The Haslams want to be in Brook Park by the end of the decade.
It appears the decks have been cleared and the National Football League Cleveland Browns owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, will be able to attempt to build a National Football League stadium-village in Brook Park, a Cleveland suburb that is about 14 miles from downtown. Haslam Sports Group paid $76,005,477.90 for a 176-acre parcel in Brook Park. Two other pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place. Ohio lawmakers want to give the Haslams $600 million seed money for the project and Ohio lawmakers did the Haslams a solid favor. They changed the language of the Modell Law. The “Modell Law” or Section 9.67 of the Ohio Revised Code, was a state law designed to prevent professional sports teams in Ohio that utilize taxpayer-funded stadiums from relocating without giving their home city the chance to negotiate or potentially purchase the team. It was passed by Ohio lawmakers after Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell moved his business to Baltimore in 1995. Cleveland lawmakers were planning to use the Modell Law to keep the business in the city.
The Haslams need much more money than the state’s $600 million. The stadium may cost $2.4 billion and another $1 billion to build the village part that will include retail and residential space. The Haslams claim they are willing to pay half the cost of the project. Brook Park has a population of around 18,000 people so there is not the kind of money available from the municipality. Brook Park lawmakers can offer things such as a payment in lieu of taxes or designate the area as an entertainment zone and allow the Haslams to keep all the sales tax collected within the district. Where will the Ohio politicians find the money? Maybe it comes from Ohio sports gambling, or from another pot of money. The Browns stadium saga continues.
rob manfred mlb commissioner talks about the Tampa Bay Rays – AP
The sale of the Tampa Bay Rays is nearing completion and could be finalized as soon as September. The ownership group is led by Patrick Zalupski, a very successful housing developer from Jacksonville. Current owner Stu Steinberg will receive $1.7 billion for the team, which he purchased in 2004 for $200 million.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is undoubtedly not as recognizable as Taylor Swift, but when he’s at a ballpark, he’s always under the watchful eye of cameras. So, on Monday night, when he was in Atlanta watching the Home Run Derby, his prolonged time sitting next to the likely new owner of the Rays, Patrick Zalupski, did not go unnoticed.
While it’s not completely unheard of, it’s certainly not standard practice for Commissioner Manfred to be publicly seen with a potential buyer while a team is actively for sale. The league typically keeps ownership transitions private until deals are finalized or nearly finalized.
The plans for sale approval are likely to include discussions about a stadium as part of the MLB process; however, a stadium agreement is not required at this stage. Commissioner Manfred declined to specifically comment on the status of the deal. During a session with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday, he stated, “I have no reason to quibble with or dispute the reports that are out there.”
Most sales of MLB teams typically take between three to six months to finalize. However, the sale of the Baltimore Orioles for $1.75 billion was completed in just three and a half months, with David Rubenstein as the buyer. Rubenstein, a billionaire, is well-known in the baseball community and is a lifelong Orioles fan fitting all the boxes other MLB owners want to see.
In The Best interest of Baseball
The phrase “In the Best Interest of Baseball” is often used by the league to convey a serious message to owners, players, and the media. While there is no concrete evidence that Commissioner Manfred used this phrase when discussing the sale of the Tampa Bay Rays with owner Stuart Sternberg, having covered baseball for 50 years, it’s evident that the sale of the team aligns with the principles of the “In the Best Interest of Baseball” playbook.
Manfred’s Commitment To Keeping the Team in Tampa Bay
On December 6, 2024, Commissioner Manfred met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in Tallahassee to reassure him that the Rays would not be leaving the Tampa Bay Area. Three days later, he traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with Mayor Ken Welsh and members of the Pinellas County Commission. This meeting took place just before their vote to approve a stadium in the Gas Plant area.
Although the Rays had supported this plan in July, they backed out after hurricane Milton damaged the roof of Tropicana Field, citing potential cost overruns. Once the Rays turned down the St. Petersburg deal, Steinberg realized he had exhausted all options after various stadium proposals had been presented and subsequently rejected by the Rays’ ownership. It became clear to Commissioner Manfred that, “in the interest of baseball,” the Rays needed to be sold.
Time to Sale the Team
On June 18, 2025, the Rays confirmed that they had entered exclusive discussions with a group led by Patrick Zalupski regarding a potential sale of the team. On the same day, Sportico reported that Zalupski had signed a letter of intent to purchase the team for $1.7 billion. The Rays also released a statement acknowledging these negotiations.
The New Ownership Group Was Vetted
Several potential ownership groups expressed interest in purchasing the team from Sternberg, with some reportedly willing to pay an astounding $2 billion. Credit goes to JP Peterson, a longtime Bay Area sports personality, for being the first to identify the existence of multiple interested groups.
However, from my experience covering the sales of professional sports franchises, I have learned that the selection of an ownership group matters more than the financial offer. It is likely that Major League Baseball chose the Zalupski group to buy the Rays to ensure that the team remains in Tampa. This group has several yet-to-be-named partners from Tampa, and these minority owners are well-known in Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa, where they have successfully completed deals in the past.
Tampa Will Be The Home of The Rays
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Commissioner are both eager to speak with the Zalupski group as soon as the bill of sale is finalized. My sources indicate that the group is particularly interested in the Ybor City site, which nearly came to fruition in 2018, as well as potential developments around the Florida State Fairgrounds site. Like many other new stadiums, the Zalupski group is also looking to create a stadium village area.
Keep Dreaming Orlando
On March 15, 2025, the Dreamers publicly announced that they had secured an anchor investor and were actively pursuing the Tampa Bay Rays. They cited the stadium collapse as a pivotal opportunity for their plans. If MLB Commissioner Manfred had wanted the Rays to relocate to Orlando, he would have selected their group to negotiate a deal instead of the Zalupski group.
However, if for some reason, which I can’t imagine, Tampa and St. Petersburg are unable to finalize a stadium deal, Orlando could become a potential option. It’s important to note that Orlando’s interest in acquiring the Rays is closely linked to the ownership—specifically, the Orlando Dreamers group. If the Rays are owned by someone outside this group, Orlando’s desire to bring the team to the city would significantly decrease.
The Dreamers may consider working on acquiring another franchise and relocating it to Orlando, or they might attempt to obtain an expansion franchise. However, the likelihood of MLB adding a third franchise to Florida is very low, particularly one located less than 90 miles from Tampa. The Rays could potentially block such a move or expansion because, technically, Orlando falls within their designated region.
PLAYOFF GAMES IN TAMPA
MLB has confirmed that the Tampa Bay Rays will be allowed to play all their playoff and World Series home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa—their temporary stadium for the 2025 season.
Let ‘em Run: Gulfstream Park Late Pick 5 & Monmouth Park Spotlight (7/20)
Let ‘em Run dives into another loaded Saturday of action, this time breaking down the Late Pick 5 at Gulfstream Park and three featured races from Monmouth Park — including the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell, a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for November’s Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
Heads up: Edgar Zayas, a regular at Gulfstream, will be riding at Monmouth today. That could impact how certain races shape up.
Gulfstream Park – Late Pick 5 Breakdown
Race 7 – 4:10 PM EST 1 Mile 70 Yards | Synthetic | Claiming 10K Top Pick: #3 Musical Journey (9-2) E8 Brisnet speed rating and an apprentice jockey (Greenidge) to lighten the load. Solid works for the return.
Contenders:
#4 Sunroof (10-1) – Loves Gulfstream, 4-for-4 on synthetic, and the lone closer in a speed-heavy field.
#6 Lady Emily Kathryn (4-1) – Prime Power #1 and could be flying late.
Race 8 – 4:43 PM EST 1 Mile 70 Yards | Synthetic | Maiden Claiming 35K Top Pick: #7 Screen (3-1) First try on synthetic, but working like she’s built for it. Drops from MSW to MCL.
Contenders:
#3 Latte Lizzie (2-1) – Prime Power #1 for Saffie Joseph Jr., with Reylu Gutierrez up. Solid synthetic run on 3/8/25.
#6 Boombox Betty (30-1) – Stretching out with speed. Could surprise. Recent work on 7/6/25 solid.
Race 9 – 5:17 PM EST 1 Mile | Dirt | OC 20K/12K Top Pick: #8 High Strike (9-2) Speed threat under Morelos. Should be forwardly placed and could wire the field.
Contenders:
#6 Dune Road (5-2) – Gary Jackson wins 60% first time off the claim. Vasquez stays on.
#4 Swashbuckle (15-1) – Loved the surface switch last out and retains top apprentice.
Race 10 – 5:53 PM EST 1 Mile 70 Yards | Synthetic | OC 25K/N1X Top Pick & Speed Play of the Day: #7 Quereme Pass (10-1) Argentinian-bred with early foot (E8 rating). Lone speed threat. Vasquez sends.
Contenders:
#8 King d’Oro (5-2) – Returns to his preferred setup. Strong key race form.
#5 Samburu (5-1) – Third off the layoff and has the ability to pass horses late.
Race 11 – 6:27 PM EST 1 Mile 70 Yards | Synthetic | CLM 8K N2L Top Pick: #4 Dialithic (5-2) Back to a level where she fits. Better draw and Barboza is firing lately.
Contenders:
#3 Reina Mar (3-1) – In light with apprentice Fuenmayor. Could flash early speed.
#8 Attending (7-2) – First time on synthetic. D’Angelo excels getting runners ready for the surface.
Monmouth Park – Stakes Highlights and Haskell
Race 7 – 2:56 PM EST 1 Mile | Turf | ALW 50K N1X Top Pick: #2 John the Beer Man (4-1) Chad Brown’s second entry in the field of 14. Recently gelded and training well off a layoff. Big-field experience could pay off.
Race 11 – 5:09 PM EST 1 3/8 Miles | Turf | The United Nations Stakes (G2) | $600K Top Pick: #7 Rebel Red (9-2) Luis Saez aboard for Cherie DeVaux. Strong closer and in sharp form. Faces defending champ #10 Get Smoking.
Race 12 – 5:45 PM EST 1 1/8 Miles | Dirt | The NYRA Bets Haskell (G1) | $1 Million Top Pick: #4 Burnham Square (5-1) Faces favorite #2 Journalism (4-5), but could be sitting on a breakout performance. Hernandez Jr. looks for a clean trip and first jump on closers.
Let ‘em Run Schedule
Catch us Thursday at 8 PM on Capital Sports Network / YouTube for our “One Horse Wonders” segment. Then join us Saturday at 12:30 PM for late scratches, changes, and sharper insight into the cards and the Haskell.
We’re still rolling strong — and as always, Let ‘em Run.
The league is looking into the possibility of expansion.
For those who want to see a National Basketball Association franchise in Seattle or in Las Vegas in the near future, there is no guarantee the NBA is expanding. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league’s owners have “tasked” his office with “doing an in-depth analysis of all the issues around expansion, both economic and non-economic.” Silver added, “I think there is a significant step. Something we weren’t prepared to do before. But beyond that, as I said, it’s really day one of that analysis. A lot of analysis still needs to be done and nothing’s been predetermined one way or another and without any specific timeline. We’re going to be as thorough as possible and look at all the potential issues.”
The common thought was once the NBA wrapped up its American TV deals and got a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players, the next issue on the table was adding teams. But Silver isn’t quite ready to say when the NBA will add teams. Silver doesn’t have the power to order an expansion so it is up to the NBA owners to decide what they want to do. It was thought that potential owners in Las Vegas and in Seattle would be ready to make pitches to the league owners and that the owners would welcome those potential owners and their money into the league. Silver did warn that expansion is “truly a complicated issue and I will say despite some of the reports I’ve read there was no sense in the room that people were taking sides. There was no straw poll. There was no request that people indicate pro or con in terms of expansion.” It has been 25 years since the NBA last expanded. The NBA is in no rush to expand, at least not at this moment.
