The sale of an 80% stake in the Mets to Cablevision
"now appears unlikely," according to a source "familiar with
the situation" cited by Noble & Zipay of NEWSDAY, who
reported that the possibilities of other parties pursuing a
purchase of the team or partnership with the club "have come
to light." While there has been "a suggestion" that
Cablevision's interest in purchasing the Mets "had waned in
recent weeks," a person "familiar with the Mets' thinking"
said that Cablevision has "maintained interest and it is the
Mets who may be thinking differently." Mets co-Owner Nelson
Doubleday, on the situation: "I don't see people lining up
in my driveway to offer me money." Noble added that TV
execs "who have followed developments" involving the Mets
and Cablevision yesterday acknowledged that they "have
sensed a change of direction" in the negotiations that have
been going since last March. In addition, a person "with
knowledge of the Mets' thinking" said that the recent
purchase of Time Warner by AOL "had changed the thinking of
the major players in the entertainment industry and prompted
the Mets to view their options differently" (NEWSDAY, 2/16).
