Play ball!(finalentry) (Interview)

With the end Of tax season comes the beginning of baseball season, which prompted California CPA to interview Lisa Pantages, the San Francisco Giants' vice president of finance. Pantages, a fifth-generation San Franciscan, has been working with Giants' finances since 1993, first as a member of Deloitte and Touche's audit team and then as an employee of the club. We pitched her these questions in hopes of tapping into her unique perspective of the team.

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What are the daily financial demands of a pro baseball team?

The most challenging are cash management and forecasting due to the seasonality of collecting cash versus when it's spent. But the Giants' financial demands are more than just the team, as we also own and operate our ballpark. So we have a lot of things to account for.

What sort of financial reporting requirements are the Giants subject to?

We actually have three different sets of financial reporting requirements: audited GAAP financials for the banks, cash and tax reporting for our partners and baseball reporting for the MLB (all teams submit their financials using a common set of reporting rules based in GAAP to make them all comparable for industry purposes).

You've been working on the Giants finances since 1993. What has looking at the numbers ail those years told you?

Two things: That the Giants are a very well-run organization, from the ownership group and senior management to the interns that help out with everything during the season; and that baseball is a very challenging business given variables of ticket sales and player costs.

Do you have a role when it comes to player contracts?

Sometimes, but it's limited to ensuring there aren't any IRS or payroll tax issues in what's being negotiated--and looking at the impact of contracts on short- and long-term forecasting.

Is there anything from your behind-the-numbers perspective that the average baseball fan might be surprised to learn?

Most financial information that is reported in the news relating to baseball and baseball teams isn't accurate. Also, when different people in the game talk about finances, they usually aren't talking about the: same results. The commissioner will always use baseball reporting for anything he discusses. Team owners will generally talk about cash-based reporting. While both are correct, they are apples and oranges.

You were involved in the "Yes on B" campaign to build the new ballpark at China Basin. What was that process...