Posted on 05/13/2003 4:41:24 PM PDT by Luis Gonzalez
What "embargo"?
I have come to the conclusion that a society which is fixated on baseball has few other venues of entertainment. Cuba is a prime example.
I know this is heretical on my part. This is one of the few things with which I disagree with the President. I just can't get interested in it. Probably it is some sort of genetic failing.
I am glad baseball exists. I hope Cuba one day can send her players as free agents to the USA, without the necessity of them requesting asylum. I hope one day everyone in Cuba can afford a beer at a ballpark.
But I just can't get interested in baseball. Sigh.
U.S. federal judge says baseball must
give 90 days' notice for Expos moveRONALD BLUM
Tuesday, May 13, 2003(AP) - A federal judge ordered baseball to give her court 90 days' notice of any attempt to move or sell the Montreal Expos.
Judge Ursula Ungaro-Benages of the U.S. District Court in Miami issued the order as part of a lawsuit by former limited partners of the Expos against former controlling owner Jeffrey Loria, commissioner Bud Selig and several other baseball officials. Northern Virginia, Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C., are trying to land the Expos, and baseball's committee on the Expos meets Wednesday to prepare a briefing for the meeting of all owners the following day.
Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Tuesday that no major decisions on the Expos will be made at this week's meetings, but that owners will vote Thursday on the proposed sale of the Anaheim Angels from The Walt Disney Co. to Arturo Moreno, a deal worth about $185 million US.
Baseball officials have said they hope to have a decision on the Expos by the all-star break in mid-July.
In the Expos' lawsuit, baseball offered to give the court 60 days' notice. Ungaro-Benages, ruling the time difference "irrelevant," sided with the limited partners Friday.
Samuel Minzberg, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who represents the Bronfman family, said the decision "means the Expos cannot be sold or moved in the middle of the night to another city without the court first holding a hearing to ensure that justice is served."
Ungaro-Benages put the lawsuit on hold in November, saying it first had to be heard in arbitration. As part of her ruling last week, Ungaro-Benages denied the request by the limited partners to widen discovery beyond the limited amount ordered by the arbitration panel.
"We offered 60 days. They wanted 90, so we'll give them 90," DuPuy said. "This was the court clearly trying to say they were trying to game the system. They were denied what they wanted in discovery in arbitration, and they were denied what they wanted in discovery by the court. Their case remains frivolous and it will not impede us in any way."
The Expos were sold to the other 29 teams by Loria for $120 million before the 2002 season, and Loria bought the Florida Marlins from John Henry, who headed the group that purchased the Boston Red Sox.
The Expos' limited partners sued in July, claiming Loria and Marlins president David Samson conspired with baseball officials to dilute the minority partners' share of the team from 76 per cent to six-to-seven per cent and never intended to keep the franchise in Montreal.
To raise revenue, baseball moved 22 of Montreal's home games this year to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the team averaged 14,282 for 10 games in April. The Expos have averaged 10,613 in Montreal, leaving their "home" average at 12,281, the second-lowest in the major leagues, ahead of Tampa Bay (12,238).
I hope MLB dumps Canada permanently in favor of Puerto Rico.
I always loved cowboys!
Probably the same scummies that held Juan & Elian prisoner in the US of A.
DC wasn't it?
Score one for Elian.
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