11/23/2005

The Newark Star-Ledger

by: Matthew Futterman

On the day baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced he had given the Florida Marlins permission to explore moving the team out of South Florida, sports officials in New Jersey contacted the team's owners about moving to the Meadowlands...

...Even if the [Giants and Jets] did allow for baseball, the Mets and Yankees may demand so much in compensation that Loria would not be able to afford to move here. Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos received ownership of a new regional sports network and a guaranteed value on his franchise in exchange for allowing Major League Baseball to bring the Nationals to Washington, D.C.

"There is a precedent now, and I'm not sure where you could begin to set the floor for the value of the Mets and the Yankees," said Sal Galatioto, a leading sports financier...