Sure, it would have its publicity. But there is a difference between making an announcement confirming that a deal is in place, and having a press conference whereby he all but says its a done deal and everything should go quickly and smoothly.
Drayton is never going to see an offer this good again - well, he'll likely never see an offer this good. He'd be a fool to sit this out and not fight to push through the approval.
eh...i don't think it creates any more of a "situation" than the publicity that would have been generated anyway would have created. either way, we'd be looking for a new owner and wondering why it isn't happening yet.
#1 Selig prioritized Ryan over Cuban/Crane because Selig HATES both Cuban and Crane.... the proof is in the pudding. #2 I never said Ryan was not pushing for it, but to believe that Ryan has any real say on the matter is silly. He is a single owner, and not even an owner of a powerful franchise. This is being pushed by Selig and/or a cadre of owners.
Right - but there's no particular incentive for him to fight for the NL or the "best interests of the Astros". That part's up to Crane as the new owner. Drayton just wants whatever is most likely to get this thing done with.
A press release and a press conference are not the same thing. I don't know if he even has an obligation to submit a release - it's not a publicly-held company; but to grandstand in front of the media and talk about the approval being a formality.... 8 months ago, btw - it wasn't smart then and looks even dumber now.
Frankly, Drayton likely did it to put pressure on Crane and to ensure he wouldn't back out again. But its now looking like that might have backfired a bit as it gave Selig plenty of leverage.
I'm not understanding what leverage it gave Selig. Drayton wants this done no matter what - it's not his problem if the Astros move to the AL after he's no longer owner. So his holding a press conference or acting like the deal is done didn't given Selig any leverage over him, because he doesn't care either way, and he couldn't walk away anyway as a result of the agreement itself - that power belongs to Crane, and only Crane. The decision is in the hands of Crane and Selig. Crane has the ability to say "I'll walk away if they try to move us" and Selig has the ability to say "we won't approve you without a move to the AL". Drayton has no role in the process at this point.
I don't think he meant leverage over Drayton, but that it gave Selig leverage over Crane in the sense that he can hold over him the AL move if he wants the team. I agree it now is down to Selig & Crane and who blinks first. Does Crane give in or does the sale fall through, it's a standoff. Oddly enough, the real losers could be Drayton and the fans.
I'm just not buying it. Crane putting on an Astros hat makes McLane look desperate and gives Selig some mystical upper hand of intimidation? Would you have preferred that they be tentative when speaking of the Astros' future, or upbeat. This seems just a silly angle to argue.
Because McClane and Crane don't want to hold a second press conference in order to tell everyone, "Never mind." It devalues the franchise, embarrasses both men, discredits Crane, etc, etc. You talk about a PR nightmare... Selig, I think, seized this and, because there was this big-to-do, "the approval is only a formality" press conference, was able to exert even more pressure on both men. Drayton's priority is planting his flag in Crane's moutain of money. So, no - he likely doesn't care how it gets done. But if Crane is steadfast about not moving to the AL... that puts the sale in jeopardy and *that* is what likely has Drayton's attention. He does NOT want Crane to get away.
Disagree. I think the PR nightmare will be Selig's and MLB's, not Crane's. They don't need to hold a press conference at all. I think you're probably right about Drayton just wanting this thing overwith, though.
You understand they're under no obligation to say anything, right? It is a privately-held corporation. None of this is public information. It all could (and likely should have) flown under the radar until it was approved, at which point you then throw a big press conference. McLane did the exact opposite, and in doing so, opened the deal up to public scrutiny, a public timetable, and angered the one guy capable of mucking up the muckity-muck; the same guy that expressly asked that you not hold a press conference. It was not a smart decision and handed Selig a lot of power in this because McLane and Crane certainly don't want to stage another press conference to tell everyone, "Never mind." Both men look like fools if that happens.
You do understand that something like this wouldn't "fly under" any radar, don't you? This, and an NFL franchise, are the least "private" of any privately-held corporations. It would have been PR suicide. Come on, man. You're smarter than that.
The # of people who care about where the Astros land, I promise you, is dwarfed by the number that are apathetic and/or for it. Selig and MLB have a treasure-trove of very legitimate reasons to deny Crane as a new owner. They'll emerge from this scott-free, regardless what happens. The nightmare is Drayton having to ask for a second bidder to cough-up above market value for his team and, oh yeah - be prepared for a very public, potentially embarrassing approval process that could potentially end with you staying up to midnight every night watching your team play in its new west coast division. The nightmare is Crane never, ever getting to sniff owning another MLB team and having to explain for the rest of his life that he is not a racist sexist, war-profiteering pig.
Except... it did exactly that in 2008. They are not obligated to announce anything and I would very much be interested in you detailing how keeping an unapproved deal quiet amounts to PR suicide. That makes absolutely no sense. Even if it did create an uproar (among who, I have no idea), all Drayton has to say is, "We were waiting on MLB's approval before announcing it."
Do you think if McLane had not held a press conference announcing the sale, pending approval by MLB, that it would still be 'under the radar' today as MLB performs its 'due diligence'? You don't think any of the news and status would have leaked out? This would most certainly have been leaked by some insider shortly after the McLane/Crane agreement.
They had a tentative deal between the two of them, not a full fledged contract that would necessitate an investigation.
