Watkins Offers Bank Backing

Donald Watkins, the Alabama businessman interested in buying the Angels, has sent Disney a letter in which a New York investment banking firm promises to stand behind $150 million of the preliminary offer he has made to purchase the team, a source close to the negotiations said Thursday.

Watkins has met with Disney officials and has made a preliminary offer of $250 million. The letter states that UBS PaineWebber Inc. of New York will arrange financing for $150 million, a source said, though it is unclear whether the investment bank is verifying that Watkins can pay that amount or the bank is trying to find investors for him. The latter scenario would renew, not resolve, skepticism that Watkins can afford his goal of sole ownership of a major league franchise.

Watkins did not return calls seeking comment. Disney officials declined to comment.

Disney has not granted exclusive negotiating rights to any party. Commissioner Bud Selig said last week that Disney had received permission to share confidential financial data with several potential buyers, including Watkins.

New York lawyer Miles Prentice, who led one of the investment groups that lost in the bidding for the Boston Red Sox, said he is not interested in pursuing the Angels at this time. Prentice previously bid for the Kansas City Royals and said he discussed buying the Angels in 1995, before the Autry family sold to Disney. His sports holdings include the minor league franchise in Midland, Texas, formerly affiliated with the Angels.

At a time when the Angels are desperate for every run they can get, umpires took one away Thursday. After Troy Glaus circled the bases on an apparent home run down the left-field line, umpires huddled and ruled the ball foul. Third base umpire Doug Eddings, who originally ruled it a home run, later admitted he lost sight of the ball.

“The other three umpires all had it foul,” Eddings said. “The only reason you reverse a call is if they’re 100% sure.”

Said Angel Manager Mike Scioscia: “In my mind, the ball was fair. I didn’t see anything in the play that made it so obviously foul as to be overturned.”

Glaus, who said he had never lost a home run that way, eventually grounded out. But all was not lost for Glaus, who returned to the lineup with a new pair of contact lenses after missing part of Tuesday’s game and all of Wednesday’s because of problems with his old lenses.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’

JARROD

WASHBURN

(0-2, 6.00 ERA)

VS.

ATHLETICS’

MIKE

FYHRIE

(0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Oakland Coliseum, 7

TV--Channel 9.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

Update--Washburn, the Angels’ opening night starter, has not completed six innings in any of his three starts. Fyhrie, traded by the Angels to the Chicago Cubs last year for infielder Jose Nieves, was summoned to replace the injured Mark Mulder. In three starts at triple-A Sacramento, Fyhrie pitched 17 innings without giving up a run.