Forbes - USA (2019-12-31)

FORBES.COM DECEMBER 31, 20 19

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GRAND SLAM

New Billionaire

FORBES.COM DECEMBER 31, 20 19

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TOP OF THE POPS

A BRIEF GUIDE TO BLANC

DE BLANCS CHAMPAGNE

Want to elevate your Champagne game

in 2020? Blanc de Blancs—or “white

from whites”—are made exclusively from

white grapes, typically Chardonnay.

The result is a versatile Champagne that

pairs beautifully with food (particularly

seafood and strong cheeses) and ages

nicely. Whether vintage or nonvintage,

everything else just pales.

Jim Crane sat atop

the baseball world three

months ago. His Houston

Astros were the World

Series favorite after racking

up an MLB-best 107 wins

during the regular season.

A second title in three years

would cement them as a

modern-day dynasty.

That dream turned into

The Houston Astros are being investigated by Major League Baseball over

the team’s conduct, but the sport has made owner Jim Crane a billionaire.

a nightmare: Houston not

only lost the World Series

in a heartbreaking Game

7 but also endured a pair

of PR disasters. A team

executive had reportedly

taunted female journalists

during the playoff s about

the Astros’ acquisition of a

player accused of domestic

violence (he had been

charged in 2018 and was

suspended by the league

for 75 games; the charges,

which he denied, were

later dropped). Then, in

November, MLB opened a

wide-ranging investigation

triggered by a report that

the Astros had set up a

camera in center fi eld to

steal the opposing catcher’s

hand signs. Neither the

Astros nor Crane would

comment for this story.

There’s no need to cry for

Crane: The Astros’ value has

nearly quadrupled, to $1.8

billion, since the Houston

entrepreneur led a group

that acquired the club in

2011. His estimated 40%
      stake is worth $600 million,
      pushing his net worth to
      $1.3 billion. Baseball has
      been a staple in his life: At
      Central Missouri State, now
      known as the University
      of Central Missouri, Crane
      pitched and earned a
      degree in industrial safety
      in 1976. After a stint in
      the insurance business, he
      borrowed $10,000 from
      his sister and launched an
      air-freight logistics business,
      EGL, in 1984. He pocketed
      more than $300 million
      (pretax) selling EGL to
      Apollo Global Management
      for $2 billion in 2007,
      and soon after reportedly
      took three unsuccessful
      swings at buying a Major
      League franchise. He fi nally
      connected in 2011, securing
      the Astros—“a dream come
      true,” he said at the time.
      Crane, 65, also owns the
      Floridian National Golf
      Club and has launched a
      new fi rm, Crane Worldwide
      Logistics, which operates
      in 30 countries and had
      estimated revenue of $900
      million-plus last year.

KRUG

CLOS DU MESNIL

2003

($999)

PERRIER-JOUËT

BLANC DE BLANCS

NV

($80)

LAURENT-PERRIER

BLANC DE BLANCS

BRUT NATURE

($90)

POL ROGER

BLANC DE BLANCS

2009

($130)