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An Indirect Rangers-Series Scenario to Ponder

The Yankees are there. The Phillies are there. Not New York’s other team, the other alleged contender in the N.L. East, which was Sports Illustrated‘s pre-season pick. And maybe the sorry state of the New York Mets is worth keeping an eye on for Rangers fans.

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Hicks Watches Liverpool Blank ManU, End Skid

With Tom Hicks and co-owner George Gillett seated at midfield (together during the first half, separate during the second as seen on the telecast), Liverpool ended a four-match losing streak on Sunday and continued its Premier League mastery of Manchester United. It ended 2-0 with Fernando Torres breaking the scoreless tie in the 65th minute and Liverpool adding another in the closing seconds of stoppage time.

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And Now for Something Completely Different …

(Before discussing English football, the headline honors the 40th anniversary of the great English import Monty Python, subject of a new documentary.)

This has been more than simply a forgettable week for Tom Hicks’ Liverpool FC. It has been bad, bizarre and getting worse.

The Reds have lost four consecutive matches for the first time in 22 years, fallen well off the pace in the English Premier League only nine games into the season and are in danger of failing to advance out of opening-group play in the Champions League. They lost in stoppage time on Tuesday at home against Olympique Lyonnaise, and that wasn’t the worst of their week. Try losing when you give up a goal off a beach ball.

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Club Officials Go Silent Over Chatter Major League Baseball Has Loaned Texas Rangers Money

UPDATED, 9:10 a.m. CDT to indicate it is Hicks Sports Group, not Tom Hicks personally, that is struggling with debt issues.

ARLINGTON – Amid increased internet chatter Wednesday that Tom Hicks’ sports group – Hicks Sports Group – financial woes are deepening and that the club has borrowed money from MLB’s rainy-day fund, team officials took a strange approach.

They went silent.

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Official Release From Hicks Sports Group On Potential Sale Of Controlling Interest In Rangers

Not a huge fan of re-running press release verbatim, but I think the quote from Tom Hicks about the personal difficulties is certainly worthwhile. There have been any number of times that I have disagreed with Hicks’ baseball decisions and plenty of times he’s been unhappy with my criticism of those decision, but I’ve never once doubted his passion and his determination to bring a winning baseball team to North Texas.

(Dallas, May 28, 2009) – Texas Rangers Owner Thomas O. Hicks said today that he has hired
Raine, a new firm being created by media, telecommunications and sports expert Joe Ravitch, to
identify potential investors for the Major League Baseball club. Ravitch and partner Jesse
Jacobs will work jointly with Merrill Lynch, the group led by Shelly Stein that has been advising
Hicks on possible investors for the club. Hicks said he has directed his team of professionals to
examine all possible scenarios to secure new investors.

“My family and I want very much to stay involved with the club,” said Hicks “but we understand
that we have to be open to solutions that may include partners who own a controlling interest in
the Rangers. That is not our preference, but there are some potential buyers who won’t consider
having only a minority interest. Personally, it’s a difficult issue for us however, we must look at
those alternatives because that’s in the best interest for the franchise, the fans and everyone
associated with the Rangers.”

Hicks said a concrete timeline with a thorough and exhaustive process will be established.
“Although we don’t know the end result, I don’t want any ofthis to be a distraction to the team
or our fans,” said Hicks. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Simply put, our family is
pursuing the best strategic alternatives for the Rangers, and we will work to keep everyone
informed on our progress.”

Questions And Answers About Tom Hicks Willingness To Sell Majority Stake In The Rangers

After two months of trying to find only a minority partner for the Rangers and Dallas Stars, Tom Hicks acknowledged to the Star-Telegram Wednesday evening his willingness to seek out a majority owner.

“I am selling part of the Rangers,” Hicks told Galloway in a column written much in the style of a news story. ” I don’t know how big of a part. Yes, I’d be open to selling more than a minority share, but it depends on who the partners are.”

This morning, Hicks has yet to comment. A week ago, via email, he declined to discuss the state of his search for investors. He did not discuss the topic with reporters when he briefly visited the field on Monday before the first-place Rangers began a series with the New York Yankees. We’ve heard plenty of whispers about the state of his financial troubles, but were hoping that Hicks would discuss those rather than attribute provocative statements to unnamed sources.

This, however, is a huge story. As we wait for principals involved to speak let’s try to answer a couple of questions:

Q: How much would it take to buy the team?
A: The San Diego Padres sold for $500 million just before the start of the season and Forbes annual team valuation list ranked the Rangers a bit ahead of San Diego before the sale was announced. I’ve been told $600 million would be a realistic asking price, but if Hicks’ financial situation is deteriorating, it could become a buyers’ market for the club. In theory, it could drive the price for the team and its various assets down closer to the $500 million range.
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Tom Hicks Is Open To Selling The Rangers

Randy Galloway of the Star-Telegram reports. We’ll have more as it develops.

Post-Game Show: Rangers 10, Angels 8

As I referenced earlier, I think this series is far more important for the Rangers than for the Angels. The Angels have past performance and slew of stars on the comeback trail on which to fall back. The Rangers need to win this series to assert themselves as a team that will be hanging around the pennant race all summer. Winning this series would only build the Rangers’ confidence and would possibly create a littlle self doubt in the Angels about their superiority.

I typed all that before the Rangers allowed five runs in the ninth inning. Now this questions confronts us: The Rangers got the win tonight, but how much of the club’s confidence might the Angels’ ninth-inning rally dampen.

A Tough Couple Of Days For T.O.M.

Liverpool needed a miracle on Tuesday to advance to the Champions League semifinals after losing at home to Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg last week. And playing without captain Steven Gerrard, sidelined with a groin pull. But such a miracle appeared at hand when the Reds scored twice in the first 29 minutes at Stamford Bridge on London’s west side. But a Chelsea goal went in off the Liverpool keeper early in the second half, and from there it became a scoring circus. Final: a 4-4 draw that sends Chelsea through.

Making the final eight in Europe would be nice were it not for the presence of Chelsea and possibly Manchester United and Arsenal in the semifinals. Like it was nice for Pitt to make the NCAA regional finals, expect that UConn and Villanova reached the Final Four.

Read on for details on why Wednesday will be a particularly tough day for Liverpool and its fans.

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Hicks Wants To Hear Stars Co-GMs’ Self-Analysis Soon

The Stars’ season will end on the road this week, specifically Friday night in Anaheim. And then, owner Tom Hicks said Monday morning on the field before the Rangers’ opener, meetings looking at the 2009-10 season will commence soon.

Hicks has said he supports coach Dave Tippett despite missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 season. And he has yet to decide about the twin-GM set-up with Brett Hull and Les Jackson.

Said Hicks on the GMs: “We’re going to have our end-of-the-year meeting sometime next week or the week after that, so I’d be premature to say anything until after I hear what they have to say.”

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Update On Hicks Sports Group’s Loan Situation

The Rangers/Stars owner is at The Ballpark for today’s game with Kansas City. Visited with him for just a few minutes to get clarification on yesterday’s story regarding Hicks Sports Group’s decision not to make the interest payment on loans of $525 million that were due March 31. The loans are expected to be officially placed in default this week

While Hicks tries to sort through the tangled web of 40 banks, hedge funds and CLOs to get access to the interest reserve account that would make the interest payment for him, he reiterated that the upshot of all this for fans is. … well, nothing.

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Hicks Club Enjoying Life In First Place

The lads of Liverpool stand high atop the Premier League standings thanks to a 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday night. The game was scoreless going into injury time when Yossi Benayoun, a sub who came on in the 76th minute, put in the game’s only goal.

Liverpool has 67 points in 31 games. Second-place Manchester United has 65 points in only 29 games with a home tilt coming up Sunday against Aston Villa.

In Honor Of The Just-Concluded G-20 In London, Another Chapter Of T.O.M. With England’s PL-20

That’s Tom’s Other Money, as in Hicks.

His Liverpool team is only a point behind Manchester United but has played one more game as the Premier League season has less than two months to go. The Reds have a realistic chance to keep gaining ground this weekend. And their Champions League play will resume next week.

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Burning Question: Will Nolan Ryan Invest In The Rangers?

Tuesday night, when we first reported that Rangers/Stars owner Tom Hicks was putting stakes in his sports franchise up for sale, we speculated he’d seek out Nolan Ryan as part of that group. Yesterday, Hicks confirmed he would do just that.

The next step is this: Will Ryan accept the invitation?

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Tom Hicks May Sell Up To 49 Percent of Rangers and Stars

SURPRISE, Ariz. - Rangers/Stars owner Tom Hicks on Wednesday confirmed InsideCorner’s report that he is seeking investors to buy a significant chunk of his U.S. sports operations.

Hicks currently controls 95 percent of the teams, but said he is willing to relinquish up to 49 percent of the Rangers and Stars. He said few major market clubs are completely controlled by one owner.

“I look at it as a way to improve things in a bad economy,” Hicks said. “It’s something we’ve been looking at quietly for the last couple of months. I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

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