A FREE Wahlburgers food truck! https://www.dispatch.com/news/20181108/mark-wahlberg-chevrolet-to-host-wahlburgers-food-truck
Serious question: I cannot remember and it's driving me nuts Who was it who used to say "If the lowest prices in town won't do it, what will?"
The terms sheet was approved but there were a lot of things in there that PSV might want to walk back in the final language and a lot of things the city wants to flush out. PSV committed dollars for transportation, affordable housing, community benefits, and agreed to certain limitations/approvals by the city for sponsors. Both sides might want the agreement signed but writing out the legalese for all these pieces is something that takes time and each side will push on. As we discussed when we were breaking down the terms sheet there is a big difference between someone agreeing to only use local businesses and someone making their best effort to. PSV wants them to hammer out the deal and get it signed, preferably as close to the terms sheet as possible. The city manager wants to hammer out a deal too but they are going to look to get the language and commitments as clear as possible and that takes time. If we announce that the Crew are playing in Columbus in 2019 then what incentive does Austin have to try to sign the agreement before the end of the year? What incentive do they have to get it signed in the next 6 months even? Why wouldn't they just hammer PSV to get a slightly better deal and the clearest, most exacting language possible? That's the leverage Miki is talking about, PSV/MLS ability to push the city and keep a ticking clock on it. Personally, I agree with Miki that they won't announce Columbus until Austin is across the finish line or until logistically it no longer makes sense for Haslam to continue to wait. That would be sometime in December. I just disagree with Miki in that they would actually hold off on finalizing the deal before then. There is nothing stopping MLS from signing the Columbus paperwork behind closed doors and voting on it confidentially at the Dec. BoG meeting, only to hold the announcement.
Re: food truck. Free doesn’t always equal good. See: Hungariansteven, food poisoning from hotel breakfast food, November 2018.
"Drink, smoke, gamble" is their motto, but they should add "take home a souvenir of Vegas in your pants"
This is a good read https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2018/11/13/18085660/save-the-crew-columbus-anthony-precourt
Honestly, I actually think that's where we might be right now sans the BoG meeting/approval vote. Just based on the temperature in the room, how Dr. Edwards is behaving, and the tenor of activity from StC.
Liked this part, especially: And if you ask anyone associated with Save The Crew what this event was about, they’ll say it was a celebration of their community. The people behind the organization use the word “community” most of all. They’re big soccer fans, but to them, the real value of a soccer team is that it’s a community centerpiece. It’s the thing that makes bringing and keeping people together easy. MLS and its owners are not ignorant to this. All of the league’s marketing — as well as its sponsors’ in-game marketing — is based on the idea that soccer fans are more dedicated and communal than other fans. “... You have to ********ing mean it. You have to respect it. And you have to know that when a community exists that you built your business around, you can’t destroy it.”—Morgan Hughes, Save The Crew But those powers that be only seem to understand soccer communities as “people who enjoy drinking beer and waving flags in a group,” rather than something that really matters to people. How else to explain Precourt thinking he could pick up the team and move it to Austin, Texas, without meaningful opposition? He and the league didn’t think fans were that serious. “[MLS] sold the environment in a way that reinforced the roots, which is why we always talk about respect your roots,” says Morgan Hughes, spokesperson for Save The Crew. “They almost just fertilized them, they made them stronger, but they didn’t put them down. We did that. It is how you should sell your product, but you have to ********ing mean it. You have to respect it. And you have to know that when a community exists that you built your business around, you can’t destroy it. It’s not yours anymore. You may own it, but it’s not yours.” (Emphasis added).
Playing devils advocate. Do we really need BoG approval? What if they don't approve? I find it hard to believe we are this far in the process to turn back. The SBJ article you posted indicated that Dee Haslam went to NY to finalize an agreement which leads me to believe most MLS owners are on board with this but i find it odd that a BoG approval is still needed.
Of course it's still needed. You don't agree to buy a house then move in next day. You have all the papers to sign, inspections, yada yada. Legal stuff to keep the courts happy and lawyers employed.
I guess I was thinking along the lines of not being able to imagine MLS was not discussing this with other owners prior to the next BoG meeting to gauge their approval or not. So yes i agree with you and am just hopping the vote is more of a formality at this point.
BoG approval is just a technicality. MLS could sign all the paperwork before then. I imagine BoG voting is basically a ratification process. By the time it comes before them, everything has been negotiated, agreed to, and signed on the dotted line. Their vote just ratifies it as in effect.
More than that, let's keep in mind that MLS is selling an expansion franchise here, which involves watering down every owner's investment in the whole. Dan Garber gets to put the deals together but, like with any corporate entity, the CEO still has to go to the people who own the thing - ie. shareholders - to sell someone something that they themselves own. Now it's certainly true that Don (and Mark Abbott, who carries a lot more weight than he gets noticed for) are more or less constantly in touch with all the owners. This is unquestionably something that they have been aware of the entire way. Every single step. So Don and mark will know if there is substantial pushback from the owners who, we need to recall, they work for. By the time a deal like this closes, every owner knows the details, has expressed their opinion and has more or less given his blessing. If they hadn't, there would be no deal. They wouldn't even be holding a vote. But the bottom line is that the BoG is made up of the principal owners - one team, one vote - and nobody can sell anyone a damned thing without their say so. But by the time the actual vote is taken - as it must, absolutely - everyone's questions have been answered, all their concerns addressed and their consent obtained.
When does Judge Brown have to rule on the case? I would think MLS would want the Columbus side of this to be done before he has to rule on the case.
Check my story out. The tl;dr being that while he could make a decision at any point, he is unlikely to unless it seems that negotiations are in trouble.