December 09, 2004

What happens in Las Vegas, gets reported in Miami

Anyone who had December 8 in the "When will the Florida Marlins make an overt move threat" pool: You are a winnah! Marlins execs met with Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman (not actually pictured in that hotlink) yesterday, in a meeting that city officials insisted was about a possible MLB expansion franchise one day coming to town. Marlins spokesperson Bruce Rubin, meanwhile, would say only: "The Marlins are a baseball team and Las Vegas is a city seeking a baseball team." I think we can all read between the lines there.

If any of you have Las Vegas in the "Where will the Marlins end up playing?" pool, you're wasting your money - as a Washington Post expose revealed this summer, Las Vegas' stadium finance plan is smoke and mirrors at best. The Vegas junket was enough to rile up Miami officials, though, with Miami mayor Manny Diaz declaring himself "shocked, disturbed, disappointed, disgusted." Just the kind of adjectives that get legislators reaching for their subsidy pens!

Goodman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he plans to meet with Marlins officials again at the baseball winter meetings this weekend, saying, and I quote: "I asked them if they were married, and if I should bring the showgirls along with me." I think we can definitely read between the lines there.