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June 4, 1999

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Baseball in Kansas City: Miles Prentice who has an offer on the table to buy the Kansas City Royals for $75 million had hoped the issue regarding the team's ownership would be settled once and for all at a scheduled baseball ownership next week in Pittsburgh. Bud "B.S." Selig cancelled the meetings saying there were not enough agenda items to warrant a meeting. However, SBN has learnt that the real reason the meetings were cancelled is because Major League Baseball doesn't want to deal with the future of the Montreal Expos right now. That aside, Prentice is ready to sign his cheque and purchase the team. The next owners meeting are set for September, and that's when the future of the Montreal Expos will be settled once and for all. Nevertheless, Prentice will meet with a group of Major League Baseball owners next week in Milwaukee, where the group will decide either way on whether or not to recommend the Prentice ownership. Prentice is pleased the issue will be dealt with and regards the invitation to Milwaukee as a positive step forward.

News From Minnesota: A six-member committee is studying the possibility of turning the Metrodome into a one team facility, for either the baseball Minnesota Twins or the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. The Metrodome is 17 years old and needs renovations. Bill Lester, who runs the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, believes that the time is perfect to change the makeup of the facility. When and if that takes place, the door would then open for the other team to build a new stadium for themselves. Among the key missing points in Lester's plan. is how and who will determine which team will build a new stadium. The obvious choice may be to turn the Metrodome into a football only facility, but again how would you pay for a new stadium for the Twins?

Hey Seattle, Wake Up: In the last week the owners of the Seattle Mariners have told Mariners fans that despite $340 million in publicly funded money being invested in the team's new home, Safeco Park, the team will not be able to keep both of its stars Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. with the team when they both become free agents at the end of the 2001 season. While this may not be connected the statement the team's owners made, the Mariners who move into Safeco on July 15 have sold out only one game in their new $415 million palace, opening night. One would expect that given the ˜honeymoon' period associated with new ballparks that Safeco Park would be sold out for the balance of the 1999 season, but there are thousands of seats available for most games. Through the team's first 24 home dates they have drawn 640,117 to the Kingdome, an average of 26,672 fans per game. The team is down 163,144 from last year at the same time.

Baseball in Portland: A group calling itself the Portland Baseball Group has announced that they intend of bring a Major League Baseball team to the Northwestern City. The group has opened up an office, and is under the direction of Dr. G. Lynn Lashbrook, a sports executive and agent with an outstanding reputation. Last week, Oregon state representative Ryan Deckert introduced a bill in the Oregon legislature that would permit the state to assist in a private/public funded facility through lottery backed bonds for the renovations of a Portland's Civic Stadium to accommodate a Major League Baseball team. The group will begin collecting names of potential season ticket holders this summer.

Meanwhile "B.S." cancels a meeting: Major League Baseball owners have canceled their June 9-10 meetings in Pittsburgh. The major item on the agenda that day was to have been approval of the sale of the Cincinnati Reds to Carl Lindner from Marge Schott. However, there is still hope that the owners might meet before there next scheduled meeting in September Major League Baseball might meet and decide on the future of the Reds. What this also means is that the future of the Montreal Expos won't be decided until September at earliest, giving the Expos consortium more time to put a new stadium deal together.

Next Up, Bud's Pleasure Palace: The latest team to join the ever growing list of Major League teams who will be moving into new stadiums next year and who do not believe the stadium will cure anything are the Milwaukee Brewers and Miller Park. Last week, the Seattle Mariners announced that they didn't believe they would be able to sign both Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez when they move into Safeco Field next month. There is growing belief that while the Brewers will see a dramatic increase in revenues as a result of their move, the revenues will end up doing little if anything to improve the team's on field performance.

The New home of the Twins: Norm Coleman the mayor of St. Paul lost the governors race in Minnesota to Jesse "the body" Ventura. However, he's also the man who helped secure the return of the National Hockey League to Minnesota. The Minnesota Wild will begin play in the 200- season. Coleman's next goal may be to entice the Minnesota Twins to move from Minneapolis. However, for that to take place he'll have to build a new stadium for the Twins, one that would cost in excess of $300 million. Given that Ventura is opposed to taxpayer funded professional sports stadiums, Coleman may have a tough fight ahead.

Read this entire article on the Sports Business News website.