Vegas_Bronco
11-10-2005, 08:10 PM
The article below is of sports nature and really has me excited about the MLB in Las Vegas. But, the reason I posted this is to find out if anyone knows how we as the public might know which teams are for sale in the sports world? Are there any sources?? and how the OM might buy some interest from 'bald headed fur coat'?
Also, anyone see the Broncos old lockers for sale on ebay, if so, are they really 250lbs and are they worth it? Anyone bought a locker yet? If not, what is your favorite peice of memorabilia that you currently own???
Reggie Jackson's surprise shakes up Twins
Joe Christensen, Star Tribune
November 5, 2005
Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson went public Friday and expressed his interest in buying the Minnesota Twins, but the prospect of a famous potential buyer wasn't considered positive news by team officials.
Instead, the Twins went into damage-control mode, stressing that the franchise is not currently for sale.
Twins executives feared Jackson's comments could damage their stadium drive if the public viewed it as a threat to move the team.
Jackson, who heads an investment group with strong Las Vegas ties, told the Star Tribune on Friday that he spoke to Twins officials last month about his desire to purchase the team.
"The timing is very unfortunate," said Jerry Bell, the president of Twins Sports Inc. "I can't blame Reggie for trying to buy a team, and I suppose to him we look like a likely prospect.
"But people are going to connect the dots, and they're going to say, 'Here we go again.' So this is clearly something we would have wanted to avoid at all costs."
Twins owner Carl Pohlad has committed a series of public relations blunders in his attempts to get a new stadium, including an ill-fated threat in 1997 to sell the team to Charlotte, N.C., businessman Don Beaver.
At least one state legislator reacted skeptically to news of Jackson's interest, suggesting the Twins may have encouraged the talk to move stadium conversations forward.
"It's good bargaining," said Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, who had supported a new Twins ballpark in the past. "The old adage, everything is for sale just depending on who's willing to pay what price."
'First in line'
Jackson, 59, who hit 563 home runs in his 21-year career in the major leagues, has been trying to become a baseball owner since the late 1990s.
He would be the game's first black owner, but his groups have failed in four previous attempts to purchase teams, including a bid last winter for the Oakland Athletics.
Jackson made an unsolicited call to the Twins last month and spoke directly to Bell.
"I know they've got some issues with stadiums, et cetera," Jackson said. "I've heard the [Pohlad] family might consider selling the team, and I wanted to be first on the list to inquire.
"The Minnesota Twins handled it just how I thought they would handle it," Jackson said. "They were first class all the way. They told me their plate was full and that they would certainly listen to what I had to say."
Twins President Dave St. Peter said Jackson was told that the Twins are not for sale and was briefed on the team's efforts to build a ballpark in downtown Minneapolis.
"That's what we're focused on," St. Peter said. "We're still hoping Governor Pawlenty will see it fit to call a special session, and we'll be able to move forward and build a ballpark and keep the Twins competitive and viable for the next 30 or 40 years here in Minnesota."
Brian McClung, a spokesman for Pawlenty, said the team has repeatedly told the governor's office that it is not for sale.
"A potential sale is something we have to be mindful of as we continue to work in solving the stadium challenge," McClung said. "The governor has been clear that he continues to talk to legislators, the Twins and Major League Baseball and other community leaders to try to find a solution to these issues."
After news of Jackson's interest broke, St. Peter said the club contacted several legislators and people in Pawlenty's office to express concern. St. Peter characterized the legislative response as positive.
"When you have the truth on your side, that makes it easier," St. Peter said.
Las Vegas ties
Jackson would not confirm that he's looking to buy the Twins simply to move them to Las Vegas.
"You can't move a team without baseball's permission," he said. "[Major League] Baseball moves teams, not owners."
In fact, Jackson had good things to say about this area.
"I've always liked Minnesota," he said. "I've always thought the people were nice, and it's a great area. Their general manager, Terry Ryan, has done a fabulous job. The Pohlad family has always been very wise and friendly to me."
But one strike against Jackson's group in the past has been its transparent intentions to move a team to Las Vegas. Baseball and other sports have been reluctant to move into that city, with its wide-open gambling culture. That stance might be softening since the NBA is bringing its All-Star Game to Las Vegas in 2007.
Jackson is a part-time resident of Las Vegas, and his development team includes Brian Greenspun, the editor of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, along with developer Stephen Ross. The Related Cos., Ross' company, has plans to develop 61 acres of land in downtown Las Vegas. In July, Jackson publicly stated that his group included Greenspun, Ross and the McCaw family, which includes John McCaw, owner of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
In December, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Jackson's group is "definitely the real deal. Mr. Jackson has a real drive to bring baseball to Las Vegas."
But Jackson has expressed interest in at least four other franchises without completing a purchase: Oakland, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Washington Nationals. In Jackson's most recent attempt, Steve Schott sold the Oakland club to Los Angeles real estate developer Lewis Wolff for about $180 million, even though Jackson said his group offered $25 million more than that.
Looking to "get into the game"
"I think the focus right now is for me to get into the game," Jackson said. "This is my fifth attempt to purchase a team, and I think part of it is I haven't been taken seriously by baseball."
Bell said he believed Jackson to be "very serious" in his quest to own a major league team after their phone conversation last month. "He's gone through steps putting together an ownership group, and this isn't his first attempt," Bell said.
Bell said that Jackson made no mention of moving the Twins to Las Vegas, instead focusing the conversation on his dream of owning a team.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig declined Friday to comment on Jackson's potential ownership status.
"I like Reggie a lot," Selig said. "Reggie and I have a great relationship. But look, the Twins are not for sale. We're trying to get a new stadium for them, so that we don't have to go through this kind of stuff. I just don't have any further comment."
Jackson now works as a special adviser for the New York Yankees. But he said his next dream is to run his own team.
If Jackson's group secures a team, he would serve as the managing partner, according to Brian Shapiro, a Wall Street entrepreneur and longtime Jackson associate who is also on board as an investor.
"It would be a great day for baseball," Shapiro said.
But that prospect was not cause for a great day Friday in the Twins offices.
"Rest assured conspiracy theorists out there, this news did not come from the Twins," St. Peter said.
Staff writers Dennis Brackin, Mark Brunswick and Roberta Hovde contributed to this report.
Also, anyone see the Broncos old lockers for sale on ebay, if so, are they really 250lbs and are they worth it? Anyone bought a locker yet? If not, what is your favorite peice of memorabilia that you currently own???
Reggie Jackson's surprise shakes up Twins
Joe Christensen, Star Tribune
November 5, 2005
Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson went public Friday and expressed his interest in buying the Minnesota Twins, but the prospect of a famous potential buyer wasn't considered positive news by team officials.
Instead, the Twins went into damage-control mode, stressing that the franchise is not currently for sale.
Twins executives feared Jackson's comments could damage their stadium drive if the public viewed it as a threat to move the team.
Jackson, who heads an investment group with strong Las Vegas ties, told the Star Tribune on Friday that he spoke to Twins officials last month about his desire to purchase the team.
"The timing is very unfortunate," said Jerry Bell, the president of Twins Sports Inc. "I can't blame Reggie for trying to buy a team, and I suppose to him we look like a likely prospect.
"But people are going to connect the dots, and they're going to say, 'Here we go again.' So this is clearly something we would have wanted to avoid at all costs."
Twins owner Carl Pohlad has committed a series of public relations blunders in his attempts to get a new stadium, including an ill-fated threat in 1997 to sell the team to Charlotte, N.C., businessman Don Beaver.
At least one state legislator reacted skeptically to news of Jackson's interest, suggesting the Twins may have encouraged the talk to move stadium conversations forward.
"It's good bargaining," said Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, who had supported a new Twins ballpark in the past. "The old adage, everything is for sale just depending on who's willing to pay what price."
'First in line'
Jackson, 59, who hit 563 home runs in his 21-year career in the major leagues, has been trying to become a baseball owner since the late 1990s.
He would be the game's first black owner, but his groups have failed in four previous attempts to purchase teams, including a bid last winter for the Oakland Athletics.
Jackson made an unsolicited call to the Twins last month and spoke directly to Bell.
"I know they've got some issues with stadiums, et cetera," Jackson said. "I've heard the [Pohlad] family might consider selling the team, and I wanted to be first on the list to inquire.
"The Minnesota Twins handled it just how I thought they would handle it," Jackson said. "They were first class all the way. They told me their plate was full and that they would certainly listen to what I had to say."
Twins President Dave St. Peter said Jackson was told that the Twins are not for sale and was briefed on the team's efforts to build a ballpark in downtown Minneapolis.
"That's what we're focused on," St. Peter said. "We're still hoping Governor Pawlenty will see it fit to call a special session, and we'll be able to move forward and build a ballpark and keep the Twins competitive and viable for the next 30 or 40 years here in Minnesota."
Brian McClung, a spokesman for Pawlenty, said the team has repeatedly told the governor's office that it is not for sale.
"A potential sale is something we have to be mindful of as we continue to work in solving the stadium challenge," McClung said. "The governor has been clear that he continues to talk to legislators, the Twins and Major League Baseball and other community leaders to try to find a solution to these issues."
After news of Jackson's interest broke, St. Peter said the club contacted several legislators and people in Pawlenty's office to express concern. St. Peter characterized the legislative response as positive.
"When you have the truth on your side, that makes it easier," St. Peter said.
Las Vegas ties
Jackson would not confirm that he's looking to buy the Twins simply to move them to Las Vegas.
"You can't move a team without baseball's permission," he said. "[Major League] Baseball moves teams, not owners."
In fact, Jackson had good things to say about this area.
"I've always liked Minnesota," he said. "I've always thought the people were nice, and it's a great area. Their general manager, Terry Ryan, has done a fabulous job. The Pohlad family has always been very wise and friendly to me."
But one strike against Jackson's group in the past has been its transparent intentions to move a team to Las Vegas. Baseball and other sports have been reluctant to move into that city, with its wide-open gambling culture. That stance might be softening since the NBA is bringing its All-Star Game to Las Vegas in 2007.
Jackson is a part-time resident of Las Vegas, and his development team includes Brian Greenspun, the editor of the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, along with developer Stephen Ross. The Related Cos., Ross' company, has plans to develop 61 acres of land in downtown Las Vegas. In July, Jackson publicly stated that his group included Greenspun, Ross and the McCaw family, which includes John McCaw, owner of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
In December, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Jackson's group is "definitely the real deal. Mr. Jackson has a real drive to bring baseball to Las Vegas."
But Jackson has expressed interest in at least four other franchises without completing a purchase: Oakland, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Washington Nationals. In Jackson's most recent attempt, Steve Schott sold the Oakland club to Los Angeles real estate developer Lewis Wolff for about $180 million, even though Jackson said his group offered $25 million more than that.
Looking to "get into the game"
"I think the focus right now is for me to get into the game," Jackson said. "This is my fifth attempt to purchase a team, and I think part of it is I haven't been taken seriously by baseball."
Bell said he believed Jackson to be "very serious" in his quest to own a major league team after their phone conversation last month. "He's gone through steps putting together an ownership group, and this isn't his first attempt," Bell said.
Bell said that Jackson made no mention of moving the Twins to Las Vegas, instead focusing the conversation on his dream of owning a team.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig declined Friday to comment on Jackson's potential ownership status.
"I like Reggie a lot," Selig said. "Reggie and I have a great relationship. But look, the Twins are not for sale. We're trying to get a new stadium for them, so that we don't have to go through this kind of stuff. I just don't have any further comment."
Jackson now works as a special adviser for the New York Yankees. But he said his next dream is to run his own team.
If Jackson's group secures a team, he would serve as the managing partner, according to Brian Shapiro, a Wall Street entrepreneur and longtime Jackson associate who is also on board as an investor.
"It would be a great day for baseball," Shapiro said.
But that prospect was not cause for a great day Friday in the Twins offices.
"Rest assured conspiracy theorists out there, this news did not come from the Twins," St. Peter said.
Staff writers Dennis Brackin, Mark Brunswick and Roberta Hovde contributed to this report.