[新聞]爺爺似乎下決心要賣球隊了
Astros owner McLane puts club on market
Allen & Company indicates sale could take six to 12 months
HOUSTON -- Astros owner Drayton McLane announced Friday afternoon that he
will begin accepting offers for the sale of the Astros, the team he's owned
for 18 years.
Speaking while his wife, Elizabeth, and sons, Denton and Drayton III, watched
nearby at a news conference at Minute Maid Park, McLane spoke fondly of his
time as owner, but said the family has decided it's time to move on.
"After much thought and discussion with my family, we decided that the time
was right for this," McLane said. "The past 18 seasons have been a wonderful
experience for us. We have been fortunate to be part of something special
here.
"When you own a Major League Baseball team, you have an opportunity to
impact your city in so many ways. The fans, players, business and political
leaders have all embraced us warmly. We're proud of the success we had on the
field, but are equally as proud of the success we had off of it. One of our
goals was to have a positive impact in the community, and I think we did
that. Now, we look forward to passing the torch to start a new era of Astros
baseball."
Steve Greenberg of Allen & Company has been secured to work with prospective
buyers on the sale of the team, a process Greenberg said could take six to 12
months.
"We have no buyer in mind today," McLane said. "This is something that we're
going to explore. But we can assure you -- and I have been lectured by
Elizabeth constantly, and particularly several times today -- before we
select a buyer, it will be an organization or individual with very, very high
standards, integrity, honesty, and they want to do the very same things -- be
a champion, and to really get involved."
During McLane's 18-year tenure of ownership, the Astros have had their most
successful run in franchise history, posting the fourth-best record in the
National League in that span while making six postseason appearances. Prior
to 1993, the Astros had just three playoff appearances in the first 31
seasons of the franchise (1962-92).
On Thursday, Houston television station KRIV-TV, citing a Major League
Baseball source, said the asking price would be $800 million. McLane
purchased the club for $117 milllion in 1993. At the news conference, McLane
joked that "he couldn't pronounce" some of the numbers he's seen bandied
about in reports.
Last month, the Astros and the NBA's Houston Rockets announced they had
reached an agreement with cable network provider Comcast to launch a regional
sports network that will begin airing Astros games in 2013 and Rockets games
beginning with the 2012 preseason.
McLane has flirted with selling the team in recent years, but has heretofore
stopped short of saying the club is for sale.
In January, McLane acknowledged he had granted a 30-day exclusive negotiating
window to sell the team to a New York investment banking company, which was
reportedly identified as Great Court Capital, but a deal never materialized.
A month earlier, McLane revealed he had a handshake agreement with Houston
businessman Jim Crane following the 2008 season to sell the team, but said
the deal fell through because of Crane's concerns about the economy.
Since McLane purchased the Astros, the team has been to the playoffs six
times, including its first World Series berth in 2005. The Astros moved into
Minute Maid Park in 2000, and earlier this year welcomed their 30 millionth
fan through the turnstiles.
Houston finished 76-86 last season and posted one of the best second-half
finishes in baseball. Next season will mark the franchise's 50th season since
it began as the Colt .45's as an expansion team in 1962.
Throughout their ownership of the Astros, Drayton and Elizabeth McLane have
donated more than $30 million in charitable contributions, including almost
$7 million through the Astros in Action Foundation, which was formed in 2000
to serve Houston and surrounding communities.
In April 2010, the team opened the Astros MLB Urban Youth Academy, which was
made possible through a joint venture between Astros In Action, Major League
Baseball and the City of Houston. The academy, which is located in north
Houston, provides an opportunity for underprivileged youth to develop life
skills while learning and playing the game of baseball.
McLane's commitment to making a positive difference in the community was
exemplified in 2008 during the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, when McLane, the
Astros in Action Foundation, and the Astros players and staff made a combined
$1 million donation to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.
The team also enacted numerous initiatives at Minute Maid Park during the
final week of the 2008 season that focused on relief for hurricane victims,
including a blood drive, food and supply drives, and collection of donations
for the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.
During his 18 years in Major League Baseball, McLane has served on MLB's
Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Legislative Affairs, Ownership and
Realignment committees, and the MLB Advanced Media Board.
這是MLB.com 的記者 Brian McTaggart 所報導
來源:
http://ppt.cc/vGGU
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