What was expected to be a series of key hearings next week in the bankruptcy case of the parent company of Cardinals and Blues telecaster Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest has been postponed.
Diamond ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Group has been in bankruptcy for more than a year amid the collapse of the regional cable sports network television model under which it operates as it tries to restructure itself to survive. Hearings that had been scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in a Houston federal bankruptcy court had been expected to provide significant clarity on what will happen with commitments Diamond has to numerous MLB, NHL and NBA teams that it televises, including the Cards and Blues — who are in the midst of long-term contracts with the company.
A lawyer for Diamond asked the judge who is handling the case for the delay because he said the company is nearing completion of negotiations with Comcast Xfinity, a major programming distributor that in May dropped Diamond’s regional sports networks that include Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest in St. Louis.
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“We believe that we have made substantial progress on resolving our issues with Comcast,†Diamond attorney Brian Hermann said in the status hearing this week.
Diamond is expected to continue to show Cardinals games for the remainder of the team’s season, but there is urgency for a resolution to the bankruptcy case because the company televises numerous NHL and NBA teams and those leagues begin play in October.
Hermann said Diamond understands it needs to move quickly and plans to do that, lock in remaining deals and get a plan confirmed. The company wants to emerge from bankruptcy before the NBA and NHL seasons begin and believes it has made significant progress in talks with those leagues. Hermann thinks the company has “days of work†to figure out if it can finalize deals with Comcast, the NBA and NHL.
“It is not lost on the debtors that we need to move quickly,†Hermann said. “We have been moving quickly, and we will continue to move quickly to get to confirmation.â€
Cardinals flashback
The Cardinals plan to honor the 1964 and 2004 World Series versions of the team Friday night in this milestone anniversary season for each, and Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest has adjusted its schedule so it can show the ceremonies.
Its pregame show will begin at 6 p.m., a half hour move-up, then carry the festivities that start at 6:30 p.m. leading into the game against Washington at 7:15 p.m.
Among the more than 30 members of the 2004 team scheduled to appear are Baseball Hall of Famers Tony La Russa and Scott Rolen, plus Cardinals Hall of Famers Ray Lankford and Jose Oquendo. Many of the ’64 Cards have died, but seven players from that team are to be on hand, including Ray Washburn, Charlie James and Carl Warwick.