Pacific Suns Baseball Team

Portions of statements I made to a Times reporter were apparently misconstrued or ignored, and the result was a misleading article under the headline, “Suns May Owe $500,000, League Official Says,” July 26.

The article included such phrases as “estimated half-million dollar debt” and “possible debt the club is carrying,” both of which are gross misinterpretations of my comments.

A second article two days later accurately reported my original comments but implied that I was making those comments for the first time and was recanting or qualifying my previous comments.

I hope that the following can clarify my statements:

I do not know the amount of debt the Pacific Suns are carrying. I have never purported to know it, I have no way of knowing it and I have never tried to estimate it.

In all my communication with The Times, I have clearly and repeatedly indicated that, of the dollar amount I mentioned, a significant portion should not be construed as “debt”; that one claim appears on its face to be without merit; and that I do not know the validity of any financial claim against the Suns.

TOM KOWITZ

Executive Director

Western Baseball League

Portland, Ore.