SMOKING CUBANS: Brian Cuban said that his brother Mark
Cuban, broadcast.com co-Founder and a potential Penguins
investor, "lacks 'a burning desire' to buy a major interest"
in the team, adding that the team "looks like they are going
to stay [in Pittsburgh] with or without Mark." Mario
Lemieux's spokesperson John Brabender called reports of Mark
Cuban's majority role in Lemieux's investment group as
"fiction": "The story basically is that Cuban's involvement
in Team Lemieux is overstated" (TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 8/13).
NFL EXECS WORK THE PHONES: In Orange County, Barbara
Kingsley wrote that NFL officials spoke with Inglewood city
officials and Marvin Davis on Wednesday, and Inglewood City
Council member Jerome Horton said that Michael Ovitz has
also spoken with city officials "within the past three
weeks." The NFL planned to speak with Carson reps "by
phone" on Thursday (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 8/12).
WHEN THE BOSS IS READY: A "source" told Neal Travis of
the N.Y. POST that Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner "walked
away" from talks with Cablevision regarding a sale because
Steinbrenner "wasn't prepared to relinquish control of the
Yankees." The source: "[Steinbrenner] was -- and remains --
very friendly with [Cablevision Chair] Chuck Dolan, and they
may well renew the TV rights for the team before they expire
next year" (N.Y. POST, 8/13).
FROM PHILADELPHIA: The Phillies' attendance has
improved as the season has progressed, as the team has
averaged 29,493 fans per game since July 11. But the "real
drag" on the overall numbers is the team's "poor showing
last winter in selling season tickets," with only 11,000
plans sold (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/13)....Also in
Philadelphia, Mike Jensen writes that MLS is "still hoping"
to expand to the city in 2001. An MLS source told Jensen
that the league is "intrigued" by the Eagles stadium plans,
with the Eagles showing "'increased activity' ... lately
regarding MLS" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/13).
NOTES: MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, on what would happen
should Brewers President & CEO Wendy Selig-Prieb not follow
through on his recent mandate for MLB teams to hire more
minorities: "I'll come down hard on her. I don't expect a
problem because she's very well disciplined" (USA TODAY,
8/13)....In Cincinnati, Cliff Peale cited "insiders" as
saying that the new ownership group of the Reds has "nearly
completed a new corporate structure," in which Carl Lindner
will become team Chair and Managing CEO John Allen "will
continue to head baseball operations as the owners remain
far in the background" (CINCINNATI POST, 8/12).....Master P
is one of 30 players on the IBL S.D. Sting Rays roster.
Sting Rays' first-round pick Jermaine Ousley: "They have to
fill that arena somehow" (COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/13).
