Author Tom Clancy has given his ex-wife half of his
interest in the Orioles as part of a divorce settlement,
according to Jon Morgan of the Baltimore SUN. Clancy had
held about 24% of the team, but last year, he and his wife,
Wanda Clancy, divorced, and, agreed to divide evenly their
shares of the team as part of the settlement. With 12% of
the team each, "they are tied as the team's second biggest
shareholders behind" Majority Owner Peter Angelos. The
author paid $20M for his stake in the team in '93 as part of
Angelos' investment group (Baltimore SUN, 3/24).
TEAM NOTES: In Denver, B.G. Brooks reported that the
Rockies "expect their season-ticket base to settle above the
30,000 currently projected." Club execs say "that figure
represents a drop of about" 15% from the '99 total, but "the
loss could be recouped." Rockies co-Owner Jerry McMorris
said he can understand why fans would be upset after last
season's last-place finish in the NL West: "Well, sure, this
is entertainment and if people don't enjoy it, I can relate
to that" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 3/26)....In S.F., Rick
DelVecchio profiled the A's' ticket selling strategy and
wrote the team is "hitting up the casual fan who probably
won't find seats at Pac Bell Park but who is good for an
occasional outing when one or another Bay Area team is
winning. Potentially, such fans could fill 1 million seats
a season." DelVecchio wrote that while A's officials say it
"is too early to gauge the effect of Pac Bell Park on A's
attendance, group ticket sales are up significantly over
last season -- the overflow from the Giants' booked-up home
at China Basin" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/25)....In N.Y., Bill
Madden wrote that financing for the new ballpark in Montreal
"remains bogged down" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/26).
