In Cleveland, Kevin Kleps reported the Cavaliers "sent a notice to Wine & Gold United members, the club’s season-ticket membership group, that their membership dues" for the '15-16 season had been scheduled. But what the team "didn't say" was that they were "increasing their prices for the first time in five years." Cavaliers Senior VP/Communications Tad Carper said that the cost increase "varies by location, and averages about 15% across the board." A 15% increase would put the team’s '15-16 season-ticket average "in the $50 range for non-premium seats -- which is still well below the last three seasons" of F LeBron James’ "initial tenure with the franchise" (CRAINSCLEVELAND.com, 2/4).
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS: In Las Vegas, Norm Clarke reports members of the prospective ownership group seeking an NHL franchise for the MGM Resorts/AEG arena yesterday "backed away ... from a comment that Las Vegas might not be part of official team name." Fidelity National Financial Chair William Foley, the lead investor, said Tuesday that he "preferred Nevada rather than Las Vegas for the team's official name." Maloof Entertainment Group Managing Partner Tony Guanci, one of Foley's partners, at a dinner last night said "the reality is that the team will be a Las Vegas team." Clarke notes Guanci was "careful not to say Foley misspoke." Guanci instead said, "Bill wanted to make sure people were paying attention" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/5).
JUST WORRY ABOUT YOUR JOB: Blue Jays Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM Alex Anthopoulos said he tried to get a "little more information" about the status of team President & CEO Paul Beeston when rumors of Dan Duquette's arrival from the Orioles were running rampant last month. But Anthopoulos said of Beeston, "He just told me, ‘Look, it’s well above you and it’s being handled at the ownership level and at the (executive) level,’ and to just stay focused on my job and what we need to get done to make the team better." Anthopoulos: "It was a story that wasn’t going to go away until things got settled, and they finally did, but it is sports and these things happen. They occur, but it’s nice to have some stability again going forward and we can worry about the club” (“High Heat,” MLB Network, 2/4).
ON-COURT RECOGNITION: In DC, Dan Steinberg noted the Wizards earlier this season put the name of all its season-ticket holders "in tiny type on the sidelines opposite the benches" at Verizon Center. The team "didn’t announce this move until recently, wanting to make sure the names would hold up under sideline traffic." There are "more than 3,000 names on the floor, representing all the current 'DC 12 Club' members," the team's term for full season-ticket holders. The names "will be updated every year to include current DC 12 Club members." The team recently e-mailed season-ticket holders "to let them know about this feature, and to invite them to Verizon Center to see their names and take a photo at center court" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/3).
