Bills Draw Another Interested Buyer.

[justasportsfan]

High-profile bond-fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach says he’s in the early stages of attempting to acquire the Buffalo Bills.

“I’m trying to put a group together to buy it,” he said Thursday, adding that he has floated the idea to several wealthy clients for whom he manages money. The discussions are in the early stages, he said. “Now, I’m thinking about thinking about it.”

Brought up in Buffalo, Gundlach was a star fund manager for Trust Co. of the West, or TCW, which he joined as a bond analyst in 1985. After an acrimonious split with TCW, Gundlach founded DoubleLine Capital, which is headquartered in Los Angeles

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2011/05/26/bills-draw-another-interested-buyer/

[Mr. Pink]

Now if only Ralphie will do the right thing...sell.

[justasportsfan]

Now if only Ralphie will do the right thing...sell.

“It’s not an investment,” he said. “It’s because I love the Bills.”

[Mr. Pink]

“It’s not an investment,” he said. “It’s because I love the Bills.”


I saw the brought up in Buffalo part, a local dude isn't gonna sell out the fanbase and take the team elsewhere because he knows what the team means to the city/region.

An out of towner who'll be able to put more bucks than local interests doesn't see or doesn't care about that or both.

[Extremebillsfan247]

You mean this guy?
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-01/51504501.jpg
Pic. courtesy of LA Times.

[Yasgur's Farm]

Is that Prince Charles illegit son?

[justasportsfan]

You mean this guy?
http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-01/51504501.jpg
Pic. courtesy of LA Times.

that can't be any worse than this

[Extremebillsfan247]

Is that Prince Charles illegit son?
I dont know about that but he is the CEO of a 10 billion dollar investment company.

[BertSquirtgum]

so this mother ****er wants to buy the team and move them to los angeles. **** that.

[mikemac2001]

so this mother ****er wants to buy the team and move them to los angeles. **** that.


Really didn't it say from buffalo and loves the bills...i doubt the guy would kill the fans by moving them espically if he is one....plus LA is a bad investment they have failed multiple times.

[Saratoga Slim]

Really didn't it say from buffalo and loves the bills...i doubt the guy would kill the fans by moving them espically if he is one....plus LA is a bad investment they have failed multiple times.

I wouldn't wager any guesses on the topic based on a two paragraph article.

[Extremebillsfan247]

so this mother ****er wants to buy the team and move them to los angeles. **** that.
I can tell you this, I'd much rather see this team in his hands than in the hands of Ed Roski. That is the name you should be concerned with. JMO

[Extremebillsfan247]

Really didn't it say from buffalo and loves the bills...i doubt the guy would kill the fans by moving them espically if he is one....plus LA is a bad investment they have failed multiple times.
My guess is that it would be more of a sort of Terry Pegula thing. A hobby more than a way to make more money would be his reason for trying to purchase the team. I don't think the Bills would go anywhere if he did become the owner. But as the Cleveland Browns have taught us, you can never be too certain.

[mikemac2001]

I wouldn't wager any guesses on the topic based on a two paragraph article.

no i agree but just because of his location in LA doesn't mean he would move the team there.

a true bills fan wouldn't move the team....so if he is such a bills fan he wont move the team.

[trapezeus]

well, it's not a sure thing if he needs to get other investors. they'll want returns, etc. we need a pegula type guy who comes in by himself and does the right thing. an ownership grouop will be just as awful as a 90+ year old guy who simply doesn't care.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Really didn't it say from buffalo and loves the bills...i doubt the guy would kill the fans by moving them espically if he is one....plus LA is a bad investment they have failed multiple times.
He said he loved the team. He didn't say he loved the market. He's a businessman, not an idiot.

And as for failed markets, I've gone through this before. LA could not support two teams in oversized, outdated stadiums at the same time. It does not mean they can't support one team.

[Ed]

Between this guy and Pegula, I'm starting to feel better and better about the Bills future. It's at least nice to see some realistic options of guys who love the Bills and want to see them here. Maybe this guy, Pegula, and Jim Kelly can all join forces.

[better days]

that can't be any worse than this

Debatable. Give him about 60 years. I think Ralph would have had a better chance with the ladies when he was that age.

[better days]

He said he loved the team. He didn't say he loved the market. He's a businessman, not an idiot.

And as for failed markets, I've gone through this before. LA could not support two teams in oversized, outdated stadiums at the same time. It does not mean they can't support one team.

They can support a team, & will as long as it is the chic thing to do. The place to go & be seen. When the sparkle wears off the majority of the "fans" will no longer show up.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the near future to the Lakers fans, now that the luster is gone.

[theanswer74]

that can't be any worse than this

Why do Bills fans get off on making fun of Ralph being old? You guys are a joke.

[BertSquirtgum]

Between this guy and Pegula, I'm starting to feel better and better about the Bills future. It's at least nice to see some realistic options of guys who love the Bills and want to see them here. Maybe this guy, Pegula, and Jim Kelly can all join forces.
I didn't read anywhere in that article that he wants to keep the Bills in Buffalo.

the fact that he is a big ceo in Los Angeles leads me to believe that he loves the Bills and wants to buy them for his own viewing pleasure. i don't see him leaving his million dollar job to come to Buffalo and oversee the Bills' business.

[BertSquirtgum]

Why do Bills fans get off on making fun of Ralph being old? You guys are a joke.

get over yourself. :cry:

[Night Train]

He'd never be approved by the other owners.

Ahhhh knowledge...the enemy of many.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/news/companies/TCW_Gundlach_full.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2010031004


Rock-star bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach made $70 billion at his old firm TCW before they fired him for stealing company secrets and, according to a lawsuit filed against him by the firm, keeping 70 pornographic magazines and videos, 12 "sexual devices," and several bags of marijuana in his office. Before that, he was just your average stoner, according to Fortune, which this week describes how a guy who "played drums in a variety of rock bands," worked a "dreary" day job in his early 20s, and speaks in "manic stream-of-consciousness" monologues came to be one of the world's most profitable and notorious traders.

One night in 1985 he was watching an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," that described the most lucrative careers. Gundlach decided he would, as he told one interviewer, "figure out my life."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[BillyT92679]

He'd never be approved by the other owners.

Ahhhh knowledge...the enemy of many.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/09/news/companies/TCW_Gundlach_full.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2010031004


Rock-star bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach made $70 billion at his old firm TCW before they fired him for stealing company secrets and, according to a lawsuit filed against him by the firm, keeping 70 pornographic magazines and videos, 12 "sexual devices," and several bags of marijuana in his office. Before that, he was just your average stoner, according to Fortune, which this week describes how a guy who "played drums in a variety of rock bands," worked a "dreary" day job in his early 20s, and speaks in "manic stream-of-consciousness" monologues came to be one of the world's most profitable and notorious traders.

One night in 1985 he was watching an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," that described the most lucrative careers. Gundlach decided he would, as he told one interviewer, "figure out my life."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


honestly... in a league that has Jerruh, Snyder, Jeff Lurie (who was a Hollywood film producer) and others, I think he would be approved.
This isn't 1980 and Pete Rozelle's league anymore

[theanswer74]

get over yourself. :cry:

I think some people should show more respect. You can make fun of me all you want, doesn't bother me, show respect to Ralph.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Who cares either way?

What I want to know is if this dude would keep them here or try and move them to LA but say...."EW I loved the Bills so much I moved them here so I could have them...." or some gay BS like that.

[trapezeus]

as a buffalonian who left, i would say that buffalo is my heart. i would never root for another team and if i was so wealthy that i had a chance to buy the bills, i wouldn't dare move them. it would be my honor to save the bills and keep them in buffalo.

that being said, the numbers would need to work. i wouldn't want to just bleed cash, especially if i needed investors with me to make it work.

but it just wouldn't be on the table to say, "im interested in the bills, and i'm moving them to be closer."

bills football is awesome because of the fans we have. the diehards who wear the colors and logos. the people you meet in other towns when you are wearing your stuff.

moving the team would rob me of that thrill. i was in paris, india, italy, thailand and had people talk to me because i was wearing bills stuff. i doubt that happens for the large market teams.

[HAMMER]

Ralph dies and the Bills move, simple as that.

[Ed]

I didn't read anywhere in that article that he wants to keep the Bills in Buffalo.

the fact that he is a big ceo in Los Angeles leads me to believe that he loves the Bills and wants to buy them for his own viewing pleasure. i don't see him leaving his million dollar job to come to Buffalo and oversee the Bills' business.
No, it doesn't say that he wants to keep them in Buffalo, but he is quoted as saying that it wouldn't be as an investment, it would be because he loves the Bills. If he truly is a fan and loves the team, then why would he move them? He doesn't have to move to Buffalo to own the team. He could still live in L.A. and run his company. Ralph spends most of his time living in Detroit or Florida.

[mjt328]

There are a lot of issues that could play a factor in whether the Bills go or stay when Ralph dies. One of the biggest is the new CBA, which I wrote about recently.

http://buffalobillsstampede.blogspot.com/

With that said, it would be very nice to have an owner with emotional ties to Buffalo. I know that if I had the money, I would buy the team and keep them in town, even if I could make more profit somewhere else.

[better days]

Ralph dies and the Bills move, simple as that.

More likely, the team moves from the City you live in, simple as that.

[Extremebillsfan247]

Why do Bills fans get off on making fun of Ralph being old? You guys are a joke.
Because certain people only think something is funny until it happens to them? that's my guess. lol

[better days]

Because certain people only think something is funny until it happens to them? that's my guess. lol

Well, growing old beats the hell out of the alternative IMO.

[YardRat]

Thanks for your interest, but no thanks.

Next?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Ralph dies and the Bills move, simple as that.
I really don't think it is simple AT ALL. I would tend to think there is a better chance they stay then go.

[THATHURMANATOR]

More likely, the team moves from the City you live in, simple as that.
Agreed.

[better days]

Agreed.

Funny thing, I was reading ProFootball Talk.com after posting that & there was an article about AEG & the Stadium in LA. It said a dark horse team that may move there - The Carolina Panthers. Top of the list to move to LA- The San Diego Chargers. NO MENTION of the Bills at all.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Funny thing, I was reading ProFootball Talk.com after posting that & there was an article about AEG & the Stadium in LA. It said a dark horse team that may move there - The Carolina Panthers. Top of the list to move to LA- The San Diego Chargers. NO MENTION of the Bills at all.
1. Probably because Toronto is Numero Uno on the Bills relocation plans.

2. If Carolina moves to L.A., you'd have to think Carolina (either Charlotte or Raleigh) will be Numero Dos on the Bills relocation plans. If there's any market that makes sense for a Bills move, it's the place where all the Buffalonians have been moving.

[SabreEleven]

Why do Bills fans get off on making fun of Ralph being old? You guys are a joke.

If he was a good owner, there would be less fun being made.

[SABURZFAN]

I think some people should show more respect. You can make fun of me all you want, doesn't bother me, show respect to Ralph.


**** THAT!!!!!!!!!! The Old Fart has been disrespecting the people of Buffalo for over 50 years now. you can run that same crap about "football wouldn't be in Buffalo" but that decrepit, old bastard has been ripping off people for the last 50 years. the last decade has truly shown it.

[better days]

1. Probably because Toronto is Numero Uno on the Bills relocation plans.

2. If Carolina moves to L.A., you'd have to think Carolina (either Charlotte or Raleigh) will be Numero Dos on the Bills relocation plans. If there's any market that makes sense for a Bills move, it's the place where all the Buffalonians have been moving.

Maybe that is the reason the Panthers have a hard time drawing a crowd. Half the City is at home or in Sports bars watching the Bills on Sunday.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

Well, apparently I was wrong...


Eyewitness News spoke with Gundlach about his plan, which he says is in very early stages. "I would make a commitment for sure, that if I buy the Bills with the group of people, investors that I represent, that the Bills will stay in Buffalo as long as I live," Gundlach told Eyewitness News.

Elizabeth Carey, WKBW/Business First (http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/stay_tuned/2011/05/investor-wants-to-keep-the-bills-here.html)

[THATHURMANATOR]

Gundlach and Pegula.... BUFFALO SAVIORS!!!!!!

[Michael82]

I'm still holding out hope that Terry Pegula falls in love with the Bills and saves them.

[Michael82]

Well, apparently I was wrong...



Elizabeth Carey, WKBW/Business First (http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/stay_tuned/2011/05/investor-wants-to-keep-the-bills-here.html)
Awesome! That's what I like to hear!

[Pinkerton Security]

Beggars cant be choosers....I'd rather take a Buffalo-raise billionaire over a non-Buffalo raised one.