Franchise Notes

Padres GM Kevin Towers said the ongoing sale of the team “really hasn’t affected us in baseball operations.” Towers: “It’s kind of baseball as usual. … We had a budget that was set going into the off-season and we’ve adhered to that, just trying to put the best ballclub that we can on the field this year.” Towers added the team “should know something … by Opening Day” regarding the sale to prospective Owner Jeff Moorad. MLB Network’s John Hart said of the Padres, “Unlike the Chicago Cubs … that sale is just kind of just plowing along. They went about business as usual” (“30 Clubs in 30 Days,” MLB Network, 3/18).

SHOOTING AN AIRBALL: In Dallas, Jean-Jacques Taylor writes while the "appetite for football remains insatiable" locally, the Mavericks "generate no buzz around town." The Mavericks, who currently are in 8th place in the Western Conference, "will never ever top the Cowboys' popularity, but at least they used to be relevant." Taylor: "People cared. Now, they don't. You can tell from the hundreds of empty seats at home games" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/19).

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: In Denver, Adrian Dater reports there is a "good chance" the Avalanche for the first time "will receive revenue-sharing money from the NHL after this season." The club was 24th in the league in home attendance going into last night's games, averaging 15,653 fans through 34 games at Pepsi Center (DENVER POST, 3/19).