In Toronto, Steve Simmons writes on the leadership of
Toronto sports teams, and says that "the problem" isn't with
new Raptors-Leafs-Air Canada Centre interim President & CEO
Richard Peddie, "the problem is with people who selected
him." Simmons writes that Steve Stavro, Larry Tanenbaum,
Brian Bellmore and Claude Lamoureux "have no track record.
Nothing on the resume that says sports. ... Confusing
success in business with success in sports always has been a
recipe for failure" (TORONTO SUN, 3/12). Also in Toronto,
Garth Woosley asks, "has the Toronto sporting scene ever
been so top heavy with people who do nothing particularly
sporting to earn their keep but somehow have their hands on
the controls?" (TORONTO STAR, 3/12)....Finally in Toronto,
Craig Daniels reports that the former IHL Phoenix franchise
"is eyeing Maple Leaf Gardens as a home base, once the Leafs
move" into Air Canada with the Raptors (TORONTO SUN, 3/12).
NOTES: In a "cost-saving measure," the Expos have
marked all of their baseballs with an "X" this spring "so as
not to lose them" to the Cardinals, with whom they share
their training camp base with (CP/Montreal GAZETTE,
3/12)....The Orioles have sold more than three million
tickets for the upcoming season, leaving fewer than 800,000
available for games at Camden Yards (WASHINGTON POST, 3/12).
PIRATES SOLD: In Maine, W. John Hathaway and his wife,
Sue-Ellen, have agreed to purchase Joyce Ebright's 65% share
of the AHL Portland Pirates, according to Mike Lowe of the
Portland PRESS HERALD. Hathaway, the former ME State
Senator, also announced "an ambitious goal" of getting
community support to build a 10,000-12,000 seat state-of-
the-art arena in southern Maine (PRESS HERALD, 3/11).
