And the winner is...

[Captain Japan]

NPB set to give Rakuten the OK to establish pro baseball club
Mainichi

Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) is set Tuesday to allow Rakuten Inc., a leading online shopping mall operator, to set up a new professional baseball club, sources at the organization said.

During a meeting of baseball club owners, the NPB is set to approve Rakuten's application to establish a Pacific League club and participate in the 2005 pennant race.

[Taro Toporific]

And the winner is not Korean.

[Captain Japan]

And the winner is not Korean.

But the Livedoor CEO was the only other one in the running. I suppose Mr. Softbank could still buy the Hawks.

[Taro Toporific]

And the winner is not Korean.

But the Livedoor CEO was the only other one in the running. I suppose Mr. Softbank could still buy the Hawks.

The bigger question is: WTFBBQ does any profit-making company want a money losing ballteam? The shareholders ought shoot the CEOs for playing this vanity game with their money.

[Mulboyne]

The Livedoor bid did seem the most interesting in attempting to bring a new local model to running a baseball franchise. The Miyagi people liked the fact that Horie wasn't planning to use his company name as the team's name. But he was doomed from the start. Although Rakuten's Mikitani likes to come across as a maverick, he is a former IBJ banker and as establishment as they come. Horie went out to talk with "the people" while Mikitani went and spoke with the construction companies about refitting the stadium.
I can't vouch for canman1's story but it wouldn't surprise me.

I met a guy yesterday who works for a sports supplier in Sendai, and he said that Rakuten has already sown up the bid for the new team. It seems like a little money has passed under the table to ensure that Rakuten would win.

From an FG perspective, I suppose this means Marty Kuehnert beats Tom O'Malley.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi Editorial: Rakuten's baseball team

The baseball community's approach to selecting the new club owner, though, reflected its inward-looking culture. Rakuten was chosen because of its larger scale of operations than Livedoor. Pacific-League clubs are losing more than 3 billion yen every year on average. The NPB's reasoning is that the newcomer must have the financial strength to withstand this magnitude of losses.
The NPB should probably be pardoned for trying to ensure that the new owner will not dump the team quickly. But it is questionable whether it was correct in thinking that a new Pacific League team is doomed to lose money and therefore should be owned by as large a business as possible. There is no denying that little attention was paid to the views of the fans in Sendai, home to the Rakuten team.
The screening committee that examined the plans and financial data of the two candidates was composed of...the Giants, the Bay Stars, Seibu Lions, Chiba Lotte Marines and the chairman of the Central League. This lineup also casts doubt on the credibility of the selection.
The owners of the Giants and the Bay Stars have resigned over a scandal concerning dubious cash payments to a star pitcher of university baseball. The owner of the Lions has also stepped down amid a separate scandal over false stock ownership reporting involving the club's parent company. These clubs involved in such unsavory practices are not qualified to judge the qualifications of companies trying to enter the baseball business.
...Livedoor will probably have another chance to enter the business. Baseball fans will not forget the fact that Livedoor was the first company to launch a bid to revitalize the baseball industry, which was on the brink of contraction.

[Taro Toporific]

But the Livedoor CEO was the only other one in the running. I suppose Mr. Softbank could still buy the Hawks.

Ya called it right, Cap.

Daiei mulls selling Softbank 80% stake in Daiei HawksYomiuri Shimbun / Nov 4Ailing retail giant Daiei Inc. is negotiating with Softbank Corp. to sell 80 percent of its shares in the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks baseball team to the major telecommunications firm, sources close to the negotiations said Wednesday.

[canman]

This was a perfect change for Japanese baseball to open a window and allow a breath of fresh air to blow in. But of course they wouldn't want all the smoke from thier cigarettes to blow out, so they choose the easy way. They know that Mikitani is jkust like them, and he will "play ball" like they want him to. Horie would have shaken things up, which of course is needed. I guess the thing I am most disappointed with is that I respect Marty Kuenart, and was a little surprised he joined the Rakuten team. I think it will be very hard for him to be succesful with Mikitani. He may be like a Jerry Jones type owner very hands on, or worse a Steinbrenner. Oh no.