Mario Lemieux "is interested in becoming a minority
owner" in the Penguins, "but only if his close friend Howard
Baldwin succeeds in forming a consortium that will buy out
Roger Marino and take over the embattled franchise,"
according to Dejan Kovacevic of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE.
Baldwin "has spent the past few weeks lining up investors to
form a new ownership group." Lemieux "will not join any
group that includes Marino," whom he sued two months ago for
$33M for failure to make payments on a $42M contract he
signed in '92. But Lemieux "is more than amenable to
working with Baldwin." Neither Marino nor Lemieux could be
reached, and Baldwin declined comment (POST-GAZETTE, 8/29).
DETAILS: Some factors "could tilt the scale toward
Baldwin" in the pursuit for team ownership. At the
"forefront" is a clause in Lemieux's contract that gives him
the option of accelerating deferred payments if anyone other
than Baldwin is the controlling owner. Lemieux and his
agents "are certain to exercise that option" if Marino takes
over the team (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 8/29).
