Blake Griffin discusses NBA draft preparation before Wooden Award

People successfully predicted that Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin would finish this season as the best player in college basketball this year. He recorded 30 double-doubles and helped the Sooners win 30 games in a season for the fifth time in school history before losing to North Carolina in the Elite 8.  Griffin is also considered, among mock drafts and scouts, the consensus No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

But in a stop in Los Angeles for the Wooden Award gala tonight, Griffin says he's not assuming anything until he hears his name on June 25.

"My mindset right now is I’m not sure where I’m going and to work like I’m not even in the draft," Griffin told The Times on Friday afternoon at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

"That’s the way I’ve always done it. I try to block out things people say and things that can hurt you because I don’t want to become complacent and not work hard and not be ready.

"The guys that work their hardest feel like they have something to prove. I always feel like I have something to prove."

Sparks single-game tickets go on sale today

As the Los Angeles Sparks gear up for the WNBA Draft today, fans can buy single-game tickets starting at 10 a.m. by going online or by calling (877) NBA-TIX.

The "72 Hour Fast-Break Frenzy" calls for single-game tickets to be sold at a 20% discount today, 15% off Friday and 10% off Saturday. Between today and April 25, the Sparks are selling merchandise at their  online store at a 25% discount. Just enter the code: 25las

-- Mark Medina

Ted Green: The ball is now REALLY in Jamie's McCourt

Well, after an extensive nationwide executive search that I'm sure scoured all four corners of our great country, leaving no truly qualified candidate unexamined, today Dodger owner Frank McCourt announced that his wife, Jamie, has been named the Dodgers' new CEO.

I think this may be what they mean by the term self-promotion.

You mean, people can get better jobs by sleeping with the boss? What is this, TV news?

Geez, what's next, Archie and Edith Bunker side by side at the piano singing "Those Were the Days?"

Guys like Rick Honeycutt had better be careful. One of the McCourt kids might want to be a pitching coach. Actually, there's nothing wrong with keeping it All in the Family, as long as Frank and Jamie's GM, the Meathead, doesn't blow 47 more mil on the next Jason Schmidt. Trust me, if there's one out there, the Dodgers will find him.

Certainly, though, the family business worked for Tony Sorprano and Don and Michael Corleone, although if Ned Colletti locks up one more Juan Pierre at 45 mil, you can expect him to get the Fredo treatment. Ned, we'll see you at the boathouse.

Meantime, I'm almost positive the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox, to name a few, were bitterly disappointed to learn they will not be able to steal away a brilliant and experienced baseball executive such as Jamie McCourt.

Jamie's such a baseball whiz, she thinks ERA is the Equal Rights Amendment. OBP? Isn't he a rapper?  Bonds?  Isn't that what the McCourts borrowed to buy the Dodgers?

Hank Steinbrenner, Omar Minaya and Theo Epstein can all breathe easier today. Their jobs are still safe.

And while Frank and Ned may not exactly trip over themselves running to the new CEO's office for her take on the latest, greatest baseball talent or which trades the Dodgers should or shouldn't make, take this to the bank, if they all haven't shut down yet:

With Jamie at the helm, no team in baseball will be better equipped to find the best deal on Malibu beach houses.

-- Ted Green

Ted Green formerly covered sports for the L.A. Times. He is currently senior sports producer for KTLA Prime News.

Photo: Frank and Jamie McCourt. Credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Formula One must learn to weather the economic storm

Virtually no one is immune to the global economic crisis -- not even the billionaire boys club that is Formula One.

In the last decade or so, Formula One has morphed into a near-complete corporate marketing toy, mercilessly hacking away passionate private owners such as Eddie Jordan and Giancarlo Minardi in favor of companies such as BMW and Red Bull. As a result, top-flight Formula One teams typically now spend around $150 million to $445 million a season, with 10 teams in 2008 supposedly spending close to a collective $3 billion.

FIA President Max Mosley has been a die-hard advocate of cutting costs, and the teams have accepted rule changes such as a freeze in engine development as a way for the sport to maintain financial viability. New regulations in 2009 regarding restrictions of aerodynamic development on the cars are also designed to keep costs in check and increase overtaking (I'm not so sure about the latter, though).

Although these rule changes will help keep costs in check, they're not going to make it much easier for private owners who are not on Forbes' billionaires list from breaking into Formula One. And now that corporate sponsors such as ING and Credit Suisse and others (Royal Bank of Scotland should be on that list -- sorry, Williams) are fleeing from the sport to save face with governments and shareholders, Formula One is going to have to do a serious slash job on itself if it wants to stay in business.

The current in-season testing ban is a good start, even though I'm not sure how smart it is to ban testing with all the new regulation changes. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of the engine development freeze or the new rules restricting aerodynamic development. Teams still will be running wind tunnels and supercomputers nonstop, willing to spend millions of dollars to make the car lap half a second faster.

Here's my solution to the mess:

1. Like Renault team principal Flavio Briatore says, establish a majority-wins voting system in the Formula One Teams Assn. rather than the current unanimous one.

2. Establish a floating annual spending cap based on FOTA revenue that the majority of teams agree upon (probably something in the $150-million range). Formula One czar Bernie Ecclestone has supported a cap as a way to stabilize costs.

3. Instigate a luxury tax that penalizes a team $2 for every dollar over the spending cap. The tax would go to every team under the spending cap, allowing big teams the ability to spend more money if they choose to.

4. The Formula One Group (CVC Capital Partners, J.P.Morgan and Ecclestone) should give teams a bigger slice of television revenue. Also, high-profile temporary street-circuit promoters in Albert Park and Singapore should be given monetary assistance.

5. Release stringent regulations regarding engine and car development. Allow Formula One to continue its reputation as the most technically advanced form of motorsport.

There's no guarantee this would make the racing more competitive, but it would encourage private  teams to enter the sport, and it would allow Formula One to continue independent development (even if it's in a subdued form).

Formula One team bosses have to face facts. There's a very good chance only 18 cars will be on the grid when the season starts March 29 in Melbourne, Australia (unless Richard Branson saves Honda Racing),  and the world economy doesn't look like it's going to recover anytime soon.

All it takes is a boardroom decision for a team like Toyota, BMW, Red Bull or Renault to leave the sport. It takes a lot more for a passionate motorsport lover like a Frank Williams or Ken Tyrell to say goodbye -- and that's who should be competing in Formula One.

-- Austin Knoblauch

Top photo: McLaren Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen takes out his team's new car during a test session at Circuito de Jerez in Spain on Feb. 10. Credit: Cristina Quicler / AFP/Getty Images. Lower photo: Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One management and administration president and CEO,  at the 2008 FIA prize-giving gala. Credit: Valery Hache / Associated Press

Proposed buyer of Chicago Cubs unveils financing plan

TD Ameritrade's parent company has announced a $403-million stock repurchase program that is designed to help company founder Joe Ricketts complete his family's planned purchase of the Chicago Cubs from Tribune Co. (which is The Times' parent company).

The stock repurchase deal would pay Ricketts' family $11.85 per share for 34 million shares. The family would use proceeds from the sale to help finance their proposed $900-million purchase of the Cubs, Wrigley Field and a 25% stake in a regional sports television network.

In a statement, Joe Ricketts said: "Our family is working to close a deal for the Chicago Cubs, and we are pleased to have reached a mutually beneficial agreement with the company that will help us to do so."

TD Ameritrade President and Chief Executive Fred Tomczyk said: "This transaction with our founder will allow us to complete our existing buyback plans with immediate accretion for all of our shareholders."

After the stock repurchase is completed, the Ricketts family will own about 17.7% of the company's outstanding stock and retain two seats on the company's board of directors.

The proposed sale must be approved by Major League Baseball. Even though the Cubs are not part of Tribune Co.'s bankruptcy proceeding, the company might also need to clear the planned franchise sale with a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Delaware.

Tribune in January selected the Ricketts' bid over two others received for the franchise, Wrigley Field and the 25% interest in the regional sports cable network.

TD Ameritrade's share price dipped slightly to $12.53 in Nasdaq trading after the repurchase was announced. The stock ended trading Tuesday at $12.56.

-- Greg Johnson

Photo: The Chicago Cubs stretch during spring training on Tuesday in Mesa, Ariz. Credit: Morry Gash / Associated Press

Chicago 2016 Summer Games bid available online

The forecast calls for a cold and rainy weekend, so if you're looking for something to snuggle up with on Valentine's Day, the Chicago 2016 committee has released the massive bid book that it submitted on Thursday to the IOC.

The document runs to nearly 600 pages, answers 227 "major questions" posed by the IOC and is available online in English and French.

The Chicago committee estimates the Games budget at $3.3 billion -- and projects revenue of $3.8 billion. The committee also talks of an additional $500 million to be secured in order to "insulate taxpayers" from sticker shock, should Chicago win its bid and then face significant cost-overruns.

Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid , the other would-be hosts, also submitted bid books to the IOC by Thursday's midnight deadline.

Chicago 2016 Chairman and Chief Executive Patrick G. Ryan on Friday described the three-volume Q&A as "a significant milestone in the bid process for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games."

The bid book describes a Summer Games that would be competed largely in the heart of the Windy City, starting with a lakeside Olympic Village that would be a short walk from most of the venues and training sites.

The design also is described as consumer-friendly in that Olympic fans would be get some exercise by shopping, dining and visiting Chicago's other attractions.

Ryan described the bid as "a financially responsible budget that relies on private funds with a substantial level of financial contingencies to protect against revenue shortfalls or cost increases."

The bid promises that at least half of the competition tickets would be priced below $50 and that the average cost of tickets will be about $71.

-- Greg Johnson

Illustration: An artist's rendering of the Chicago waterfront during the 2016 Summer Games. Credit: Chicago 2016

Florida Marlins stadium vote delayed until March

The Florida Marlins will have to wait until next month to learn whether the franchise will be getting public funds for its proposed $515-million baseball stadium.

Here's the latest from Sarah Talalay's Business of Sports blog at The Sun-Sentinel (a sister paper of The Times):

Deadlocked in their vote for a new ballpark for the Marlins, the Miami City Commission decided instead to hold off further votes until next month.

The commission’s ballpark discussion will continue on March 12, which presumably will give time for any further negotiation that might make the $515-million financing proposal palatable to more city commissioners –- and perhaps even allow for Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, who is on maternity leave, to attend.

The Marlins' facility is one of several proposals that could have a difficult time winning public financing because of the recession.

-- Greg Johnson

Ruling could dramatically reshape MLB-player draft negotiations

A little-noticed Ohio court ruling on Thursday could have a major effect on how players selected in baseball's draft would be able to negotiate with the teams that have chosen them.

It's been a dance of semantics for quite a few years now. The best college players are drafted after their junior year. They all retain agents, but they're all called "advisors." Why? The NCAA maintains that a college athlete cannot have an agent -- the penalty is being declared ineligible -- and players would lose negotiating leverage if they did not have the option to return to college for their senior season.

So, if Scott Boras were to represent your team's top draft pick, you're not supposed to negotiate directly with Boras. You're supposed to negotiate with the player and his family, who would be "advised" by Boras. There is no shortage of teams that have negotiated directly with agents, and no shortage of agents who have negotiated directly with teams, but everyone winked and went about their business.

But if this court ruling holds up on appeal, the rule would be legally unenforceable. The NCAA and Major League Baseball looked the other way for years, and so did all the agents. But not Oklahoma State pitcher Andrew Oliver, not after his eligibility was thrown into question.

In a nutshell, after Oliver fired his first "advisor," Tim Barratta, in favor of Boras, Barratta sent Oliver and his family a bill for legal services that were forbidden by NCAA rules. Oklahoma State declared Oliver ineligible, and the whole mess ended up in court.

In his ruling, the judge took aim at the seemingly "arbitrary" and "capricious" NCAA rules that deprive a citizen of proper counsel, particularly because NCAA rules allow players to consult with attorneys. Why, the judge wondered, was it improper for Barratta to sit in the living room as Oliver and his family negotiated with representatives of the Minnesota Twins?

For a student-athlete to be permitted to have an attorney and then to tell that student-athlete that his attorney cannot be present during the discussion of an offer from a professional organization, is akin to a patient hiring a doctor but the doctor is told by the hospital board and the insurance company that he (the doctor) cannot be present when the patient meets with a surgeon because the conference may improve his patient's decision-making power ...

What would have happened if Tim Barratta had been in the kitchen or outside on the patio instead of in the same room as his client when the offer from the Minnesota Twins was made?"

-- Bill Shaikin

Photo: Oklahoma State's Andrew Oliver pitches against Baylor on May 23, 2008, in Oklahoma City.

Credit: Alonzo Adams / Associated Press

Florida Marlins stadium deal appears to be dead -- for now

The Florida Marlins failed to clear the first of two votes today in their bid to win public financing for a new stadium.

But there's still a chance for the $515-million facility to move forward. Here's how Sarah Talalay reports the Miami City Commission's 2-2 vote on her Business of Sports blog in the Sun-Sentinel (which is a sister newspaper of The Times):

The Miami City Commission deadlocked on 2-2 vote to move forward with a plan to finance a $515 million ballpark for the Marlins, meaning the deal died. (Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, on maternity leave, is absent).

But the commission has just taken a break and team, city, Miami-Dade County and Major League Baseball officials have gone behind closed doors to see if a deal can be salvaged.

The Marlins facility is one of several proposals that could find it difficult to win support given the economic slowdown.

-- Greg Johnson

Illustration: Artist's rendering of the proposed Marlins stadium. Credit: HOK Sport / Sun-Sentinel

Mario and Sonic heading to the Vancouver Games

Lack the talent that an athlete needs to compete at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games -- and fall far short of the cash needed for airfare, accomodations and Winter Games admission tickets?

Take heart. SEGA Corp. and Nintendo Co. today introduced "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games"

Don't laugh. A Summer Games edition of the officially licensed Olympics video game tied to the Beijing Games sold 10 million copies.

Along with broadcast revenue, endorsement deals are an integral par of funding Olympic Games. Particularly in a global recession that has raised questions about the ability of future Olympic hosts to complete their construction projects on time and under budget.

Vancouver 2010 has about 60 global and national sponsors, official supporters, suppliers and print media partners. They'll need all of them to help cover the $1.43 billion it will cost to build venues and operate the Games.

The Winter Games video game was developed by SEGA and under the guidance of noted designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and will work on the Nintendo DS and Wii platforms.

Gamers will be able to choose from what the companies describe as a "legendary cast of playable characters."

There's even a bit of exercise involved, at least for Wii gamers. The game will incorporate the Wii Balance Board that will, for example, require players to lean into turns during the slalom events.

-- Greg Johnson

Illustration: Credit SEGA Corp.