Franchise Notes

NFL Cardinals President Michael Bidwill "has written the team's season ticket holders about the disappointing 2010 season and labor negotiations with the players union." The Cardinals went 5-11 this year, and Bidwill in the letter "didn't apologize for the team's poor season but thanked fans for their support, promised to make changes to get the team back to the playoffs and voiced confidence in the team's movement on that front." Bidwill also "backs the league's position of adding two games to the 16-game schedule." Bidwill "did not say whether he expects a lockout to occur and what impact it might have" on the '11 NFL season in the letter, nor did he "outline prices for 2011 or ... contingency plans for fans or the team if a lockout happens and cancels any games" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/3).

MEET YOUR REDS: In Cincinnati, John Fay reports "Reds Un-Cut" will take place April 3 at the Aronoff Center in downtown Cincinnati. The team said that the program "will feature interviews and game-show elements," and all 25 players on the team's Opening Day roster "are scheduled to attend." Tickets "range in price from" $25-200. A ticket to the April 2 Brewers-Reds Opening Day game "is included with an event ticket" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 2/4). Fay also noted the Reds "sold three times as many season-tickets at Select-A-Seat Saturday" than they did at the same event last year (CINCINNATI.com, 2/3).

NEW WAY FORWARD: In Denver, Jeff Legwold notes Broncos Exec VP/Football Operations John Elway recently joined Twitter, and as of Thursday night he "had 57,421 followers and had fired off 73 tweets, including the one that announced John Fox's hiring as the team's head coach last month." The activity is "all part of the Broncos' initiative to not only rebuild their roster on the field but their reputation off it." Legwold notes the Broncos "also announced Josh McDaniels' firing as the team's head coach in December on Twitter" (DENVER POST, 2/4).

GM'S CABINET: The S.F. Chronicle's Henry Schulman said newly appointed MLB Giants consultant Lou Piniella is "just going to be another voice" in Senior VP & GM Brian Sabean's ear. Schulman: "Sabean has always brought in a lot of old-time baseball men into his kitchen cabinet. Piniella will live in Florida, where he's tending to his sick mother, and be another guy that just gives Sabean his opinions. It's pretty much like a presidential cabinet" ("Chronicle Live," Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 2/2).