Author Topic: WP: Nats MASN deal renegotations will have a huge impact (Read 251492 times)

comish4lif · « **Reply #1350 on:** April 30, 2015, 07:20:41 am »

Does anyone else think it's great that the relationship between these two teams is so poisoned that the Orioles would rather play in an empty stadium then play three home games in ST Petersburg, than to even ask about using Nats Park.

mitlen · « **Reply #1351 on:** April 30, 2015, 08:38:58 am »

Quote from: comish4lif on April 30, 2015, 07:20:41 am

Does anyone else think it's great that the relationship between these two teams is so poisoned that the Orioles would rather play in an empty stadium then play three home games in ST Petersburg, than to even ask about using Nats Park.

Yes. We can only hope.

OldChelsea · « **Reply #1352 on:** April 30, 2015, 09:06:18 am »

Apparently it wasn't a complete nobody-turned-up experience at Preparation H Park at Camden Yards yesterday - according to ESPN.com there were two people inside: http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/bal/baltimore-orioles

[still looks kind of funny seeing that lonely little number '2' amid all those five-digit numbers in the attendance column (on the far right of the page)]

mitlen · « **Reply #1353 on:** April 30, 2015, 09:10:38 am »

Quote from: OldChelsea on April 30, 2015, 09:06:18 am

Apparently it wasn't a complete nobody-turned-up experience at Preparation H Park at Camden Yards yesterday - according to ESPN.com there were two people inside: http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/bal/baltimore-orioles

[still looks kind of funny seeing that lonely little number '2' amid all those five-digit numbers in the attendance column (on the far right of the page)]

Did they have a PA announcer and "walk-up" music?

GburgNatsFan · « **Reply #1354 on:** April 30, 2015, 09:59:17 am »

there was a clip on 106.7 this morning of one of the radio announcers - must have been the Chicago guys, because Angel isn't capable of this much humor - doing his golf tournament voice. It was pretty funny.

Quote from: mitlen on April 30, 2015, 09:10:38 am

Did they have a PA announcer and "walk-up" music?

MarquisDeSade · « **Reply #1355 on:** April 30, 2015, 10:08:01 am »

Quote from: GburgNatsFan on April 30, 2015, 09:59:17 am

there was a clip on 106.7 this morning of one of the radio announcers - must have been the Chicago guys, because Angel isn't capable of this much humor - doing his golf tournament voice. It was pretty funny.

That was Gary Thorne of the Os. No chance Hawk Harrelson or Steve Stone does anything intentionally funny.

GburgNatsFan · « **Reply #1356 on:** April 30, 2015, 10:48:22 am »

TV announcer?

And here it is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72dxSi8yK54

Quote from: MarquisDeSade on April 30, 2015, 10:08:01 am

That was Gary Thorne of the Os. No chance Hawk Harrelson or Steve Stone does anything intentionally funny.

Dave301 · « **Reply #1357 on:** May 16, 2015, 07:13:32 pm »

Judge to hear final arguments Monday in O's-Nationals TV rights dispute

http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/822/article/p2p-83553739/

Smithian · « **Reply #1358 on:** May 17, 2015, 08:20:33 am »

Quote from: Dave301 on May 16, 2015, 07:13:32 pm

Judge to hear final arguments Monday in O's-Nationals TV rights dispute

http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/822/article/p2p-83553739/

I've read that title about 10 times and I swear I keep reading that our long national(s) nightmare is finally in court and final arguments about to be made.

If so, we're about to be all

or

deeznatz · « **Reply #1359 on:** May 18, 2015, 01:08:27 pm »

This is so infuriating. I can't believe they even mention the Nats shelling out money for Scherzer. They sound like a little child. How much the Nats spend on players is COMPLETELY irrelevant.....the Nats are seeking fair market value for their product. How they run their internal finances is of no concern to the Orioles or this process.

If a judge sides with the O's on this, well, I don't know what to say.

Corrct me if I'm wrong, this case will only end up one of two ways:

1.)The Nats/MLB win and their arbitration ruling holds, so the O's will owe the Nats the 60 million plus per year in fees?

2.)The O's win and the court selects a new 3rd party to negotiate a new price?

Essentially, there is no way that we can get out of this with an even higher amount of over 100 mill/year, right? That would have to come from another suit by the Nats once this is over?

Natsinpwc · « **Reply #1360 on:** May 18, 2015, 01:18:59 pm »

Quote from: deeznatz on May 18, 2015, 01:08:27 pm

This is so infuriating. I can't believe they even mention the Nats shelling out money for Scherzer. They sound like a little child. How much the Nats spend on players is COMPLETELY irrelevant.....the Nats are seeking fair market value for their product. How they run their internal finances is of no concern to the Orioles or this process.

If a judge sides with the O's on this, well, I don't know what to say.

Corrct me if I'm wrong, this case will only end up one of two ways:

1.)The Nats/MLB win and their arbitration ruling holds, so the O's will owe the Nats the 60 million plus per year in fees?

2.)The O's win and the court selects a new 3rd party to negotiate a new price?

Essentially, there is no way that we can get out of this with an even higher amount of over 100 mill/year, right? That would have to come from another suit by the Nats once this is over?

What's so infuriating? Did you think the Blos would make arguments to benefit the Nats? Up to the judge.

PebbleBall · « **Reply #1361 on:** May 18, 2015, 01:49:49 pm »

The hearing is over and a written decision is forthcoming.

That and many other details from today are here:

https://twitter.com/EricFisherSBJ

ZimW1N · « **Reply #1362 on:** May 18, 2015, 01:56:23 pm »

So since there is a reset period every five years does that mean that this whole process will start over again in 2017?

Smithian · « **Reply #1363 on:** May 18, 2015, 02:33:19 pm »

Love how that journo was poking fun about Nats complaining about case delay causing issues in team's cash flow.

Yeah, the Nats aren't shutting the gates due to delays, but like any other sports franchise the Nationals organization is a business. They aren't just going to leave millions of dollars in a bank account over periods of time. They're budgeting. If tens of millions of dollars aren't where they're expected to be, then there will be huge impact to the accounting side.

PebbleBall · « **Reply #1364 on:** May 18, 2015, 06:34:46 pm »

If he rules against the Nationals, I hope they appeal on grounds that the judge looks kind of like Stan Kasten

PC · « **Reply #1365 on:** May 18, 2015, 07:41:08 pm »

Someone should ask the Angelos lawyers if he'd known that what RSNs pay team to carry their games was going to increase substantially over the next decade and that the Nationals might be worth $100M per year, what would he have done in 2005?

varoadking · « **Reply #1366 on:** May 18, 2015, 07:46:55 pm »

I sense the Nationals lose, or have to come up with a buyout of some sort. The Lerner's are savvy business operators...they knew the deal and agreed to it. Live by the pen...die by it...

PebbleBall · « **Reply #1367 on:** May 18, 2015, 07:52:54 pm »

Quote from: varoadking on May 18, 2015, 07:46:55 pm

I sense the Nationals lose, or have to come up with a buyout of some sort. The Lerner's are savvy business operators...they knew the deal and agreed to it. Live by the pen...die by it...

Why do you think they lose? It seems rare to get an arbitration ruling thrown out.

varoadking · « **Reply #1368 on:** May 18, 2015, 07:54:57 pm »

Quote from: PebbleBall on May 18, 2015, 07:52:54 pm

Why do you think they lose? It seems rare to get an arbitration ruling thrown out.

Just a feeling...MLB influence, and again...a deal is a deal.

You could ask the Lerner's how they would feel if the shoe was on the other foot, and there is no question they would react just the same as Angelos has.

blue911 · « **Reply #1369 on:** May 18, 2015, 08:14:38 pm »

Quote from: varoadking on May 18, 2015, 07:46:55 pm

I sense the Nationals lose, or have to come up with a buyout of some sort. The Lerner's are savvy business operators...they knew the deal and agreed to it. Live by the pen...die by it...

It's Angelos that's trying to change the deal. The Nats aren't asking for anything that wasn't in the original agreement. I think the judge will side with MLB because courts hate to overturn an arbitrated settlement. The make up of the arbitration panel was spelled out in the agreement as well.

varoadking · « **Reply #1370 on:** May 18, 2015, 08:19:50 pm »

Quote from: blue911 on May 18, 2015, 08:14:38 pm

It's Angelos that's trying to change the deal. The Nats aren't asking for anything that wasn't in the original agreement. I think the judge will side with MLB because courts hate to overturn an arbitrated settlement. The make up of the arbitration panel was spelled out in the agreement as well.

Ah...well then, there's that...

Courts overturn stuff all the time, so I felt less confident in that that I do the material fact I clearly did not understand.

Carry on...

Smithian · « **Reply #1371 on:** May 18, 2015, 09:22:22 pm »

I've read on here MASN lost money on the Nats in the bad years. Any truth to that? I may be mindfacting. It was in the 2008-2010 years.

MarquisDeSade · « **Reply #1372 on:** May 19, 2015, 09:55:15 am »

Quote from: PC on May 18, 2015, 07:41:08 pm

Someone should ask the Angelos lawyers if he'd known that what RSNs pay team to carry their games was going to increase substantially over the next decade and that the Nationals might be worth $100M per year, what would he have done in 2005?

The RSN bubble is well on its way to popping (take a look at the situation in LA and the blackout lawsuits) so any delusions of $100M per year in the next 20 years are just that. The only way this changes is if MASN goes bankrupt (not likely) since the current carriage fees aren't changing and there is no way MASN is sitting on a ton of cash. Are the Nats getting fair market value from MASN? No. Are they due $100+M in back fees and penalties? Probably not. Are they likely to get more than $50M per year in carriage fees regardless of MASN's existance? Doubtful.

dracnal · « **Reply #1373 on:** May 19, 2015, 09:58:04 am »

Quote from: MarquisDeSade on May 19, 2015, 09:55:15 am

The RSN bubble is well on its way to popping (take a look at the situation in LA and the blackout lawsuits) so any delusions of $100M per year in the next 20 years are just that. The only way this changes is if MASN goes bankrupt (not likely) since the current carriage fees aren't changing and there is no way MASN is sitting on a ton of cash. Are the Nats getting fair market value from MASN? No. Are they due $100+M in back fees and penalties? Probably not. Are they likely to get more than $50M per year in carriage fees regardless of MASN's existance? Doubtful.

Definitely agree the RSN bubble is close to popping. Verizon is also now dipping its toe into the a la carte channel line ups. That has the potential to have the impact T-Mobile buying out contracts did. They started getting a lot of subscribers so Sprint said 'what the hell...' and cut rates and such. AT&T and Verizon came up with plans that roughly matched the pricing and were a good bit lower than they had been.

All it will take is one cable company going a la carte and the RSNs current model goes straight to hell.

MarquisDeSade · « **Reply #1374 on:** May 19, 2015, 10:22:34 am »

Quote from: dracnal on May 19, 2015, 09:58:04 am

All it will take is one cable company going a la carte and the RSNs current model goes straight to hell.

Right, the cable companies will still make their money (they own and control the pipes) but the RSNs won't get that carriage fee under the current model of operation. Once they roll out fiber optical to my house (right around the time our contract expires with Comcast) I'm cutting the cord and moving everything over to that. With a faster pipe and MLB.tv (~$60/year if you buy it at the right time), Netflix (~$100/year), Amazon Prime ($100/year), and the free content apps at our disposal what does cable offer me other than the NFL, which I can get through other means?