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September 22, 2010
Selig does what Selig does on Rays stadium
MLB commissioner Bud Selig was on hand Monday at New Yankee Stadium to see George Steinbrenner get frozen in carbonite, and since the Tampa Bay Rays were the opponent, took the opportunity to say a few words about that team's quest for a new stadium of their own:
"It is a great franchise, they have run it beautifully, but there is no question they need a new stadium. And I'll talk to [principal owner Stuart Sternberg] about that in the future."
On the subject of where in the Tampa Bay area the stadium should go, however, he demurred:
"That I will leave to the locals. I know what I think in my mind, but I'm not going to get involved in those discussions."
All of which is just as you'd expect Selig to say, given his record in this regard. Though the "I know what I think in my mind" bit is a new twist: Either he's trying to subtly signal that he has a preference that should be catered to (but without his getting caught up in the legal battles with St. Pete), or it was just a slip of the tongue. We'll know more the next time Sternberg speaks and we can see if he uses "we need to have a site that MLB will approve of" as a bargaining chip...
Selig is a clown.
"There's no question . . ."
Says who? For whom?
The No. 1 job of a sports commissioner has become to pressure the public into financing money-draining stadiums. That's what a commissioner is.
Bottom line of what Selig (and Sternberg) are saying is: Fire more cops and teachers so Sternberg can move the Rays across the bay, which will alienate just as many people as it pleases.
Oh, and then there is the problem of who is going to pay for it.
Posted by richard on September 27, 2010 09:33 AM