Los Angeles Dodgers

Steinbrenners selling the Yankees? Family denies New York Daily News report

The Steinbrenner family says it is not interested in selling the New York Yankees and dividing up the huge pinstriped pie that patriarch George left behind with his death in July 2010.

But a rather thin article in Thursday's editions of the New York Daily News claims otherwise, speculating that the family must have dollar signs in its eyes after Frank McCourt brought home a huge windfall with the $2 billion-plus sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers to Magic Johnson and Co. earlier this year.

From the New York Daily News:

Multiple baseball and finance sources told the Daily News they are hearing that the team the Steinbrenner family has led to seven World Series titles could be put on the block in the wake of the record sale price of $2.175 billion the Los Angeles Dodgers went for in April.

"There has been chatter all around the banking and financial industries in the city for a couple of weeks now," one high-level baseball source told The News.

"Chatter" can be defined many ways, of course. It's the type of word you use when you've got nothing but outside speculation and want to group it together into an article that will let you win the New York tabloid war for the day. It's also the sort of thing you're able to hear almost  anywhere in one of the richest cities in the world. Show me a banker who's not talking about an enormous potential profit — no matter who's taking it — and I'll show you a bad banker.

Yankees team president Randy Levine is quoted in the NYDN article as saying there is "absolutely, positively nothing to" the speculation. Meanwhile, Hal Steinbrenner read the article on Thursday morning and then sent a few national reporters, including Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the following message:

"I just read the Daily News story. It is complete fiction. Me and my family have no intention to sell the Yankees and expect it to be in the family for years to come."

If the Steinbrenners were to sell the team, they'd be taking an enormous profit. Ol' man George bought the team from CBS in 1973 for $10 million. The network took a $3 million loss on that deal, but the Steinbrenners could potentially make $3 billion in a sale of the team. That's an unthinkable return on investment.

But while the paper tries to make a case that the time is ripe for the Steinbrenners to sell the team, I believe the family when it says they're not posting a for sale sign. For one, they had the benefit of escaping that hefty estate tax when they inherited the team in 2010. You really think they're going to voluntarily take a huge tax hit just two years later?

For another, it doesn't matter if Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera's time with the team is approaching an end. It's the team's TV deal, ballpark and brand that gives the franchise its worth and it's hard to see it becoming less valuable over time.

Look, there's no doubt the Steinbrenners are becoming more fiscally conservative under the sons — at least relative to their win-at-all-costs father. They're looking to get out from under the luxury tax and to get a taste of that huge revenue sharing pile that baseball is bringing in each year. That's only going to get easier as some of the big stars head off into retirement.

Also, while it would appear that neither Hal nor Hank get the same kind of ego boost from owning the team that their father did, I think they still like the identity that owning the Yankees gives the family name and recognize that it all goes away if they sell the team to somebody else. They're not going to destroy their father's legacy, especially when he's been gone for less than two years.

Considering all of that, I'm going to throw some "chatter" of my own out there: The Yankees aren't going to be owned by anyone else, anytime soon.

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The Juice: Bryce Harper’s triple against Halladay keys Nats win, Dodgers roar back

The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.

Three years in the making: Bryce Harper hit his third triple of the season already, and he drove in two runs against Roy Halladay to lead the Washington Nationals to a 5-2 victory at Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The 19-year-old said in Mark Zuckerman's Nats Insider — in a post titled "Broad Street Beatdown" — that he's actually been scouting Halladay for three years and he couldn't wait to exploit a perceived weakness. Harper's two-run triple put the Nats ahead in the third inning and keyed their sixth straight victory at Citizens Bank Park.

"I've been watching him for about three years," Harper said. "He throws a first-pitch curveball to so many people, and they just let it get over the plate. So I was just really trying to get something up in that situation and get something going. We had two guys on, and you had to get them in."

Halladay, who came in with a dominating record against Washington, reflected on what's going wrong in Philly, which has lost four straight and is 21-23 overall.

Dodger time: The injury riddled Los Angeles Dodgers improved to 30-13 by picking up an unlikely 8-7 victory at Arizona. Ivan DeJesus muscled-up for a two-out, two-run, go-ahead double in the ninth against closer J.J. Putz, and shortstop Dee Gordon hung in there on defense to help turn an acrobatic game-ending double play with runners at the corners in the bottom of the ninth. Arizona squandered a five-run lead in the seventh, and is 11 1/2 games out of first place. The Dodgers are 7-2 without Matt Kemp in the lineup.

Waino bueno once again: Adam Wainwright tossed his first shutout since August 2010, a 4-0 victory against San Diego, which gave the St. Louis Cardinals' top starter a big sense of relief. Wainwright said he told teammate Jake Westbrook this might be the best feeling he's ever had pitching — which is saying something given Wainwright's accomplishments. Waino missed the 2011 season because of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery:

''All of the emotion came from just knowing it's been over a year since I've done that,'' Wainwright said. ''Mentally, I was so much better.''

* * *

You really like me!: Closer Chris Perez apparently made up with Cleveland Indians fans, who cheered him like crazy before and after he picked up the save in a 5-3 victory against the Tigers. Perez has made a couple of rants recently about the lack of fan support at the Indians ballpark, and has wondered why the overall mood in Cleveland isn't better, given that his team's in first place. He's even willing to give away tickets to games to boost attendance. Fans have responded (mostly) kindly and Perez seemed appreciate it on Twitter:

Wow, I'm truly humbled, honored, and grateful for the reception Cleveland! Huge team win for us tonight. Let's keep it going tomorrow

* * *

Quote of the Day: ''I had chills going through my body. It's such a great feeling to see the fans on their feet like that. You know, it really means a lot to have the support of the fans behind us. It's a pretty special feeling.'' — Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz, who allowed two hits and had nine strikeouts in a 4-1 victory against the Red Sox. The O's have won six of eight and at 28-16 sit atop the AL East after finishing last in 2011. Matusz, a top pitcher before injuries came, had a 10.69 ERA and made two trips to the disabled list in '11.

* * *

Play of the Day: Get off your butt and do something!

Oh, he did. Josh Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics does what every Little League third baseman is told not to do — he cut off the shortstop in the hole — but he recovered nicely to throw out Maicer Izturis at first base. The A's made a few terrific defensive plays on the night, but they were dominated on the scoreboard by the Angels 5-0. C.J. Wilson and Ernesto Frieri combined on a one-hitter and Albert Pujols hit his fourth homer, his third deep in seven games.

* * *

Three Facts for the Water Cooler:

• Knuckleball maven R.A. Dickey struck out a career-high 11 in a 3-2 Mets victory against Pittsburgh. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle noted that he also threw only two balls in the dirt over seven innings.

• Reds closer Aroldis Chapman hit 100 mph (not in his car) three times in 18 pitches, striking out two for the save that preserved a 4-3 victory against the Braves. Brandon Phillips added two homers for Cincy.

• Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco set the Miami Marlins franchise record for career victories, improving to 69-52 to surpass Dontrelle Willis, and the Fish beat the Rockies 7-6. The Marlins are 16-5 in May, though only 22,242 fans showed in their new ballpark, the smallest attendance so far.

* * *

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