Heard it from a from who heard it from a friend who heard it from another ......
But really, anyone in Buffalo remember a guy named Art Wander (aka, Artie Baby BooBoo). I remember one time listening to him and he came on and said, "well it's done. I heard from reliable sources that MLB has awarded teams to Colorado and Florida". This was about one year before any "formal" announcement. People called in an were outraged because Buffalo hadn't yet even had a chance to present their formal proposal.
Bottom line is that things go on behind the scenes that most most know about.