Nationals offer $1 tickets to Strasburg intro game

So the Washington Nationals just signed San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg to a record-setting contract worth $15.1 million over four years, and the team’s next financial move is to practically give away game tickets for $1 a pop.

Makes sense to me.

Actually, sarcasm aside, it really does. The Nationals rank 14th of 16 National League teams in attendance with a total of 1.38 million fans so far this year. That’s a 22 percent decline from last year’s total through 59 games.

The $1 promotion is for Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, which will be preceded by an on-field news conference with Strasburg, the team’s No. 1 overall draft pick, and a Q&A session with fans. The Nats are offering at least 2,000 tickets at the discount price, and the park will open a whopping five-plus hours before game time (1:30 p.m.)

One, let’s face it — it’s not as if the team was going to sell this game out. The seats will probably be the nosebleeds, which run about $10 at the gate, so we’re talking about taking a $9 hit on tickets that probably weren’t going to be sold anyway.

Two, that pregame news conference and the extra ballpark hours will more than make up for any loss the team may take on the discounted seats in the form of concessions sales, namely beer and souvenirs. Folks will file in early to get a good view of the conference and of Strasburg, and once you’re in the park you’re trapped. And hey, it’s Friday night — need I say more?

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Brett Favre showing Vikings the money

You didn't really believe him when Brett Favre said this summer he was going to stay retired from football, did you? Mr. "I Don't Know When To Quit" actually quitting??? Puh-lease.

So now that Favre has done the inevitable and done exactly what he said he wouldn't do, the reaction from the Minnesota Vikings community to the unretirement drama has been anything but wishy-washy Favre jerseys -- get 'em while they're hot!(or, what I like to call, Favresque).

Do Vikings fans care that the anti-quitter toyed with their heart strings all summer? Heck no. In fact, the Vikings have sold a record amount of tickets since Favre signed with the team yesterday, with fans snatching up more than 3,000 season packages and 10,000 single-game seats.

And how are jersey sales, you ask? Through the roof. According to the team's chief marketing officer, several hundred preorders for the purple #4 Favre jerseys were placed online Tuesday. The NFL has reportedly sold out of Favre Vikings jerseys but they are still available online.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. While the rest of the football world scoffs at Favre's antics and the Vikings look like the dumped girlfriend that desperately took her boyfriend back, the plain truth is he's still a draw wherever he plays and no matter what happened prior to signing on the dotted line. We in the media can sneer at how he's handled himself during the last two years and his image has certainly taken a major hit because of the drama.

But money talks louder than we do and in the end, that's what teams are looking at. You don't have to like someone's character to make money off of them. Look at the San Francisco Giants and Barry Bonds. That man was poison in the clubhouse and the team couldn't wait to boot him out the door. But that didn't stop them from profiting off of sellout nights during Bonds' chase for the home run title in 2007.

The prospects for the Vikings and the playoffs, a big financial boon to any team, at this stage is -- well less just say the prospects are Favresque. 

But signing Favre? That's money in the bank.

Mayors duke it out, fantasy football style

I admit, I like it when my world leaders know a little something about sports. And yes, I'm one of those people who looked up President Barack Obama's pick's for the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament (thanks for the UNC pick, by the way).

But I think I draw the line of "I give a darn" right before we get to fantasy sports. I personally love fantasy sports and my football season is made all that more stressful and complicated for it. But I don't think I'd want my local politician having that much time on his hands that he can put together a decent fantasy football team.

Yahoo! Sports doesn't see it that way and is trumpeting its new "mobile fantasy football" tools (an iPhone app, a BlackBerry app and a version for the mobile web) for Yahoo! Fantasy Football leagues via a mayoral showdown between 11 cities.

The competition matches mayors head-to-head each week of the fantasy football season, (Sept. 10 - Dec. 28) and the winning mayor takes home $15,000 for the local nonprofit sports program of his or her choice. And in a battle for civic pride, a second $15,000 donation will be awarded to the city with the most votes from fantasy fans.

Participating mayors and cities are: Byron Brown (Buffalo, NY), Buddy Dyer (Orlando, FL), Jim Schmitt (Green Bay, WI), Luke R. Ravenstahl (Pittsburgh, PA), Ron Dellums (Oakland, CA), Kevin Johnson (Sacramento, CA), Mark Funkhouser (Kansas City, MO), Gavin Newsom (San Francisco, CA), R.T. Rybak (Minneapolis, MN), Pam Iorio (Tampa Bay, FL), Mick Cornett (Oklahoma City, OK).

I really wonder why Yahoo! Sports cooked this up. Does anyone else out there think a more meaningful competition would have been between retired football legends from major cities? You know, people that other football fans might of actually heard of? I'm not talking about the guys we see yakking on pre- and post-game shows every Sunday but guys we don't hear from a lot like Rod Woodson, Joe Montana or Darrell Green.

Was nobody else available for this promotion? And if you're going to have a competition between a bunch of politicos many of us have not heard of, at least make it a 12-team league and eliminate the bye week. Two thumbs down all around for this campaign.

Can Maryland horse racing gain back its fan base?

Ominous skies over Laurel Park -- and Maryland racingThe first time I visited Laurel Park during racing season it was a bright Friday afternoon in April — the sky was gorgeous, the air was crisp and I was happy because I had the day off.

My mood changed when I walked with a friend into the darkened and practically barren grandstand. There was a eerieness about the place and — no offense to the older gents reading this — we were the youngest folks there by two generations. Thank goodness for the friendly betting agent at the counter who had the time to give us a brief schooling on how to bet on races, otherwise we would have walked right out.

The experience is not unusual as one attendee pointed out at the Maryland Horse Forum last week in Upper Marlboro. After she gave visitors a tour of her horse farm, she found out that none of them had been to the tracks because they didn’t know what to do once they got there. The problem is indicative of a theme that was talked about at length at the forum — what can horse racing do to become a part of younger people’s sports repertoire again?

(To read about how racing got to this state, click here for my story on the evolution of racing in Maryland.)

Indy race in Baltimore one step closer to reality

I had a chance to catch up with some of the key players today who are trying to bring an Indy Car race to Baltimore in two years. Now that Councilman William H Cole IV’s resolution in support of the race passed (in a unanimous vote), it’s time to get down to brass tacks to make this a reality.

(Cole’s resolution, by the way, does not authorize city funding — that comes later. Monday’s approval authorizes Baltimore Racing Development to promote the Baltimore Grand Prix and to negotiate with the Indy Racing League.)

BRD is wrapping up studies that look at what kind of impact the race, which is plotted to run in city streets around Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor, would have.

One will address noise and what the city would need to do for the residents in the area (which is also Cole’s district). The company, which cooked up the Baltimore race idea in the first place, is also working with the city on a traffic study that will address road closures, public transportation rerouting and cost estimates, according to BRD President Jay Davidson.

“We expect those to be finished fairly quickly,” Davidson said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Visit Baltimore is working with officials to nail down a race date. Cole said he believes Labor Day weekend is in the running because no conventions are scheduled for that weekend for the next few years.

“That way, the same weekend could be blocked for several consecutive years,” Cole said.

So it looks like we’re inching closer to the Baltimore Grand Prix...

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We're banned from the office!

A new milestone for Farmer's Field today -- I was informed by The Husband this afternoon that his office Sad news for those who like to procrastinate at work...computers that are rigged to block fun sites (Facebook, sports sites, Ebay, etc.) have officially disallowed access to my Web site. And no it wasn't a fluke because he got his colleagues (shout out to URS Corp. in Gaithersburg, Md.) who read my site to check too and they were also blocked.

I have to say, while I'm sad this could affect my daily traffic count, this is strangely satisfying. Joining the likes of ESPN.com, CBSsportsline.com and YahooSports.com, Farmer's Field has been deemed as too fun for work one month into its existence.

Now if only I could get fellow University of Maryland alum Scott Van Pelt to be a guest blogger, we'd really be going somewhere. Maybe in another month. I can be patient.

Manny Ramirez is no black sheep in L.A.

What's worse? A baseball player with a negative locker room attitude who's failed drug test landed him a 50-game suspension or the fan base that embraces him anyway?

Since we're talking about Los Angeles Dodgers fans here, I'm going to go with the latter (if you're confused, see my biofor the reason why I'll pick on the Dodgers at the drop of a hat). Back by popular demand, the Dodgers are adding another Manny Ramirez bobblehead giveaway for the first 50,000 fans in attendance on Sept. 16.

"The fourth bobblehead of the season will feature Manny Ramirez tipping his cap to the crowd after being summoned for two curtain calls on Wednesday, July 22, when he hit a dramatic, pinch-hit, tie-breaking grand slam on his own sold-out bobblehead night," the Dodgers release says.

OK, I really do understand capatalizing on moments and catering to your fan base (even Dodgers fans). But is it disheartening to anyone that players in sports today can have a bad attitude, disregard the rules, break laws (Plaxico Burress, Michael Vick, Leonard Little, etc.) yet for the most part they are welcomed back with open arms.

No wonder sports agents like Scott Boras do so well despite the fact they're generally disliked by their colleagues. If your client's a jerk, that's OK -- as long as he bats over .300, tops 100 RBI and hits at least 40 homers.

O’Malley slams Anne Arundel County for slots inaction

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
August 6, 2009 7:33 PM

Gov. Martin O’Malley told nearly 250 people at the Maryland Horse Forum that the Anne Arundel County Council’s failure to vote on a slots facility is delaying progress in the horse industry.UPPER MARLBORO — In a speech to the Maryland horse industry Thursday, a frustrated Gov. Martin O’Malley said industry progress is being stalled by the Anne Arundel County Council.

The council has delayed a zoning vote several times that would allow a slot machine at Arundel Mills mall and is not expected to vote until the fall — after the state has awarded the first slot machine licenses elsewhere.

“The Anne Arundel County Council needs to make a decision so we can move forward,” O’Malley said, pounding the podium. “The legislature has made its decision, the voters have made their decision, now Anne Arundel County needs to make a decision.”

The governor was the keynote speaker at the Maryland Horse Forum held at Upper Marlboro’s Show Place Arena. The forum was attended by about 250 people in the racing, recreational and breeding side of the industry, as well as state officials.

In the question-and-answer session after his speech, O’Malley confirmed that the three other sites designated for slots in the state that received licensee applications were moving forward. But the site in Anne Arundel County, which allots for nearly 5,000 slot machines, is by far the largest designation in the state and potentially the biggest revenue generator.

Corrigan Sports expands to West Coast

August 3, 2009

Having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, sometimes I think the only difference between Baltimore and Oakland is that the ocean’s on the other side. Similar demographics and size, both cities are trying to move beyond their old reputations of being less-than-desirable and both are located near cities that have traditionally out-shined them (Washington and San Francisco).

The Oakland skyline...water, skyscrapers -- all we're missing is the Baltimore accent!Now Oakland and Baltimore can chalk up another point for the similarities column: Lee Corrigan, founder of Corrigan Sports Enterprises. Last month, Corrigan sealed the deal to launch an Oakland Running Festival, modeled after his highly successful Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival (featuring the Baltimore Marathon, the half-marathon and other competitions). Set for March 28, 2010 the event is the company’s first West Coast endeavor and Corrigan’s Gene Brtalik is heading up an Oakland office to keep things, ahem, running.

(FYI, in case you’ve tried calling Corrigan Sports during the last month and found the phone lines down, they apologize — the main office has moved to Elkridge and it took about three weeks for the company’s phone number to be transferred to the new locale.)

Corrigan said Monday morning they are hoping to sign Clorox Co. as a title sponsor. Based in Oakland, Clorox is the maker of more than just cleaning products including Glad storage products, Brita water filters, Hidden Valley salad dressing and KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce. Geico has already signed as a sponsor for the event and Corrigan said he hopes to bring in Under Armour as the apparel sponsor.

Under Armour would do well to hop onto this train in any way it can as it is still not well-known west of the Mississippi, which is still Nike Land in many ways.

“And they recognize that,” said Corrigan. “They’re definitely interested in taking a look at it and they recognize it would be a great market for them to make an impact in.”

The enrollment goal for the Oakland Marathon’s first year is 6,000, according to Corrigan, who expects to make that mark and then some.

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In Aberdeen, the show must go on

Talk about a commitment to customer service — the management at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen wasn’t going to let a little thing like a power outage stop the game from proceeding after last Friday evening’s thunder storm.

The storm, described in a press release as “howling wind blowing the rain side to side” abruptly stopped at 5 p.m., two hours before the scheduled 7:05 p.m. start for the IronBirds, one of Maryland’s five minor league baseball teams. But while the field tarp was removed and the grounds crew readied it for play, the power outage lasted long into the night.

The night staff walked around “using a bullhorn to inform to the many groups of fans patiently waiting for the game to begin about what was going on and when the game may start,” the release said.

The team had rented three giant generators in the early evening to power the lights and — of major concern — the restrooms. (Ripken Stadium has automatic flush toilets that don’t function without electricity.) At about 8:40 p.m. the lights kicked in over the field, drawing applause and cheers from the hearty fans still in attendance.

While the field was lit, the scoreboard (also electric) was a different story: that was drawn on a giant whiteboard and updated throughout the contest. The crew held up signs showing the balls, strikes and outs, each person wearing a t-shirt with a B, S, and O on it so the fans knew what each number they held stood for, according to the release.

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Keeping O.C.’s White Marlin Open fresh

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
July 30, 2009 6:49 PM

OCEAN CITY — Jim Motsko had no idea 36 years ago that his scheme to earn money while fishing would ever amount to anything.

But his tournament idea quickly took off, and the White Marlin Open, which begins Monday, has become The crew of the Cerveza, out of Pirates Cove, N.C., fights a white marlin on the first day of the 2008 tournament.the largest billfish tournament in the world, bringing thousands of people to Ocean City each August. Anglers come from up and down the East Coast to compete for their shot at hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes — and to spend money hand over fist while they’re here.

But with the cost of fuel last summer causing the biggest drop in entrants in the tournament’s history, and the recession this summer still scaring away boat owners who can’t afford the costs, the economic boost the White Marlin Open usually delivers to local retailers has been softer in recent years.

“You reach a point where there’s no boat docks left,” Motsko, 62, said. “We were at that point a couple years ago. Now I can tell you of 20 docks with space left off the top of my head.”

The city estimates more than 300,000 people come here during tournament week, comparable to a Fourth of July weekend. But those who come for the White Marlin Open are no ordinary tourists, said Memo Diricker, director of the Business Economic and Community Outreach Network at Salisbury University.

“Per day spending of these kinds of high-end events tends to be much higher-focused than when a regular tourist comes to the beach,” he said. “In some cases, spending is almost 1½ to two times the average per-day expenditure.”

The White Marlin Open reached its height in 2005, when 446 boats were entered. According to estimates, depending on the size of the boat, it can cost between $3,000 and $5,000 per day to enter the five-day tournament in which entrants choose three days (usually Monday, Tuesday and Friday) to fish. That includes the tournament fee, which can range from $1,000 for the base fee to more than $15,000 to enter all prize categories, fuel, bait, tackle and other supplies.

105.7 the Fan picking up speed

July 30, 2009

When 105.7-FM made the switch to full-time sports talk radio last November, some were skeptical that Baltimore could support five sports talk radio stations.

And us sports radio listeners are set in our ways — people-talking belongs on the AM dial; if I want music I switch over to FM.

But after the latest quarterly ratings, the folks at CBS Radio’s 105.7 couldn’t be happier. I imagine they’re resisting shouting “I told you so!” from the rooftops.

The station is now in 3rd place overall among its “bread and butter” demographic, men aged 25-54, going from a 3.9 to a 6.1 share since the winter. It has also placed 1st in that same demo in afternoons and 2nd with the 35-54 demographic with the Scott Garceau and Anita Marks show and 4th with the 25-54 demo in mornings with Ed Norris.

“We’re thrilled to say the least that it’s doing this well,” said Dave Labrozzi, the station’s vice president of programming. “For us to be where we are and as quickly as we are is amazing. All along we thought there was a big hole for this kind of opportunity.”

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49ers stadium hitting trouble again

I smell a lawsuit.

Wednesday the owner of the Great America amusement park, located near the planned site for the Niners' new stadium, wrote a letter to Santa Clara city officials demanding answers.

The letter from Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. CEO Richard Kinzel to the city manager said the Ohio company wants more access to information about the stadium deal The Demon roller coaster at Great America within the coming weeks. The city is slated to release a report about the environmental impact of the proposed $937 million stadium Thursday.

"Cedar Fair must protect Great America and our substantial investment in that park and we will do that," said a portion of the letter printd in the San Jose Mercury News. "Cedar Fair will also devote the time and resources necessary to thoroughly pursue good faith negotiations with the city and the 49ers in an attempt to resolve the difficulties presented by the stadium proposal in an attempt to avoid the need for a more formal defense of our legal rights."

The city would do well to pay attention to Kinzel's interests, no matter how demanding officials may think he is being. One influential business owner with a handful of lawyers at his disposal can spell disaster for a project that has been controversial since Day One.

Un-Favre-able

The Long Goodbye was a classic movie.

Brett Favre's long goodbye is getting classicly tragic.

His "will he or won't he?" dance with retirement has been one of the top stories of the past three football off-seasons and at this point I am wondering if he's played with his fans' patience for too long.

In 2007 he announced after a deliberation that he'd in fact return to football, delaying Aaron Rogers' start for another year but delighting many fans as it appeared the Green Bay Packers were poised to make a run for the title. Bonus points for Favre.

In 2008, after narrowly missing the Super Bowl, he tearfully announced he was retiring from football. At the time it was a move that looked good in all the right ways: he was not, I repeat, NOTgoing to become one of those guys that didn't know when to quit.  He was not going to pull a Joe Montana and build his entire career becoming synonymous with one team then finish out his last season in relative obscurity (a.k.a. Kansas City). And he got bonus points in the media for the maturity it takes to step down literally months after coming so close to a return to the Super Bowl.

But Favre, it turns out, IS one of those guys who doesn't know when to quit.

Adding the kick to Chelsea-AC Milan

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
July 23, 2009 5:20 PM

Chelsea Football Club and AC Milan aren’t the only ones with something to prove Friday.

In the highest-profile soccer match the city’s ever hosted, Baltimore has a chance to show to the world it can be a soccer town, and fans and businesses are uniting to get that message across.

“We want to make sure that when they go away from Baltimore, they’re going to remember this city for a long time,” said Steven Jones, the brew master at the Pratt Street Ale House, one of two designated Chelsea FC bars downtown.

“A game of this stature being in Baltimore is such a big thing,” added Jones, who moved here from Coventry, England, nearly 10 years ago. “We’re the ambassadors for the city.”

Jordan Bazant, a partner at New York-based The Agency Sports Management, said those “in the know” already consider Baltimore an elite sports town. But the event and broadcast on ESPN sends that message worldwide.

“It’s almost like its coming-out party in some ways, but it’s already been out,” Bazant said. “It’s proving what people are assuming — that it’s a phenomenal market for world-class soccer and just bringing it to people’s forefront.”

And that begins by going all-out to make the thousands of soccer fans traveling to Baltimore for the World Football Challenge exhibition game at M&T Bank Stadium feel like they’re at home.

What's next for Michael Vick's agent?

If Michael Vick plays in the NFL this year and does relatively well, there should be strong consideration for "agent of the year" for his rep, Joel Segal. The future for Vick, whose 20-month sentence for running a dog fighting ring in Virginia was completed Monday, is one giant question just waiting to be answered.

There have been rumors that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell could meet with Vick this week to discuss reinstatement to the league. If all goes well, that opens the door for teams to take the leap of faith with the quarterback who once showed a potential for greatness.

As chief moderator for Vick, Segal has an order to fill so tall I don't know if even the limelight-loving Scott Boras would want to attempt this one. (Well, on second thought, the commission would be too small for Boras to give a second thought as teams surely won't want to spend much on what's considered a huge risk.)

Vick could be one of the toughest clients in sports right now.

In 2010, see TDs in HD at M&T

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
July 17, 2009 7:42 PM

By next football season, Ravens fans will be able to enjoy instant replays and team videos in high definition at M&T Bank Stadium as the stadium’s landlord has started the search for a contractor to build Proposals to replace the SmartVision screens at M&T Bank Stadium are due to the Maryland Stadium Authority by the end of July.two new video boards.

This month, the Maryland Stadium Authority issued a Request for Proposals to replace the video boards at the stadium and hosted a meeting for applicant contractors last week. The proposals are due at the end of the month and the work would begin immediately following the 2009 season, according to Roy Sommerhof, vice president of stadium operations.

According to the RFP, the video board should be finished by May 2010 and testing the new board with the new control room will take place during that summer to be ready in time for the first regular season home game next year.

The stadium authority recently finished overseeing a $9.1 million high definition video board and control room project at its neighboring property, Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Tiger Woods misses cut — and so does Nike

July 20, 2009

Well, the cut Nike’s missing out on is the cash from sales boosts the company was expecting to see after dressing Tiger Woods in the trendiest of Nike golf gear this weekend.

Last week I wrote a post about how apparel companies actually have clothing scripts for some of their top golfers. The idea is, they figure why not put those hours of television coverage to good use and tell their golfers what to wear so they can plan to coordinate those items with their store inventories?

It sounds like a pretty good plan and almost foolproof — after all, it’s not like a great like Tiger Woods won’t make it past the second round and into the weekend coverage? Right?

Wrong.

For the first time in three years Woods didn’t make it to weekend play, and the world’s No. 1 player missed the cut Friday at the British Open, shooting a 4-over 74 at Turnberry.

I guess that’s the gamble you take if you’re Nike...

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Niners' new stadium plan: a done deal or long shot?

The Santa Clara City Council was presented with its first detailed view of the stadium design for the San Francisco 49ers this week. The $985 million venue will includes 68,500 seats, solar panels, a green roof (California native plants) and plans to have more than a quarter of fans arrive on public transportation, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The city's voters will decide next year whether to use $114 in public money for the project. If approved (and some say it's a big "if"), the stadium is planned to open in 2014.

Full disclosure: I grew up in the South Bay Area and am a nutso Niners fan. I felt personally insulted when Candlestick Park sold out in 1995 to become 3Comm Park for seven miserable years then did it again with Monster Cable from 2004-08. And I fear change. OK, back to the blog.

Part of the debate here is will the move hurt the Niners fan base? Speaking from personal experience, I can say I doubt that will have a long term effect. The team's fans tend to extend from San Francisco and southward -- toward Santa Clara -- and many people ride the train up from the South Bay for games at The Stick. Factor in the better drive and more public transportation options, and those fans from the south ought to be pleased.

Thoroughbreds get victory in Rosecroft suit

July 17, 2009

A judge denied Cloverleaf Enterprises Inc. its request for an immediate restoration of Rosecroft Raceway’s simulcast signal Thursday, a move that may indicate a tough road ahead for Cloverleaf’s $20 million law suit against the thoroughbred industry.

After three days of hearings — slightly unusual for this stage in the game — a judge found Cloverleaf failed to prove any of its claims and denied its request for a temporary restraining order to restore its simulcast signal for thoroughbred tracks.

Alan Foreman, the attorney for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (one of the 16 defendants in the $20 million suit) said Thursday’s ruling put Cloverleaf on shaky ground.

“We still have a hearing on a permanent restraining order but unless they pull a rabbit out of a hat, they’re going to have a tough time getting any injunctive relief,” he said.

He noted that rather than pay its debt to the thoroughbred industry, Cloverleaf’s choice to spend more than $500,000 on legal fees and $25,000 on Redskins tickets was irresponsible.

“You hardly look like a company that’s suffering irreparable harm when you’re doing that,” Foreman said. “They made an agreement and they decided to renege on that agreement. They created this.”

When asked about the tickets, Kelley Rogers, president of Cloverleaf, said that was contract made by the previous management (Rogers has been at the helm for about two years).

“We had no knowledge of that until we got a certified letter from the Redskins...

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