MLB Franchise Notes: Madoff Scandal Impacting Mets Spending?
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Writer Feels Madoff Scandal May Be Reason
Mets' Offseason Spending Has Quieted |
CNBC.com's Darren Rovell reported people are "starting to speculate" that Mets Owners the Wilpon family losing millions of dollars in the scandal involving former NASDAQ Chair Bernie Madoff "might be having a material impact on their offseason spending." But a Mets spokesperson said the Madoff losses are "categorically unrelated" to the team not signing P Derek Lowe, who yesterday inked a 4-year, $60M deal with the Braves. Rovell noted the Mets "got off to a quick start by bolstering their bullpen with" Ps Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz, both signed before Madoff's arrest on December 11. A week later, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon at the press conference introducing the players said that the Madoff scandal "would not change the Mets' budget." But since then, the only move the team has made is signing P Tim Redding to a one-year, $2.2M contract (CNBC.com, 1/13).
HIT HARD: In Detroit, Jon Paul Morosi writes the Tigers will not say how many season tickets have been sold, but "barring a dramatic resurgence in the local economy and a riveting summer like 2006, it will be difficult to reach 3 million in attendance." Revenues "seem likely to drop, one year after a season-ticket base near 25,600 guaranteed a substantial gate every night." But the team "hopes a sales urge will follow the recent rollout" of their new ad campaign, "Always a Tiger." Tigers President, CEO & GM Dave Dombrowski yesterday said that he "expects the payroll to be close to where it was last year." The team's '08 payroll was estimated at $134M (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/14).
HOME RUN: In Cleveland, Bill Lubinger reports the economy has "made ticket sales more challenging" for the Indians, which is why team execs "are making house calls." President Paul Dolan, Exec VP & GM Mark Shapiro and Exec VP/Business Dennis Lehman have "divided up a call list of season-ticket holders who haven't yet renewed for 2009." Dolan, Shapiro and Lehman Monday also fielded questions "in the first of three 'Indians Town Hall' meetings with current and former season-ticket holders" (Cleveland PLAIN-DEALER, 1/14).
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Anaheim City Council Votes To End Legal
Challenge To Angels' Name Change |
CITY OF ANGELS: In L.A., Bill Shaikin reports the Anaheim City Council yesterday voted unanimously to "end its legal challenge to the Angels' name change." After the city lost in an Orange County Superior Court jury trial in '06 and before the 4th District Court of Appeals in California last month, the city's "only recourse would have been to appeal to the California Supreme Court." Instead, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle said the council voted to "take no further legal action." Pringle: "We all felt we had a legal and fiduciary responsibility to protect the taxpayers of Anaheim. We believe that was what was most important in defending the name of the team" (L.A. TIMES, 1/14).
PATCHED UP: In N.Y., Sandoval & Melago report the Mets and Yankees "recently unveiled commemorative patches to mark their inaugural seasons" at their new stadiums. The verdict from fans was that the Yankees "hit it over the fence and the Mets struck out," as a N.Y. Daily News poll "showed 92% of fans preferred the Yankees' logo to the [Mets'] nondescript, anonymous rectangle of blue and orange." The patches, "which will be displayed on the teams' uniforms, are available for sale to fans and will be emblazoned on T-shirts" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/14).
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