MLB At A Crossroads, Day 87: Watkins Inching Closer To Twins

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly met yesterday with former Birmingham, AL, Mayor Richard Arrington — a representative of business exec Donald Watkins, who wants to buy the Twins and build a new ballpark, according to Olson & Duchschere of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The meetings were described as brief, "get-to-know-you sessions" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/31).

THE MAN OF THE HOUR: In a Q&A with CNNSI.com's Mike Fish, Watkins said of his interest in the Twins, despite reports of their unprofitability: "Nobody who knows me can point to any business that I've been in that did not achieve profitability and exceed industry standards for profitability. I have a pretty good grasp on how to run a team." Asked how he will make the team profitable, Watkins said, "The value zone I will focus on is the stadium component and the complimentary enterprises at the footprint — a museum, retail outlets, movie theaters. These are things I would arrange with other partners, so you have a revenue flow every day of the year. The key is to enhance value in that zone beyond what teams generally get now" (CNNSI.com, 1/29). In an extensive profile of Watkins, BASEBALL WEEKLY's Bob Nightengale writes that after negotiations between Watkins and Twins Owner Carl Pohlad about the purchase of the team, "each side is optimistic that a deal will be reached by the end of February." Two MLB execs said that Watkins "could be the Twins' owner by Opening Day" (BASEBALL WEEKLY, 1/30 issue). In MN, Jim Souhan also profiles Watkins and writes, "Interviews with political and legal figures in Alabama and a review of public information on his holdings paint Watkins as a controversial figure whose financial resources remain a mystery even to those close to him" (STAR TRIBUNE, 1/31).

THE EVIL TWIN? In St. Paul, Kahn & Borger note that although the new legislative session is "barely underway," lawmakers are introducing a bill that would help fund a new Twins ballpark in St. Paul. The "signal to baseball's front offices is clear: St. Paul leaders, the mayor above all, want the Twins. And they'll lay down some money to prove it." The bill is expected to be introduced in the MN House today (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 1/31).

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