Someone has to make an offer before it can be accepted. As for carriage, all parties have tried their hand at finding deals...all came back saying they're not there. The judge affirmed that all the deals presented have been awful. As for buyout..great..where are the offers? Comcast filed initial pleadings giving the indication they wanted to do just that...but now they're saying they're not interested in doing that. IMO, the judge should have nuked it a long time ago. I don't see what there is to "reorganize."
The judge is unlikely to approve a deal that will result in the network losing money just to get the teams on TV.
At this point, the prospects for reorganization are pretty poor. The only real possibility for reorganization I see is for a company like DirecTV to come in and buy out one or all of the partners.
I don't think many here still give Les a pass on this disaster. In the beginning when the Rockets weren't on TV, passion completely ruled over logic here. Now that this has dragged out, anyone reasonable can see Les made a very poor business decision to get in bed with Crane and the Astros.
The thing is...they've been in bed together for years...the problem was both teams giving the other full veto power over any deal that would get their programming on TV. That's so dumb that I had a hard time believing it was true initially; particularly when you consider how much more local TV revenues mean to an MLB team than to an NBA team. It was clearly bargained for, though...I assume that all got bargained for by McLane.
Actually, all of this was negotiated by McLane...not Crane. I find it odd that you appear to be giving a complete pass to Comcast. Comcast is the partner that sold the teams on the money that supposedly would be generated. Comcast is the partner whose primary business is being an industry leader in TV distribution. Comcast is the partner who owns other tv networks in and out of sports and negotiates carriage deals for them all the time. Comcast is the partner who, by the judge's comments, brought the other partners rotten business deals. Why exactly does Comcast get a pass on this?
On second thought, I see why you would say that. Don't read anything into my omission of mentioning Comcast any more than you would to MadMax's immediate reply after mine. The Rockets and Astros represent entities I actually give a care about on a daily basis.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Crane on CSNH talks moving from mediation back to courtroom: "I would like to see something resolved within 30 days one way or another”</p>— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDrellich/statuses/458427499647877121">April 22, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Crane: “We need a good deal. … Pretty good a chance a lot of that money for Cano came from the TV deal (the Mariners have).”</p>— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanDrellich/statuses/458429546073583616">April 22, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
As somebody who got so tired of this situation I stopped following it, can somebody tell me if this is every going to be resolved, or are they just going to screw Houston fans for years?
http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2014/04/21/astros-crane-wants-tv-resolution-within-the-month/ SEATTLE — Astros owner Jim Crane hopes that Comcast SportsNet Houston’s bankruptcy proceedings could move fast enough for a resolution to be reached in a month’s time. Officials with the Rockets, Comcast and Astros have participated in mediation sessions with U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, but those discussions haven’t led to an agreement. “That may be over for right now. We may have one more meeting,” Crane said Monday in the visiting dugout at Safeco Field before the Astros began a series with the Mariners. “Then it goes back to bankruptcy court, and that guy (Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur) can move at light speed if he wants to. They have a lot of leeway on what they can do and what they can’t do. “So I would like to see something resolved within 30 days, one way or another. He could make that happen — it could linger longer than (that), but it’s certainly not good for us, and it’s not good for the Rockets. I don’t think it’s having any big term effect on Comcast.” Hughes has held at least three sessions in person or via telephone with a group that includes Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and CEO Tad Brown, Comcast executive Robert Pick and Crane. Crane said the Astros did offer to make concessions in those meetings. “It’s difficult because the position we’re in,” Crane. “It’s got long-term consequences on the team. It’s a 20-year deal and some of the offers have been less than that. We’re weighing those, and it’ll be back in court here pretty quick.” “You try to get everybody to lean into the middle and hopefully get something done. You know, we thought we gave in quite a bit and gave a fair deal. They didn’t seem to want to get to that point. We never got to where we agreed on what the next move was. It comes down to money and time. We need a good deal.” Crane alluded to the $240 million, 10-year contract Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano received this offseason as an example of the importance of a viable cable deal for the Astros. “Pretty good a chance a lot of that money for Cano came from the TV deal,” Crane said. Hughes is hearing the Astros’ appeal of a February order by Isgur that placed CSN Houston under Chapter 11 protection. He also is expected to hear some aspects of a lawsuit filed by Crane’s Houston Baseball Partnership ownership group against former Astros owner Drayton McLane and Comcast related to the sale of the team and McLane’s network share in 2011. CSN Houston continues to operate under bankruptcy protection. The network, which is owned by the Astros, Rockets and Comcast, has until July to submit a plan of reorganization to Isgur.
Referring to the judge as "that guy" is probably not doing a lot to get Crane in Isgur's good graces.
Most of the people you are referring to have oddly enough not ever said that. The same can't be said for the others. Most of them will tell you it is all Crane's fault, if you don't believe me just ask. The problem is the anti-Crane group wants to lay blame only on him. Because they are so skewed, the other side,who generally wants to lay blame on all parties, looks like Crane apologists even though they don't go spouting the crap you are saying they do.
