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Heres one to make Cleveland fans shake their heads: A partial owner of the hated
Pittsburgh Steelers is buying the Browns. Eli Manning Limited Jersey . Randy Lerner has
reached a deal to sell the club to Tennessee truck-stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III
—a minority stockholder in the rival Steelers. Lerner will sell 70 per cent of
the Browns to Haslam now, with the other 30 per cent reverting to him four years
after the closing date, a person with knowledge of the sale told The Associated
Press on condition of anonymity because details have not officially been
announced. “This is a very exciting time for my family and me,” Haslam said
through the team. “To own such a storied franchise as the Cleveland Browns, with
its rich tradition and history, is a dream come true. We are committed to
keeping the team in Cleveland and seeing it get back to the elite of the NFL —
something all Browns fans want and deserve.” Haslam scheduled a news conference
at Browns headquarters for Friday afternoon. While the papers have been signed,
the NFL still must approve the sale. Getting the nod from 24 of the 32 teams is
required, and no date has been set for a vote because the sale has not been
presented to the league yet. The person with knowledge of the sale said approval
is expected by the end of September. ESPN reported the sale price was more than
$1 billion. For comparison, the Miami Dolphins sold at a value of more than $1
billion in 2009. The Browns were valued at $977 million last year by Forbes
magazine, 20th in the NFL. Asked if he was surprised by the deal, team President
Mike Holmgren said: “On one hand, the surprising part was the time of the year.
But in this business, I gave up being surprised a long time ago.” Lerner, whose
family has owned the franchise since it returned to the NFL in 1999, first
announced he was in negotiations to sell the club last week. The late Al Lerner,
Randys father, purchased the franchise from the NFL in 1998 for $530 million
after the original Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996 and became the Ravens. The
elder Lerner died in 2002. Randy Lerner also is the owner of Aston Villa, a club
in the English Premier League. The expansion Browns entered the NFL in 1999 and
have made the playoffs just once, a 2002 first-round loss to the Pittsburgh
Steelers. Theyve had only two winning records in 13 seasons and are 68-140 since
they returned. Even with a string of failures on the field, the value of the
Browns—like other NFL franchises—keeps increasing, boosted by broadcast
income. The league agreed in December to nine-year contracts with CBS, Fox and
NBC that run through the 2022 season and will boost revenue from the $1.93
billion last season to $3.1 billion by 2022. The NFL reached an eight-year
extension with ESPN last year through the 2021 season that increases the rights
fee from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion annually. Haslam has been a minority
investor in the Steelers since 2008, and is the president and CEO of Pilot
Flying J, the largest operator of travel centres and travel plazas in North
America. He is the older brother of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. According to a
2010 profile on Steelers.com, Haslam has been a Dallas Cowboys and then an
Indianapolis Colts fan. But with the Pittsburgh investment, Haslam said he had
become “1,000 per cent a Steelers fan.” The Haslam brothers are supporters of
the University of Tennessee, where their father Jim Haslam played tackle on the
1951 national championship football team under Gen. Robert R. Neyland, who built
the Volunteers into a football powerhouse. The elder Haslam founded the Pilot
Corp. in 1958 with a single gas station in Gate City, Va. He credits sons Bill
and Jimmy with expanding the chain from mostly gas stations and convenience
stores to a “travel centre” concept of truck stops featuring branded fast food
service. As for Haslam possibly moving the franchise, Holmgren emphatically
added, “The Cleveland Browns arent going anywhere.” But the current staff might
be if the Browns dont do better than the 4-12 record of 2011, Pat Shurmurs first
season as coach. New owners usually bring in their own management team, although
Shurmur has impressed many people around the league. “I have no fear about any
of that because I trust my coaches, I trust the players and Ive watched the work
theyve done based on the conversation of this last week,” Shurmur said Thursday.
“I think were moving full steam ahead. That doesnt bother me one bit at this
point at this point. My concern is getting this team ready to play and our
players understand that message and they are doing a good job.” Holmgren would
not address his future with the Browns. “Honestly, my focus is to have guys here
concentrating on football, making it business as usual,” he said. “The what ifs
and hypotheticals, I have to stay away from.” Haslam would be the sixth majority
owner of the Browns: team founder Mickey McBride (1945-1953), David Jones
(1953-1961), Art Modell (1961-1995), Al Lerner (1998-2002), and Randy Lerner
(2002-present). An NFL trust also oversaw the inactive franchise from 1996-1998.
Cleveland last won the NFL championship in 1964, beating Johnny Unitas and the
then-Baltimore Colts 27-0. The Browns have never been to the Super Bowl. Jason Pierre-Paul Red Jersey . Dodgers
manager Don Mattingly said before Thursdays game against the Arizona
Diamondbacks that doctors expect Gordon to make a full recovery. Gordon, injured
Wednesday night sliding head-first into third base on a steal attempt against
Cincinnati, had an MRI earlier Thursday and arrived to the clubhouse with a cast
over his right hand. Michael Boley Womens Jersey . Price was a
second-round pick (35th overall) out of UCLA by Tampa Bay in 2010. The 6-1,
303-pound Price has started 14 games over two seasons, with 27 tackles (23 solo)
and three sacks. http://www.newyorkgiantsgears.com/michael-boley-jersey/
. Watch qualifying for the race live on TSN, Saturday at 10:55am et/7:55am pt.
The race can be seen live on Sunday at 10:55am et/7:55am pt on TSN. Both are
also available on TSN Mobile TV. Both the drivers and constructors championships
were decided last month, with Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull Racing claiming
their second consecutive titles. Hakeem Nicks Black Jersey . They dont veer
far from the projected norm, sticking with seemingly secure picks while treating
any risk with the same disdain as they show to a four-minute penalty. Eli Manning Camo Jersey . Boy, did he know
what he was doing. Nova took a two-hitter into the ninth inning, Mark Teixiera
and Robinson Cano homered and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays for
the second straight night, 4-1 Wednesday. TAMPA, Fla. —Yankees reliever
Joba Chamberlain dislocated his right ankle while playing with his son at a
local spot that had a trampoline, jeopardizing his immediate future after yet
another odd misstep for New Yorks bullpen at spring training. There was no
timetable for Chamberlains return. The team did not say whether the 26-year-old
pitcher was using the trampoline equipment when he was injured Thursday. The
accident at a play area came two weeks after All-Star setup man David Robertson
hurt himself moving boxes at home. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said
Friday that Chamberlain had surgery and would be hospitalized at least a few
days. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound righty was working his way back from elbow
ligament replacement surgery and wasnt expected to return until June or July.
Asked Friday if this could threaten Chamberlains career, Cashman said: “Im not
in position to say. Right now its too early for that. Hes in very good hands.
Hes a healer. Hes a tough guy.” Bone broke through the skin during the
dislocation. Chamberlain was scheduled for an MRI exam and CT scan Friday. “My
guess is he landed funny,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Girardi said he
spent about 30 minutes with Chamberlain at the hospital Friday morning that both
of them were “a little emotional.” “I wanted to see how he was doing. You know
its crushing. I just told him, were going to be here for him, were going to get
you through this and were going to get you back on the mound. But youre going to
go through some difficult times,” Girardi said. “You can only look forward.
Youve got to look forward. You cant look at what if?” he said. “You can see the
disappointment, theres no doubt that.” Earlier this month, Robertson stumbled on
the stairs of his home in St. Petersburg while moving empty boxes for recycling.
The Yankees fears of a serious injury were abated when Robertson was diagnosed
with a bone bruise. And once it became clear Robertsons injury was minor, his
teammates let him have it. Among those in the clubhouse weighing in with
sarcastic cracks about carrying boxes was Chamberlain himself. Chamberlain often
is like a big kid himself, joking with teammates and playingg around. Victor Cruz White Jersey. . But there was
little humour coming out of the Yankees camp Friday. The mood in the clubhouse
was sombre, and Cashman seemed shaken as he met with reporters. He even
acknowledged at the end of the media session that he was rambling. “Hes facing a
lot right now,” Cashman said. “I cant tell you, really, anything more than
something unfortunate happened. Were in the very early information side of this
thing.” In January, Chamberlain agreed to a one-year contract for $1,675,000, up
from $1.4 million last year. The deal was not guaranteed. Cashman said Friday
its not the right time to talk about Chamberlains contract status. As to whether
this falls in the category of unacceptable off-the-field injuries, Girardi said:
“I dont want to get into that now. What I want to talk about is getting him
better and being there for this kid. Hes going through a lot.” Cashman said
Chamberlains son was not hurt. The boy began kindergarten last year and
Chamberlain often tweets about how proud he is of his sons hockey. Chamberlain
went 2-0 with a 2.83 ERA in 27 relief appearances last season before elbow
surgery June 16. Now, another setback “I feel extremely bad for him,” Yankees
captain Derek Jeter said. “Hes worked hard to get his arm back in shape. A fluke
accident. I feel extremely bad for him. Hes got to be disappointed. I feel
terrible for him.” Chamberlain was his usual playful self inside the Yankees
clubhouse Thursday and had a bullpen session set for Friday. “From the baseball
stuff, he was doing great,” Cashman said. “I feel bad because I know how much he
loves his game, and how much he was looking forward to coming back ahead of
schedule. Its clearly derailed that, but what more does that mean, I dont know.
A lot of things must be running through his mind.” Chamberlain has had an
up-and-down career since joining the team in August 2007. He started out 2-0
with an 0.38 ERA in 19 relief appearances. Chamberlain later inspired the “Joba
Rules” that governed how much he would pitch, with the Yankees wary of overusing
him while deciding whether he would be a starter, setup man or closer-in-waiting
behind Mariano Rivera. ’ ’ ’