Marlins Owner Jeffrey Loria said that he has "no reservations about selling the team," according to Tim Healey of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL. As his final season as owner winds down, Loria said that he is not "sad to be giving it up." Loria: "I have no sad feelings whatsoever. I love this game." He has not "publicly explained his reasoning" for selling the franchise, and "declined to Saturday." Loria said, "It’s very personal reasons I don’t want to discuss. Very." The new ownership, led by Derek Jeter and former Private Capital Management co-Founder Bruce Sherman, would "take over shortly after the end of the regular season Oct. 1." Beyond that, Loria said that he has not "decided whether or not he will try to stay involved in baseball." Loria: "I haven’t given it any thought. No thought." Loria does not "make much of these being his final" days as Marlins Owner either. He said, "I haven’t given it a second thought" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 8/20). Meanwhile, Marlins manager Don Mattingly said it is "good to finally see some clarification" on the ownership situation. He said, "I don’t know any of the other people really involved with it, but I know in Derek, you get a guy that’s first class that hasn’t really been unsuccessful in anything that he’s done." Mattingly: "You feel like you’re getting a good baseball person there” (“High Heat,” MLB Network, 8/18).
BITTERSWEET SAGA: In Miami, Greg Cote wrote fans are "not even allowed to cheer" Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton’s historic home run chase "without the overarching gray cloud and nuisance of speculation about whether he’s long for this team." Stanton "should be as untouchable as any pro athlete in this market." Anybody but Loria owning the Marlins is "parade-worthy in South Florida and Stanton’e epic season is, too, and yet the kill-joy clatter about trading Stanton won’t stop." The Marlins under new ownership need to "solidify Stanton as the focal point and face of the franchise and construct a winner around him so that he wants to stay" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/20).
