K.C. banker and car dealer Jerry Green said Thursday
that he wants to buy the Royals, according to Charles
Crumpley of the K.C. STAR. Green, who says he has assembled
a group of "wealthy investors" whom he would not identify,
leads the third publicly known group interested in buying
the team, and Royals execs said yesterday that one other
K.C. family, "which they would not identify," is a fourth
ownership candidate. Yesterday Green "complained" that the
Royals' top execs "refused to show him the financial records
of the team." Royals execs, however, "expressed frustration
with Green." Crumpley reports that because the Royals are
operating under a special IRS ruling, they "cannot negotiate
with only one person. Instead, the team must hold an
auction, at which time all potential bidders would see the
books." The Royals' board of directors "have been leaning
toward waiting until next year" to hold the auction "when
the team may profitable and, therefore, may fetch a higher
bid" (K.C. STAR, 9/19). The directors have three years left
on their "six-year clock" to find a local buyer (AP, 9/19).
