Look who some ex-Rattlers will be playing for

I heard about this yesterday but am just getting around to it this morning. There are new owners in Tacoma.

Lachey part of Rainiers ownership group

SEATTLE -- Pop singer Nick Lachey will be a part of the new ownership group for the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Lachey was in Tacoma on Wednesday morning with representatives from the Schlegel Sports Group, who were introduced to a group of civic leaders, business people and season-ticket holders.

"When I was given the opportunity to purchase the Rainiers with Kirby Schlegel I jumped on it," Lachey said in a statement. "Baseball is a true passion of mine, Tacoma is a growing city and I have every intention of playing an active ownership role in the Rainiers as we continue to grow."

That's the story from MILB.com and it focuses on the celebrity. The Tacoma News-Tribune story focuses on the new owners in the story, but has plenty of pictures

Rainiers introduce off-field players Down-to-earth Lachey brings an everyman attitude

The Schlegel Sports Group, the fourth ownership group in the Tacoma Rainiers’ 46-year minor league baseball history, hit town Wednesday morning with a celebrity investor and a promise to create a fan-friendly atmosphere at Cheney Stadium.

The Schlegels – primary owner Kirby and his father, Bob – as well as pop singer Nick Lachey, a minority owner of the team, attended an introductory gala at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.
...
Schlegel Sports Group president Mike McCall hesitated to divulge the group’s entire strategy, but he did provide a couple of examples of expected upgrades at Cheney Stadium.

Multitiered patio seating will be constructed along the third-base side, replacing the casual amenities that were offered in previous years.

And a wider variety of entertainment, especially in between innings, will be offered.

“It will be developing culture,” said McCall, adding that the franchise will increase its full-time employee count from 16 to 30 people before the 2007 season starts in April. “We’re going to roll up our sleeves and do what’s right.”

Sounds good to me, but have you ever heard new owners come in to a situation and say, 'We are really going to try and screw things up as much as we can.'?

And if they are going to be hiring fourteen new people, they are going to be pretty busy in Orlando at the Winter Meetings next week.

You want a picture? Okay, here is the one from the MILB.com site: