caulfield12

He didn’t need it to restore his tarnished legacy as badly as he does now. Desperate times call for desperate measures, etc. Without the selling point of tanking for Top 3-5 picks…what else did they have to attempt to retain fan interest for this upcoming “wandering in the desert” time period?

The biggest benefit of this offseason is learning all the MLB minor league systems about as well or even better than KW or Haber…because of all the sharing of data points and diverse perspectives percolating.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2024/01/31/caitlin-clark-iowa-womens-basketball-team-fill-up-big-ten-arenas-sellout-crowds-season-tickets/72421974007/ Greg Mittelman just wanted to see Caitlin Clark play. As a University of Iowa alum living in Chicago, his best chance was the NCAA runner-up Hawkeyes’ Jan. 31 game at Northwestern. He tried to snag single-game tickets. But when they sold out in October – just days after becoming available – he found another option. “I am a season-ticket holder for Northwestern women’s basketball,” Mittelman said. He has yet to attend a game, but the investment was more than worth it. He purchased four season tickets for $150 total. For Wednesday’s game, general-admission seats like Mittelman’s were listed at an average price of $230 on SeatGeek. Each. .…. Vanderbush and her spouse, Rosalie Dominik – also a former Northwestern women’s basketball player – bought season tickets despite living thousands of miles away in North Carolina. “We had in mind that we wanted to see Caitlin Clark play basketball,” Vanderbush said. They bought season tickets along the sideline for $99 each. Seats in their section for Wednesday’s game are listed for a minimum of $600 on the secondary market, with some sellers asking for more than $2,000. “I would say we might continue buying season tickets now even though we can’t make it very often,” Dominik said.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/predictions-mlbs-top-remaining-2024-111429456.html Predictions on remaining free agents…lots of implications for the Cease market.

Not to mention Seager's suddenly shaky health status now.

That would kill the motivation of a lot of mom and pop investors that have invested in the Celtics or Green Bay Packers just from a sheer fan standpoint of supporting their team without looking at profit motivation or eventually selling their shares on a free market.

https://www.startribune.com/twins-trade-jorge-polanco-jim-souhan-seattle-mariners-brooks-lee-edouard-julien/600339629/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=twins

Middle name “Well”?

Brayan Ramos for Ortiz please

So proposing a partnership of the Chicago Fire, Bulls and White Sox, eventually expanding into the EPL or one of the other four major European leagues to create a consortium...could also go the NHL hockey route potentially. Then I'm buying the Chicago Sky from Michael Alter, despite my admiration for the aspirations of City Year and bypassing the Indiana Fever with a blockbuster trade in order to get Caitlyn Clark playing at the United Center in 2025-26. She stays her final season of eligibility at Iowa next year to win an NCAA tourney title together with Aneesah Morrow leaving DePaul for LSU for Iowa hahaha...then both together with the Sky. Take over of Chicago as a sports capital complete with Clark and Bedard...and an as yet unnamed FA superstar strike or two by the White Sox to start dominating the AL Central ultimately. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10853457/US-investors-nearly-half-English-Premier-League-5-billion-Chelsea-takeover.html

Thoma Bravo LP $127 billion Chicago, Ill. 1980 Why We Picked It Thoma Bravo is the successor firm to Thoma & Co, founded in 1980 by Carl Thoma and Stanley Golder. Today the firm is led by its managing partners, which include Carl Thoma and Orlando Bravo, and it is one of the world’s most prolific acquirers of software companies. In 2019, a study conducted by HEC Paris and Dow Jones named the firm the world’s best-performing buyout investor. With a predominantly tech focus, the firm invests in application, infrastructure and cybersecurity software as well as technology-enabled business sectors. They also invest in healthcare and financial services. Today they have 75 portfolio companies and have realized 75 investments. Blackstone $1.0 trillion Apollo $598 billion KKR $510 billion The Carlyle Group $381 billion Bain Capital $165 billion TPG Capital $137 billion Thoma Bravo $127 billion Silver Lake $98 billion Vista Equity Partners $96 billion Insight Partners $90 billion We finally have the private equity firm and venture capital connections to build a software system 10x more power than the Astros, Cardinals, Orioles, Rays, Mets, etc. Put these guys together with Mellody Hobson (40% owner of the Sox) and George Lucas and get something spectacular done for the city. https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabelcontreras/2021/07/13/billionaire-sports-team-owners-fortunes-soared-while-they-enjoyed-tax-breaks/?sh=5a4137364794 https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2020/09/08/americas-richest-sports-team-owners-2020-steve-ballmer-on-top-as-steve-cohen-prepares-to-join-ranks/?sh=2252be107e4d Altogether, there are 150 pro sports teams among the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer. Forbes found more than 40 billionaireswho own controlling stakes in these teams—stakes that for many of these owners have proved to be incredible investments. Some of the wealthiest team owners in professional sports have managed to use the U.S. tax code to their advantage, reducing their tax burden to rates sometimes lower than those paid by the players or even stadium workers, according to a report by ProPublica that cites confidential Internal Revenue Service data. Several team owners deducted nearly the entire purchase price of their teams from taxes on their future earnings, ProPublica found—a hefty sum, with NFL teams valued at more than $2 billion while NBA teams go for at least $1 billion. Others used their teams’ reported losses as write-offs to pay less in taxes on their other earnings. In the meantime, these billionaires’ fortunes, as well as their teams’ values, have climbed significantly. Among those mentioned in ProPublica’s report are Steve Ballmer, owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers; David Tepper, owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers; Dan Gilbert, owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers; and Shahid Khan, owner of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. In the years since these teams were purchased by their current owners, their values have grown by an average of $155 million—each year. Here’s how much richer these billionaires have become since acquiring their teams. (Billionaire net worths are as of July 12, 2021.) https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabelcontreras/2021/07/13/billionaire-sports-team-owners-fortunes-soared-while-they-enjoyed-tax-breaks/?sh=5a4137364794

at the start of the 2022 season. Only the Marlins’ owner was supposedly losing money on paper…after getting through Covid. https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2022-02-28/mlb-billionaire-team-owners-roster-2022-lockout Reinsdorf at 11.4%, although surely he would argue 2022/23 cut that down closer to 10-11%. Bulls obviously operating at massively profitable appreciation numbers. Tied for 8th most successful ROI percentage, Sherman of the Royals one of the worst at just 2% or lower than the rate of inflation… Note: One doubles their investment at roughly a 10% rate of returns after capital gains/taxes and inflation is subtracted. Can work with Mansueto to put the Fire at GRF and cut down the top of the upper deck again as the Sox eventually move to their new facility. 26. Joe Mansueto NET WORTH: $3.9 billion SOURCE OF WEALTH: investment research TEAM(S): Chicago Fire

We already are watching Royals' castoffs...as it is.

https://www.theringer.com/sports/2020/7/1/21309644/black-play-by-play-announcers-minor-league-baseball In 2001, Greg Gumbel became the first Black play-by-play announcer to call a Super Bowl on network TV. “I think you’ll start seeing more African American talent coming through the pipeline,” CBS Sports president Sean McManus told The Chicago Tribune. Gumbel is still the only Black play-by-play announcer to call a Super Bowl on American TV—and he last called one 16 years ago. In 2007, Dave Sims of the Seattle Mariners became just the third Black play-by-play announcer hired full time by a team in the history of Major League Baseball, the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel noted. A June investigation by writer David Jones found that none of the 130 college football teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision had a Black radio play-by-play announcer. Play-by-play announcer James Verrett, who is Black, pointed out that Black announcers work a lot as analysts. But getting the play-by-play job—the network’s version of the voice of God—“is something that is a wall,” said Verrett. “It’s sort of like the Black quarterback situation.”

The British teachers I know to a man almost all hate the Middle Eastern oil oligarchs meddling with their teams…allegations of sports washing, etc. A lot of the players that signed to go over there are already attempting to escape their contracts.

“you’re going to see baseball teams, basketball teams and others combine in one company and ultimately, those companies will go public.” He added investing in an MLB franchise is “not the highest profitability thing I hope to be doing in my investment career, but I do think that it’s not something I’m doing to lose money, if I do it.” Imagine Hahn held publicly accountable for negative return on equity in Free Agency, international spending or Fernando Tatis, Jr., if his moves were all scrutinized in a way that he actually had to respond to and be held accountable by the public/shareholders OR get the guillotine??? There are going to be some quick axes…more like the NFL and not five years, let alone a decade to demonstrate results.

Lots of talk they might be moving the Orioles to Raleigh or Nashville unless they can make commitments to serious improvements with the Baltimore facilities.. MLBRaleigh.com https://theathletic.com/5239665/2024/01/30/orioles-sale-angelos-family/?source=user_shared_article “There’s no doubt that I feel I’m one of the few people in private equity that doesn’t own a sports team. All my friends bought sports teams and I said, ‘Look, your investors are not going to take you seriously by you diverting your attention to these sports teams.’ But I was wrong.” Rubenstein, who is from Baltimore, said, “It’s very difficult to buy a sports team and lose money. Some people have done it, but it’s very rare. In baseball and basketball, you make your money when you sell the team. In the NFL, you make your money all the time because it’s so profitable.” Rubenstein predicted in the future, “you’re going to see baseball teams, basketball teams and others combine in one company and ultimately, those companies will go public.” He added investing in an MLB franchise is “not the highest profitability thing I hope to be doing in my investment career, but I do think that it’s not something I’m doing to lose money, if I do it.” CNBC's Becky Quick noted Rubenstein's answer on buying the O's or Nats was "not a no, but not a yes" (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 9/1). This conversation took place at minute 34:00 in the podcast linked here.

This is always the fear in UK of American "capitalists" looting their EPL clubs or bleeding them dry to reallocate monies elsewhere amongst the various business empires...Tom Hicks with Rangers and John Henry/FSG bring two prime examples. Now Chelsea as well, combination of Dodgers/Boehly and Clear Lake/ARES/Baltimore groups.

Has voting rights/power over everything dealing with franchise, but only 12-15% actual/shares ownership. Maybe it has gone up to closer to 20% as older shareholders/board members have aged out and sold their shares back.

Hasn't been specified yet if it will be more symbolic or more like Jeter in Miami...or A-Rod. "The significance of Cal Ripken Jr.'s involvement adds a sentiment of touch to the transaction. A Maryland native and Orioles icon, Ripken's storied career includes an unmatched 2,632 consecutive games played, earning him the nickname "baseball's Iron Man." Beyond his playing days, Ripken has remained deeply connected to the local baseball community, operating the Ripken Experience and serving as the founding owner of the Aberdeen Ironbirds, the Orioles' High-A affiliate."

Should be closer to 9-11% for VFINX.

See Ventura, Robin after Dunn/Ozzie/KW 2011 debacle.

Trying to annoy Sports Guy and Rolls Tide lol. That last part was not my quote, btw.

According to the Financial Times, Chelsea have secured an investment of approximately $500 million from Ares Management/(Arougheti, the other billionaire involved in the Orioles' deal), a prominent US alternative asset manager. This injection is expected to be channelled into the club’s stadium improvements and to increase their stakes in other football teams. While the consortium comprising Clearlake Capital and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly have heavily invested in new players this summer, Chelsea’s on-field results have been less than commendable. Still the new owners, including Clearlake’s co-founder José Feliciano, are committed to further their investment and translate heavy spending into silverware with help of the Blues’ intrinsic value in the market. “We have bought an asset that is very coveted by many other potential buyers. “Ultimately, we are extremely aligned with that supporter and fan base because the best way to make our club more valuable is to win.” -José Feliciano; Source: Financial Times In a broader context, Ares Management has already raised $3.7 billion last year for investments in sports franchises, leagues, and media outlets. They have themselves injected the $500m via ‘preferred equity deal’, as per the FT’s report. Given Chelsea have yet to sign a new shirt sponsorship deal and plan on undertaking massive investments at Stamford Bridge, as well as BlueCo’s ambitions to expand the multl-club structure well beyond France and RC Strasbourg, successful rounds of investment are more than welcome. Just as long as Ares and co. don’t start using our assets as leverage in credit and capital markets ailing from high interest rates.

Here's the response to Tray. For once, be visionaries/leaders. Set a trend instead of following them. There is an unlikely tale about the brilliant Renaissance artist Michelangelo. He was asked about the difficulties that he must have encountered in sculpting his masterpiece David. But he replied with an unassuming and comical description of his creative process: It is easy. You just chip away the stone that doesn’t look like David. I have heard a similar anecdote about an unnamed artist asked about sculpting an elephant: Just chip away everything that doesn’t look like an elephant.