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darkcloud4579 · 02-08-2004, 02:59 PM

HARTFORD - MLB plans a press conference tomorrow to announce the awarding of one of the two AL expansion franchises to Hartford, CT. Ground has already been broken for a previously planned Land O' Lakes Field aimed at a minor league franchise in the Atlantic League, but with the decision to move Major League Baseball to the city, the club has decided to halt plans to play in the city.

The team has yet to be named, but will be owned jointly by ESPN subsidary Out of the Park Entertainment. The team will be the first owned by the network, but officials scoff at the notion that there will be biased or preferential coverage.

"When our parent company owned the Angels, we did not play favorites. So, even though we might get better seats to games at Land O' Lakes Field, I doubt it will represent some great travesty in our coverage, said longtime sportscaster Bob Ley.

The second AL franchise was awarded to DCE CEO Dark Cloud and his ownership group, but it not yet known where the team will play in the 2005 season.

02-08-2004, 02:59 PM	#10
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 8,659	ESPN: HARTFORD TO GET FRANCHISE HARTFORD - MLB plans a press conference tomorrow to announce the awarding of one of the two AL expansion franchises to Hartford, CT. Ground has already been broken for a previously planned Land O' Lakes Field aimed at a minor league franchise in the Atlantic League, but with the decision to move Major League Baseball to the city, the club has decided to halt plans to play in the city. The team has yet to be named, but will be owned jointly by ESPN subsidary Out of the Park Entertainment. The team will be the first owned by the network, but officials scoff at the notion that there will be biased or preferential coverage. "When our parent company owned the Angels, we did not play favorites. So, even though we might get better seats to games at Land O' Lakes Field, I doubt it will represent some great travesty in our coverage, said longtime sportscaster Bob Ley. The second AL franchise was awarded to DCE CEO Dark Cloud and his ownership group, but it not yet known where the team will play in the 2005 season.