MLB: In Denver, John Henderson reports that "for the
first time," the Rockies are offering ticket packages
consisting of seven- or 20-game plans. The move is in
response to "lagging interest" in the team, which finished
last in the NL West in '99. Rockies Exec VP/Business
Operations Keli McGregor: "Anybody who goes to our games
understands the supply and demand has changed." Henderson
notes that the Rockies led MLB in attendance last season
with 3,481,065 fans, but "no-shows grew to more than" 10,000
per game during the second half of the season (DENVER POST,
12/16)....In its release announcing the trade of CF Carl
Everett to the Red Sox, the Astros noted that MLB's economic
system helped drive the deal. The team stated that it has
lost $120M during Owner Drayton McLane's tenure from '93-
'99, despite having the fourth-highest victory total (592)
and winning percentage (.554) in MLB (Astros).
HOOPS: Jazz Owner Larry Miller, on a recent ESPN.com
report that he plans to sell the team: "In years past I've
had two, or three, or four inquiries a year ... But I
haven't talked to anybody (recently) about selling the
team." Miller, on Forbes' $215M valuation of the franchise:
"Unless we have some way of pulling the rabbit out of the
hat and maintaining the quality, the competitiveness, of the
team, I think there will be a hit on the value of it. But
that doesn't concern me that much" (DESERET NEWS, 12/15).
