MLB Franchise Notes

Orioles Owner Confirms Nixing Brian Roberts Trade

In DC, Thomas Boswell writes Orioles Owner Peter Angelos, who met with reporters Sunday, “still vetoes major trades to keep his favorite players in town regardless of the preferences of the men he has running his team. ... All of baseball will read Angelos’ latest words and shake its head in pity for the O’s.” Angelos confirmed that he nixed a trade this offseason for 2B Brian Roberts, who signed a two-year extension last week. Boswell: “Did Angelos think he’d be hailed a hero because he saved a popular second baseman from being traded?” (WASHINGTON POST, 3/20). ESPN.com’s Buster Olney in his blog wrote Angelos “tends to get in his own way, and in the way of the Orioles’ front office.” The team “typically is the slowest to act,” which “is a fingerprint of Angelos’ negotiating style” (ESPN.com, 3/19).

RUBBING ELBOWS: In Boston, Scott Van Voorhis reports the Red Sox are planning to sell ticket packages that could cost $5,000-15,000 in honor of the franchise’s ’67 AL pennant-winning team. The packages are “targeted at downtown corporations,” and Red Sox Senior VP/Sales & Marketing Sam Kennedy said that they “would likely include visits from some of the players,” as well as tickets to Fenway Park’s Legends suite. Kennedy also confirmed that the team is seeking a naming-rights sponsor for the ballpark’s new Third Base Deck (BOSTON HERALD, 3/20).

SELLING POINTS: New York state Assembly member Joseph Morelle, who chairs the Tourism, Arts & Sports Development Committee, “plans to introduce a bill that would eliminate a cap on the resale price of tickets to sporting events, concerts and plays.” It would also ban organizations “from becoming their tickets’ exclusive resellers.” The Yankees last year “told more than 100 season-ticket holders that they would not be able to buy regular-season or playoff tickets this year because they’d resold seats online at way above face value” (N.Y. POST, 3/20). However, the Yankees have “failed to set up a promised Internet site where season-ticket holders can resell seats to games they can’t attend” (N.Y. POST, 3/19).

TICKET NOTES: The Twins, “who are closing in” on their club record of 10,428 season tickets set in ’92, “expect to have 18,000 to 20,000 season tickets sold for their 2010 inaugural season in their downtown Minneapolis ballpark.” For this season, the entire lower level infield, or about 6,600 tickets, has been sold (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 3/18)....The D’Backs’ season-ticket renewal rate has been 87% this offseason and the team has a season-ticket base of about 14,000. The team also sold 42,000 tickets on the first day of single-game ticket sales, a 50% increase over last season. Single-game sales are up 40% overall, while group sales are up 30% (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/20).