Bernstein: Sources say White Sox might be for sale

[Dick Allen]

Maybe Jerry remembers how much his ownership group subtley crapped all over Veeck's regime right after they took ownership...Perhaps he's fearful that Cuban would do the same thing to him..

First off, when Cuban bought the Mavs, the vote to approve his ownership was 29-1. Guess who was the 1? Now, after they see how he runs the show, which would be a lot of spending without a salary cap, the other owners would certainly see how he would only increase their costs, let alone some of the other stuff that goes with his package. As a fan, he would be great, but for other owners, you could see how he would be not so great. Also, if JR really dislikes him, there also is the Comcast Sportsnet issue. If Cuban owned the Bulls, they would be partners. It doesn't seem like JR would like that, plus he probably would want someone he and his son are really familiar with and enjoy working with, as the Bulls and White Sox may be joined at the hip for long after JR is gone.

 

I still think 10 years from now, Michael Reinsdorf is the Chairman of the White Sox.

[StrangeSox]

I'd like to see Trump buy the Sox because he would build a new stadium and get the Cubs to pay for it.

lmao

[Dam8610]

What's Eddie DeBartolo doing these days?

[Dick Allen]

What's Eddie DeBartolo doing these days?

5 to 10?

[TitoMB345]

If the team is sold then Andrew Berlin is the most likely local buyer of the team. He already owns a piece of the team (and the Cubs). He is friends with JR who held a private 50th birthday party for him at US Cellular field. He also has turned around the South Bend minor league team which are now affiliated with the Cubs. Unless there is a bidding war with some out of town or even in town investment firm (Chicago based Guggenheim Partners owns the LA Dodgers) Berlin will probably be the next owner of the White Sox which is a good thing since he seems to know what he is doing, has more money than he will ever need so he won't be in it purely for profit, and most importantly of all he is a White Sox fan.

 

http://sportsmockery.com/2016/01/what-beco...einsdorf-66911/

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/glen...0407-story.html

Good post. Had to read through pages of pure cancer to get to it, but this is the info I want. Sounds like he would be a decent owner.

 

I, for one, would kill for a Mark Cuban purchase I don't care how he was at a younger age, he seems fine now, and he's my favorite Shark!

[captain54]

If the team is sold then Andrew Berlin is the most likely local buyer of the team. He already owns a piece of the team (and the Cubs). He is friends with JR who held a private 50th birthday party for him at US Cellular field. He also has turned around the South Bend minor league team which are now affiliated with the Cubs.

 

Andrew Berlin has also said, in various past interviews, that he believes a successful franchise should be modeled after what the Cubs have traditionally done.. Put together a party experience for the fans….. not much of a mention here of putting a winner on the field..….. from Crains.. 10/13/2014

 

"I think the White Sox are fantastic in honoring the heritage and history of baseball and the purity of baseball," he said. "But unfortunately there are two generations of fans that don't care as much about baseball purity as they used to. They care about being engaged."

 

Pointing to his experience promoting the South Bend Cubs as well as the "party" at Wrigley Field for Cubs games for which people often show up for regardless of the team's play, Mr. Berlin advocates for more "quirky and fun" happenings around the stadium during Sox games.

 

"The marketing has to focus on the fact that there's a party going on at U.S. Cellular Field, too — you just may not have known about it," he says.

[Rowand44]

I wouldn't care what the marketing is like. If it brought in more fans and they won more games then do whatever the f*** you want.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Rowand44

[shipps]

I honestly think that marketing strategy is spot on. Sox fans and FO are pretty stubborn and dont want to do things like the Cubs do them but its reality. The only thing one would worry about is them actually bringing tons of fans with their marketing and party atmosphere but then putting oout some terrible teams as the Cubs did for decades.

 

So yeah that would be a pretty big concern too.

[captain54]

I wouldn't care what the marketing is like. If it brought in more fans and they won more games than do whatever the f*** you want.

 

By the time Berlin steps in, the Sox will be approaching new levels of irrelevance, low attendance, and league low TV ratings….

 

Maybe he can have Don Cooper dressed like Elvis doing "Jailhouse Rock" on the top of the Sox dugout before and after every game...

[Rowand44]

Also, I like to party.

[captain54]

I honestly think that marketing strategy is spot on. Sox fans and FO are pretty stubborn and dont want to do things like the Cubs do them but its reality. The only thing one would worry about is them actually bringing tons of fans with their marketing and party atmosphere but then putting oout some terrible teams as the Cubs did for decades.

 

So yeah that would be a pretty big concern too.

 

Andrew Berlin comes from a long line of very smart and savvy business people.. The guy is no dummy… If anyone is up to the task of bringing the fans back, this dude certainly is….

[Swingandalongonetoleft]

Are the Pritzkers all still fighting each other in court over their money?

I read a WSJ article a while back that made it sound like the individual greed was satiated for the time being by a partial sell-off of their companies (and subsequent disbursement of proceeds amongst family).

 

 

At 63 years old, Tom Pritzker is among those finding a new path. He remains executive chairman of Hyatt but is also doing deals with his own money, including building a logistics company in Iraq.

 

In October, he bought steel-services company TMS International Corp. for $688 million, using his and his sister Gigi Pritzker's money. Ms. Pritzker produced the film "Ender's Game," which made its debut at the top of the box office in early November.

 

...

 

He said he was glad to be building an empire again, as he once did at his father's side: "We're going back to our roots."

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB100014240527...220162619539146

 

Edit: If you google Inside the Breakup of the Pritzker Empire, I think you can avoid paywall. Article is three years old at this point.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Swingandalongonetoleft

[HeGone7]

Late to the party on this and don't have time to scroll through everything. Was this confirmed at some point in this thread as a legit possibility?

 

I'm all for a sale. Not sure what the consensus has been on here but from weeks past, it sure seemed like this would be something welcomed by Sox fans.

 

I can see Cuban's name mentioned above and Berlin's. I don't know much about Berlin, but I'd love Cuban if the owners would approve him.

[bmags]

Late to the party on this and don't have time to scroll through everything. Was this confirmed at some point in this thread as a legit possibility?

 

I'm all for a sale. Not sure what the consensus has been on here but from weeks past, it sure seemed like this would be something welcomed by Sox fans.

 

I can see Cuban's name mentioned above and Berlin's. I don't know much about Berlin, but I'd love Cuban if the owners would approve him.

 

There was no additional reports from anywhere and Bernstein didn't even write a column on it, so I'd recommend not holding your breath.

 

Probably a very weak rumor.

[Y2Jimmy0]

The audio is here in the 2nd hour: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/audio/the-boers-bernstein-show/

 

Sounds like nothing concrete but said rich people think they'll be available soon. He basically said: Lots of people think White Sox will be available relatively soon. Back channel talk among wealthy people wanting to buy Sox. Team valued around $1.1 billion now. They speculated that a new stadium in the loop with the skyline in the background pushes it near $2 million.

[Baron]

I'm not holding my breath...sounds too good to be true.

 

Although I would like Cuban as an owner(not going to happen). Now there's someone who hates failing just as much as we do....well most of us.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Baron

[bmags]

The audio is here in the 2nd hour: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/audio/the-boers-bernstein-show/

 

Sounds like nothing concrete but said rich people think they'll be available soon. He basically said: Lots of people think White Sox will be available relatively soon. Back channel talk among wealthy people wanting to buy Sox. Team valued around $1.1 billion now. They speculated that a new stadium in the loop with the skyline in the background pushes it near $2 million.

 

Thanks for getting this. That's really interesting. Remember how unbelievable it was when Dodgers sold for 2 billion? Crazy how the tv deals have changed the game.

[Dick Allen]

The audio is here in the 2nd hour: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/audio/the-boers-bernstein-show/

 

Sounds like nothing concrete but said rich people think they'll be available soon. He basically said: Lots of people think White Sox will be available relatively soon. Back channel talk among wealthy people wanting to buy Sox. Team valued around $1.1 billion now. They speculated that a new stadium in the loop with the skyline in the background pushes it near $2 million.

There is zero chance they would get away with building a new stadium in the loop. It's all BS.

[Lip Man 1]

Many years ago Cuban in an interview said he grew up a Pirates fan and that if he had a chance to get any MLB team it would be them. That club was / is his first love. Doesn't mean he wouldn't do a great job if he got a different team but as others have posted MLB owners want no part of him given that he could go off and have a 200 million dollar payroll in an effort to win.

 

Mark

[RichieZisk]

There is zero chance they would get away with building a new stadium in the loop. It's all BS.

 

Agreed. The bargain priced stadium deal is part of the overall value of the team. What is conceivable is the next owner pushing for a new semi-publicly funded stadium in the current location when the current lease is up but more than likely they will just want similar terms and some other types of upgrades. The State has very little leverage when it comes to the stadium. What else are they going to do with it if the Sox leave?

[WBWSF]

It was absolutely nuts when JR turned down the City of Chicago offer to build a stadium in the South Loop at Roosevelt + Clark in the mid 1980's. I don't know if that sight would still be available. But a few years ago the Village of Rosemont offered to build a new stadium for the bad guys on the Northside. What happens if Rosemont offers to build a new stadium for the White Sox? I would think the owner of the White Sox would seriously consider it. I would rather have a new stadium in the South Loop. But if that didn't workout, I would rather have a stadium in Rosemont than 35th + Shields.

[southsider2k5]

It was absolutely nuts when JR turned down the City of Chicago offer to build a stadium in the South Loop at Roosevelt + Clark in the mid 1980's. I don't know if that sight would still be available. But a few years ago the Village of Rosemont offered to build a new stadium for the bad guys on the Northside. What happens if Rosemont offers to build a new stadium for the White Sox? I would think the owner of the White Sox would seriously consider it. I would rather have a new stadium in the South Loop. But if that didn't workout, I would rather have a stadium in Rosemont than 35th + Shields.

 

Downtown and the area south of downtown look NOTHING like they did 30 years ago. That area absolutely exploded starting around 2000. Short of some crazy plan like building an elevated stadium on the old post office site, or on northerly island or something crazy, I don't know where you could build downtown or in the south loop. It sounds great to say, but where? I think that window is closed.

[bmags]

Downtown and the area south of downtown look NOTHING like they did 30 years ago. That area absolutely exploded starting around 2000. Short of some crazy plan like building an elevated stadium on the old post office site, or on northerly island or something crazy, I don't know where you could build downtown or in the south loop. It sounds great to say, but where? I think that window is closed.

 

There are areas for a stadium but you certainly would not see the amount of parking lots the white sox currently have. Which is fine as far as I am concerned but would be a huge neighborhood issue.

[Hatchetman]

The old rail yards south of Roosevelt west of Clark is a massive site. I dunno who owns it or what the plans are. Probably worth a fortune now.

[southsider2k5]

The old rail yards south of Roosevelt west of Clark is a massive site. I dunno who owns it or what the plans are. Probably worth a fortune now.

 

Don't they still use that?