Reds President & CEO Marge Schott "continues to
improve" following hip surgery, and it appears that MLB
"won't decide" her fate until she is in better condition,
according to Geoff Hobson of the CINCINNATI ENQUIRER.
Schott's current MLB suspension runs through October 31,
'98. Meanwhile, her role as managing general partner of the
club expires December 31, 2000, and a lawyer familiar with
the Reds' 17-year-old limited partnership agreement said
that Schott "has little hope of regaining control of the
club after 2000 because MLB has the last say in their long-
running showdown." Schott, who controls 6.5 of the team's
15 shares, "could regain control before the partnership
expires." But 80% of the 15 shares must agree to an
extension of the agreement, and Hobson wrote that given the
"history between Schott and her partners, that appears
impossible." A source close to Schott said that he sensed
the end of her tenure as Reds' CEO, because she is
"disconsolate" and "has no fight left" in her battles with
MLB (Geoff Hobson, CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 5/12).
ATTENDANCE WOES: The Reds are averaging 19,548 per game
this season, down 10% from this time last year. On the day
the '94 strike began, the team's average attendance was
31,628. Reds Marketing Consultant Cal Levy: "There are
still people that are angry, there are people who are
frustrated by the stadium situation" (CIN. POST, 5/12).
