April 12, 2009

What K.C. got for its Royals reno money

The Kansas City Royals opened their newly renovated (with public sales tax money) Kauffman Stadium on Friday, and it turns out fans are less impressed by all the new bars than by more mundane matters: "It's great you can walk all the way around the stadium." "We stood in line forever." "The restrooms are great for women, but they're horrible for men." "I had to pay $3.50 for Starburst." While it's hard to say for sure from 1,000 miles away, it sounds like much of this (okay, not the candy prices) is typical opening-day confusion — if nothing else, it should get worked out once the Royals are no longer drawing 40,000 fans a game, which should happen as soon as the Yankees leave town this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the fight between the city and Jackson County over who'll pay for the ongoing operation of Kauffman Stadium continues, with Mayor Mark Funkhouser pushing forward with his plan to cut or eliminate the city's $2 million a year contribution. Kansas City Star editorial board member Yael T. Abouhalkah says the city should cough up the dough because hot dog vendors pay taxes — which is the sort of argument that I've come to expect from the Kansas City Star.