Crane speaks, CSN Houston prez resigns

The CSN Houston involuntary bankruptcy petition was read in court today and a hearing has been set for October 28th. At that time, the Astros will argue that the case should be dismissed, while a handful of Comcast affiliates will attempt to shift the balance of power within the floundering RSN.

Jim Crane and Astros lawyer Giles Kibbe spoke on the subject with The Houston Chronicle’s David Barron. Kibbe was quoted as saying:

"There are no creditors that are owed money at this point other than the Astros. This is a partnership disagreement over multiple agreements between the Astros and Comcast.No one came to Houston Regional Sports Network and said this is an issue. This was a collusive, bad faith (bankruptcy) filing."

I’d say Crane and the Astros seem pretty upset by the recent turn of events. In a separate report by Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Crane said “You will see us on TV”.

In another interesting development, Barron reports that CSN Houston’s president and general manager, Matt Hutchings, has resigned. The timing seems awfully convenient, but the move was supposedly in the works prior to the involuntary bankruptcy filing. Hutchings is reportedly moving to Denver to become the C.O.O. of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.

This story seems to be getting uglier by the day. What promises to be hotly contested court battle is likely to spell bad news for (non-Comcast Cable subscribing) Rockets fans hopeful of seeing their team on TV this season. The same is probably true for Astros fans who live in the ridiculously large MLB blackout area.