One MLB owner has been told by a top league official that if
the Astros leave Houston following this season, they may go to
Monterrey, Mexico, rather than Northern VA, according to the
WASHINGTON POST. Monterrey and Mexico City were considered
during the most recent expansion, but Astros Senior VP/Business
Ops Bob McClaren said the club has not considered Monterrey,
adding that Mexico "will be a market for Major League Baseball.
But it is not one that we have looked into" (Mark Maske,
WASHINGTON POST, 6/9).
COLD SHOULDER IN WINDY CITY: The White Sox poor attendance
is examined by the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. The team, with MLB's best
home record, has the fifth-worst total attendance in the AL.
Average attendance of 18,073 projects to a total of 1.46 million,
about 300,000 short of break-even with the team's $30M payroll.
White Sox VP/Marketing Rob Gallas said with "bad weather" and the
Bulls, "it may take till the Cleveland series [June 27-30] until
we start getting big houses ... Worried? Not yet. Ask me a
month from now" (Dave Van Dyck, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/10).
D-RAYS BABY CUBS: The Devil Rays will announce today they
have acquired the Class AA Southern League Orlando Cubs. Norton
Herrick, the Orlando businessman who has led an effort to get an
MLB team, said such a deal could hurt the area's chances of
getting a team (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 6/10).
MADNESS OF GEORGE: Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner
defended himself for laying off up to 20 stadium workers last
week by taking a shot at Disney for their dismissals after taking
control of the Angels. Steinbrenner: "We'll staff the ballpark
according to our attendance ... That's just good business. What
Disney did in California, just coming in and firing all those
people, was ruthless. That's not what I am doing here." Tony
Tavares, President of Disney Sports, said Steinbrenner should
"mind his own business and run his own ballclub. We'll run this
one" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/10).
