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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Is ESPN Looking to Buy Baseball Prospectus?

It’s been no secret that ESPN (and many other media outlets) have courted BP in the past, as adding its unique brand of number-crunching and reportage would definitely give all of its properties some sabermetric street cred. But right now, according to Silver, there are no plans moving forward and this whole thing should be regarded as “nothing more than a juicy trade rumor.” ESPN wouldn’t directly comment either, but did insinuate that the person talking about such a meeting with Silver was entirely full of ####.

Furtado wouldn’t sell BBTF unless if he got Silver dollars.

Gamingboy Posted: November 12, 2008 at 05:14 AM | 47 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: business, obituaries, rumors

Reader Comments and Retorts

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1. Red Menace Posted: November 12, 2008 at 05:38 AM (#3007266)

Nice use of tags.

2. As foretold by the prophesy (JFSE) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 05:43 AM (#3007267)

After seeing that picture, I think BP will hold out for SI.

3. Halofan Posted: November 12, 2008 at 05:44 AM (#3007268)

Two years into this recession the headline will be "Is Baseball Prospectus Looking to Buy ESPN?"

4. Rocco's Not-so Malfunctioning Mitochondria Posted: November 12, 2008 at 05:46 AM (#3007269)

Is CNN looking to buy Fivethirtyeight?

5. ekogan Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:17 AM (#3007283)

I object on anti-trust grounds.
I don't trust ESPN.

6. Elston Gunn Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:46 AM (#3007295)

Am I taking crazy pills or did BPro post a transaction analysis of the Willingham deal, but still haven't said anything about Holliday?

On second thought, I guess they're waiting 'til it's official. I still yearn for further analysis.

7. Leroy Kincaid Posted: November 12, 2008 at 01:25 PM (#3007327)

Isn't that kinda like MTV buying PBS?

8. Dolf Lucky Posted: November 12, 2008 at 01:29 PM (#3007329)

The Real World/Antiques Roadshow Challenge...

9. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 01:32 PM (#3007331)

10. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: November 12, 2008 at 01:53 PM (#3007338)

it's all part of their plan to take all the Internet baseball writers worth reading and hide them behind a pay wall, where they'll never again see the light of day

bp is free?

11. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 01:54 PM (#3007340)

After seeing that picture, I think BP will hold out for SI.

Does Carroll do an Under The Hood column for NASCAR Prospectus?

12. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: November 12, 2008 at 01:54 PM (#3007342)

Two years into this recession the headline will be "Is Baseball Prospectus Looking to Buy ESPN?"

This reminds me of when I saw the headline that AOL had bought Time-Warner. I was 100% sure they'd gotten the headline backwards.

13. zonk Posted: November 12, 2008 at 02:45 PM (#3007363)

Well, if a deal is to be done -- it had better happen before February, so I'll know whether to renew my subscription or not.

14. Van Lingle Mungo Jerry Posted: November 12, 2008 at 03:17 PM (#3007376)

They did, Shooty. It just took a few years for that fact to emerge.

15. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 03:51 PM (#3007403)

"bp is free?"

Some parts of it, at least. Knowing ESPN, we'd get all the gratis Will Carroll we can stand, and Nate Silver will disappear as thoroughly as Ambrose Bierce.

16. Randy Jones

Posted: November 12, 2008 at 03:58 PM (#3007410)

It's all part of their plan to take all the Internet baseball writers worth reading and hide them behind a pay wall, where they'll never again see the light of day. Desperate, we'll be forced to descend to consuming Rick Reilly and Joe Morgan just to survive.

Eh, ESPN's "pay wall" isn't so bad. I got an Insider account for free with a subscription to ESPN the Magazine like 3 years ago. The subscription was for 6 months and cost me $4, I got it just to get the Insider account as I don't give a #### about the magazine. It was supposed to be 1 year of Insider, but they have not canceled my account, nor have they tried to charge me for it.

17. Jimmy P Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:16 PM (#3007519)

Eh, ESPN's "pay wall" isn't so bad. I got an Insider account for free with a subscription to ESPN the Magazine like 3 years ago. The subscription was for 6 months and cost me $4, I got it just to get the Insider account as I don't give a #### about the magazine. It was supposed to be 1 year of Insider, but they have not canceled my account, nor have they tried to charge me for it.

Same with me. That's the only positive, getting two times what I'd normally get.

18. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:24 PM (#3007526)

Last week I helped out my buddy's daughter's school's magazine drive by subscribing to ESPN: The Magazine just to get Insider status. Do I have to wait until I get the Magazine to find out how to get behind the wall?

19. Greg Franklin Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:34 PM (#3007532)

"ESPN.com baseball expert Buster Olney's Productive Out Percentage is, and has always been, a key ingredient of our Samsonite™ PECOTA player forecasts and Cold Hard Facts™ Prospectus Adjusted Standings, brought to you by Coors Light™ and Travelers™.

"Here on the OnStar™ Hotline is ESPN.com baseball expert Joe Sheehan. Joe, will Scott Boras bankrupt baseball as we know it?"

20. Kyle S at work Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:39 PM (#3007535)

I found that receiving ESPN: The Magazine was a net negative.

21. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:40 PM (#3007536)

I forget who's still at BPro and who isn't, but I've heard Keri on ESPN radio. I've heard Law, too, but even I know he left BPro a long while back.

Someone should make a timeline of who wrote for where when. I'd be in their debt.

22. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:44 PM (#3007540)

I'd occasionally find an interesting article in The Mag when my boss would give me his old copies. Usually it was about a lesser known sport or athlete. But I hope Rick Reilly doesn't write for them.

23. zonk Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:49 PM (#3007546)

Nate Silver will disappear as thoroughly as Ambrose Bierce.

Erubiel Durazo is going to line Nate up against a wall and shoot him?

24. Randy Jones

Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:52 PM (#3007548)

Do I have to wait until I get the Magazine to find out how to get behind the wall?

It's been a few years since I did, but I think there was a special web page you had to go to, to sign up for Insider, that required your subscriber number. If you don't know that, I think you have to wait for the magazine, then get it from there.

25. Jimmy P Posted: November 12, 2008 at 06:55 PM (#3007551)

I forget who's still at BPro and who isn't, but I've heard Keri on ESPN radio. I've heard Law, too, but even I know he left BPro a long while back.

I think Jonah works for ESPN.com's Page 2 now. Rany rarely writes for BPro anymore. He probably makes an amazing amount of money in his "real job" as a doctor.

Nate Silver will disappear as thoroughly as Ambrose Bierce.

I agree. I think if BPro is bought out, Nate will probably leave. Hell, who knows, Sheehan and Karl may also.

26. Repoz

Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:03 PM (#3007557)

I think Jonah works for ESPN.com's Page 2 now

Keri also writes for the YESNetwork.

27. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:20 PM (#3007569)

Keri also writes for the YESNetwork.

How does that work? I see guys who write for numerous places. Now I've had an article at Hardball Times (the print version) and used to send a few here and once sent a peace to Josh Wilker's Cardboard Gods site. The only one I got paid for was the THT one, but I was never an employee or anything. Are most of these guys freelance or independent contractors?

28. CW hits the pinata for the candy Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:27 PM (#3007576)

I agree. I think if BPro is bought out, Nate will probably leave. Hell, who knows, Sheehan and Karl may also.

Sure, Silver could at any point leave the baseball analysis community - he has other prospects. But why would Sheehan or Kahrl leave? I don't see how their jobs would materially change any after a hypothetical ESPN buyout. (I could of course be wrong here.)

29. Jimmy P Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:41 PM (#3007600)

But why would Sheehan or Kahrl leave?

They would, in theory, make a ton off this. They would also probably lose some control of the content and the direction, and possibly even their freedom to say what they want. ESPN isn't into ruffling feathers, Bill Simmons is starting to find that out.

30. SteveF Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:44 PM (#3007604)

Pretty sure Rany isn't a doctor; he's a dermatologist. 'Rub some lotion on it.' Gee, thanks Rany.

31. The District Attorney Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:45 PM (#3007607)

I call him Pimple Popper, M.D.!!!

32. tribefan Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:49 PM (#3007612)

ESPN isn't into ruffling feathers, Bill Simmons is starting to find that out.

what did Simmons do?

edit: after a quick search, it looks like he might have gotten too political in his week 9 NFL picks column and ESPN wouldn't put it up on the site.

33. Sean Forman Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:51 PM (#3007615)

They would, in theory, make a ton off this.

In all likelihood they would need to stay around X years in order to earn much of the money.

34. jmurph Posted: November 12, 2008 at 07:54 PM (#3007618)

Anyone know what the ownership situation is at BPro? Are the principal writers basically the owners?

35. Jimmy P Posted: November 12, 2008 at 09:08 PM (#3007720)

Pretty sure Rany isn't a doctor; he's a dermatologist. 'Rub some lotion on it.' Gee, thanks Rany.

Wow. A "doctor" or not, dermatologists make huge money.

edit: after a quick search, it looks like he might have gotten too political in his week 9 NFL picks column and ESPN wouldn't put it up on the site.

That. And, he was going to have Obama on his podcast over the summer. That didn't happen with ESPN saying they were going to stay out of politics. Then, both Rick Reilly and Berman get Obama on, and Simmons doesn't. Plus, how many times has Simmons not been able to criticize announcers or others that work at ESPN. In his and TMR's fantasy basketball league, they weren't allowed to choose one of the entrants because he works in porn (and the entire thing was wiped out of the podcast).

In all likelihood they would need to stay around X years in order to earn much of the money.

Maybe. They could write in a contract that they sell the name and all the valuable IP (PECOTA, Davenport Translations, etc) and be able to leave. Who knows? I can't believe there is rumblings of this, though. I would've thought those guys would stay independent until the end.

36. tribefan Posted: November 12, 2008 at 09:15 PM (#3007724)

I would've thought those guys would stay independent until the end.

Hey even the Melvins signed with Atlantic for a while.

37. Loren F. Posted: November 12, 2008 at 09:29 PM (#3007739)

If current trends hold, it's just a matter of time before BPro sells a 30% stake to the Qatari Investment Authority, and ESPN registers as a bank holding company so it can get a capital injection from the Treasury Department...

38. Flynn Posted: November 12, 2008 at 09:32 PM (#3007746)

I think it's difficult to compare Simmons to BP and say that this is what will happen to BP. It seems to me that Simmons and ESPN have been having a fight over something - maybe content, but also frequency of output, or pay, or all three - for a long time now, and the Obama stuff and the porn star stuff is part of this power struggle.

ESPN used to run features by BP, so delving back into the archives might be worth looking at. What kind of articles did they run? Were they scrubbed?

39. Moses Taylor lost his pants to a pair of nines Posted: November 12, 2008 at 09:45 PM (#3007756)

But I hope Rick Reilly doesn't write for them.

I think he does. Sorry.

Wow. A "doctor" or not, dermatologists make huge money.

It was a Seinfeld joke, I believe. Just like the post immediately following it.

40. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 09:48 PM (#3007763)

I think he does. Sorry.

Eh, I suffer the MSM more gladly than the typical Primate. I'll survive.

41. Melo's Love Handles (NJ) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 10:10 PM (#3007782)

Can someone provide a link to the bill Simmons stuff?

42. tribefan Posted: November 12, 2008 at 10:16 PM (#3007789)

Here's the Deadspin link on the Simmons thing and here's another link where they mention that it was related to politics.

43. Kyle S at work Posted: November 12, 2008 at 10:23 PM (#3007795)

Deadspin has good coverage of all the simmons stuff with its Bill Simmons tag.

44. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: November 12, 2008 at 10:32 PM (#3007802)

Simmons vs Reilly. This reminds me of that Eastern Front where Burkhalter always threatened to send Klink.

45. Dag Nabbit apealing [sic] his own check swing Posted: November 12, 2008 at 10:34 PM (#3007805)

Eh, I suffer the MSM more gladly than the typical Primate. I'll survive.

But will mainstream media survive? Reports are bleak for the Chicago Sun Times.

46. Repoz

Posted: November 12, 2008 at 10:58 PM (#3007819)

But will mainstream media survive? Reports are bleak for the Chicago Sun Times.

And the Greensboro News & Record and the East Valley Tribune and the K.C. Star and the...

47. fra paolo Posted: November 13, 2008 at 02:40 AM (#3007919)

Are most of these guys freelance or independent contractors?

Almost certainly. In the UK media, most of the writers and columnists are given some kind of independent contractual arrangement, if that. There are almost no 'full-time staff' anywhere nowadays.

The book industry works slightly differently. You don't even get a contract.

That's largely why I left. The pound was strong against the dollar, jobs were scarce, most of my acquaintances had gone freelance (thus were competing with me for work, not giving it to me) or on maternity leave. Time for a career change, I thought.

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Is ESPN Looking to Buy Baseball Prospectus?

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