Report: Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle made offer to buy Pirates four months ago

2:18am - Saturday, January 30th, 2010 by DePaoli

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this morning that Pittsburgh Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burke made a offer to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates four months ago.

According to the report, "the meeting happened four months ago at the Penguins' front-office headquarters in Chatham Center, Uptown. Mario Lemieux, and Ron Burkle and along with Pirates owner Bob Nutting were present, and the intent of the meeting was for the Penguins owners to offer to buy the Pirates.

In fact, it's believed Burkle made a financial offer.

However, Pirates owner Bob Nutting continues to indicate that the team is not for sale, and according to the report, the Pirates are downplaying the meeting that took place months ago.

What is known is that Lemieux has no interest in selling the Penguins after trying to do so for much of the last decade.

Sources close to Lemieux have indicated he intends to be the Penguins owner for the long haul as the Penguins open a new arena in 2010 and appears to be trying to add another venture to his legacy.

Lemieux and Burkle getting involved with the Pirates would be a dream come true for the city. Ron Burkle's estimated worth is $3.5 billion. What will it take to get Bob Nutting to sell? Likely an offer upwards of $350 million some believe, and it may take a $400 million+ offer. The Pirates are worth close to $290 million.

The likelyhood of Nutting selling in the near future is not strong. If Lemieux and Burkle are actually serious about buying the Pirates, they're going to have to make a substantial offer that Nutting just can't refused.

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Comments

jconley77

Oh man. These guys turned around the Penguins (then again, so did the salary cap.) What Pittsburgh fan wouldn't want to see this happen? It's the next-best thing to the Rooney family buying up the team.

01/30/2010 3:44am

joker10277

Nutting will never sell............he's laughing all the way to the bank.

01/30/2010 3:49am

hull07

Didnt Mark Cuban try to buy the Pirates before also?

01/30/2010 5:13am

cpykosh

Mario and Ron Burkle buying the Pirates would be a sports dream come true for Pittsburgh, the Nuttings are worthless self centered misers

01/30/2010 6:42am

ChadK

Please let this happen... I want to to get back in to baseball so bad, but as long as nutting owns the team I will not pay attention...

01/30/2010 8:12am

jaluco

Worthless self centered misers! They have a business where they can spend very little and just rake in cash! Everyone should be so lucky. There's a better chance they trade for Kovalchuk than Nutting selling the team - nobody sells a cash cow like that - he's minting money over there.

01/30/2010 8:25am

kaschok68

DEAR LORD GOD PLEASE!!! I beg this to come to fruition.... If Nutting refuses, MLB should step in and force him to sell to Lemieux. I don't care what Nutting says....He doesn't care about winning, he cares about $$...and If Burkle n Lemieux offer the right $$...He will sell.

01/30/2010 9:05am

kaschok68

Not to metion very smart of Lemieux to go public now during Pirate Fest....get the fans riled up and talking....you know 99.9% will be hittin the chat boards like us demanding the sell.

01/30/2010 9:06am

jeffed

MLB should somehow step in and force the Pirates to sell to someone who cares about putting a competitive team on the field, unlike the bullshit that has been going on with that team for the past 17 years. It looks like there is no end in site even though some people out there have yet again drank the Pirates Kool - Aid.

01/30/2010 10:13am

Bunn66

I was thinking the same thing, kaschok...the timing of it, I mean. I'm not getting my hopes up, though.

01/30/2010 10:43am

jeffed

Bunn- You are right, there is no reason to get your hopes up. This team has pretty much ruined baseball in PGH and it's going to stay that way for the forseeable future, until they have a very expensive and beatiful park for no one to play in.

01/30/2010 10:47am

Nutjob will never sell...Making 30 mill a year fielding a bad team year fter year, how could u sell that.. he will sell though before he ever raises payroll to 75 mill like he said the other day.. The guy hates spending money...Nutting is worthless

01/30/2010 11:04am

sparf

if there is one shred of truth to this article every single tv station should be hounding the pirates for a response... and every journalist associated with sports in this town should be turning up the heat on nutjob for a response as well... thanks for the info D

01/30/2010 11:38am

jeffed

I don't think the Post Gazette would be running it as its main story if it wasnt confirmed.

01/30/2010 12:02pm

Steelerfan6686

This would be a dream come true. if this story is true then I think Nutting will have to sell or be hounded every single day from all of the burgh

01/30/2010 12:39pm

SV84

I wish MLB would remove Nutting, but Selig's head is so far up his butt on everything except the Yankees.

01/30/2010 1:01pm

rothey7

on other posts everybody is supporting the pirates management but now on this everybody wants it out

01/30/2010 1:34pm

SV84

There's a difference between liking want the GM is doing and liking the owner.

01/30/2010 2:18pm

deesh138

I agree with SV84. Huntington is doing an excellent job with very limited resources.

01/30/2010 2:19pm

Genomalkin

this is a pipe dream, ill be shocked if it were to actually happen, and pretty damn happy too

01/30/2010 2:45pm

orsulak

If people actually got smart, and quit going to to Pirate games, Nutting would have to sell. As long as he gets 1.5 million people to walk through the gates to see minor league baseball, he will stay forever. people need to wise-up in this town.

01/30/2010 3:13pm

orsulak

It is not a coincidence that the Pirates have stunk since the Public/Private ownership group sold to the McClatchy/Nutting regime in the mid 90's. The problems with the Bucs start at the top. Burkle would bring much needed capital investment and focus to the organization.

01/30/2010 3:16pm

Steelerfan6686

Huntington is doing ok. The Tabata trade was great, but he also got trash for their best player, Jason Bay. They also didnt sign Sano because Huntington's ego got in the way.So hes done good and bad things

01/30/2010 4:33pm

jaluco

I like how people are saying "MLB should step in." MLB endorses the bargaining agreement that allows the pirates to operate how they do. Somehow they're the good guy and should step in? They're a cog in the wheel.

01/30/2010 4:46pm

Weimer007

There would be growing pains with a transfer in ownership, but the last... god... almost 20 years have just been pain with no growth. The difference of course would be owners that realize that a winning team is much more profitable than a losing team. Lemieux knows as well as any that if Pittsburgh put a quality team on the field with a playoff run, the city would go absolutely insane. And where there is fanaticism... there is money, success, and everything good about having a professional sports team. The Pirates are moving in the right direction, but everybody would rather see a winner in the owners box with a 3.5 billion dollar bud.

01/30/2010 5:05pm

sparf

with this going public like it did the heat should be on them... if mlb investigated the marlins then the bucs have to be in line to answer for the lack of payroll... all we can do is vioce our displeasure with nutjob and hopefully this ass will sell but no one is going to walk away from 30million a year.. mlb has to make them start spending... for example how does sheets get signed and we aren't in on that.. who cares if we spend 10mil on him its one season and hopefully he would do great and get us some prospects... moves like that would help us and cut into profits thats the problem...

01/30/2010 6:01pm

SV84

That's true Jaluco. There is just so much wrong with the MLB and it starts with Selig.

01/30/2010 6:17pm

Gumps83

the only way nutting will ever get the message is when pnc park is empty for each home game. see how fast he would want to sell the team then after nobody shows up for any games and his pockets begin to dry up! He does not care about baseball or the pirates!!! he only cares about how to invest other people's hard earned money. every one laughed at the fans boycott last time but good ole bob is still laughing all the way to his bank!!! thanks for nothing Bob.

01/30/2010 6:56pm

jackattack8771

flawed league

01/30/2010 7:13pm

Monrovian12

This would have been fantastic...Instead, us Bucco fans still have to deal with the king of idiots, and be further put down by reading this article. I seriously hate Bob Nutting. I hate his face, I want to punch that stupid ass clueless smirk off of it.

01/30/2010 7:38pm

Gumps83

could not agree with you more Monrovian 12. well said!!!

01/30/2010 7:57pm

↑ previous comments ↑

SV84

I'll help you Monrovian.

01/30/2010 8:42pm

kaschok68

If Nutting refuses to sell the best we could ever hope for is a Salary cap....and I mean a minimum amount for payroll....somewhere around 80 million..... but I honestly think If Burkle makes an offer of 400 million....No way Nutting turns him down.

01/31/2010 12:38am

Weimer007

I don't even think the MLB knows how much more revenue it would bring in if it was modeled after the NFL or NHL and how it could become even more popular. As of now, the two best leagues are the NFL and NHL. Followed by the MLB and NBA. The worst part about the MLB is that its history is so rich and that "not haveing a cap" is a part of that history and should not be changed moving forward. Dumb.

01/31/2010 11:03am

rothey7

well the only way nutting will sell is if the fans take action...stop going to all the promotional nights and buying pirates merchandise

01/31/2010 12:21pm

Monrovian12

I love my perogie races though...Come to think of it, I'd rather watch a 4 hour perogie race over this current Bucco's team...

01/31/2010 1:19pm