BRAVES sold to Liberty Media

[TigerVols]

Let's hope they infuse some cash into the lineup!

http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSWEN421020070213

 

[novelist_wannabe]

wouldn't hold my breath on that.

 

[Freelance Hack]

I don't want to say that Liberty is cheap, but... yeah, I do want to say that.

 

[boots]

This is awful for MLB. These people don't give a damn about the team. They care only for profits. Atlanta is not a great drawing card at home now. Wait until these jackasses get through with it.

 

[More hideous than Ben Seaver]

I miss Ted Turner more each year.

 

[Left_Coast]

Liberty most definitely will not put more cash into the team. The company is all about profits. The recent transactions -- getting DirecTV and now this one with Time Warner -- is all a way to cut back how much in taxes it has to pay.

 

[JBHawkEye]

If this is the same Liberty that has all of the newspapers, I wonder if they'll do to the Braves like they did a paper nearby when it was purchased _ put two letters on everyone's desk, one firing them, one re-hiring them at a lesser pay rate.

 

[funky_mountain]

JB, two different Liberty groups.
The one you're talking about:
http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/liberty.asp
and the one that's trying to buy the braves:
http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/libertymedia.asp

 

[novelist_wannabe]

JB: Well, in the case of the players, I think they are bound by the contracts the players agreed to, so I wouldn't expect that particular tactic. But it was made clear early on in this process that people shouldn't expect to hear the phrase "loosen the purse strings to bolster the payroll" where this outfit is involved. I'd say I wished Arthur Blank had stayed in the running longer, just because he local and seems to care, but the Falcons aren't turning out to be an unqualified success. Liberty's ownership, I'm sure, will be more of the same stuff the team has had with Time Warner.

 

[JBHawkEye]

JB: Well, in the case of the players, I think they are bound by the contracts the players agreed to, so I wouldn't expect that particular tactic. But it was made clear early on in this process that people shouldn't expect to hear the phrase "loosen the purse strings to bolster the payroll" where this outfit is involved. I'd say I wished Arthur Blank had stayed in the running longer, just because he local and seems to care, but the Falcons aren't turning out to be an unqualified success. Liberty's ownership, I'm sure, will be more of the same stuff the team has had with Time Warner.

I was being a smart-ass.

Sorry for my confusion over the Libertys.

 

[slappy4428]

JB: Well, in the case of the players, I think they are bound by the contracts the players agreed to, so I wouldn't expect that particular tactic. But it was made clear early on in this process that people shouldn't expect to hear the phrase "loosen the purse strings to bolster the payroll" where this outfit is involved. I'd say I wished Arthur Blank had stayed in the running longer, just because he local and seems to care, but the Falcons aren't turning out to be an unqualified success. Liberty's ownership, I'm sure, will be more of the same stuff the team has had with Time Warner.

I was being a smart-ass.

Sorry for my confusion over the Libertys.

Don't take no liberties with the Libertys...

 

[expendable]

If this is the same Liberty that has all of the newspapers, I wonder if they'll do to the Braves like they did a paper nearby when it was purchased _ put two letters on everyone's desk, one firing them, one re-hiring them at a lesser pay rate.

I wonder if one can collect unemployment if done this way?

 

[Crimson Tide]

Hmm, well, not like they would make a run at the Series anyway.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Hope drowns eternal ...

 

[expendable]

Hmm, well, not like they would make a run at the Series anyway.

They could make a run at the Series. Winning it is another thing alltogether.

 

[Evil Bastard (aka Chris_L)]

One aspect of this sale that should get extra attention is the fact that the MLB Extra Innings package is now available exclusively on DirectTV (once the deal is finalized). The majority shareholder of DirectTV (38.5% I believe) is Liberty Media.

Liberty Media got that share of DirectTV in December from NewsCorp in exchange for Liberty's shares in NewsCorp.

http://ir.libertymedia.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61138&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=944564&highlight=

Liberty Media gets the Braves, $1 billion and some craft magazines for Liberty's outstanding shares of Time Warner. It's like one big shell game or an adult version of trading baseball cards

 

[novelist_wannabe]

As a lifelong Braves fan, pardon me if I don't get excited about the team being part of a tax swap. I'll go so far as to say that until the team is owned by someone who actually cares about how it does, it'll be no better than what it is now and has been for the past 11 seasons: Competitive.

 

[CollegeJournalist]

This is awful for MLB. These people don't give a damn about the team. They care only for profits. Atlanta is not a great drawing card at home now. Wait until these jackasses get through with it.

Caring only for profits sounds a lot like Time Warner/AOL the last few years. The fact that the Braves won their last 3 or 4 division titles speaks loudly of how well Schuerholz and Cox run that team, all things considered.

And I guess this sale means that one Andruw Jones is officially on the trading block, which, coupled with the fact that I can't even watch the Braves anymore since they won't be on TBS, may end up being the doom of me being a big-time Braves follower. I love the Braves, always have, but if I can't watch them and they aren't committed to winning, I'm going to turn into a casual fan real quick.

 

[buckweaver]

And I guess this sale means that one Andruw Jones is officially on the trading block, which, coupled with the fact that I can't even watch the Braves anymore since they won't be on TBS, may end up being the doom of me being a big-time Braves follower. I love the Braves, always have, but if I can't watch them and they aren't committed to winning, I'm going to turn into a casual fan real quick.

I sure hope I'm not saying these exact same words in a few years. But I fear I will. :-\

 

[Angola!]

And I guess this sale means that one Andruw Jones is officially on the trading block, which, coupled with the fact that I can't even watch the Braves anymore since they won't be on TBS, may end up being the doom of me being a big-time Braves follower. I love the Braves, always have, but if I can't watch them and they aren't committed to winning, I'm going to turn into a casual fan real quick.

I sure hope I'm not saying these exact same words in a few years. But I fear I will. :-\

As long as he doesn't end up in Boston, unless the Sox give up the farm for him then that would be OK.