In Pittsburgh, Dejan Kovacevic reports Pirates President Frank Coonelly was charged on Dec. 22 "with four counts related to drunken driving.” Court records show that Ross Township, Pa. police arrested Coonelly and “charged him with drunken driving, driving the wrong way, careless driving and driving with a blood-alcohol content of at least .16.” The state's legal limit is .08. The DUI charges are Coonelly`s "first offenses.” Coonelly “pledged to support groups that work to prevent DUI tragedies.” A formal arraignment is “scheduled for March 20 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court” (PITTSBURGHLIVE.com, 2/23).
INVESTED IN THE FUTURE? The GLOBE & MAIL's Bruce Dowbiggin writes the Blue Jays are "investing in development and drafting, and that’s admirable," but on other levels their "enthusiasm seems faint." Free agents "aren’t the only barometer of franchise health, but the inability to attract the game’s impact player to a large market like Toronto’s is not encouraging." With the price of contracts for elite players "getting jacked up elsewhere this winter, even keeping the Blue Jays’ homegrown players is going to test Rogers’ corporate strategy in the future." Dowbiggin: "Will Rogers pay the going rate then? No guarantees." Payroll is "just the start." There are other issues Rogers' money "could address as well: the artificial turf of the Rogers Centre -- just one of two such surfaces left in MLB -- that causes free-agent stars such as Jose Reyes to say, 'No mas' is another area where dollars seem scarce." Dowbiggin writes, "Ditto the game-day presentation at the concrete anachronism by the lake. And then there is the long-term issue of what to do about Rogers’ stadium that’s getting older and was never very warm for baseball" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/23).
ON THE DOCKET: Attorneys for Giants fan Bryan Stow, who was beaten in a Dodger Stadium parking lot on Opening Day last year, said yesterday that the Dodgers "should not be allowed to use the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to minimize their liability." Stow's attorneys yesterday asked the Bankruptcy Court "to yield to Los Angeles Superior Court, where they filed a civil suit last May against" Dodgers outgoing Owner Frank McCourt, the team and related entities. They argued that Stow's claims "would be better heard by a Los Angeles jury, with ample time for both sides to exchange documents and conduct depositions." In L.A., Bill Shaikin notes the filing cited $50M "as a 'conservative total estimate' of Stow's damages" (L.A. TIMES, 2/23).
HOT STOVE: In Illinois, Mike Imrem noted the new slogan for the White Sox is "Appreciate the Game," while the Cubs have chosen, "Baseball is Better." Imrem wrote, "Our baseball teams are either out of marketing ideas, out of competitive hope, or out of both. Doesn’t the Sox' slogan whisper, 'Our lyrics stink, but they’re easy to dance to?' Doesn’t the Cubs' whisper, 'We’re ugly, but we have a great personality?'" If the teams "exercised truth in advertising, they could have used this slogan: 'Come see how the sausage is made.'" Imrem: "Unfortunately for Chicago, the sausage is still grilling on both sides of town" (Illinois DAILY HERALD, 2/22).
