Legal - Baseball Wiretap

Wilpons May Face Jury Trial In Madoff Scheme

Oct 31, 2014 2:58 PM

The trustee suing Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon and his family in an attempt to recover alleged profits from Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme scored a victory this week. U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff granted trustee Irving Picard's request to have the trial, which is set for March 19, heard before a jury. The ruling can be viewed as a victory for Picard from the perspective that a jury might respond differently -- and more unpredictably -- to courtroom arguments than a judge faced with identical circumstances. The Wilpon family previously won a much larger courtroom decision, which reduced their potential liability from $1 billion to $386 million -- and very possibly to $83 million or less.

Adam Rubin/ESPN.com

Tags: New York Mets, Legal

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Brother Ordered Held In Halman Slaying

Sep 10, 2014 1:26 PM

An investigating judge has ordered the brother of slain Mariners outfielder Greg Halman to be detained for a further two weeks on suspicion of murder or manslaughter. Halman was stabbed to death early Monday morning at an apartment in the port city of Rotterdam. Police said his stabbing may have followed an argument about loud music.

Associated Press

Tags: Seattle Mariners, Legal

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Jim Crane Formally Takes Over Astros

Oct 29, 2014 8:21 AM

The sale of the Astros to Jim Crane from Drayton McLane has been completed. Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved the long-delayed sale of the team last Thursday, a transaction that requires the franchise to move from the National League Central to the American League West in 2013.

Associated Press

Tags: Houston Astros, Legal

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Fox Seeks Delay In Dodgers Hearing

Oct 23, 2014 4:29 AM

A Delaware bankruptcy judge is set to hear arguments on a request by Fox Sports Net West to delay consideration of the Los Angeles Dodgers' plan to sell media rights to future games. Fox, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., contends the planned media rights sale violates an existing contract giving it television rights through 2013 and priority in negotiating a contract for games starting in 2014. It has filed a lawsuit seeking to enforce its right under the contract and is also asking the judge to postpone a scheduled Nov. 30 hearing on a motion by the Dodgers seeking court approval of the proposed sale process.

Associated Press

Tags: Los Angeles Dodgers, Legal

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Mets Making Progress To Raise $200M

Oct 29, 2014 8:21 AM

The Mets are making progress in their bid to raise roughly $200M through selling minority ownership shares in the franchise, sources familiar with the sale told ESPNNewYork.com. The infusion would help Fred Wilpon and family offset operating losses and loan obligations.

ESPN.com

Tags: New York Mets, Legal, Misc Rumor

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Astros Sold, Will Move To AL West In 2013

Apr 30, 2014 5:17 AM

MLB owners have unanimously approved the sale of the Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane. The Astros will move from the NL Central to the AL West beginning in the 2013 season, giving each league 15 teams. As part of the agreement to switch leagues, the sale price was cut from $680M to $615M, a person at Thursday's meeting told The Associated Press.

ESPN.com

Tags: Houston Astros, Legal, Misc Rumor

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Astros Sale To Be Approved Thursday

Oct 21, 2014 1:45 PM

The proposed sale of the Houston Astros from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane is expected to be approved on Thursday by major league owners. Meanwhile, Astros general manager Ed Wade is still working to improve the team. "We're business as usual," he said. "The proposed change or whatever which way you would say it, it's been there," he said Tuesday as general managers opened meetings at a downtown Milwaukee hotel. "We've run through the draft, we've run through the trading deadline. We've run through the labor period and now we're at the general managers meeting and it still hasn't been finalized," Wade added.

ESPN.com

Tags: Houston Astros, Legal

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Economists: $1B For Dodgers Is Realistic

Sep 9, 2014 6:11 PM

A record price tag of $1 billion can be expected for the Dodgers, Dodger Stadium and the surrounding real estate, according to a number of economists. "If you're talking about the asset value of the Dodgers franchise, the stadium, the parking lots and the surrounding acreage, I think a number in neighborhood of $1 billion is reasonable," Andrew Zimbalist, a professor of economics at Smith College, said. "I believe the reasonable or final offer will be $900 million to $1 billion." One of the biggest reasons for the franchise's value is all the undeveloped real estate surrounding Dodger Stadium, which sits on 275 acres of land that is largely used for parking.

Arash Markazi/ESPN.com

Tags: Los Angeles Dodgers, Legal

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Wilson Ramos Rescued By Venezuelan Police

Oct 29, 2014 8:27 AM

Venezuelan police rescued Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos on Friday, two days after he was kidnapped, officials announced. Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said on state television that Ramos was "safe and sound" and that he was rescued by police. He said the circumstances weren't immediately clear. Information Minister Andres Izarra initially reported the rescue via Twitter, saying Ramos was "found alive by security forces in mountainous zone."

ESPN.com

Tags: Washington Nationals, Legal

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Top Jewish Ex-Players Join Isreal's WBC Bid

Oct 20, 2014 12:06 PM

Three Jewish former major leaguers have joined Israel's bid for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, a move that could transform the baseball backwater into a legitimate contender. Shawn Green, Brad Ausmus and Gabe Kapler met this week in Los Angeles with Israeli baseball officials and committed to helping Israel field a competitive team in next year's WBC qualifying round, the three players told The Associated Press.

ESPN.com

Tags: Legal, Misc Rumor

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Hershiser Serious About Buying Dodgers
Orel Hershiser on Thursday shot down skepticism about the seriousness of their ownership group to buy the Dodgers.

ESPN.com

Nats' Wilson Ramos Kidnapped In Venezuela
Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home in his native Venezuela.

ESPN.com

Dodgers Bidders Look To Billionaire Soon-Shiong
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong purchased Magic Johnson's minority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers last year.

Arash Markazi/ESPN.com

Alfredo Simon Acquitted In Man's Death
Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon has been acquitted of an involuntary manslaughter charge.

Associated Press

Sources: Change In Sale Process For Dodgers?
The process of selling the Dodgers will deviate slightly from the norm.

Tony Jackson/ESPN.com

Report: Mets Seek Loans Via Minority Stakes
The Mets are reportedly attempting to sell minority shares of the team in the form of loans.

Adam Rubin/ESPN.com

Beaten Giants Fan Able To Write Name
Brian Stow has written his first name for the first time since the beating on March 31 outside Dodger Stadium.

ESPN.com

McCourt To Pay Former Wife $131M
Frank McCourt must pay his former wife $131M by the end of April as part of their divorce settlement.

ESPN.com

Report: Cardinals Interview McEwing, Maloney
The Cardinals have begun interviewing managerial candidates.

ESPN.com

Former Dodgers GM Trying To Bid For Club
Fred Claire has joined an investment group attempting to buy the Dodgers, but is still looking for a primary financial backer.

ESPN.com

Interest In Buying Dodgers Continues To Grow
Steve Garvey and Peter O'Malley have both expressed interest in bidding to buy the Dodgers.

ESPN.com

McCourt Finally Agrees To Sell Dodgers
The Dodgers and MLB released a statement Tuesday night that Frank McCourt has finally agreed to sell the club.

ESPN.com