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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1997)
Ballpark: Senator brokered deal ■ Continued from Page 7 Also Monday, the County Council gave its ap proval to two other baseball matters: The council voted 10-3 to lend $8.1 million to the Public Facilities District so it can proceed with land acquisition for the stadium. The council voted 12-1 to approve a lease with the Mariners through 1999 at the Kingdome. The Mariners’ owners had threatened to sell the team last month after some County Council members wanted to slow down the stadium project, due for completion in 1999. The owners said they didn’t want to face another season of losing millions of dol lars with the Mariners playing in the Kingdome. U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash., brokered a deal in which the owners agreed to reconsider if the county issued more bonds, the stadium board approved a lease on the Mariners’ terms and the city of Seattle picked up the bill for traffic control and other game day costs Dodgers put up for sale; asking $300M ■ BASEBALL: After 46 years of ownership, the O’Malley family is selling its team The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Peter O’Malley, whose family has con trolled the Dodgers since 1950 — seven years before they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles — surprised baseball Monday by announcing that the team is for sale. O’Malley, about 60, said estate planning was the primary reason behind the decision. He succeed ed his father, Walter, as team president in March 1970, but none of Peter’s three children has held more than a part-time posi tion with the team. “It’s probably smart to plan for the future. That’s probably the main reason,” O’Malley said. “I’m not a tax expert, [but] it’s a pretty good idea not to have all your eggs in one basket.” The O’Malley family is second in seniority among baseball own ership groups, trailing only the family of the late Tom Yawkey, which purchased the Boston Red Sox after the 1933 season and turned it over to the Jean R. Yawkey Trust, which remains the team’s primary owner. “The O’Malleys leave to base ball a rich and powerful legacy,” acting commissioner Bud Selig said. “I want to assure Dodger fans, Peter and the team that we will work with them to keep the franchise in Los Angeles.” The sale price could be more than $300 million, well above the current record for a baseball team, the $173 million paid by Peter Angelos’ group for the Bal timore Orioles in 1993. In addition to the team, the Dodgers own the 300-acre site near downtown Los Angeles that includes Dodger Stadium, which the team also owns; a spring training facility in Vero Beach, Fla.; and some property in the Dominican Republic known as Campo Las Palmas. O’Malley; his sister, Terry Sei dler; and her husband, Roland, are the team’s primary owners. O’Malley said six months would be a realistic timetable to find a buyer. Baseball’s approval process could take another 6-12 months. “There’s no pressure,” he said. “Results are more important than timing. We’ve probably received one offer a year for 25 years. I may be here for a long time. It will not be a circus.” When asked how his father, who died in 1979, might react to Monday’s announcement, O’Malley said, “He would have said, ‘Peter, it’s your call, think it through,’ which I think I have done. He would have supported it.” O’Malley said family owner ship of sports today is “probably a dying breed,” and that he can “defend corporate ownership.” Walter O’Malley was hired as the Dodgers’ lawyer in 1942, be gan acquiring shares two years later and took control on Oct. 26, 1950, from Branch Rickey, who had been general manager since October 1942 and a part owner since August 1945. John L. Smith and O’Malley jointly owned 50 percent of the team, and Rickey owned 25 percent. O’Malley ac quired Rickey's shares and later bought out Smith’s widow, rais ing his percentage to at least 67 percent by 1951. Walter O’Malley moved the team from Ebbets Field to Los Angeles following the 1957 sea son and convinced Horace Stoneham to move the New York Giants from the Polo Grounds to San Francisco, ushering in the nationwide expansion of the ma jor leagues, which had never put a franchise west of the Mississip pi. Widely regarded as the most intelligent owner, Walter O’Mal ley was widely believed to be the power behind Bowie Kuhn, base ball’s commissioner from 1969 to 1984. “The O’Malleys will be sorely missed upon completion of the sale,” NL president Len Coleman said. The Dodgers have prided themselves for having the lowest ticket prices in baseball, and O’Malley said “commitment to the community, to Southern Cal ifornia, to Los Angeles is the No. 1 criteria” for the new owner. “I think quality ownership is very important,” O’Malley said. "I will do everything possible to identify the most quality owner ship to follow our family. I want the transition to be smooth and go on as if nothing has happened.” 3-6pm Weekdays KUGN 590AM Interface with Din Carlin http://www efh.org/~sing/cttb email: sing@efh.org AMERICAN PIE NETWORKS, INC. is an optional student fee. That means refunds are available. Keep in mind, however, that your student ID now enables you to ride the bus any time, anywhere, all term! Also remember that by supporting unlimited bus service you’re helping alleviate traffic, reduce air-pollution, ease the campus parking problem, and provide transportation for thousands of students. But if you still want a refund, come to the EMU Main Desk during normal business hours Jan. 6 -10. Also available at the LTD Customer Service Center during normal business hours Jan. 6-17. For more information call: 687-5555 (Voice) or 687-4265 (TTY) ©Winter 1997 LTD We’re going your way! '^'[11 WITH EMU CONVENIENCE! January 6, 7, 8 ONLY! 8 am - 5 pm EMU Sell back fall term books at our EMU Bookstore • Buyback location. And... You can now get refunds for incorrect winter term books, too! UNIVERSITY OF OREGON 346-4331 • 895 East 13th Avenue Open: M-F 7:45-6 Sat 10-6 Sun 12-6 http://www.uobookstore.com Take This Job and Love It! 1997 Student Orientation Staff Are you dedicated, enthusiastic and interested in helping new students and their families during UO summer and fall orientation programs? Apply for 1997 Student Orientation Staff! Applications are available in 372 Oregon Hall and are due Friday, January 24. For more information, come to one of our interest meetings on January 16 at 4 and 7 p.m. in Fir Room, EMU or call us at 346-1159.
