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Thursday, November 17, 2005 |
Ahab Speaks
In the New York Times:
"To do my job and do it well, I need to tune out criticism," Frank McCourt said. "I can't be persuaded by being pulled and tugged in different directions."
Comments:
Vic -- I was gonna say something to that effect but given the heat I already took for making a comment about Scheer earlier in the week, I figure I've gotten by with my one political jibe for the month.
Uncle Al -- can anyone -- in his/her wildest imagination -- picture Arte Moreno needing to make a comment like that?
Uncle Al -- can anyone -- in his/her wildest imagination -- picture Arte Moreno needing to make a comment like that?
You have got to be kidding me.
Since when is McCheap the idealization of Zen bliss.
Since when is McCheap the idealization of Zen bliss.
# posted by 
: 11/17/2005 10:54:00 AM
: 11/17/2005 10:54:00 AM
Al -- I'm game.
I really don't think you would have seen that.
McCourt came in under dubious financial circumstances, took over a team with a 15+ year history of sustained mediocrity, and has been a hurricane of hirings and firings ever since. In his previous business experience, he has made some shrewd moves (acquiring the Boston waterfront properties that account for the majority of his fortune) but also badly bungled a number of them (his Baltimore. adventures particularly stand out). He had, so far as I know, no prior experience owning a sports team, though his grandfather was part owner of the Boston Braves. So it's a mixed bag.
Arte, on the other hand, built a billboard advertising company into a powerhouse that he ended up selling to Clear Channel (IIRC) for about a billion dollars. He bought the team for cash, and has done damn near everything possible to keep the fans happy. It really and truly comes down to Arte talking the talk and walking the walk. The scenario you describe simply couldn't happen because Frank doesn't have a checkbook to open (or at least, we have strong suspicions once again that this may be the case, given the consistent drops in payroll, though admittedly there are reasons outside of payroll to avoid some of the pricier free agents out there this offseason).
I really don't think you would have seen that.
McCourt came in under dubious financial circumstances, took over a team with a 15+ year history of sustained mediocrity, and has been a hurricane of hirings and firings ever since. In his previous business experience, he has made some shrewd moves (acquiring the Boston waterfront properties that account for the majority of his fortune) but also badly bungled a number of them (his Baltimore. adventures particularly stand out). He had, so far as I know, no prior experience owning a sports team, though his grandfather was part owner of the Boston Braves. So it's a mixed bag.
Arte, on the other hand, built a billboard advertising company into a powerhouse that he ended up selling to Clear Channel (IIRC) for about a billion dollars. He bought the team for cash, and has done damn near everything possible to keep the fans happy. It really and truly comes down to Arte talking the talk and walking the walk. The scenario you describe simply couldn't happen because Frank doesn't have a checkbook to open (or at least, we have strong suspicions once again that this may be the case, given the consistent drops in payroll, though admittedly there are reasons outside of payroll to avoid some of the pricier free agents out there this offseason).
I actually think he sold it to Infinity Broadcasting, which was part of CBS and now Viacom. It was a publicly traded company. Moreno just happened to be the founder and largest shareholder.
# posted by : 11/17/2005 04:40:00 PM
: 11/17/2005 04:40:00 PM
Captain Ahab? I was thinking more of the Caine Mutiny character,...Captain Queeq.
# posted by : 11/17/2005 05:18:00 PM
: 11/17/2005 05:18:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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