Latest news with #StuSternberg
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
The knuckleball's return? Plus: Sorry for the jinx, Aaron Judge
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. How much does a 'small market' team go for these days? We're about to find out. Plus: New hope for knuckleballers in the Tigers system, a reminder on something catchers can't do, and Ken (… sigh …) Ken jinxed Aaron Judge, you guys. I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to the Windup! Yesterday was a big day for buying sports teams. First, the Rays announced that ownership was in 'exclusive negotiations' with a group headed by Jacksonville-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski, likely signaling the end of a somewhat tumultuous last year for current owner Stu Sternberg. Last summer, things were looking up, with the team and the city of St. Petersburg in agreement on a $1.3 billion stadium deal. But that was before Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field, forcing the team to temporarily move to George Steinbrenner Field — the Yankees' spring training facility — for 2025. Advertisement It also set back the funding process; the city was, understandably, preoccupied with more urgent matters. But the Rays contended that the delays would increase the cost (since the timeline would be shorter) and the city should pay for the overage. No go. Ultimately, the Rays scuttled the agreement, city officials called for Sternberg to sell, and other owners and commissioner Rob Manfred also pressured him to sell. By then, it was not exactly a surprise. The reported value of the team is $1.7 billion. Meanwhile … if you think Dodgers owner Mark Walter has spent a ton on free agency recently, get a load of this: He just went out and got LeBron James and Luka Dončić, too. Well, sorta. He has agreed in principle to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers for somewhere between $10 billion and $12 billion. Either would be a global record for a sports franchise. And lastly: BIG NEWS! John Fisher is selling the team!! … The soccer team. Not the A's. Nuts. Two Saturdays ago, while covering Red Sox-Yankees for Fox, I learned something interesting about Aaron Judge's offensive approach. Nothing earth-shattering, nothing that would earn me my long-awaited Pulitzer, but a decent angle I felt was worth pursuing. I couldn't talk to Judge that day, but I did some other interviews for the story during the week. We had Red Sox-Yankees again last Saturday, so I knew I would get another crack at Judge. I was on a mission. And I spoke with him before the game, completing my reporting. What could go wrong? At the time, Judge was the hottest hitter on the planet, batting .390 with 26 home runs. Any angle on him was a good angle, right? I wrote the story Sunday and planned to publish it Monday, excited to get it out there. Faithful readers will notice the story still has not appeared. Advertisement After the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox last weekend, we decided to hold off, thinking the timing was not appropriate. If we had published, our readers would have lit me up in the comments, saying, 'Not now, idiot!' and other such niceties. Mind you, I'm quite accustomed to readers lighting me up in the comments. But publishing the Judge story after the Yankees were swept would have been the journalistic equivalent of robbing a grocery store with two dozen cops standing outside. We figured we'd delay the story a day or two, then publish as soon as Judge got hot again. Well, we've waited. And waited. And waited some more. And now, I'm starting to wonder whether this sucker will ever see the light of day. Since I interviewed Judge, the day after he hit a dramatic, game-tying shot off Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, he is 1-for-19 with 11 strikeouts. His batting average has dropped from .390 to .366. And the Yankees have lost six straight games, getting swept by the Red Sox and dropping the first three games of four against the Los Angeles Angels. Their lead in the AL East is down to 1 1/2 games. I know what you're thinking: I jinxed Judge. Fair analysis. I also jinxed the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers, whom I predicted would meet in the World Series. Both will be lucky to make the playoffs. Jinxing, I guess, is what I do. But enough about my victims. What about me? I've got 1,700 glorious words waiting to be filed. What you eventually will read, if Judge ever snaps out of it, will be a different version. Revisions will be necessary. Words like 'historic' and 'Superman' and 'godlike' will need to be deleted. At this point, I'm just hoping the story appears before the All-Star break. Or before the decade is over. All you Yankee fans in a tizzy over the team's slump, I feel your pain. Maybe it's just me — after all, I once suggested a 621-foot 'crevasse' for a stadium — but I adore the weird and esoteric parts of this great sport. So of course I love the knuckleball. The pitch is — pardon a reference I'm not proud of — too weird to live, too rare to die. Except, in recent years, it has seemed rather dead. Adrian Morejon throws one once in a while. Matt Waldron threw it regularly last year, but he's back in the minors. The last knuckleballer to stick around? R.A. Dickey, who last pitched in 2017. Advertisement I know the game has changed, but c'mon — Dickey won 20 games and a Cy Young award in 2012. Charlie Hough, Tim Wakefield, Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm pitched an average of 22.5 seasons throwing it. Surely baseball hasn't completely tossed it aside, right? Take heart. Cody Stavenhagen has a great story today about Kenny Serwa, a 27-year-old who was recently called up to Double A in the Tigers organization. Serwa throws two versions of the pitch: one is slower. The other? It's the hardest knuckleball in Statcast history, at 88.5 mph. Throw in a sinker, cutter, curveball and mid-90s fastball, and … I'm intrigued. Stavenhagen does a brilliant job not only of telling Serwa's story, but also explaining why the pitch has fallen out of favor in big-league front offices. It's for the same reason it can be such an effective weapon: It's unpredictable. Citing physics professors, former big-leaguers and the folks at Tread Athletics, Stavenhagen fills us in on the kid who was playing indie ball and delivering pizzas in Chicago last year. Here's hoping he makes it. The baseball world is a little weirder when there's a successful knuckleballer hanging around. I see this same play crop up once in a while online, and the comments are always similar: 'I didn't know you couldn't do that!' 'First time I've ever seen that' or 'What a stupid rule.' I have no opinion on the stupidity of the rule, but it is a rule! Here, watch this GIF and see if you can tell what Luis Torrens does wrong: The Braves take a 2-0 lead when Luis Torrens uses his mask to scoop the baseball and the runners on 2nd and 3rd are both awarded a base [image or embed] — Baseball GIFs (@ June 18, 2025 at 4:42 PM That's right: Torrens attempted to corral the ball with his mask. You can't do that. He knew it, too — if you watch again, you can see him attempt to drop the mask quickly, hoping the umpire missed the infraction. Home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez was on it, though. And unfortunately for the Mets, there were runners on second and third when it happened. Each was awarded one base, increasing the Braves' lead to 2-0. Advertisement It was but the latest Mets catching scenario to give fans a bit of agita. Francisco Alvarez made some miscues the night before, and his power has been nonexistent this year. The Mets say they're not yet inclined to send him to the minor leagues to sort it out, though — as Tim Britton reports — that's … yet. And of course, it's all magnified by the fact that last night's 5-0 loss gives the Mets a five-game losing streak. NL East lead down to one game. Thought we were done with the All-Quarter Century Team? Not quite! Jayson Stark and Tyler Kepner — along with help from fan voting — have now assembled a full 40-man roster. The Dodgers are expected to announce plans to assist the immigrant community in Los Angeles. This comes on the heels of some controversy earlier this week, when singer Nezza said a team official told her not to sing the national anthem in Spanish. After comments over the weekend about how the Nats' losing streak — now 11 games — is 'never on the coaches' … is manager Davey Martinez on the hot seat? Pete Crow-Armstrong's great season with the bat might be overshadowing it, but his defense has been special this year in Chicago. Tragedy in Florida: Orioles minor leaguer Luis Guevara was killed in a jet ski accident. Keith Law has his list of the biggest draft misses from 2015, and Melissa Lockard has notes from this year's MLB Draft Combine. After a stunning three-run, two-out ninth-inning rally to walk off Arkansas, LSU is advancing to the College World Series final. They'll face Coastal Carolina. On the pods: The 'Rates & Barrels' crew talks about Cal Raleigh's MVP case and the importance of good communication. Programming note: No newsletter tomorrow — we're taking today off from writing in observance of Juneteenth. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Rays' owner discussing sale of team to Florida developer
June 18 - Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg is in talks to sell the franchise to a group led by a Florida-based residential developer. Patrick Zalupski, a home builder in Jacksonville, was identified as the potential lead buyer in a deal that values the team at about $1.7 billion, according to a report Wednesday by Sportico. He already has executed a letter of intent to purchase the team, per the report. Sternberg bought the Rays in 2004 for $200 million. The Rays issued a statement responding to the report, confirming that the team has "recently commenced exclusive discussions with a group led by Patrick Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, Ken Babby and prominent Tampa Bay investors concerning a possible sale of the team." According to the Rays' statement, neither side will have further comment during the discussions. According to Zalupski's online bio, he is the founder, president and CEO of Dream Finders Homes. The company was founded in December 2008 and closed on 27 homes in Jacksonville the following year. Now, with an expanded footprint to many parts of the United States, Dream Finders has closed on more than 31,100 homes since its founding. He also is a member of the board of trustees at the University of Florida. A year ago, Sternberg had a deal in place to build a new stadium in the Historic Gas Plant District, a reimagined recreational, retail and residential district in St. Petersburg to replace Tropicana Field. However, after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof of the stadium last October, forcing the Rays into temporary quarters, Sternberg's commitment has been less than resolute, saying the team would have to bear excess costs that were not in the budget. In March, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and some other owners began to privately push Sternberg to sell the franchise, The Athletic reported. It is unclear what Zalupski's group, if it ultimately goes through with the purchase and is approved by MLB owners, would do for a permanent stadium. The Rays currently are playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, located at the site of the New York Yankees' spring training facility and home of their Single-A Tampa Tarpons. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rays in talks to sell team to Florida home developer in deal valued at $1.7 billion
The Tampa Bay Rays are in "advanced talks" to sell the team to a group led by Florida home developer Patrick Zalupski, according to Sportico. The Rays confirmed the team engaged in "exclusive discussions" with a group led by Zalupski, but said it would not provide further comment about those talks. The team is reportedly valued at roughly $1.7 billion in the deal, per Sportico. Zalupski has reportedly signed a letter of intent to purchase the franchise. That does not guarantee the sale will happen, however, according to Sportico. Advertisement In March, a report emerged suggesting Rays owner Stu Sternberg was being pressured by the league and some of its owners to sell the franchise. Sternberg, who originally purchased the team for $200 million in 2004, has been seeking a new stadium for the Rays for over a decade. While it appeared the team had finally reached an agreement to build a new stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Rays backed out of that deal in March. Zalupski is the CEO of Dream Finders Homes, a company that builds and designs homes. His net worth is valued at $1.4 billion, per Forbes. In March, Forbes valued the Rays at $1.2 billion in the website's annual "Most Valuable Teams" rankings. That figure ranked the Rays 29th out of 30 MLB teams, with the Miami Marlins sitting in the final spot on that list.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Tampa Bay Rays In Exclusive Talks To Sell Club To Group Led By Florida Home Builder
The Tampa Bay Ray are in exclusive talks to sell the team. (Photo by Carlee Calfee/MLB Photos via ... More Getty Images) The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that they are in advanced talks to sell to a group led by Patrick Zalupski, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Dream Finders Homes, a Florida-based homebuilder. The Rays released a statement saying, 'The team has recently commenced exclusive discussions with a group led by Zalupski, Bill Cosgrove, Ken Babby, and prominent Tampa Bay investors concerning a possible sale of the team.' Sportico reported that the deal has a team value of $1.7 billion. The most recent Forbes valuation ranks the Rays 29th out of 30 with a value of $1.25 billion. Forbes shows Zalupski's real-time net worth as $1.4 billion. Stu Sternberg purchased the Rays for $200 million ($340,354,685 inflation-adjusted) in 2004. A potential sale has been somewhat expected. The Rays have struggled to build a new ballpark to replace Tropicana Field, and that issue was compounded when Hurricane Milton shredded the roof off The Trop. The Rays have been playing at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' Spring Training home, while awaiting repairs to be made. While the St. Petersburg City Council voted 7-1 to approve $22.5 million for repairs, the Rays announced in March that they were backing out of a deal with the city and Pinellas County for a new $1.3 billion ballpark, citing increased costs. That raised the ire of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and several owners, given that a new ballpark for the Rays is the last impediment to league expansion. The Athletic reported in March that Sternberg was being pressured to sell the club. Should the sale transpire, new ownership would face the new ballpark issue front and center. While the price tag was $1.3 billion, it's unclear whether changes to the economy, with the additions to tariffs and inflation, would increase the price tag, and whether Zalupski and his partners would be able to engage with the City of St. Petersburg to get a ballpark built near where Tropicana Field sits. Under Sternberg, the Rays had committed to contributing $700 million to the new ballpark.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Report: Rays' owner in 'advanced talks' to sell team to Florida developer
June 18 - Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg is in "advanced talks" to sell the franchise to a group led by a Florida-based residential developer, Sportico reported Wednesday. Patrick Zalupski, a home builder in Jacksonville, has been identified as the potential lead buyer in a deal that values the team at about $1.7 billion. He already has executed a letter of intent to purchase the team, per Sportico. Sternberg bought the Rays in 2004 for $200 million. According to Zalupski's online bio, he is the founder, president and CEO of Dream Finders Homes. The company was founded in December 2008 and closed on 27 homes in Jacksonville the following year. Now, with an expanded footprint to many parts of the United States, Dream Finders has closed on more than 31,100 homes since its founding. He also is a member of the board of trustees at the University of Florida. A year ago, Sternberg had a deal in place to build a new stadium in the Historic Gas Plant District, a reimagined recreational, retail and residential district in St. Petersburg to replace Tropicana Field. However, after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof of the stadium last October, forcing the Rays into temporary quarters, Sternberg's commitment has been less than resolute, saying the team would have to bear excess costs that were not in the budget. In March, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and some other owners began to privately push Sternberg to sell the franchise, The Athletic reported. It is unclear what Zalupski's group, if it ultimately goes through with the purchase and is approved by MLB owners, would do for a permanent stadium. The Rays currently are playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, located at the site of the New York Yankees' spring training facility and home of their Single-A Tampa Tarpons. --Field Level Media
