MLB: In St. Paul, Charley Walters reports that Twins
Owner Carl Pohlad has told a "prominent" Twins player that a
move to Charlotte "appears likely" (PIONEER PRESS, 7/10).
...In S.F., C.W. Nevius, on the A's: "In the next six
months, expect to see a serious evaluation of the option of
a move to a new ballpark in the San Jose/Santa Clara area.
The Giants swear the A's can't move the team to the South
Bay, but if someone down in Silicon Valley wants to step up,
the A's are convinced they can win that battle, either in
the courts or in [MLB'S] inner circle" (S.F. EXAMINER, 7/9).
HOCKEY: Penguins co-Owner Roger Marino said that
progress was made during Wednesday's meeting with NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman toward "cutting an owner out of"
the team's equation. But Marino believes that he and co-
Owner Howard Baldwin "can work together if we can't resolve
this" (TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/9)....The completion of Alfred
Williams' $117M deal to buy the Lightning and its Ice Palace
lease is "expected today" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 7/10).
NOTES: In St. Paul, Charley Walters reports that former
Vikings owners "[h]oping to buy back" into the team under
new Owner Red McCombs are Jim Binger, Jim Jundt, Phil Maas,
Betty MacMillan and Wheelock Whitney (PIONEER PRESS, 7/10).
Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is joining several players in their
"call" for a new charter plane from America West, citing
"safety concerns raised by flight attendants and mechanics"
that led the FAA to place America West on "troubled air
carrier status" (AZ REPUBLIC, 7/10)...The new Nashville ABL
team will be called the Noise. The team unveiled its name
and logo at a ceremony marking the official launch of its
season ticket sales campaign (Nashville Noise).
