South Carolina Fined For Fans Rushing the CourtExcellent news from South Carolina, where the Southeastern Conference has fined USC $5000 for allowing its fans to rush the court following its upset victory over Kentucky last week. I am all for college students celebrating sports (except if they celebrate like Maryland fans), but as I have written before (column and post, post, post), it is only a matter of time before the combination of fans and players on the court, especially at the end of a heated game, results in a brawl that puts the Pistons-Pacers...

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Palmeiro Considers Suing CansecoAre steroids a big issue in baseball right now? That's funny, you would think they would have a story about it on SportsCenter. And I hear Jose Canseco is involved...Canseco's book may sell, but it appears he will need all the proceeds to cover his legal costs. Rafael Palmeiro, one of the athletes he claims to have given steroids, is considering a lawsuit, and he probably will not be the last. If the statement is untrue, as Palmeiro claims, then the elements of defamation have all been met. The statement was (1)...

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"Raiders Lose Bid on Lawsuit"A California state appellate court has ruled in favor of the NFL, deciding that the actions of certain jurors in its trial with the Oakland Raiders did not constitute misconduct necessitating a new trial. One juror allegedly told the others that he hated the Raiders and Al Davis, the team's owner, and would "never find for the Raiders." Another juror supposedly wrote legal statements for use by the jury, violating the rule that pronouncements of law should only come from the judge. The Raiders plan to appeal the $1.2...

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Los (Anaheim) Angels UpdateSpring training has begun and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have taken the field. Media outlets have said that the team will be referred to as "Los Angeles" or "LAA," but Anaheim is not giving up its legal battle. The city council voted to pursue an appeal of a judge's ruling denying a preliminary injunction (discussed here) and also voted to take the case all the way to trial. This will cost the city a great deal of money but the council members apparently feel very strongly that the name change violates the Angels'...

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"Angry Phillies Fan Tagged Out in Cyberspace"Disgruntled fans, take note. You can boo and you can complain on talk radio. But you can't resort to hacking and e-mail spam in order to voice your displeasure. From Andrews Publications on FindLaw: A disgruntled Phillies fan who allegedly took his frustration into cyberspace by hacking into computers nationwide to launch spam e-mails criticizing the baseball team has been convicted of computer crimes by a Philadelphia federal jury.Allan Eric Carlson of Glendale, Calif., flooded the e-mail servers of...

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Got Ink? Wallace Sued for Copyright InfringementUsually, when big-time athletes get sued, they will settle the suit quickly for a nominal sum. After all, they have tons of money and don't want to get caught up in prolonged litigation that will probably end up costing them more. In this case, though, I hope Rasheed Wallace does not settle because the case involves a fascinating copyright issue.In 1998, Rasheed Wallace contacted Matthew Reed, a well-known tattoo artist, about having work done on his arm. Wallace wanted the tattoo to be an Egyptian-themed...

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Could Nissan Wash-Out Affect Future PGA Sponsorship Contracts?Last week's Nissan Open proved to be a disaster, with rain throughout the weekend causing the tournament to be shortened to 36-holes. This means that the winner of the tournament, Adam Scott, does not get an official tournament win and the perks that come with it. But he, and the rest of the players, did receive the full allotment of prize money -- $4.8 million in total -- and Nissan is asking why it had to pay the full amount of prize money for a tournament that was only half-played.The...

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More Funding for Seattle ArenasThree Washington state lawmakers are planning to introduce legislation that would finance a $205 million expansion of Seattle's Key Arena (basketball home of the Sonics) and provide millions more for area arts programs. The money would come from an extension of several taxes, including taxes on car-rental, hotels and restaurants, that are now used to pay construction debt on the city's new football and baseball stadiums. Instead of the taxes being lowered when the debt is paid off, the revenue would go towards the...

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Article on the Demise of ESPNThis article from Slate discusses something I have been talking about for a while now: how ESPN has declined over the years from the premier sports network to a network full of more specialty shows and talking heads. Nowhere is the change more apparent than on SportsCenter. The show used to be thirty minutes of jam-packed highlights and scores, with an hour-long show on Sunday. Now, the show is routinely 90 minutes, with nary a highlight to be found, except for the awful "Ultimate Highlight." There seem to be more and...

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Pittsburgh Man Does Not Have Standing to Sue SteelersThe Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Richardson, 418 US 166 (1974) that being a taxpayer is not enough to bring a lawsuit challenging a government action. Although the taxpayer in that case was arguably injured by having a few cents of his tax money spent on a government program he felt was illegal, the Court held that there was not enough of a "concrete injury" to bring a suit. As one Justice wrote, such complaints are better left to the political process.Now, a Pittsburgh man has been...

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Baseball Arbitration SummaryThe baseball arbitration "season" came to a close last week in Tampa, in advance of the beginning of spring training. For those unfamiliar with the arbitration process, I give a brief explanation in this post last year. Only three cases went to trial this year (a new low), with the owners winning two and Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse emerging as the lone players' victor. But don't feel bad for those on the field. The remainder of the 86 players settled prior to hearings, with an average salary increase of 123 percent. The...

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The Problems of Being a Ringside Physician:I don't talk about boxing much, but this (lengthy) article gives a good look at a key part of boxing: the ringside physician. These men and women (mostly men) are a necessary part of the sport but the job is not overly attractive. Being a ring doctor is not a ticket to wealth. * * * Payment in Nevada is keyed to fight-night responsibilities and the magnitude of the fight. The lead doctor on a big fight in Nevada gets $750 and the number-two doctor receives $650. Doctors who work in back in the dressing...

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Olympic Bids: Is New York One and Done?Winning the right to host the Olympic Games is no easy chore. Cities and countries begin upwards of 10 years in advance, and most cities have to bid at least twice before winning the IOC's blessing. New York City, the representative city for the US, however, has stated that it may not bid for the Olympics in 2016 should its bid for the 2012 games come up short.This is unsettling news for the US Olympic Committee, which reportedly asked for at least a two-bid commitment when it selected New York to be the US...

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Insurance Becomes Standard Protective GearUSC quarterback Matt Leinart decided to return for his senior year of college, despite winning the Heisman Trophy and two national championships. In doing so, however, he knew that he needed to protect himself in case of injury. So, in a move made by more and more athletes, he has purchased insurance for himself in case of injury. The insurance, which pays out from $200,000 to $10 million for a premium price ranging from $10,000 to $1 million, covers players in the case of career-ending injury. The price...

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...but are still accurate nonetheless. With Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux in attendance, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association met for 6 ½ hours in New York Saturday, but the talks failed to generate a new collective bargaining agreement to save the 2004-05 season.The latest deal offered to the players reportedly was worse than the league’s ‘final offer’ last Tuesday before NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cancelled the season Wednesday leading some to believe Saturday’s get-together was Bettman’s way of trying to impress upon the players...

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The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated...Is it possible that perhaps the NHL season will not be cancelled? The Hockey News says as much, and articles today in the LA Times and New York Times report an announcement could come today. For continuing updates, see OffWi...

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More Hockey: Replacement Players and the Stanley Cup?The cancellation of the hockey season has people talking about two key legal issues. The first is replacement players. Admittedly, I do not even begin to know everything about the myriad of labor laws covering Canada, the US, and their provinces and states. However, based on what I have read, it appears that most every team would be able to hire replacement players. The exceptions could be the Montreal Canadians and Vancouver Canucks, as labor laws in Quebec and British Columbia prevent the hiring...

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Does Making Cheerleading a Varsity Sport Count Towards Title IX?The University of Maryland needed to add two women's sports to bring its athletic department within the requirements of Title IX. In the end, it rejected ice hockey and rowing and added water polo and cheerleading. So now, the Maryland cheerleaders are varsity athletes. Note that this is not the men and women that stand on the sideline during football games -- that is the "spirit squad." Rather, these are competitive cheerleaders -- perhaps you have seen them on ESPN2 -- that perform...

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Juice Mending: Time to Reconstruct Baseball's Record Books?Mike Greenwell, the former All-Star outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, is wondering why he shouldn't be awarded the 1988 American League Most Valuable Player award. After all, he did finish second in the balloting to, as he now tells the Fort Myers News Press, "an admitted steroids user" (a.k.a. Jose Canseco). Greenwell insists that he deserves the award over a cheater, and that his failure to receive it cost him millions of dollars in endorsements and contractual compensation. Essentially,...

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More Competition for Ticketmaster? Dare I Dream?Tickets.com, the primary competitor to Ticketmaster's monopoly, has been acquired by MLB Advanced Media, the Internet arm of Major League Baseball that is jointly owned by all thirty teams. This is good news for the company, which has faced significant financial difficulties in the past few years. Although Tickets.com will not interfere with the twelve teams that have agreements with Ticketmaster, I would not be surprised if those teams make the switch to Tickets.com when the current contracts lapse....

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Judge: Ricky Williams Must Pay Back DolphinsA federal judge has upheld an arbitrator's ruling that Ricky Williams must pay back $8.6 million of his contract to the Miami Dolphins. Wow -- if that order came down against me, I would need some heavy breathing exercises or relaxation stretches to calm down. Look for Ricky in the NFL next year -- on the repayment pl...

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New York MTA Could Halt Stadium PlansThe Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided that it is not going to deal exclusively with the New York Jets any longer. The agency, which owns the rights to the valuable property on the city's West Side that the Jets and the city has targeted for a new stadium, has begun accepting bids for the land. Whereas the Jets were going to pay $100 million for the land, Madison Square Garden has proposed paying $600 million for the land. In a statement, the Jets said: "In the end, a Cablevision gimmick on the...

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"NY Judge Tosses Out Ice Skating Antitrust Suit"A New York judge has dismissed a lawsuit that accuses the International Skating Union of monopolistic practices. The World Skating Federation, which was formed to restore "merits-based competition" for figure skating, accuses the ISU of maintaining "a monopoly over the sport of international figure skating." The judge said that the WSF was pushing the boundaries of civil law in bringing the suit.Hat Tip: Trademark B...

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That, as they say, is that . . .Today, the NHL managed to do something that MLB, the NFL and the NBA have been able to avoid: cancellation of an entire season. Eric at OffWing will no doubt have the best coverage, once he finishes his fight with Comcast over his NHL Central Ice package. The gentlemen at the Sports Economist also have some insights.To state the obvious, this is bad news for hockey and a bad sign for all professional sports. The economics were so bad in hockey that the owners were willing to cancel an entire season rather than give...

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The Patriots Go to WashingtonCongressman Marty Meehan read a statement on the floor of Congress this morning, congratulating the New England Patriots on their Super Bowl championship. Here is an excerpt: Mr. Speaker, I rise in enthusiastic support of H.Res. 86, congratulating our New England Patriots on winning their third Super Bowl in four years.The word "dynasty" has become synonymous with the New England Patriots. And deservedly so. Only one other team has accomplished what the Patriots have done - the Dallas Cowboys of the early 1990s. I believe...

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UPDATE: Hockey Dad Ordered to Pay $320The hockey dad that confronted and yelled at one of his son's opponents was ordered to pay $320, which will cover three trips the boy had to make to a psychologist after the confrontation. "A Cumberland County Superior Court jury found Dr. Demetri Antoniou liable for intentionally causing emotional distress to the young player, Jordan Hale, but did not find his actions amounted to assault." The boy's lawyers said that the damages were not high enough to act as a sufficient warning to other parents. Hopefully,...

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New Turn in St. Louis Stadium LawsuitWhen the city of St. Louis decided it wanted to build a new downtown ballpark for the St. Louis Cardinals, a group of citizens decided to act, rather than let public money go towards the project. The group, which became the Coalition Against Public Funding for Stadiums, collected 30,000 signatures to get a referendum about stadium financing on the ballot. The measure, dubbed Proposition A, requires a vote of the public before money can be allocated on a stadium in the future, and was approved by 70 percent of...

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Court: 'March Madness' is a TrademarkA federal district court has ruled that 'March Madness' is a trademark owned by the NCAA and the Illinois High School Association and that a defendant infringed the mark and cybersquatted by registering marchmadness.com. The defendant used the site for basketball-related material but had no affiliation with either plaintiff. The NCAA and ISHA are members of the March Madness Athletic Association, which was formed in 200 to pool the respective trademark rights to the "March Madness" name. The term "March Madness"...

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"NASCAR Fan Alleges Infringement of Earnhardt Car Photo"A fan of NASCAR, who also sells memorabilia, is suing four other distributors of NASCAR memorabilia, claiming they have infringed his trademark on "The Final Ride," a photograph he took of Dale Earnhardt's crumpled car following the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt was killed in the final laps of the race. The four separate but identical complaints, filed in the Middle District of North Carolina, claim that the distributors used the image without permission. You can view the complaint here, if...

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He Hate Me: Can Negative Sports Blogs Go Too Far

With the growth of sports blogs, it should come as no surprise that some distinguish themselves through critically-entertaining commentary of disappointing pro athletes.For instance, check out Mark Blount is Awful, a blog that chronicles the play of Mark Blount, the starting center of the Boston Celtics who last summer received a 6-year, $42 million contract extension and...

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Bash Thy Bash BrotherBe sure to watch 60 Minutes tonight (CBS, 7 P.M. EST), as it will feature an interview between Mike Wallace and Jose Canseco. In the interview, Canseco will spend extensive time detailing how he and Mark McGwire used steroids while playing for the A's, and how he repeatedly injected McGwire with those steroids. Aside from airing his grievances against McGwire and others, Canseco will use the interview to hawk his soon-to-be-released book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big.Jack Curry of...

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And the Witch Hunt Begins in Earnest . . . According to a report earlier tonight on Boston Dirt Dogs, Jose Canseco's must-anticipated book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big, was expected to claim that Nomar Garciaparra used steroids to gain weight and muscle during the late 1990s. An updated report on Boston Dirt Dogs, however, now states that while Garciaparra will not be among those "named", the book--which will become available on Monday, February 21--will claim that many other prominent players used steroids....

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Jason Giambi: I'm Sorry, But I Can't Say What ForIn a press conference today, New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi, 34, repeatedly apologized--including to his employers, teammates, and fans--for . . . well, he didn't quite say, other than for the "distraction over the last year," which he was sorry for. Presumably, that "distraction over the last year" pertained to the December 2004 revelation that he had admitted using steroids to a grand jury in December 2003, even though he would later vehemently claim the contrary to his employers,...

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Throw the Book at ThemDuring Tuesday's parade in Boston to celebrate the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory, five juveniles, along with 32 adults, were arrested for disorderly conduct. Apparently, those juveniles threw snowballs and bottles at one another. Yesterday, they were offered a rather innovative deal from Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley: read Michael Patrick MacDonald's All Souls: A Family Story from Southie and deliver a 2,500-word report on its meaning, and the charges will be dropped. All Souls details the...

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Transsexual Golfers Allowed to Play in British OpenReversing long-standing policy, the Ladies Golf Union of England has decided to allow transsexual golfers to play in this year's women's British Open. The move will enable Danish-born Mianne Bagger, 37, to participate. Bagger was born a man in 1966, but had a sex-change operation in 1995, and is now a woman.Bagger won't be playing in any LPGA tournaments in the U.S., however, as the LPGA prohibits transsexuals (or, more technically, anyone "not born a woman") from playing in those tournaments.Is...

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NHL Finally sets "Drop Dead" Date for Season: End of This WeekendEric McErlain over at Offwing has all the details. In short, if the NHL and NHLPA don't agree over this weekend on what would be a 28-game season, then say adios (or, more likely, au revoir) to hockey this year. Although the two sides have apparently made meaningful progress in recent weeks, they are said to remain ways away in bridging the g...

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LeMond Wins Millions in Contract DisputeA jury has awarded three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond $3.46 million in his contract dispute with a bicycle accessories maker. LeMond's contract with PTI Holdings called for a ten-year deal, but the company decided to drop LeMond's name from its helmets, seat covers, locks and other items after deciding his celebrity status had faded. The suit, filed in 2003, was for breach of contra...

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Fox Keeps Miller Ads Out of Super BowlFox obviously values its sponsorship dollars. The network declined to run an ad by Miller that was critical of Anheuser-Busch, the company that bought the most advertising time during the Super Bowl. Said Fox executive Jon Nesvig:"While we appreciate Miller's desire to advertise with us and would willingly accept other ads for Miller products, the decision was made to reject these specific ads based on the degree of spending Anheuser-Busch has achieved in support of Fox and the Super Bowl."I am curious as...

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A Classic Struggle in the 2005 Business Blogging AwardsPhosita is upset that it trails the Sports Law Blog 32% to 37% in the voting, so it has declared war on the "jocks" (as it terms us). Little do they know how little athletic talent we actually possess. Although I believe that Mike (pictured here, far right) was once an excellent soccer player. Please cast your vote, so that the Sports Law Blog can begin a "dynasty" of its o...

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Dynasty (n): a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time (Merriam-Webster)Does this really describe the New England Patriots? The talk of "dynasty" by the sports media began before the game and is in full force now. I remain unconvinced, though-- UCLA in the 60s and 70s, Celtics in the 60s, Islanders in the 80s, Yankees in 30s, 40s, 50s -- those are dynasties. Should the word attach for 3 championships in 4 years? Perhaps the rules are different in the NFL. But even the Cowboys of the early 90s made it to the...

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More on Sports Parents:Over on Overlawyered, another story of an irate sports parent leading to litigation. Out-of-control parents are certainly a detriment to youth sports, but I hope that this is not a sign of things to come. Because it will not be long before the leagues themselves are targeted, which would not be good for the parents or the athlet...

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The Super Bowl as a National Holiday?An idea I am sure many readers can get behind.If the Super Bowl were a national holiday, there wouldn't be any question about just what is being celebrated. Football. Which is already the national sport. The new holiday would come complete with rituals, ceremonies and food. On Thanksgiving, Americans in the millions eat things they rarely eat any other time of year and probably don't like that much, anyway--roast turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows. But on the day of the Super Bowl, Americans...

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Paying College Athletes: Why Not Bring the Money Above the Table?Skip at the Sports Economist comments on the Logan Young case and proposes a solution to the underhanded bribes that have become commonplace: pay the athletes. He points to some excellent evidence about how paying college athletes was once a common practice, before the NCAA stepped up its enforcement procedures. This is a solution that I have thought and written about and so I thought I would add my two cents.I can think of many good arguments for paying players. For one, playing...

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Murdoch and NFL to Launch Another Cable Sports Network?Paul Tagliabue's "State of the League" address included the following statement: "[W]e are giving very serious consideration to being part of the launch of another major sports network on cable and satellite television. That's a complicated thing, but we're looking at that very seriously. That's a strategic thing, which anticipates the future of television technology and the future interests of where people are going to be in terms of digital television technology."Afterwards, a league source...

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Another Baseball Spectator Lawsuit:A Philadelphia-area dentist attended a Phillies game at old Veterans Stadium in 2001. He chose seats close to the field, presumably because he wanted to be close to the action. During the game, a foul ball was hit in his direction. Rather than duck to avoid being hit by the ball, he attempted to catch it. Unfortunately for him, he missed, and the ball struck him, affecting his vision. Now he is suing the team, claiming that it did not do enough to protect the spectators at the stadium.This is quite a remarkable...

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Curbing NFL Celebration Dances:NFL celebration dances have spiraled out of control in the past few decades, with the number of celebrations both increasing (We may be down 38, but I caught a 3-yard pass!) and players constantly crossing lines to be original (the sharpie, the cell phone, the fake moon). What should be done about these celebrations? This is not an easy answer, because the NFL knows that it needs stars and publicity to make money: two things tied up in celebration dances. But, at the same time, the league should strive to maintain...

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Sports Law Blog Exclusive: Proposal by Professor Joseph Rosen to Resolve the NHL LockoutJoe Rosen, a corporate, sports and entertainment attorney at Goulston & Storrs and an adjunct professor of sports law at Boston College Law School, has the following suggestion to resolve the NHL lockout:"A luxury tax, like the one the union has proposed, along with the cut in salaries, but there would be additional non-financial penalties for teams that spend over the prescribed limit. Two things that come to mind are the loss of draft picks and the inability...

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Over on OverlawyeredA non-profit has sued the GAO because it does not like the results of a study it did on Title IX. The study found increases in the numbers of both men's and women's intercollegiate teams, which runs counter to the belief of groups claiming that Title IX causes decreases in the number of men's sports. So one group, the College Sports Council, has decided to file suit. Exactly what remedy they expect is unclear.Also, an appellate court has ruled that the lawsuit between Michael Jordan and his ex-lover should be heard by a jury....

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The Truth Is Out There...Mike's posts (here and here) about Ken Powers and the excellent work done by Bruce Allen represents yet another example of how in the modern world, the truth will eventually catch up to you. I wrote a column on this last fall in the context of the Wally Backman firing and there have been numerous other examples. The sources of truth come in a number of different forms.The first, which has been widely documented since the election, is the increase in informal journalism, especially through blogs. Bloggers helped break the...

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Update #2: The Top 10 Things I Think I Plagiarize from Peter King (and now others, too)In an unsurprising development, Ken Powers was fired last night by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, in part for plagiarizing Peter King of Sports Illustrated. But now we learn a new part: since the story first broke two days ago, the Telegram & Gazette has discovered "at least a half dozen other cases" of plagiarism by Powers.In fact, consider a newly-discovered example of Powers' plagiarism, as revealed by the person who originally broke the story,...

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Does It Makes More Sense To Pay Athletes Millions?In an article on Tech Central Station, Professor Stephen Bainbridge (of UCLA) takes a look at Pay Without Performance, a new book discussing the problem of executive compensation. He notes that if people have a problem with the size of executive compensation, but not with the high salaries paid to professional athletes, that the two must be able to be distinguished in some way. Bainbridge notes the distinction made by the authors of the book, that while athletes bargain at arm's-length for their...

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Take-Two: Take that, Electronic Arts!Last month, we discussed how videogame publisher Electronic Arts has agreed to pay ESPN $850 million for a 15-year licensing agreement that will make the publisher the sole licensee of the ESPN brand in all sports videogames. The agreement will take effect in 2006, and will last until 2021.ESPN's current licensee for baseball videogames is Take-Two, and it publishes the ESPN MLB 2K series, which is available for the Playstation 2 and Xbox. Take-Two's main competitor in the baseball videogame market is Electronic...

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Title IX: I am sure this is what Congress had in mindTitle IX has forced the men and women of Portsmouth High School to deal with a new problem: a change in locker rooms. The high school, in response to a Title IX investigation that cited inequities between the boys' and girls' locker rooms, has boys and girls use their respective locker rooms in the fall, but has the two genders swap facilities for the spring term. Now, because of a law designed to improve the status of female athletics, the girls of Portsmouth are contending with a communal...

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Update: Alabama Booster Found GuiltyAlabama booster Logan Young was found guilty on charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in a Memphis federal district court. Young was found to have conspired with Memphis-area high school coach Lynn Lang to ensure that a star player attended the University of Alabama. The jury will reconvene today to decide punishment, which could include 15 years in jail and almost a million dollars in fines.The original post has more on the charges Young fac...

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Update: The 10 Things I Think I Plagiarize from Peter KingThe reporter that appears to have copied a large portion of one of his columns from Sports Illustrated's Peter King has been sent home from Jacksonville, where he was covering the Super Bowl. You can read Mike's original post on this story he...

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It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over (the lawsuit, that is)Yogi Berra is not a fan of Sex and the City, or at least, of the show using his name in advertisements without his permission. Ads for re-runs of the popular, but provocative, show feature a picture of star Kim Cattrall and reads: "Yogasm: a) a type of yo-yo trick b) sex with Yogi Berra c) what Samantha has with a guy from yoga class." The ad has appeared on buses, billboards and in magazines nationwide and Berra is suing because of it.The suit against Turner Broadcasting (TBS) claims that the...

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The 10 Things I Think I Plagiarize from Peter KingAs reported by Bruce Allen of Boston Sports Media Watch, Patriots' beat writer Ken Powers of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette--the highest circulated daily in central Massachusetts--either thinks and writes remarkably like Peter King of SI.com, or "borrowed" most of Peter King's January 24th column for use in his own January 30th column. Powers' column has since been removed the Telegram & Gazette's website, but Bruce was able to track it down and compare the texts.Here are some rather...

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Tax Break for the Really, Really RichIn his 4-year, $52 million contract with the Florida Marlins, Carlos Delgado received a rather generous provision: Should he be traded to a team in a locality that features a state and/or local income tax, the club acquiring him must make up any difference in those taxes. In practice, this provision could prove quite lucrative. For instance, if Delgado is traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, he would be reimbursed by the team for falling in the highest state income tax bracket (9.3 percent + 1 percent surcharge...

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