No one in the CSN partnership can afford for option 2 to go down. The fact that Crane is talking about it so openly is remarkable. I'm assuming that none of this information was real news to the carriers that CSN is negotiating with.
I completely agree. I would never have expected any of the finances of the network to be talked about publicly.
This is also an option for a different way to rebuild however. The Astros could sign a few mid level free agents then trade them off at the trade deadline for more prospects. Due to the slot scaling of having the #1 pick I think the Astros are playing it right though.
You're right. There is that option. I just don't feel that the potential prospects a mid level guy would command in trade would be worth the expenditure of having them on the team for half a season.
Yes... signing guys like Pedro Feliz and Kazo Matsui would be the perfect way to rebuild... :grin:. If the Astros were to do what everybody is complaining about, there would be tons more complaints about wasting $$$ and potential draft position for a half year of watching mediocre instead of awful players.
That is my thought exactly. Even a better FA like Michael Bourn would have been a waste on this team.
Was thinking about this more and talking about it with my business partner/friend this morning.... He thinks it's aimed at CSN. That Crane is forcing CSN to get real about something they're holding out on. Specifically, the comment where Crane said (paraphrased) "Each party is going to have to look out for its own best interests going forward." We've made the assumption here that because the Astros own more of the deal, that it necessarily follows that their vote counts for more...that's not necessarily so. We structure deals for clients all the time that don't follow that way. Particularly so when one party has more experience in negotiating in a certain industry than the others. Approval of any deal with a carrier could hinge on there being X, Y or Z in a deal that's a particular CSN issue...that may or may not just be price per subscriber. You don't make these comments unless giving up leverage like that unless you're trying to force something to happen.
I can see where this scenario could be accurate based on those comments from Crane. It was odd for Tad Brown to not lend much support to those comments though. I can imagine the reason is that Crane since the Astros are so highly leveraged that he has a lot of nervous investors screaming at him to get something done. I can also see where advertisers would be pissed at their commercials on CSN Houston only being shown in 40% of the market too. I'm sure that's not what they signed up for.
Just checking back in.... How is tanking for the number 1 pick looking these days? I'm encouraged that we have won a few games because it makes me feel like I'm not wasting my money going out to the park. I'd rather we legitimately try to compete night in and night out while hoping the scouting department does it's job with whatever pick we wind up with. There's no honor in trying to lose to get a number 1 pick and I could care less what money advantage Crane has when he's not spending much these days anyway. Especially when he stated in public that if the fans wrote the check, he'd get a free agent.
Six game win streak. Better be on your hands and knees begging for csn. Time to charge higher prices.
Stop me if you heard this before: Crane upbeat on CSN Houston carriage solutions Astros owner Jim Crane sounded another optimistic note Wednesday about the future of Comcast SportsNet Houston, telling a radio talk show he was optimistic that the network can arrange carriage deals within 30 days and “certainly” before the end of the 2013 season. Crane’s comments also included a brief reference to the economics of the network owned by the Astros, Rockets and NBC Sports Group. He said the partners had infused more cash into the enterprise “and that will run out again and ultimately we’ll have to make a decision on which direction we’re going.” The CSN Houston carriage negotiations with DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse came during a general conversation on the team between Crane and KFNC (97.5 FM) co-hosts Dave Tepper and Chronicle columnist Jerome Solomon. “I think something’s going to break here pretty quick,” he said. “We’re optimistic that certainly we’ll get the games on before the season ends. … We’re focused on it. We work on it every day and have been exchanging details in conversations with Comcast almost weekly, and so something, I think, will develop within 30 days.” Crane repeated the team’s stance that settling for a lesser monthly carriage fee than what the Astros feel the market commands will hurt its long-term chances of fielding a team that can compete and spend money on payroll at the same rate as the Rangers and Mariners. “Something’s going to break here pretty soon,” he said.
Crane always says he's optimistic but then makes it clear that he's not budging on his demands. So why all of a sudden should the providers crack?
I've gotten so used to watching the Rockets and Astros on VIP and other places now I don't even think about it anymore. I'm sure most casual fans aren't doing that and or either watching the Rangers, national games, or not even watching baseball anymore.
Damn right "somethings going to break here pretty soon." Thier overrated and overpriced shiny new network to be exact. I think they're finally starting to realize that the fans and the carriers can survive just fine without them, but not so much in reverse.
It didn't sound like he expected them to. They've always said they wouldn't sign a deal that was bad for them long term. But the only thing worse than not maximizing your earnings is actually taking losses. At some point, they are going to get tired of paying to have their teams on TV. That's compounding your losses. It's like a gas station paying you to fill up your car. His statement sounds like they are very close to raising the white flag.
