In Detroit, Dave Birkett asked, "What does the future hold for a Lions franchise now in its 50th season of ownership under William Clay Ford?" The team will see "probably at least another half century or so of family control." Lions Senior Advisor Tom Lesnau said, "The family’s totally behind it. It would be shocking to think that the family would ever consider getting rid of it. I think it’s as much of a fixture as almost another member of the family." Birkett noted the Lions "never have revealed a succession plan for who will take over once Ford cedes control, but he and his wife, Martha, have four children and their son," Vice Chair Bill Ford Jr., has held his role since '95. William Clay Ford's daughters Martha, Sheila and Elizabeth "are not involved in day-to-day operations" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/3).
STEVIE FRANCHISE: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir reports SAC Capital Advisors yesterday "agreed to plead guilty to insider trading violations and to pay a record" $1.2B penalty. SAC Founder and Mets investor Steven Cohen "has not been personally charged by the government, but he has been tainted by the conduct of his company." Cohen paid $20M in '12 for one of 12 minority partnerships in the Mets, and Sandomir wonders if Mets co-Owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz should "push Cohen to sell his sliver" of the team. A majority owner is "of more concern to baseball than a minority partner, like Cohen, who has little power over a team’s direction" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/5).
UNHAPPY FEET: In N.Y., Frank Isola cites a source as saying that Knicks Owner James Dolan has "become such a hands-on owner -- figuratively speaking -- that he doesn’t want" the Knicks City Dancers dancing. Isola: "Crazy, right?" The same person who "wanted creative input on the dancers’ outfits (and he’s good at it) apparently ordered that the girls’ roles be reduced to mostly throwing T-shirts into the crowd" during the T'Wolves-Knicks game on Sunday. The dancers "performed maybe one routine" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 11/5).
