LORIA STRUGGLING TO BUY OUT LOCAL OWNERS? In Montreal,
David Johnston cites a Rivals.com report as saying that
Expos Majority Owner Jeffrey Loria is "having trouble"
buying out local owners of the ballclub because "they have
refused his offer to pay them on an installment basis."
Citing unidentified sources, Rivals.com is reporting that
contracts for the Loria takeover "have been written up but
local shareholders are insisting on getting paid up front,
cash in full" (Montreal GAZETTE, 8/16).
NHL: Reps for Senators holdout C Alexei Yashin filed
papers last Friday at the Ottawa courthouse asking an
Ontario court to "quash a June decision by an independent
arbitrator which stated that Yashin owes the club the final
year of his contract." The matter is scheduled to go before
Ontario Justice Doug Cunningham on September 1 (OTTAWA SUN,
8/16)....In Newark, Matthew Futterman cites YankeeNets
officials as saying that the organization's $175M purchase
of the Devils "will conclude by Friday." The team had
previously set tomorrow as the closing date "but may miss
that deadline by a day." YankeeNets Chair Harvey Schiller:
"At this point, it's just a matter of paperwork." NHL
VP/Media Relations Frank Brown: "The transaction was
approved by the league's Board of Governors based on certain
conditions. Now it remains for those conditions to be met
by the parties" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 8/16).
