Astros Chair & CEO Drayton McLane released the following
statement yesterday regarding conversations with William Collins
on the possible sale of the team and relocation to Northern VA:
"I have visited with Bill Collins, but it is premature to draw
any conclusions from our talks. Right now, it is important to
let the nation's fans focus on baseball's greatest event: the
World Series. For that reason, I will not make any further
statements until after the end of the season" (Astros).
THE WORD FROM WASHINGTON: Collins and his partners, who are
prepared to pay more than $150M for the Astros to move to the DC
area and play in RFK Stadium in '96, "firmly believe they have a
good chance" to buy the team, according to Mark Maske of the
WASHINGTON POST. However, league officials continue to doubt MLB
owners would let the Astros vacate the nation's fourth largest
market. One local official said Collins and partners "really
believe that this is going to get done, with this team, very
soon." But one MLB owner responds: "The Northern Virginia
people tend to get more excited than they should when they talk
to someone. ... They're going to get a team some day. But not
this team -- not any team -- right now" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/20).
The WASHINGTON TIMES notes possible competition from Orlando's
Norton Herrick (Thom Loverro, WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/20).
ANOTHER SHOCKING BLOW TO HOUSTON: Houston Mayor Bob Lanier,
Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and local business leaders
began planning a season ticket drive with the hope of getting
corporations to promise that at least 12,000 season tickets will
be sold to help the Astros' financial problems, according to this
morning's HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Meanwhile, some Astros employees
have been told "to delay finalizing radio, television and other
agreements for the 1996 season." Jim Kollaer, President of the
Greater Houston Partnership, believes the Houston business
community will find a way to keep the Astros. Kollaer: "This
isn't a ploy by Drayton McLane. He's had lots of discussions
with local people and he hasn't gotten anything. This may be a
wake-up call to the community to see if we step up to the line"
(Williams & Blount, HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/20). Radio talk hosts
report a heavy response, but without the "vitriol" aimed at
Oilers Owner Bud Adams. KILT's Pat Hernandez: "It was like
night and day. ... It's probably 2-1 in favor of keeping the
Astros" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/20).
