Skip to main content

It Nice To Be Wanted

There is nothing more exciting in sports than ownership news!

With Dave Checketts' efforts to replace the Blues' major investor still unresolved, an offer has been made to purchase the team outright from Checketts, multiple sources have told the Post-Dispatch.

St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman, who is already a minority owner, is part of a group that presented a formal bid to Checketts' company, SCP Worldwide, to take control of the club. This is the only known offer for the team, an offer sources said was far less than the estimated value of the franchise.

In 2010, Forbes Magazine valued the Blues at $165 million, approximately $15 million more than Checketts paid for the team and the lease on Scottrade Center in 2006.

SCP has rejected the bid from Stillman's group and will continue seeking financial support to replace the Blues' major investor, TowerBrook Capital Partners, and maintain control of the club. It's believed by sources that Checketts would step aside if he was offered his asking price, which is not known at this time, but based on the recent bid he is not ready to sell.

Given that we have had times when the Blues were for sale and no potential local owners were even on the radar, this isn't that bad. Sure there is some uncertainty here, but there is time to get this all sorted out before any more big money decisions need to be made.

Checketts, who possibly kept the Blues from relocating when he took control of the franchise in 2006, has been seen as a loyal and engaging owner.

However, with the Blues in 13th place in the Western Conference standings, a fan base that has sold out 33 consecutive home games is now questioning the viability of an ownership group that couldn't afford to keep the club afloat during a rash of injuries to key players.

I think this is pretty much wrong. Knowledgeable fans are aware of how this team is being built, through player development. So many teams were within striking distance of the playoffs this year there were fewer sellers, so there was a much smaller pool of add-on players available. When you look at the crazy price the Kings paid for Justin Penner I for one am glad the Blues didn't try to make that kind of move.

That being said if the Blues are not willing to make a move during the free agency days of the summer rumbles will increase. But, generally Blues fans are willing to stick with the plan, as long as there continues to be a plan.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Early Thoughts on City 2025

There are few things harder to keep track of than an MLS side in their off-season, at least for me. Despite the fact it takes place roughly during the time the MLB Hot Stove season is in full swing, it is nowhere near as easy to follow along with as baseball. Part of it is how disconnected MLS is with the international soccer calendar. St. Louis City SC is still digesting the moves it made last summer even though those players have already played important games for the club. It is all weird and disjointed, and I always feel like I am playing catch-up. Happily, the moves made in the off-season this year were not numerous.  German Timo Baumgartl comes over from Europe as an option at center back, which is good because that was a position that was a little rocky for City last season. Given his own troubles over the last few seasons (cancer and uneven play in the aftermath of that), a spell with City can give Baumgartl a chance to have a re-set. Given his pedigree and the fact City si...

Blues Fall Off a Cliff

 Hockey seasons will have their ups and downs. For whatever reason, be it injuries, a challenging schedule, an inexplicable loss of form, it is difficult for teams to maintain a good level of compete for an entire season. The good teams just limit their funks. The St. Louis Blues, however, are not a good team. They are a poor team, and poor teams sink under the weight of "here we go again" night after night.  I will admit I only watched the first two periods of last night's 5-0 loss to a Colorado team that had been scuffling of late. Two periods were more than enough to get the gist of it. It was also enough to lead me to a diagnosis as to what ails the team. It isn't that they are young and are going through growing pains. No, the reason the Blues are so bad is that the veterans who are being paid to be the backbone of this team are not doing their jobs. I'm talking about Schenn, Buchnevich, Faulk, and even Binnington and Parayko. Over $30M of the salary cap is b...

My Life Amongst the Moguls

 It maybe trendy YOLO nonsense, but as I get older I have taken to "experiences" more than I used to in the past. Do not get me wrong, I still love stuff, and I am not unaware that having cash at my disposal opens up the range of possible experiences. However, I must say my mood is often "I'll try anything once," as often as not.  To that end I recently became a part owner in three racehorses. Through the website MyRaceHorse.com I have purchased ownership shares in three horses, 1 share each in an as yet unnamed colt and unnamed filly, and 2 shares in a colt named Munny Problem.  All of these horses are 2-year-olds who are just beginning their lives as potential racehorses. I say potential because there is no guarantee any of them will ever make it to the starting gate of an official race. The race game is a tough one and plenty of well-bred horses don't make the cut for various reasons; they can get injured, they don't take to the training, they turn ou...