December 23, 2005
The season of giving
The transit strike is finally over, and I have presents to buy, so today's news will be a bullet-point special:
- The Oakland A's have announced they're going ahead with plans to cut capacity at the Oakland Coliseum from 44,073 to 34,179, by closing the stadium's upper deck and covering it with a tarp. (The tarp will, according to A's spokesman Jim Young, be decorated to "reflect the team's rich history and take advantage of marketing opportunities." Now there's something to look forward to.) The unbiased MLB.com headline on the plan to make fewer seats available to fans: "A's to offer more fan-friendly stadium."
- Reputed "swing" vote on the D.C. council Carol Schwartz has posted her thoughts on the Washington Nationals lease deal, and it's clear from her conclusion which way she's swinging: "If a 'no' vote from me means baseball walks - and I hope that it won’t, but it might - I know I will be among those who will be blamed. But I would rather be blamed now for being responsible than be blamed later for being irresponsible." Meanwhile, a Washington Examiner columnist predicts that private developers will ride to the rescue.
- Jackson County voters will get to decide on April 4 whether to hike sales taxes by 0.375% to fund about $425 million worth of renovations to the Chiefs' and Royals' stadiums. (The teams would kick in $100 million combined, and would cover any cost overruns.) If the sales-tax plan goes down to defeat, the county legislature will likely come back with another referendum later next year on spending between $60 million and $100 million on lesser renovations required by the two teams' leases.
And with that, I'm done for the weekend. Chappy Cholidays!
—Neil deMause
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