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CHICAGO - Some teams lost money in 2009, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday after the final owners meeting of the year.
"There was no question about that," Selig said. "I don't think the concerns have been ameliorated at all. I think the concerns are still there because all these people have their own economists."
Selig said final figures for this year are still being calculated and everyone is living in the most difficult economic times since the Great Depression. He declined to identify the teams.
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Major League Baseball's average attendance dropped 6.7 percent last season from an average of 32,528 in 2008 to an average of 30,350. Total attendance of 73.4 million was baseball's fifth-highest.
"Given the economy, the fact that we drew 73.5 million people is a testament to this sport's popularity and everything that has been done is remarkable," Selig said.
With the free-agent market set to open Friday, teams and agents are uncertain whether the economy will impact salaries.
"Revenues as a whole were flat at best and I think there's still a lot of people, and obviously we're still focused on our fans, that are still struggling," Angels owner Arturo Moreno said.
Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks is putting together a group of local investors, including Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, for a bid that would enable him to keep majority ownership of the team.
Several other groups have been identified as potential bidders.
"I don't know what's going on," Selig said. "The bids are due tomorrow and I'll be anxious then to see them."
Selig didn't say much about the St. Louis Cardinals' decision to hire Mark McGwire as their hitting coach.
Owners also heard reports on the annual civil rights game, the World Cup, legislative affairs, baseball's Internet division, the first-year MLB Network and the amateur draft.
Pettitte, Tatis file for free agency: The Yankees' Andy Pettitte and the Mets' Fernando Tatis have become the final players to file for free agency this year.
The pair filed Thursday, the final day of the 15-day window following the World Series.
A total of 171 players filed for free agency. Pitcher John Lackey, and outfielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay head one of the weaker free-agent classes in recent years.
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