[情報] Billionaire Cardinals Owner Says he's no cheapskate

看板Cardinals作者azure0920 (WS Champ STL Cardinals)時間18年前 (2007/06/06 06:35)推噓0(0推 0噓 0→)

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From SI.com Author Joy Heyman Equal time (節錄上半段與紅雀有關文章) Billionaire Cardinals owner says he's no cheapskate Bill DeWitt Jr. called not too long ago. It isn't often that a billionaire calls. But then again when you write a thousand words on what a cheapskate a man is, you have to expect a phone call. I'll say this about DeWitt, the Cardinals owner: He seems like a lovely fellow. DeWitt also scored big points when he told me how much he admired my work. I suspect he might have been fibbing about that, but that's OK. Even if it was baloney, it's always nice to hear. DeWitt seems very personable and fairly down-to-earth for such a rich guy (as much as you could tell on a half-hour call). He is also extremely smart (no surprise there) and knowledgeable. He not only knew what his players make but what their strengths and weakness are, which differentiates him from a lot of owners. But after the niceties, DeWitt had his point to make: He is not cheap. As for whether he is stingy, that's still an open question. I'm not going to say he is, flat out, not after he flattered me. But it's certainly something to think about. Here is a review of our conversation, with my original take from my May 10 column, followed by his points paraphrased, followed by my final verdict (I get to have the first and last word; while he's the one with the billion dollars, it's still my column). By category, blow by blow with the billionaire: 1) Spending My take: Coming off a year in which the Cardinals won the World Series, and made millions, they should have spent a lot more. DeWitt's point: DeWitt said the Cardinals' payroll went from $96 million to $100 million, and that they annually "push the envelope'' on payroll. Because of lower local TV revenues than New York, Boston or L.A., "we're not in position to have a payroll they have," DeWitt said. The Verdict: That still isn't enough. Among his division competitors, the Brewers imported the Cardinals' postseason hero, Jeff Suppan, the Astros bought Carlos Lee for $100 million and the Cubs spent enough to build another Sears Tower. 2) Franchise value My take: The Cardinals are worth many times the initial investment of DeWitt and his partners, who paid $150 million for the team and parking facility but sold the parking structure for $90 million, making their outlay a ridiculously light $60 million. DeWitt's point: DeWitt didn't really refute that they're way ahead of the game in terms of franchise value. The Verdict: I can only conclude that Forbes' $462 million guesstimate as the franchise value is either about right, or if anything, perhaps a tad light. 3) New stadium My take: DeWitt and his partners received taxpayer money to build the new Busch Stadium. DeWitt's point: He and his boys used $365 million of their own money (including a $45 million loan from the county). He said that public funds amounted to only about $40 million, meaning ownership has major debt service that he estimated to be "in excess of $20 million a year, and probably closer to $25 million." The Verdict: I have to believe that DeWitt and Co. wouldn't have spent that money if they didn't think they were getting it back in the end. But I can't argue with a man with facts. 4) Revenues My take: The Cardinals rake in the loot. It's obvious. Everyone in the ballpark wears Cardinals red (even if it clashes with what else they have on), they draw like crazy and they won the Series, which had to mean big bucks for them. DeWitt's point: They don't make much on local TV revenues, at least not compared to big-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, and they've actually lost money seven of 10 years that he and his partners have owned the team. 5) Lost pitchers My Take: St.Louis should have tried harder to retain the pitchers they had, particularly Suppan, Jason Marquis and maybe even Jeff Weaver, who would have done better had he stayed paired with pitching coach Dave Duncan, and they shouldn't have entered the season with Chris Carpenter as their only proven top-flight starter. DeWitt's point: Had they had a chance to sign Suppan, they would have offered more than the $18 million over three years they did offer (although he conceded that they wouldn't have come close to the $42 million Suppan got from Milwaukee). "That was a lot of money Suppan got,'' DeWitt pointed out. Tony La Russa and Duncan didn't advocate re-signing Marquis. "Marquis didn't pitch well for us, especially in the second half,'' DeWitt noted. And given what Weaver's done this season (blown up in Seattle), he said they can't have any regrets about losing him. The Verdict: Suppan received a haul, Marquis was bad for the Cardinals in the second half and my Weaver inclusion was quite a stretch. I'll give him those. 6) New imports My Take: St. Louis didn't sign anyone special to enhance its roster. DeWitt's point: He mentioned that the Cards re-signed or extended Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, Mark Mulder and Scott Spiezio. So, he said, "We did spend money, not only for this year but later years.'' Plus, he noted that they imported Kip Wells, whom Duncan always loved, plus Adam Kennedy. He said they tried hard for Jason Schmidt and were the "under bidder'' (he thinks they finished second) and Randy Wolf and just didn't sign them. Besides, their real problem has been the offense, with only one player hitting to his norm or better. "Chris Duncan's the only one who's hit to his potential,'' DeWitt said (this conversation was a couple weeks ago; Yadier Molina and David Eckstein have joined Duncan in that category now). The Verdict: It was impressive how much he knew about his players, and he was right about the offense. But I still can't help but think that Wells and Kennedy should not be anyone's winter highlights, much less the champions of baseball. Conclusion Bill DeWitt Jr. is such a nice man that I will hereby pledge to cease derisively calling him "Billionaire DeWitt" (although that's not the worst thing someone can be called). However, I still say the Cardinals had to have made a killing last year and that he and his partners have made so much money in terms of increased franchise value that he should have upped the payroll to the $120 million range and given his boys a legitimate chance to repeat. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 209.40.232.115