We've written before about the deplorable public financing of stadium projects, and so we're excited to see the Miami Marlins' gleaming boondoggle face the SEC's federal scrutiny. Investigators have subpoenaed Marlins financial records and communications between Bud Selig and owner Jeffrey Loria, among many documents.…
Aw hell. Just when it seemed like we were about to enjoy a brief drama-free existence in the internet universe, along comes this report from the New York Daily News that Major League Baseball has asked a judge to "help plug its leaks." You know, these leaks.
The outrage over the Marlins and all that money they pretended not to be making continues unabated. Meanwhile, it has occurred to Dan Le Batard that a businessman might be both good at his job and an unscrupulous shit.
Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, citing those Marlins' financial statements that show what the city probably should've known already, now would prefer not to spend $100 million of the public's money on a boondoggly parking garage for the team's boondoggly new stadium.
Just got off the phone with Pat Courtney, MLB's senior vice president of public relations, to find out if there's any progress in their search for the devilish individual who provided us with all those documents. It was a short conversation.
Everyone is yelling at the Marlins; the A's might be collateral damage; and Chief Inspector Bud Selig is on the case. A look at the aftermath to our MLB Confidential series.
By popular demand, here are those MLB documents as PDF files: Pittsburgh Pirates; Pirates again; Florida Marlins; Tampa Bay Rays; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; and Seattle Mariners. The Rangers' Excel files can be downloaded here and here. Enjoy.
Our final document — at least for now — belongs to the Texas Rangers. Out of all the financial statements we've seen, it offers maybe the fullest picture of owning a team.
No, it won't require nearly as much whipped cream as Josh Hamilton's festive night, but it will be fascinating to those of you who enjoy armchair accounting and watching us be nuisances.
For detailed analysis of what the exposed MLB finances mean, keep it tuned to Maury Brown at Biz of Baseball. Spoiler alert: the rich get richer. [Biz of Baseball]
You've seen the first round of financial statements. Now take a look inside the Mariners' books.
We've obtained financial statements for a number of baseball teams — containing perhaps some of the most closely guarded information in sports — and they offer a rare glimpse at how MLB franchises do brisk business in the modern era.
