Menu
Franchises

MLB Franchise Notes: Marlins' Beinfest Spreads The Blame On Team's Woes

In Ft. Lauderdale, Juan Rodriguez notes Marlins President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest does not think manager Ozzie Guillen is “the sole reason for this miserable year.” Everybody “had a role, from owner Jeffrey Loria to team president David Samson on down.” In regards to complaints about the dimensions of Marlins Park, Beinfest said, “I think there is too big a deal being made because the walls are the walls and if you let it affect you in any way, and I’m not speaking specifically about our players, that’s not productive. You have to deal with it. Use it to your advantage. Hit the balls in the gaps.” Beinfest said of the ballpark, “The roof’s open. The roof’s closed. It’s windy. It’s humid. It’s this. It’s that. I’m not sure we have enough data to say it’s this or that. Is it spacious? Absolutely” (SUN-SENTINEL.com, 9/19).

MET GAINS
: On Long Island, Marc Carig notes MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “stayed on message regarding the state of the Mets, once again reiterating his support of the Wilpon family, even as the franchise deals with financial questions in the aftermath of the Bernard Madoff lawsuit, which was settled in March.” Selig said, “I have no concerns whatsoever.” He added, “I don't consider the Mets a problem in any way, shape or manner. They're on the right track. That should give you your answer” (NEWSDAY, 9/20).

CHICAGO BLUES
: In Chicago, Paul Sullivan noted the Cubs entered Tuesday night's game with a home attendance of 2,597,624, and with nine home games remaining had “no chance of surpassing the 3 million mark.” The “last time that happened was in 2003.” The Cubs have seen attendance “drop every season since” setting a franchise record in ’08 with 3,300,200 fans. Despite the decline, the Cubs “decided to maintain the third highest average ticket price in the majors this year” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/19). Cubs VP/Tickets Sales & Service Colin Faulkner said that the team is “on pace to finish with a final season home attendance of around 2.8 million fans” (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 9/17).

EXCHANGE PROGRAM
: In Houston, Zachary Levine noted Astros GM Jeff Luhnow does not deny “there is a strong business incentive to wanting to turn Mexico into Astros country and the Astros into a team with a little more of a Mexican presence.” Luhnow said, “We’re hoping that we can ultimately get more Mexican players here and ultimately connect more with our Mexican community, which is pretty substantial not only in Houston but also in South Texas and all of Texas, for that matter.” Levine wrote as the Astros “work toward a spring training game in Mexico City or Monterrey in 2014 with a caravan trip in 2013, it’s worth noting the first 51 years of the franchise’s history have seen almost no contributions from Mexican players” (CHRON.com, 9/17).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/09/20/Franchises/MLB-Franchise-Notes.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/09/20/Franchises/MLB-Franchise-Notes.aspx

CLOSE