Sale of 'Stars on Hold

This just in, the sale of the Yokohama BayStars to the Jyuseikatsu Group has been put on hold [Nikkan Sports - in Japanese].

Talks broke down earlier this morning (October 27, 2010) between the two sides, the location of their future home being a major sticky point. I can't help but wonder if the pressure from outside groups to keep the team in Yokohama is a big reason. After all, this news is coming right after Kanagawa prefecture's governor Matsuzawa stated in the press that he still has a dream to see a multi-purpose domed stadium in the Minato Mirai area built.

There may still be a chance that Nojima Denki, a local electronics store chain, may swoop in and save the 'Stars. But with hardly a month to go before such a sale can be approved, it's looking unlikely to be concluded for the upcoming season.

On the bright side, it's now clear that the BayStars are up for sale. So any interested parties have a full year to get the negotiations done. I just hope that any such bargains are kept in the open and not shut up in some smoky back room. I guess that BayStars fans own Nabetsune a note of gratitude for bringing this deal to the light of day.

And I'd like to thank TBS for sticking to pushing for a condition to keep the team in Yokohama. I had started to wonder if TBS really cared, and this showed more than anything over the past 8 seasons that they do.

It may well be a double edged sword, keeping the team in Yokohama. The stadium is a big issue and if information is correct a huge drain for any company. Sentiment is all very well but no company is going to accept that kind of cost structure as part of the deal. Seibu tried to keep potential buyers of the Lions stuck in Tokorozawa and as a result had no takers. One can see the same result happening to TBS. No buyer is going to accept a condition on where they can put their team unless they get a favourable deal on the stadium and it is not TBS who hold the cards but the buyers. If they are serious about a sale then they will have to drop that condition.