Talk of MLB shutting down some of its small-market
franchises continued to be in the news after MLB tabled the
sale of the A's and Royals at its league meetings in
Cooperstown, NY last week. Owners also decided to delay any
vote on the possible sale of the Expos. Below is a sampling
of what some team executives are saying on consolidation:
A SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE? Marlins Owner John Henry:
"There's been a lot of talk about contraction. I can't
imagine [MLB buying back franchises] would actually happen,
but you could make an argument for it. I don't think it's a
good idea. If you had adequate revenue sharing, like the
NFL and NBA, you wouldn't have these problems... Baseball
is in trouble. But other than the competitive imbalance,
baseball has never been better" (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-
SENTINEL, 9/19). Padres President Larry Lucchino:
"Consolidation to 28 teams has been a topic of debate. The
general theory is that teams do best where they have a
strong regional base, but there are not more than 30-32
regions nationwide. ... The fact is we've got a number of
troubled franchises. When McDonald's has a troubled
franchise, they take 'em back and either keep them
internally or move them" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/19). Giants
Managing General Partner Peter Magowan, on disbanding two
teams: "I think there's a better chance of that than
expansion in the next five years" (S.J. MERCURY NEWS, 9/21).
ON THE BLOCK: Anaheim Sports President Tony Tavares, on
Disney possibly selling the Angels: "This is no joke. This
is no kidding. It's time to get serious [about cost
containment]. ... [Disney execs] are struggling to hear why
all this works for them. If there's an endgame here,
something that's a real plus, obviously they wouldn't
consider selling. But if they don't see that huge plus,
then at the right price with the right buyer, they might be
interested" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/20 issue).
Meanwhile, Disney's sale talk with a group led by
Broadcast.com Founder Henry Nicholas III has "slowed," and
some wonder if the group is "getting cold feet" (Bernard
Wolfson, O.C. REGISTER, 9/18). Royals CEO David Glass: "If
there's a message I can send out, it's that this notion that
Kansas City will lose its baseball is completely false. It
is the absolute furthest thing from the truth that there is.
That story that's been out there about baseball killing off
certain teams has absolutely no support from the owners.
It's utterly ridiculous" (K.C. STAR, 9/19).
TAKING CONTROL: In N.Y., Murray Chass noted that 17
teams have changed hands in the '90s. MLB Commissioner Bud
Selig: "Do I find the turnover distressing? Yes I do.
We're desperately trying to find solutions that will stop
all this buying and selling of franchises. ... The game's
economics have made the sale of clubs extremely difficult.
Quite candidly, the smaller the market, the more difficult
they are" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/19). In N.Y., Harvey Araton wrote
that MLB is "going to need visionary leadership if it
expects to help these small-market teams. From Selig, it
can expect the small-minded logic from a small-market owner"
(N.Y. TIMES, 9/19). On ESPN.com, Bob Klapisch wrote that
Selig "has turned into a modern-day dictator. ... In fact,
Selig has completely changed leadership tactics now that
he's become the full-time commissioner -- an evolution for
which baseball should be thankful" (ESPN.com, 9/20).
