In California, Dan Hayes noted Moag & Co. Chair & CEO John Moag and Allen & Co. Managing Dir Steve Greenberg, who were retained by Padres Chair John Moores to facilitate a sale of the club, believe that former MLBer Steve Garvey is the "first of many interested parties" in the team. A bid group led by Garvey and ESPN analyst Orel Hershiser "didn't survive the first round of cuts in the Dodgers sale." A source said that few of the losing parties from the Dodgers sale "will have interest in the Padres" because the Dodgers deal included the "parking lots and a future broadcast rights deal potentially worth $4 billion." A baseball source said that any potential Padres' bidders "might align themselves with Garvey or Hall of Famers Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield because all three would be good public faces for any new ownership group" (NCTIMES.com, 4/11).
TAKING A PASS: TNT basketball analyst Steve Kerr told the Trail Blazers that he is "not interested in filling their opening at general manager." Kerr said that he is "happy with his life as a broadcaster for TNT" (OREGONLIVE.com, 4/11). Meanwhile, CBSSPORTS.com's Ken Berger named Kerr, Knicks consultant Donnie Walsh, former Hornets GM Jeff Bower, former T'Wolves Assistant GM & Dir of Player Personnel Tony Ronzone and former Trail Blazers VP/Basketball Operations Tom Penn the "top free-agent executives" in the NBA (CBSSPORTS.com, 4/11).
STORM BREWING: Hurricanes President & GM Jim Rutherford said that "increased corporate and ticket revenue, along with the renegotiated television deal with FS Carolinas that begins in the fall of 2013, will give the Hurricanes money to spend." In Raleigh, Luke DeCock noted the "millions collected from [Owner] Peter Karmanos’ new minority owners have to figure, as well." Rutherford said, "Based on my conversation with Mr. Karmanos, we’ve talked about a top-line player. He agrees that that’s something we want to do" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 4/10).
BIRD FEED: In DC, Dan Steinberg noted the Orioles are commemorating the 20th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards for six games this season by "offering 'a limited number of Eutaw Street Bleacher seats' for $4 each, the price of a bleacher ticket" in '92. The specially priced tickets "can only be bought online, through the team's 20th anniversary Web site, CamdenYards20.com" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/11).
