On Long Island, David Lennon writes the relief expressed by the Mets' ownership group after last month's $162M settlement with Bernie Madoff trustee Irving Picard "was shared by the commissioner's office." MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said, "Fred Wilpon and family has been through a tough situation. I think it was ameliorated to some degree a month ago by the judge's decision and the trustee." Selig's "optimism, in part, is due to his trust in" Mets GM Sandy Alderson, who "worked closely with the commissioner during two different MLB stints" prior to joining the Mets in November '10. Selig: "I feel OK about the Mets, and not because they've been playing better than anybody thought. Just talking to Sandy about the farm system -- what they have, what they don't have. My conversations with him have been surprisingly upbeat" (NEWSDAY, 4/20).
CENTER OF ATTENTION: In S.F., Eric Young noted A's CF Yoenis Cespedes "has all the material to be a central part of a major Athletics' marketing campaign geared toward boosting team attendance and getting turnstiles clicking again" at O.Co Coliseum. The A's are "taking a go-slow approach" with Cespedes during his rookie season after defecting from Cuba. He is the "featured player in the photo on the team's Spanish language pocket schedules and the club will put him on the cover of Athletics Magazine this summer" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/19).
MONETARY POLICY: In K.C., Terez Paylor reports Royals Owner David Glass yesterday "expressed confidence in his decision to build the team through its minor-league system," and that it "didn't sound as if their aversion to signing multiple big-time free agents will end anytime soon." Glass said, "The more payroll you have, the easier it is to be competitive. But you've seen Tampa Bay and several other teams go to the World Series with low payrolls, so you don't have to do it that way" (K.C. STAR, 4/20).
SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY? In California, Jay Paris wrote, "Say what you want about the Dodgers, but when the O'Malley clan was running things before selling to Fox, the Dodger Stadium experience was among the best in all of sports." Padres' fans "should bombard Padres Chair John Moores ... with calls and messages to contact" Peter O'Malley. Padres fans "reluctant to wrap their arms around Dodgers heritage must remember the key executive who aided their 1969 birth into major league baseball: E.J. 'Buzzie' Bavasi, the Dodgers' former general manager, was the Padres' founding president and part-owner" (NCTIMES.com, 4/18).
