I nearly did a
full Danny Thomas at the breakfast table Sunday while reading something in the
sports’ section. How I kept from
spraying my coffee across the kitchen qualifies as something of a minor
miracle.
It’s just that
you never read a sportswriter actually calling out an owner for business ethics,
but here it was, a Tribune columnist ripping into the Marlins’ Jeffrey Loria,
widely regarded as one of, if not the, worst owner in baseball. Loria ran the Montreal Expos into the ground,
prevailed upon Commissioner Bud Selig to have MLB buy the Expos and allow him
in turn to buy the Marlins while the Marlins’ owner bought the Red Sox. In Miami, Loria extorted the construction of
a mostly publicly funded $639 million ballpark, something he failed to pull off
in Montreal despite his best and thuggish efforts.
Loria is now
expected to sell the Marlins for north of $1 billion. Owners who would love to slap a salary cap on
players have no problem with the dirty windfall going Loria’s way. As Tribune writer Paul Sullivan put it,
“Another proud day for baseball.”
Indeed.
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