Rays Named "Smartest Spenders" in Sports

This should come as no surprise to Rays fans, but the franchise was named the Businessweek "smartest spender in sports" across MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL.

Bloomberg's press release follows:

Bloomberg Businessweek’s second annual ranking of the smartest spenders in sports is online now at businessweek.com and in the magazine on newsstands Friday, August 31, 2012. The ranking determines how well the 122 franchises in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB spend their money. Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Ira Boudway compiled the list using regular and post-season records, and publicly available payroll data, to calculate how much teams spent per win over the last five seasons. (For baseball, he also included the first half of the current season.) Every team was then compared against league average to see how well they turn wages into wins, producing a total score called the “efficiency index.” The lower the index the
better.

MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays came in at #1 with an efficiency index of -1.82, followed by #2 MLB’s Texas Rangers; #3 NHL’s Detroit Red Wings; #4 NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers; #5 NBA’s Boston Celtics; #6 NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins; #7 NFL’s New England Patriots; #8 NFL’s Green Bay Packers; #9 NFL’s New York Giants; and #10 NHL’s Boston Bruins. Dead last on the ranking is NFL’s St. Louis Rams, coming in at #122 with an efficiency index of 4.07. Joining the Rams in the bottom 10 least efficient spenders are #121 NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves; #120 MLB’s New York Mets; #119 New York Islanders; #118 NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs; #117 MLB’s Chicago Cubs; #116 NBA’s New York Knicks; #115 NBA’s Brooklyn Nets; #114 NHL’s Winnipeg Jets; and #113 MLB’s Seattle Mariners.

For this year’s ranking, bonuses were added for the victories that matter most: wins above .500, playoff wins, and championships. The scale counts regular season wins once, with a half-win bonus for every win over .500. Playoff wins count for 10 percent of a season; championships for half a season. In their Super Bowl winning season in 2011, for instance, the New York Giants got credit for 9 regular season wins, plus a .5 game bonus for their ninth win—the one that put them above .500. Their 4 playoff wins earned them 6.4 more wins. And the Super Bowl victory 8 more, for total of 23.9 “weighted” wins. At businessweek.com, the rankings are interactive as readers can adjust the weights with their own values, and see how the rankings change. They can also sort the rankings by league.

NOTABLE FINDINGS:
Baseball: Top MLB team is the Tampa Bay Rays (#1); Least efficient is the New York Mets (#120)
Basketball: Top NBA team is the LA Lakers (#4); Least efficient is the Minnesota Timberwolves (#121)
Football: Top NFL team is the New England Patriots (#7); Least efficient is the St. Louis Rams (#122)
Hockey: Top NHL team is the Detroit Red Wings (#3); Least efficient is the New York Islanders(#119)

Boston: The Celtics, Patriots, and Bruins make the top 10, but the Red Sox come in at #70

New York Area: The #9 New York Giants and #14 New Jersey Devils are in the top 15, while the New York Rangers are at #45, New York Jets are at #54, and the New York Yankees are at #98, with the #115 Brooklyn Nets, #116 New York Knicks, #119 New York Islanders, and #120 New York Mets all in the bottom 10

Los Angeles: The City of Angels also has a wide spread, with the Lakers at #4, the Kings at #37, the Anaheim Ducks at #65, the Dodgers at #79, the Clippers at #86, and the Angels at #90

For Tampa Bay fans keeping score at home, the Buccaneers came in just above average at No. 59, while the Lightning were just below average at No. 76.

Odds & Ends: Dollars & Cents

It's belated, but a tip of the hat to the Glazer family for embracing the NFL's new 85% blackout threshhold. As I wrote before, it was hardly a concession to the fans from the league, but the Glazers made the right choice in making it as easy as possible for their games to be televised, instead of opting for a higher threshhold that might have encouraged a few more fans to buy tickets.

Meanwhile, the family's other team, Manchester United, remains the world's most valuable franchise at $2.23 billion, according to Forbes. Ho-hum. It makes the Bucs' sinking value (now $981 million) an easy pill to swallow.

As for the $12 million Hillsborough County wants back from the Bucs, you won't find any Glazer sympathizers in Daniel Ruth's family.

In baseball-land, the Yankees are the sport's most valuable team ($1.85 billion) and Derek Jeter is one of its richest stars. Which produces little surprise when his new Tampa home is valued at $12.3 million, nearly twice as much as any other home in the city.

Finally, one addition to the Stadium Subsidy post from Tuesday: the Cubbies are getting closer and closer to a little action too. Here's an update, free of opinion (well, my opinion at least).

Odds & Ends: Yanks Pinching Pennies, Sternberg Has Heart

Our friends at the Biz of Baseball have written how the luxury tax has succeeded (a little bit) in reining in the Yankees' league-leading payroll. From 2003-2011, the Yankees have accounted for 95% of the league's luxury tax payments, or more than $206 million. The Red Sox are second at just $18.8 million. That probably explains why Derek Jeter is only making $16 million this year.

Compounding the Yankees' terrible money problems (tongue firmly planted in cheek), the team thinks its attendance is suffering (down 3.6% this year) because StubHub has cheapened their product. But Field of Schemes debunks that theory.

Also in the Big Apple, the New York Times had a pleasant profile of Rays owner Stu Sternberg. The story paraphrases Sternberg by saying his biggest focus is on winning, not making money; and that he doesn't think the Rays are really worth $323 million.

Speaking of the Rays, they head into mid-June with the 28th-best/3rd-worst attendance average in the bigs. However, it is up a touch from last year.

Finally, a hat tip to the Sports Biz Miss, who directed me to Orlando's efforts to use tourist tax dollars to increase bowl payouts. I get what Mayor Buddy Dyer is trying to do, but it doesn't feel right to re-direct a few bucks from every Orlando hotel room night to the Big 10 or SEC. My very inside confidential sources (tongue still planted firmly in cheek) tell me both conferences are doing just fine financially.

Floridians Love Yankees More Than Rays; Steinbrenners Say They Do Too

Smacking down rumors that his family would put the Yankees up for sale now that dad has passed away, Hank Steinbrenner said Thursday that the team is most definitely not for sale. But as Ted DiBiase said, "every man has his price."

As much as Hank may love the Yankees, he also loves billions of dollars. And if a powerful group in baseball's inner circle quietly put together a $3.5-$4 billion bid for the team and its properties, you'd better believe Hank would listen. And if that were to happen, as I've been saying for years, you can bet Stu Sternberg's name would at least be mentioned in the conversation.

Meanwhile, as well as the Rays may play, they aren't nearly as popular as the Yankees...even in Florida. More proof that building a real fan base takes time.

New Venture for "Baseball in Orlando Guy"

Armando Gutierrez may be moving on from his efforts to land minor-league baseball in Orlando. The Orlando Sentinel reports:

Businessman Armando Gutierrez Jr. is back, and he’s creating a federal political fundraising operation with Republican consultant Slater Bayliss called Maverick PAC Florida.

The effort is aimed at young-ish “Next Generation” Republicans, under the age of 45. Hopefully they can still write big checks, no?

MAVPAC Florida doesn't reference what's going on with "Baseball in Orlando," but conservative supporters of the committee had better hope it goes better than his bid for baseball and his bid for Congress.

Tampa Yankees Won't Move to Orlando

It seemed like a foregone conclusion (I wrote about it in this space a year ago), but the far-fetched plan to move the Tampa Yankees to Orlando appears dead.

Armando Gutierrez, the 29-year-old businessman who has held multiple press conferences promising Central Florida the moon (it started with a pledge to bring MLB to the area), has struck out. Time to roll back up the proverbial "mission accomplished" banner.



Despite an online campaign to urge Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs to support a land giveaway, "Baseball in Orlando" was rebuffed Wednesday as Jacobs terminated their quest for land next to the Orange Co. Convention Center. The mayor cited the group's inflated attendance projections and discounted rent offer.

You can read more about Gutierrez' struggles to bring the Yankees to Orlando here, but we probably still haven't heard the last from him. He's proven very stubborn in his attempts so far.

"Baseball in Orlando" Still Not Getting Anywhere Fast

Two months ago, we said "Promises of 'Baseball in Orlando' Empty So Far." Two months later, little has changed.

Despite the support of John Morgan of Morgan & Morgan fame, a 5,000-seat "Yankeetown" complex on I-Drive for the Yankees' Single-A team (now in Tampa) seems to be creating more baseball critics than baseball fans.

Heck, the brainchild of young rich guy Armando Gutierrez may not even be legal.

But don't sell supporters like Morgan short yet...he did, after all, help a major network buckle after reminding us, "you can't Tivo Tebow."

Promises of "Baseball in Orlando" Empty So Far

It's now been 16 months since former Congressional hopeful Armando Gutierrez promised to bring a Major League Baseball team to Orlando...a promise which eventually evolved into any professional baseball team.

And eight months ago, Gutierrez held a press conference implying the Tampa Yankees were ready to move to a new ballpark he was going to build in Orange County. Months went by with no progress.

Now, Gutierrez is proposing a 5,000-seat stadium next to the Orange County Convention Center (and away from Downtown Orlando). Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas panned the proposal in no uncertain terms:

Former Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry once called us the "low-forehead, nose-picking yahoos of Orlando."

That impression must still exist, because a developer from South Florida is making us an offer that only low-forehead, nose-picking yahoos would accept.

...

But this is his offer: If we give him a 65-year lease, he will give us 75 cents for each ticket sold. According to the proposal, we will keep getting 75 cents for the next 65 years, no matter how much the tickets go up in price.

The economic-impact study calculates ticket sales will bring in $183,750 a year, based on selling 3,500 tickets for each of the 70 games.

I wonder how many shots of tequila it took to get those numbers.

Of course, when the Orlando Rays (AA) existed, their attendance numbers were nowhere near 3,500 per game.

Right now, in a city similar to Orlando, the Tampa Yankees are right at the league average with 1,634 fans per game. The highest-drawing team in the league is Charlotte with 2,621 fans per game.

Gutierrez says convention-goers in Orlando would help fill the stands. But as Thomas suggested, that idea is drunk on something. I know if I flew in from Scranton, Pa. for the National Paper and Printer Convention, I wouldn't go watch minor-league baseball when I could do it at home.

Thomas continues:

No private landowners on I-Drive would do this deal or anything close to it. That's why Gutierrez isn't bringing it to them.

The odds of finding low-forehead, nose-picking yahoos are much better in government.

Only a yahoo would tie up such a valuable piece of land for 65 years based on phantom revenues. Do you know what that property would be worth if you could put a casino on it? And don't think that day isn't coming.

Gutierrez is using social media to urge fans to write their county commissioners in support of the proposal. And, as Thomas concludes, some good ole'-fashioned political strategies too:

Apparently, former Mayor Rich Crotty blew off the deal, but now Gutierrez is back with current Mayor Teresa Jacobs' campaign manager as his lobbyist.

Talk about inside baseball.

As I pressed him with questions, Gutierrez got flustered.

"It's obvious you're not a baseball fan," he said. "If you were a baseball fan, then you'd understand the honor that it is to have the Yankees in your backyard."

Forbes: Rays' Value Up to $331M

The Rays may not be turning much of a net profit (although, they may be and we wouldn't know it), but the estimated sale price of the team keeps soaring.

According to the annual Forbes' valuations of MLB franchises, Tampa Bay is up to $331 million, a five percent gain from 2010's figure of $316 million. That's almost double the $176 million it was worth in 2005 when Stu Sternberg assumed majority control of the club.

For those of you counting at home, the Yankees remain the most valuable MLB club ($1.7 billion), worth almost double the next-most valuable club, the Red Sox ($912 million).

The Biz of Baseball has more here, as well as historical values here.

Hank Steinbrenner Calls Out Jeter Mansion

Continuing in his father's footsteps of criticizing his team, Hank Steinbrenner suggested Monday that some of the Yankees players "celebrated too much last year" and they were "too busy building mansions and doing other things and not concentrating on winning."

Although he denied the slight was aimed at Derek Jeter, the team captain dominated headlines in both New York and Tampa when he built his 30,000-square-foot home on Davis Islands (with fence).

Baseball-to-Orlando Efforts Stalled

With their attempt to lure Major League Baseball to Orlando going nowhere, it seemed the folks with "Bases Loaded Orlando" were planning to hang a"Mission Accomplished" banner atop an acquisition of the Tampa Yankees of the Florida State League (high-A). They promised to build a new stadium in Orange County on their own dime - a deal described as "a bad one" by league insiders - but a possibility for young investors with disposable income.

However, it seems Armando Gutierrez and co. are learning it's a lot harder to land a minor league baseball team than they thought.

Wednesday morning in Apopka, Fla., at a press conference where Gutierrez had promised "a big announcement" and "once in a lifetime experience" that "is usually not even done outside of New York," all the investors had to show for months of work was a Yankees-sponsored youth baseball clinic.

The Orlando Sentinel writes that "their initial (stadium) proposal struck out with former Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty, and negotiations have fallen to newly elected mayor Teresa Jacobs...Jacobs and Gutierrez have not spoken since she was on the campaign trail."

Gutierrez says there's more coming from his group, which I can attest from conversations with him, is a very determined one.

Rays Playoffs: To Shower or Not To Shower (in Champagne)

Is it just me or does a locker-room champagne-fest to celebrate a playoff berth seem a little silly when the fate of the pennant is still very much in limbo?

The Rays lead the defending World Series champs by half a game in the A.L. East, but can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Baltimore tonight. The team is preparing for another champagne-soaked celebration like the kind the team enjoyed after clinching a playoff berth, then the division, then the ALDS, then the ALCS in 2008.

But as thrilling as it was for players, fans, and even us reporters - it seemed a tiny bit repetitive after the fourth time. Some people in my newsroom wondered out-loud if the ALCS celebration wasn't as special since the team had already celebrated in the exact same way so many times. A World Series title would have meant a fifth champagne shower.

I don't have any strong feelings on this, but I'm curious what fans think. Should the Rays celebrate clinching at least 2nd place? Should they celebrate with champagne if they clinch via a Red Sox loss instead of a Rays win? Will the second-place Yankees celebrate with champagne when they clinch a playoff spot or will they be focused on first?

Just some food for thought...

A Few Can't-Miss Links

I'm on the road this week, so passing along some can't-miss links from the sports vs. news world:

Didn't need to tell Rays or Red Sox fans this, but apparently, criminals like to wear Yankees hats. In the words of Rays fan and 10 News Producer Matt Sinn after Derek Jeter's phantom hit-by-pitch Wednesday night, "cheaters and steroid users wear them." ZING!

And an aspiring Ph.D. candidate in New York penned a paper that indicates crowded stadiums help a team score more, and thus win more. I don't think I believe it, but the author said a 48 percent increase in attendance means an extra run per game for the home team. So an entire season of sellouts would have helped the Rays win an extra four games. Discuss amongst yourselves.

And I've said before the Bucs wouldn't have attendance problems if their fans cared as much as fans of Manchester United, the Glazer family's other team. Here's a view of the Bucs situation from across the pond (hint: it's pessimistic).

Bucs Blackout Confirmed; Other Thursday Tidbits

Just got a press release from the Bucs regarding their first regular season blackout of the season:

In accordance with NFL guidelines, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers home game against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, September 12, will not be televised in a 75-mile radius of the Tampa metropolitan area. NFL rules require host teams to declare their sellout status no later than 72 hours prior to kickoff, at which time the public is notified that a television blackout will occur if remaining tickets have not been sold.

This will be the third blackout of the season if you include the team's two preseason games, but indications are its next game - at home against Pittsburgh on Sept. 25 - is selling better.

In other news, Tim Tebow's first 24 hours on Twitter netted more than 22 thousand new followers. For those of you who don't tweet, that's an astonishing amount (especially for a third-string QB). It's also an astonishing amount of marketing value.

And since George Steinbrenner's passing, Derek Jeter remains the most influencial member of the Yankees residing in Tampa. Now, it seems he's ready to move full-time. His NYC bachelor pad is on the market for a whopping $20 million. That should help pay for the Great Wall of Jeter going up on Tampa's Davis Islands.

Tampa Yankees to Orlando? The Story with Endless Punchlines

I'm kind of hoping Orlando businessman Armando Gutierrez, who promised to bring MLB to Orlando, hangs a giant "Mission Accomplished" banner today when he holds a press conference announcing negotiations with the Yankees to buy half their Florida State League (FSL) team.



The Yankees say the deal isn't done; Gutierrez says it basically is. Regardless, one baseball insider told me any deal that convinces the Yankees to move their FSL team out of Tampa will be a bad one for the investors.

FSL teams traditionally play in spring training parks because their sparse crowds don't warrant stadiums of their own. Simply put, FSL baseball is amazing baseball that nobody watches because Florida's summer weather is just miserable.

The same insider said the $25 million Gutierrez promises for a new stadium "won't go very far," but "good luck."

Gutierrez quit his bid for Congress earlier this year (which was failing because of his "carpetbagger" reputation) to focus on bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando. Then he realized he was in over his head and focused on bringing ANY baseball to Orlando. But he's once again showing he's just a rookie in Central Florida:

"Until (Major League Baseball's) ready to send us a franchise," Gutierrez told the Tampa Tribune, "minor league will satisfy the sports fans."

Think Gutierrez knew Orlando had minor league baseball for more than 30 years before the Rays pulled their Double-A affiliate out after the 2003 season (poor attendance)? Or that the area has had the Gulf Coast Braves (which nobody watches) for a number of years?

I wish Gutierrez the best of luck in negotiating with the Yankees, but he may want to give Scott Boras a call. It's the only way he might make out in the deal.

Baseball-to-Orlando Guy's Back; Settles for Consolation Prize?

After getting laughed at publicly by several MLB teams for suggesting he might be able to lure the Brewers or Rays to Orlando, one-time politician Armando Gutierrez is back. Although it seems he has given up on his MLB-to-Orlando crusade and is willing to settle for ANY baseball team there.

WFTV in Orlando first reported that Gutierrez and Orange County were ready to make a major announcement regarding a relocation of the Tampa Yankees, the high-A affiliate of the big club.

The Yankees say things are very preliminary and a new stadium would be required, but Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty told WFTV that he could see building a $15 to $25 million stadium for the team. One baseball insider told me, "$25 million would be a pretty small stadium in Orlando."

WFTV also went a little too far by asking:

Another big question is, if the minor league team moves to Orange County, will the New York Yankees come to Orlando for spring training?

Not only did the Yankees scoff at that notion, but all logic (and the team's current lease with Hillsborough County) indicates that won't be happening this decade.

The big question WFTV may have missed is, "why would Gutierrez or Orange County want to bring the Tampa Yankees to Orlando?" The team is fifth in the Florida State League right now with 1,519 fans per game. While they might be able to fare better in Orlando, Gutierrez may be more satisfied with the potential Yankees fanfare than the financial windfall.

UPDATE: The Yankees released a statement that read, "Reports today that the New York Yankees are considering moving the spring training facility from Tampa are completely erroneous. The Yankees are in very preliminary discussions regarding the possibility of a partial sale of their Single-A Tampa minor league affiliate to a potential group of Orange County, Fla., investors. The investors will make an announcement tomorrow."

Steinbrenner Biographer Identifies Boss' Quirks

There was no way to avoid the George Steinbrenner news on TV today, but all-in-all, some very good television produced by all the networks here in Tampa Bay.

For all the controversy The Boss created at the MLB level, he did nothing but good for the Tampa Bay community. He donated millions of millions of dollars to dozens and dozens of causes.

“In Tampa, there wasn't a more influential person - in the entire city - than George Steinbrenner,” biographer Peter Golenbock told me today. “Anytime anyone wanted something done, the first thing somebody would say is, 'Go see George.' "

You can read more of our story with the author of "George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire" here.

Golenbock doesn't present the most flattering look at Steinbrenner's personality, but he does reveal a number of the character quirks that explain some of his most notable outbursts.

"He was a perfectionist and he wanted the people working for him to be a perfectionists,” he said of Steinbrenner’s hands-on ownership approach.

As for The Boss' disregard for limiting payroll, Golenbock said "he was a monopolist...playing fair was not part of his makeup. He really wanted to crush everybody else."

I also got the chance to discuss Steinbrenner's role in the stadium debates. He pushed for (and got) a brand-new spring training home in Tampa, then last year's new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

"If the original Yankee Stadium was the 'House that Ruth Built,'" said Golenbock, "the new Yankee Stadium is the 'House that George Built.'"

Pitchman Wants "Great Wall of Jeter" Too

He wanted a six-foot privacy wall like his Davis Islands neighbor, Derek Jeter, so badly, Anthony Sullivan copied his request for a code variance word-for-word. Unfortunately for Billy Mays' former partner on the TV show "Pitchmen," the city's Variance Review Board may not see him in the same light.

For more, continue reading here.

Derek Jeter can go ahead with plans to build a six-foot concrete and wrought-iron wall around his Davis Islands mansion after a City of Tampa board unanimously voted (7-0) to provide him an exception to city code, which limits solid structures to just three feet.

The home has drawn the ire of his future neighbors, many of whom spoke out against the exemption request.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111361

Yankees Star Wants to Build "Great Wall of Jeter"

Derek Jeter's attempt to build an outfield-sized wall around his new 30,000-plus-sq. ft. Davis Islands home has, well, run into a bit of a wall.

The Yankees star is looking for an exception to the city's three-foot-tall limit on solid walls, citing privacy and security issues at the waterfront mansion. His request for a six-foot-tall concrete and wrought-iron fence will go before Tampa's Variance Review Board on Tuesday, August 11.

For more, continue here: http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=111092