Mickey Arison will meet with MLB Commissioner Larry Lucchino to present his bid to buy the Florida Marlins from Jeffrey Loria. ITTL, Arison is owner of both the NBA Miami Heat and IHL Florida Panthers, both of whom play at American Airlines Arena. The old Miami Arena, unused since 2000, will be demolished to make way for a new Marlins ballpark should voters approve in a special ballot later this year.
The Los Angeles City Council voted to use eminent domain to seize control of the Staples Center from AEG's arena management division. As that development unfolds and in light of more serious allegations, Major League Soccer is now forcing Phil Anschutz to sell the Los Angeles Galaxy as well as his minority stakes in other MLS franchises.
Ron Burkle has notified WLAF Commissioner Oliver Luck that he plans to sell the Oakland Condors, who are sharing an aging Coliseum with the MLB A's. Should NFL Commissioner Amy Trask approve Burkle's bid to buy the San Francisco 49ers from the embattled Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., Burkle will actually co-own the Niners with a 50/50 partner, rumored to be Bill Walsh, Carmen Policy, Steve Young or Joe Montana. The Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL, whom Burkle owns IOTL, are owned ITTL by Mario Lemieux and the Rooney family.
NBA superstar and Barcelona native Pau Gasol now owns a 10% stake in the WLAF Dragons. The other 90% of the franchise is owned by Hollywood producer Peter Guber.
Citing league bylaws, Oliver Luck has notified actor Haley Joel Osment that he must wait till his 21st birthday before attempting to buy even a piece of the Birmingham Maulers. Osment's mom and dad grew up in the Birmingham, AL area IOTL.
Amy Trask has notified Bally chairman Jeffrey Bewkes that he must sell the Chicago White Sox to facilitate his bid to buy the Denver Broncos from Pat Bowlen. If successful, Bewkes plans to let John Elway stay aboard to oversee the Broncos' day-to-day operations.
NHL Commissioner Wayne Gretzky has given the greenlight to Mark Chipman and True North Sports and Entertainment's bid to acquire the troubled Virginia Rhinos. In turn, Oklahoma Twisters' owner Clay Bennett will relinquish the old Winnipeg Jets name for Chipman to use starting next season. Also, the Rhinos/Jets will shift to the Norris Division while the Tennessee Titans will realign to either the Adams or Patrick Divisions.