D'Backs President & CEO Derrick Hall said that he is "not interested in leaving" the franchise despite a report indicating that bidders for the Dodgers have talked to him about becoming team President. D'Backs Senior VP/Communications Josh Rawitch: "Derrick says he is flattered but has no plans of leaving this great organization" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/1).
BLEEDS BALTIMORE: In Baltimore, Kevin Cowherd writes when Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti talks, he "doesn't just tell you what he thinks," he practically "opens a vein and tells you what he's feeling, too." Bisciotti was the "star of the show" at yesterday's "State of the Ravens" news conference, "mainly because of his candor, but also because this is about the only time we can interview the guy." The rest of the year, Bisciotti is "about as accessible as J.D. Salinger." Yesterday he addressed "everything from his sorrow that the Ravens were no longer training in Westminster to his uncertainty over whether Ed Reed would be back to his being mystified at all the criticism Joe Flacco takes from fans in this town" (BALTIMORE SUN, 2/2).
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE: The GLOBE & MAIL's Paul Waldie writes Owner Jeff Vinik has "already revitalized the Tampa Bay Lightning and many people in this city are hoping he'll do the same thing for the Rays." Vinik has been "asked to help breathe new life into" Channelside Bay Plaza, a shopping and restaurant complex in downtown Tampa. There have been reports that he is "interested in building a baseball stadium on a nearby piece of empty land and suggestions he’d either buy or lure the Rays to the site." A spokesperson for Vinik "denied the Lightning owner is making any attempt to buy the Rays." The spokesperson said, "Absolutely no truth to the Rays rumour. We were approached about Channelside, but to say it has gone farther than that is inaccurate" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/2).
PROGRESSIVE DECISION: CRAIN'S CLEVELAND BUSINESS' Joel Hammond noted after an "offseason studying potential changes for the luxury seating area in the second deck along the first-base line, the Cleveland Indians officially announced last week that club seat ticket buyers in 2012 would enjoy the same all-inclusive food and non-alcoholic beverage perks they have for many years, but at a slightly lower price than last season" (CRAINSCLEVELAND.com, 1/30).
