All you have to do is give the money to the Wilpons, the family that owns the checkered-history-team, and you'll become part owner of the Mets.
With the emphasis on "part." A very small part. Like 20-25 percent. Small. Not nearly enough to give you a say in how the team's run, or the operations, or when to restripe the lines in the parking lot. Enough to get you a nice luxury box I'm sure, and maybe all the stadium food you can eat.
But not enough to provide a change in the culture of the place.
Can't imagine they'll have to take numbers for investors lining up to pour in their money.
The Wilpons find themselves in this position because they need the money to settle a lawsuit from the trustee in the Madoff Ponzi scheme bankruptcy case. The Wilpons invested hundreds of millions of dollars; they also withdrew hundreds of millions. And the trustee wants to get nearly $50 million from them, so they're having a garage sale of sorts, getting rid of some of their stuff, but nothing that they'd really miss. Just give them the money and you can be wearing a neat, satin Mets jacket in no time.
So who would want to become a partner with the Wilpons? We're taking a closer look at the question and have reaction to the Wilpons' announcement, tonight at 11.
Also at 11, we're following developments in Egypt, where the long-ruling, and hard-line-ruling Hosni Mubarak tonight has called out the Army to help clear the streets of protestors, and enforce an overnight curfew.
The fighting in the capital city of Cairo continues, as do the fires set by demonstrators. Mubarak's ruling part headquarters were torched and reportedly looted.
The U.S. is in a tricky political position, given that it's a staunch ally of Egypt. But Mubarak's rule, and the country's anti-democratic bent, provide a troubling challenge for the Obama Administration. Tonight, the White House is slightly hedging its unconditional support for Mubarak. Surely he has to know that the U.S. would re-think its $1.5 billion annual aid to Egypt (second only to American aid to Israel) if he pulls an Iran-like response to anti-government protestors.
Can Mubarak survive the protests? Will he continue to crack down? We'll have the latest at 11.
And Nina Pineda tonight has the story of a small catering business that provided after-school meals for kids at a local community center. But when she got burned on the bill, rather than getting steamed, she called Nina, and got 7 On Your Side.
We'll also have any breaking news of the night, plus Lee Goldberg's weekend AccuWeather forecast, and Rob Powers with the night's sports. I hope you can join Liz Cho and me, tonight at 11, right after 20/20.
