MLB: In Tampa, David Whitley, on the resignation of
Devil Rays VP/Marketing Mike Veeck: "There is no single cure
to the attendance illness. The Rays need a No. 1 starter
far more than they need Dave the Dwarf. But Dave came a lot
cheaper. ... So Veeck did what he was brought here to do.
Try to make the experience fun, even if the game isn't"
(TAMPA TRIBUNE, 5/27)....Forbes Statistics Editor Michael
Ozanian, on the league's criticism of his valuations that 14
MLB teams lost money in '98: "I have all the numbers to all
these teams. I would be willing to show all my numbers to
anybody, all the owners and the commissioner. But if they
say I'm wrong, they have to tell me what the right numbers
are. Tell them to put up or shut up. I'm willing to lay
all my cards on the table" (BASEBALL WEEKLY, 5/26 issue).
....CT-based Chilton Investment Co. President Richard
Chilton Jr. has increased his stake in the Cleveland Indians
Baseball Co. to 210,000 Class A common shares, or 5.07%,
from 40,000 shares, according to a May 24 filing with the
SEC (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/26).
NFL: New Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder has indicated
that Jack Kent Cooke's name "may remain on the team's
stadium even if its naming rights are sold" (WASHINGTON
POST, 5/27). Snyder "hasn't even considered possible
candidates" for a team president, but DC-based attorney Tom
McCormick "could be at least a short-term solution"
(WASHINGTON TIMES, 5/27). In DC, Rudolph Pyatt, on Howard
Milstein's suit claiming interference from John Kent Cooke:
"If Cooke had been that desperate to gain control of the
team, wouldn't he have tried to block Snyder's purchase?
And if Cooke had that much influence to cause other owners
to withhold their support for Milstein's bid, why didn't
Milstein sue the other owners?" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/27).
....Jets coach Bill Parcells, on the process of the team's
sale: "I've been assured by John Hess that there's not going
to be anything that changes here during the course of this
season. ... I got the sense that they're going to be pretty
thorough with this thing" (N.Y. POST, 5/27).
