Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria said that he "won’t try to predict the attendance at Miami’s home opener Monday at Marlins Park, but he hopes fans will give the team a chance." Loria said, "It’s the beginning of a new era for us and it’s exciting. People will look back two years from now and say, 'They did the right thing.'" In West Palm Beach, Joe Capozzi notes some estimates have Monday's crowd for the game against the Braves "in the 20,000s." But a source said that the organization is "expecting at least 30,000" (PALM BEACH POST, 4/4). In Miami, Clark Spencer notes Loria has "been on hand for the Marlins' first two games in D.C. and defended the on-field product following a turbulent offseason." Loria: "Give these guys a chance. Give us a chance. Watch them mature because they’re quality" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/4).
TEA PARTY: EPL club Liverpool Managing Dir Ian Ayre on Tuesday appeared on CNBC's "Power Lunch," and the net's Tyler Mathisen said of Red Sox Owner John Henry also owning the club, "The English have not cottoned, as we might say here, all that well to some of the American owners. They're afraid that they're going to come in and do what they see American private equity guys do: Strip the club of its costs and make a big profit on the sale. Do you see that?" Ayre responded, "Not really. We've had fantastic support from our owners, from John and (Chair Tom Werner) and the others at Fenway Sports Group." He added, "If you've got something that's 100 years-plus old, globally recognized, then you need to treat it with respect and we get that respect and we get the right level of support" ("Power Lunch," CNBC, 4/2).
THAT'S THE TICKET: In Memphis, Kyle Veazey noted the Grizzlies average of 16,538 per game is "just 324 off of the franchise's best annual average" of 16,862 in '04-05 "when FedExForum was brand new and the team was good." It is up 5.3% from last year's season average. Additionally, it is up 30% from the team's "low-water mark," the '08-09 season (COMMERCIALAPPEAL.com, 3/29).
