The AP’s Ronald Blum reported the remaining bidders for the Dodgers “have been told they will be scheduled for meetings with Major League Baseball's ownership committee early next month.” A source said that the exact date of each group's meeting “has not been set yet, but the range of dates for the sessions has been given to the bidders.” Braves Chair Emeritus Bill Bartholomay said that the committee “will investigate ‘very deep’ into not just the lead individuals of the groups, but also the proposed limited partners and corporations that plan to invest.” While the date for the next round of bids "has not been set, it appears the process is on a track to have a mid-March submission date for the offers" (AP, 2/14).
ON THE CLOCK: FOXSPORTS.com’s Ken Rosenthal writes it is “easy to understand why” MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “is refraining from taking action against” the Mets' owners. It is “likely that forces outside of baseball will determine the fate of Mets majority owner Fred Wilpon and his partners.” But if the “uncertainty threatens to linger into next offseason … then Selig must make a move, once and for all.” Selig’s “wait-and-see approach, while frustrating to many Mets fans, is no different than his approach on most issues.” At some point, Selig’s “obligation to the best interests of baseball will outweigh his obligation to Wilpon” (FOXSPORTS.com, 2/15).
NUMBER OF PROBLEMS: The Marlins have unretired the No. 5 jersey that had been used to honor late team President Carl Barger after LF Logan Morrison asked to use the number. In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes the Marlins’ actions “didn't just ignore the retiring of No. 5,” but also “ignored the Barger family, too.” No one from the club “informed Barger's daughter, Betzi, of the decision until reporters began calling her Monday.” Betzi Barger said that a Marlins official on Tuesday “called, offering not an apology,” but rather a “statement that the No. 5 jersey would be given to Morrison and a plaque would be put in her father's name at the new ballpark.” Hyde writes, “Time shouldn't diminish history. Just the opposite. It should demand a team underscore past decisions as part of organizational integrity” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 2/15). ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted, "If you retire a #, it means no one will ever wear it again;that's the honor a team commits to. What if future Bulls owner un-retired No. 23?"
