is important they'd still be clueless.

 

This is an incredibly arrogant thing to say. Lou Piniella has been in baseball longer than probably 90% of the board has been alive. What on earth makes you believe he "suddenly" came around to OBP this year?

 

Go back and read all the quotes from his press conference when hired. Shock and awe, one of his key points was approach at the plate, with an emphasis on being aggressive as a hitter only when when the baseball is in the strike zone.

 

I think you're much better served saying that the players this year have responded to the coaching approach, with a little help from other players (like Fukudome). It's on the players. Lou isn't having any epiphanies at this stage of his career.

[RedIvyCub]

All those years claiming the Cubs were losing money because they had to pay other teams for broadcasting games on WGN.

 

Well, they don't pay other teams. They pay MLB in the form of a Superstation tax per game. There is a good article on the Library of Congress website about Superstations and the FCC which explains this somewhat. Why do you think the Braves flagship is no longer TBS?

 

 

http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/1997/62fr55742.html

 

SBCA

presented evidence that both the professional baseball and basketball

leagues extracted additional compensation from WGN in Chicago and WTBS

in Atlanta--both superstations known to be widely distributed on

satellite--though the amount was not quantified. SBCA Proposed Findings

of Fact and Conclusions of Law at 72-73.

[Magnetic Curses]

Cuban would be great, but I have no complaints about the current ownership. They have opened up the purse strings and put together one of the better Cubs teams I have witnessed in my lifetime.

 

They're doing well this year, but if Lou hadn't come around to the fact that OBP is important they'd still be clueless.

 

This is an incredibly arrogant thing to say. Lou Piniella has been in baseball longer than probably 90% of the board has been alive. What on earth makes you believe he "suddenly" came around to OBP this year?

 

Go back and read all the quotes from his press conference when hired. Shock and awe, one of his key points was approach at the plate, with an emphasis on being aggressive as a hitter only when when the baseball is in the strike zone.

 

I think you're much better served saying that the players this year have responded to the coaching approach, with a little help from other players (like Fukudome). It's on the players. Lou isn't having any epiphanies at this stage of his career.

 

they haven't really responded to a "coaching approach", if you'll notice, lee has fluctuated a little downward in isod and ramirez has fluctuated upward. fukudome is basically the same, theriot is similar to his career #'s, edmonds has always been patient, soriano is basically the same, derosa is a bit up, but not much, soto is a rookie, johnson is similar.

 

the approach has been with the upper management.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't see what was so bad about signing Alou, unless you're saying signing Hundley was a good thing

 

He was an oft-injured mid 30's corner outfielder who'd lost defensive value, who wasn't any good at all in his first year, just decent in his second and had only one valuable season during his three year contract.

[jersey cubs fan]

the approach has been with the upper management.

 

But I'm fairly certain upper management's change in approach has been influenced significantly by Lou, who has talked repeatedly about getting baserunners and having plate discipline.

[Banedon]

On top of all this--and don't underestimate this--any arbitrary disapproval of a qualified potential owner would open up MLB to a serious and very expensive lawsuit--and Sam Zell would not hesitate to go this direction.

 

Here is where you are off. When a group wants to bid for a club, said group must sign a release which states that they have no recourse if they are not chosen as the winning bidder for the ballclub...i.e., cannot sue. Tribune had to sign a similar agreement.

 

BTW, yes, Kenney (the self proclaimed chairman) was the lead General Counsel and was involved in M&A with Tribune on the legal side of things. This saying, he was involved with the acquisition of Times Mirror Company which quite frankly began the downward spirla of the Tribune Company and why they are where they are today.

 

Why on earth would the Tribune sign something limiting thier legal options? What possible benefit would they get from that?

[David]

I was thinking maybe she meant when they bought the team...

[jersey cubs fan]

On top of all this--and don't underestimate this--any arbitrary disapproval of a qualified potential owner would open up MLB to a serious and very expensive lawsuit--and Sam Zell would not hesitate to go this direction.

 

Here is where you are off. When a group wants to bid for a club, said group must sign a release which states that they have no recourse if they are not chosen as the winning bidder for the ballclub...i.e., cannot sue. Tribune had to sign a similar agreement.

 

BTW, yes, Kenney (the self proclaimed chairman) was the lead General Counsel and was involved in M&A with Tribune on the legal side of things. This saying, he was involved with the acquisition of Times Mirror Company which quite frankly began the downward spirla of the Tribune Company and why they are where they are today.

 

Why on earth would the Tribune sign something limiting thier legal options? What possible benefit would they get from that?

 

They signed it to get the right to purchase the Cubs in the first place. But that was a long time ago, and it still does not mean they can't and won't file a lawsuit.

[Lefty]

I can't let myself believe. I'm only going to be let down no?

 

God, sometimes I hate being a Cubs fan, and I wonder why I'm making my 2 year old niece a Cubs fan too. Seems like it should be considered child abues.

 

Based on your avatar, apparently you do let yourself believe.

[Banedon]

On top of all this--and don't underestimate this--any arbitrary disapproval of a qualified potential owner would open up MLB to a serious and very expensive lawsuit--and Sam Zell would not hesitate to go this direction.

 

Here is where you are off. When a group wants to bid for a club, said group must sign a release which states that they have no recourse if they are not chosen as the winning bidder for the ballclub...i.e., cannot sue. Tribune had to sign a similar agreement.

 

BTW, yes, Kenney (the self proclaimed chairman) was the lead General Counsel and was involved in M&A with Tribune on the legal side of things. This saying, he was involved with the acquisition of Times Mirror Company which quite frankly began the downward spirla of the Tribune Company and why they are where they are today.

 

Why on earth would the Tribune sign something limiting thier legal options? What possible benefit would they get from that?

 

They signed it to get the right to purchase the Cubs in the first place. But that was a long time ago, and it still does not mean they can't and won't file a lawsuit.

 

Gotcha. I'm not legal expert, but I presume that the Trib signing that, and then Zell buying the Trib makes Zell subject to the same agreement even though he wasn't the one that signed it in the first place?

[David]

Gotcha. I'm not legal expert, but I presume that the Trib signing that, and then Zell buying the Trib makes Zell subject to the same agreement even though he wasn't the one that signed it in the first place?

 

I'm not sure, but I don't think the agreement the Trib would have signed back then would have any bearing on Zell or the sale of the team today. That is, of course, assuming that RedIvy was talking about a similar agreement from when the team was sold to Tribune.

[Peoriaman]

On top of all this--and don't underestimate this--any arbitrary disapproval of a qualified potential owner would open up MLB to a serious and very expensive lawsuit--and Sam Zell would not hesitate to go this direction.

 

Here is where you are off. When a group wants to bid for a club, said group must sign a release which states that they have no recourse if they are not chosen as the winning bidder for the ballclub...i.e., cannot sue. Tribune had to sign a similar agreement.

 

BTW, yes, Kenney (the self proclaimed chairman) was the lead General Counsel and was involved in M&A with Tribune on the legal side of things. This saying, he was involved with the acquisition of Times Mirror Company which quite frankly began the downward spirla of the Tribune Company and why they are where they are today.

 

Why on earth would the Tribune sign something limiting thier legal options? What possible benefit would they get from that?

 

They signed it to get the right to purchase the Cubs in the first place. But that was a long time ago, and it still does not mean they can't and won't file a lawsuit.

 

exactly. Documents that relinquish your legal rights are rarely found to be binding.

 

That said, if Cuban wasn't acceptable he would not have been part of the bid process. The Cubs and MLB do their homework on this stuff. It is big time finance and that kind of monkey-wrench isn't left out there to jam up the works. MLB/Tribune are smarter than that--they aren't neophytes in the M & A business..

[jersey cubs fan]

That said, if Cuban wasn't acceptable he would not have been part of the bid process.

 

Perhaps, but then again, maybe they were only willing to get him involved in the bidding process, in order to drive up the price.

[Peoriaman]

That said, if Cuban wasn't acceptable he would not have been part of the bid process.

 

Perhaps, but then again, maybe they were only willing to get him involved in the bidding process, in order to drive up the price.

 

Oliver Stone stuff there.