Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Minnesotans Get Kicked in the Twins
Hennipen County. Let's see, when I was a boy (um, I'm still a boy, just older) I remember going to this place called the Met Stadium and watching Rod Carew play one of my favorite sports. The Minnesota Twins were playing against Milwaukee, and they won. Back then, professional athletes gladly autographed baseballs and books and what-not of eager fanboys. They didn't charge $50 an autograph, they didn't snub their young audience or shove them into hotel walls.
The Met was an outdoor stadium, when hotdogs were a buck fitty, and beer well...I was too young to drink so I don't know. It wasn't until much later when the Twins won the World series decided they wanted an indoor stadium. So with much debate, and much sadness, the Met stadium was torn down and the Hubert H. Humphrey MetroDome went up. It was a few years later and then they decided they wanted an outdoor stadium again.
So the Minnesota government pondered how they would pay for such a stadium. The Twins at the time were threatening to leave Minnesota, one player was in trouble for shoving a 12 year old fan into a hotel wall for asking for his autograph. So the decision sat in purgatory.
Guv nah Plenty put it before the Minnesota Native American tribes that were successful in the running and operating of local casinos to open and run one for the state to fund the new outdoor stadium. After scalping the Guv Nah and leaving him in the fetal position, the tribes pulled out their support.
Now, brought before the Hennipen county commisioners, they have passed a tax increase to support the stadium. Twins owner, Carl Powloch, would front just over $100 million while the rest of the burden would be on the backs of taxpayers. Seeing that Minnesota is already one of the higest taxed states, plus the growing price of gas, the gas tax hike, the sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes, why not raise them more? Well, the proposal is now before state legislature, but we know how these things will work out. This is a Republican state, and millionaire Powloch will be even richer, and middleclass Minnesota will have to listen to the Twins on their radios since they won't be able to afford to go to a game at the new stadium.
I will sit and laugh when the Twins decide that they want an indoor stadium when their games get rained out.
The Met was an outdoor stadium, when hotdogs were a buck fitty, and beer well...I was too young to drink so I don't know. It wasn't until much later when the Twins won the World series decided they wanted an indoor stadium. So with much debate, and much sadness, the Met stadium was torn down and the Hubert H. Humphrey MetroDome went up. It was a few years later and then they decided they wanted an outdoor stadium again.
So the Minnesota government pondered how they would pay for such a stadium. The Twins at the time were threatening to leave Minnesota, one player was in trouble for shoving a 12 year old fan into a hotel wall for asking for his autograph. So the decision sat in purgatory.
Guv nah Plenty put it before the Minnesota Native American tribes that were successful in the running and operating of local casinos to open and run one for the state to fund the new outdoor stadium. After scalping the Guv Nah and leaving him in the fetal position, the tribes pulled out their support.
Now, brought before the Hennipen county commisioners, they have passed a tax increase to support the stadium. Twins owner, Carl Powloch, would front just over $100 million while the rest of the burden would be on the backs of taxpayers. Seeing that Minnesota is already one of the higest taxed states, plus the growing price of gas, the gas tax hike, the sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes, why not raise them more? Well, the proposal is now before state legislature, but we know how these things will work out. This is a Republican state, and millionaire Powloch will be even richer, and middleclass Minnesota will have to listen to the Twins on their radios since they won't be able to afford to go to a game at the new stadium.
I will sit and laugh when the Twins decide that they want an indoor stadium when their games get rained out.
