The latest controversy involves owner Drew Weber, who told a Union Leader reporter Monday night he is considering selling a portion of the team. Published comments triggered a damage-control press conference yesterday, and New Hampshire’s Double-A baseball scrambled for a ninth-inning save.

An inappropriate MTV production couldn’t have drawn so much attention in Manchester.

Don’t despair, season ticket holders, this week actually brought terrific news for the Fisher Cats. What else was said at Monday’s meeting with city officials in Manchester? Lots of good.

The riverfront stadium is scheduled to open on time in 2005, an issue that has kept many wondering with each turn of the calendar. Plans are moving forward on the hotel and condos. And Toronto Blue Jays general manager and vice president of baseball operations J.P. Ricciardi will be in Manchester tomorrow night for an informative meeting with team officials, business leaders and fans.

Weber, it seems, must’ve forgotten he was speaking with a reporter when discussing the possibility of selling part of the team. Yeah, it’s newsworthy, but it’s not the most radical concept across the landscape of professional baseball. It happens.

The Nashua Pride’s triple-pronged business plan includes selling minority shares. It’s a way to connect with the community and gain some financial support.

Weber also owns the Lowell Spinners and doesn’t want to spread himself too thin. He’s already shelled out more than $10 million while bringing this team to Manchester, and he says he’ll be losing money in 2004. Monetary-related stress may have led to comments published yesterday.

If you know Weber, he was merely thinking aloud, as if examining his 401(k) retirement plan. Too many aggressive bonds and not enough conservative stocks.

“There’s nobody in minor-league baseball who owns two teams 100 percent,” Weber said yesterday.

Instead of promoting the new line of collared shirts inside the Fisher Cats offices yesterday, Weber was attempting to restore the faith in New Hampshire. It’s been a long road bringing the Primaries-turned-Fisher Cats to Manchester, and ownership isn’t about to cut bait now.

The team has already sold more than 90,000 tickets for the inaugural season. The season ticket total is above the 1,000 mark and growing. Soon Gill Stadium will be sold out, and the Fisher Cats will be playing the Yankees’ minor leaguers on Opening Day in Manchester.

“Make no mistake about it, I’m looking forward to being here with this team for a long time,” he said. “It has always been my long-term goal to permit greater community participation in the ownership of the Fisher Cats. But we have nothing specific planned or proposed in the near term.”

Members of management have spoken with Ricciardi and assured him everything is copacetic in Manchester.

Meanwhile, the Fisher Cats have done it again. They’ve been the lead story across the news, and that doesn’t hurt business, either.