Don Sanders: Keeping Nolan Ryan Is Key

ARLINGTON – Don Sanders may not be sure if he’ll be involved in the next ownership phase of the Rangers, but he is happy to dole out a little advice.

“Any group that gets involved, the key is Nolan Ryan,” said Sanders, Ryan’s business partner in a pair of minor league teams and a potential investor in the Rangers. “I don’t think anybody would want to tackle this without him.”

Sanders, who lives in Houston, watched batting practice on the field, chatting with officials from both teams. Afterwards, he left to meet Ryan in his office. Ryan, who has been president of the Rangers since 2008, and Sanders share ownership of the Triple-A Round Rock Express and Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. They have also been investigating buying a Double-A Eastern League team and moving it to Richmond, Va..

Sanders, who once owned 14 percent of the Houston Astros, acknowledged that he has done some due diligence into the sale of the club. Rangers owner Tom Hicks has acknowledged a willingness to sell his majority share in the team, which was most recently valued at $405 million by Forbes magazine. The full sale of the club could fetch more than $500 million if various other assets, such as the Center Field office building and various real estate around Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, are included. All of the other assets involved make it a very complicated deal. One complication is that it is highly unlikely a single buyer would emerge. More than likely a group of partners would have to be built. The Rangers were held by a group of 18-20 investors before Hicks bought the team in 1998 for $250 million. When Sanders was involved with the Astros, the group of owners numbered about a half dozen.

Sanders, who went to New York and Boston to watch the Rangers play two weeks ago, said any discussion of him as an investor is very premature.