The deadline for final bids on the sale of the Jets
"has been set for" December 3, and of the "half-dozen
bidders expected to make offers next week," Cablevision
Chair Charles Dolan, AZ real estate developer Sam Grossman
and Johnson & Johnson heir Robert Wood Johnson "have clearly
separated themselves," according to Gary Myers of the N.Y.
DAILY NEWS. Myers wrote that Johnson is the "favorite to
get the team" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/25).
SAM'S CLUB: CBS SportsLine's Len Pasquarelli reported
that retailing exec John Nordstrom, who has "tremendous
background" in NFL operations, "is serving as unofficial
advisor to Grossman and lobbying on his behalf." Nordstrom
"had some involvement" in Grossman's Redskins bid, but "not
to the same extent he is aiding him in the sale of the
Jets." Nordstrom's family used to own the Seahawks and he
"still enjoys great entree with some prominent members of
the NFL's inner circle" (CBS SportsLine, 11/26).
RENT CHECKS: BUSINESS WEEK's Mark Hyman writes that the
Jets come up "short of a first down" for investors because
the team's rent payment of $3.9M last year at Giants Stadium
was "one of the highest" in the NFL. Also, "a shortage of
revenue from sources like suites and club seats is ... off-
putting" to potential investors. Hyman adds that the new
owners of the Jets will probably "sit tight" at the
Meadowlands until their lease expires in 2008 and then look
for a new stadium (BUSINESS WEEK, 12/6 issue).
