David Rubenstein in the Booth, Opening Day

[Too Tall]

He remembered Jim Gentile and my boy Gus Triandos!!!!!! I asked my son as we watched the interview/game, "Have I died and gone to heaven"? 

 I came away thinking we've got a special ownership group. One that will let Elias and Co. run the ship. Oh, there will be a future when there will be complaints on here because some didn't get the shiny toy they thought they should have gotten or the budget may not be to their liking, but I believe the man we have at the top will stand tall amoung major league owners and oversee this organization the right way. Pinch me.

[Bemorewins]

From everything that we have witnessed from Rubenstein publicly since he took over the team on Wednesday, I think we are in for a great ride.

He has the means/wealth combined with the desire/will/interest to provide the right top of leadership for this organization to thrive. He seems very comfortable around people and being in front of the camera. But also there appears to be a humility with him that many uber rich people lack. Plus he's surrounded himself with so many great people.

I like that he has set championship chasing expectations which in my mind is a BIG departure from the "trying to compete/be competitive talk" that had permeated through the org for a long time and even existed during the days of Duquette/Showalter. I don't think we will have to settle for the "low bar" of trying to be good while doing it on the cheap and being smart. I think Rubenstein's presence affords us with the luxury of being smart WHILE spending wisely in trying to pursue excellence/greatness/championships.

I truly believe that the sky's the limit!!

[Frobby]

11 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

So far, he hasn’t given me a reason not to like him. 

B-b-but, he didn’t sign [Free Agent X]!  He obviously doesn’t care about winning!  (Coming next winter.)

[foxfield]

18 minutes ago, Frobby said:

B-b-but, he didn’t sign [Free Agent X]!  He obviously doesn’t care about winning!  (Coming next winter.)

With exclusive preview this summer!!!

[sportsfan8703]

Rubenstein seemed to be trying to be relatable and I think he showed that he naturally is. I think he’ll be alright and be in the background. 

[Moose Milligan]

50 minutes ago, Frobby said:

B-b-but, he didn’t sign [Free Agent X]!  He obviously doesn’t care about winning!  (Coming next winter.)

Ohhhh, I can't wait.  It's gonna be interesting when the honeymoon is over.

[Sports Guy]

53 minutes ago, Frobby said:

B-b-but, he didn’t sign [Free Agent X]!  He obviously doesn’t care about winning!  (Coming next winter.)

Well, he didn’t give authority to beat the Montgomery offer so….

[Sanfran327]

12 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

So far, he hasn’t given me a reason not to like him. 

I'm sure he's relieved to hear you say that.

My biggest takeaway was that he's a real nerd's nerd, and that we are unquestionably in great hands.

[Moose Milligan]

22 minutes ago, Sanfran327 said:

I'm sure he's relieved to hear you say that.

My biggest takeaway was that he's a real nerd's nerd, and that we are unquestionably in great hands.

Yeah, I like him.  He's an impressive guy, he's done a lot of great philanthropic work.  Purchasing the Magna Carta is super impressive.  Also, it's clear he's a diehard fan and he seems to be comfortable enough with himself to allow others to make decisions.  

But I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because he's not Angelos doesn't mean he's going to spend money.  A lot of people around here seem to think it's a foregone conclusion that he will because...well, that's what people want to believe.  The good news here is that the Angelos group set a really low bar to compare to, practically anything will be better.  

Yesterday when that pinecone Brown asked him a question, something about how he and his new ownership group can help the team win, he didn't mention spending money in free agency.  I'm going to re-watch the game today while I'm working and I'll listen closer to what he said, but he said a lot of things and none of them had anything to do with spending money and raising the payroll.  

Now, maybe he was caught off-guard by that question and rattled off a few things that came to mind immediately, but if that's the case then spending money obviously isn't on the top of his mind.  He's not said anything about it anywhere, from what I've seen.  If someone can show me a quote where he's said that he'd like to spend in free agency, well, I'd love to be wrong.

So I think we're in great hands from a lot of perspectives, but the big thing that everyone wants to know remains to be seen.  And it's not a sure thing.

Edited March 29 by Moose Milligan

[Sports Guy]

Yea, we don’t know if he’s going to spend. Moose is right about that. 

I think he has given indications that he will and that if Elias wants it, he’s going to get it.

What it does seem to be clear and obvious is that winning is why he bought the team. It seems obvious that he “knows his place”. It seems obvious that he believes all employees should be treated with respect.

None of these things applied to the former owners, so we now have a true businessman running the team…and that’s a good thing.

[Sanfran327]

3 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

Yeah, I like him.  He's an impressive guy, he's done a lot of great philanthropic work.  Purchasing the Magna Carta is super impressive.  Also, it's clear he's a diehard fan and he seems to be comfortable enough with himself to allow others to make decisions.  

But I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because he's not Angelos and doesn't mean he's going to spend money.  A lot of people around here seem to think it's a foregone conclusion that he will because...well, that's what people want to believe.  The good news here is that the Angelos group set a really low bar to compare to, practically anything will be better.  

Yesterday when that pinecone Brown asked him a question, something about how he and his new ownership group can help the team win, he didn't mention spending money in free agency.  I'm going to re-watch the game today while I'm working and I'll listen closer to what he said, but he said a lot of things and none of them had anything to do with spending money and raising the payroll.  

Now, maybe he was caught off-guard by that question and rattled off a few things that came to mind immediately, but if that's the case then spending money obviously isn't on the top of his mind.  He's not said anything about it anywhere, from what I've seen.  If someone can show me a quote where he's said that he'd like to spend in free agency, well, I'd love to be wrong.

So I think we're in great hands from a lot of perspectives, but the big thing that everyone wants to know remains to be seen.  And it's not a sure thing.

I don't necessarily think he's going to just open the flood gates financially, either. I think ME is too smart to do that, even with someone else's money.

I think a combination of people like Elias and Rubenstein will always seek to assemble a best-value team. In my world, that does not mean cheapest. I think a lot of people see that phase and key in too much on the "value" part and think it's synonymous with "cheap". It's not. It simply means smart and responsible spending. 

We have so much young talent on this roster that nobody could keep it all. The Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, and Braves would all have to make some very tough decisions at some point with this group. I'm glad we have such a long time to evaluate this, but when I say I think we're in great hands with Rubenstein, it's because I think he will listen to what ME recommends, and empower him to do it. Whatever that turns out to be. And again, I think it's the tandem of those two guys that makes me feel so confident, because I don't think ME will ever ask ownership to spend irresponsibly. Nobody has a crystal ball and nobody will nail every single contract extension of FA signing, but I think this group is going to have a pretty high success rate.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Sanfran327 said:

I don't necessarily think he's going to just open the flood gates financially, either. I think ME is too smart to do that, even with someone else's money.

 

Huh?

You can both spend money and win.

 

 

[Sanfran327]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Huh?

You can both spend money and win.

 

 

No kidding. But spending top dollar isn't a prerequisite. 

[Moose Milligan]

1 minute ago, Can_of_corn said:

Huh?

You can both spend money and win.

 

 

I took it to mean not spend irresponsibly.  Like, I don't think Elias would ever think the Javy Baez deal would be something he'd do, for example.  

[clapdiddy]

Just now, Moose Milligan said:

I took it to mean not spend irresponsibly.  Like, I don't think Elias would ever think the Javy Baez deal would be something he'd do, for example.  

Right.   Smart things to do would be to lock up Adley, Gunnar, and Holliday for the foreseeable future.   I mentioned before that those three, plus Basallo if he continues to progress this season, would be a nice core of guys to have locked up for a while.