Twins Stadium Deal

[Jacks15]

The Twins stadium deal passed the House Ways and Means committee today and is headed toward the House floor tomorrow. Hopefully this deal can get done this time through and by 09 or 10 we will be watching Twins baseball outside. I never really thought the dome was a great place for baseball. There have been some great memories and awesome highlights, but it will be great to have a dog and beer outside watching live baseball. ;D

[SD-STATE]

Re: Twins Stadium Deal

Baseball should ony be played outside. Springs and Falls can get nasty in MN, just like they do here. A nice summer day or night watching baseball, now that would be worth the price of season tickets.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Twins Stadium Deal

I moved to Milwaukee when County Stadium was still open and loved going to games there even though the place was kind of a dump. What it had was great sight lines, small crowds (so you could sit anywhere you wanted) and open space to look up at the sky and take a deep breath or drink from your beer while basking in the beautiful day while watching pseudo-major league baseball (the Brewers were awful and the main thing we rooted for was Jose Hernandez to possibly set the all-time high for season strikeouts once held by Bobby Bonds, only to be eclipsed by Adam Dunn last season). Anyway, it was great watching games in the open air.

Now we have the closeable (word?) roof. It's a beautiful stadium and the seats are right on the field. But, even with the roof open it still feels alot like a dome with no roof. Mainly because there are essentially walls enclosing the entire stadium. No matter what, even the open roof stadiums will feel somewhat like a dome because they essentially are a dome without a roof (sometimes). It's pretty nice when it's raining, though. I know the Brewers did some sort of study and after the first 3 years of Miller Park, they saved themselves something like 50 games that would have been rained out or snowed out had they not had the ability to close the roof.

[West_River_Jack]

Re: Twins Stadium Deal

For those who haven't seen the drawings for the proposed new ballpark:

http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/NASAp...park/index.jsp

[Jacks15]

Re: Twins Stadium Deal

Minnesota House OKs stadium plan
BRIAN BAKST
Associated Press
April 27, 2006


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ST. PAUL - The Minnesota House gave the Twins stadium hopes a big lift Wednesday, voting 76-55 in favor of an open-air ballpark that would be paid for mostly by Hennepin County taxpayers.

The focus now shifts to the state Senate, where the proposed increase in the county's sales tax could run into some early trouble. The Senate Tax Committee, headed by a foe of the plan, will begin its deliberations today.

The downtown Minneapolis stadium project would cost $522 million - three-fourths from a higher Hennepin County sales tax - and would allow the Twins to flee the Metrodome, their home since 1982 and the place where they clinched two World Series crowns.

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"We're overwhelmed by it," Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports, Inc., said of the vote. "It was more votes than we expected." Bell was in the gallery during the voting and gave high-fives to other team officials when the vote came down.

A majority of Hennepin County legislators opposed the bill, a point not lost on critics.

"A quarter of members in this room are from Hennepin County and we are steamrolling them," said Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville. "I'm going to say to the taxpayers of Hennepin County that I'm sorry."

The biggest showdown was over a waiver letting the county boost its sales tax without voter approval. An attempt to require a referendum failed 66-64. Another to add a retractable roof with proceeds from a proposed statewide tax also went down, as did one requiring the Twins to pay half of the cost.

In the House chamber, one legislator had a baseball jersey draped over his chair and another had a Kirby Puckett figurine on his desk. Bell paced outside the chamber like an expectant father during part of the debate, which lasted more than seven hours.

The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Brad Finstad of New Ulm, urged his colleagues to give the county the go-ahead so the 10-year stadium debate would be concluded once and for all.

"It's a fine-tuned, well-negotiated agreement between the Minnesota Twins and Hennepin County," Finstad said. "This is the opportunity for us to get a ballpark built for the Minnesota Twins without state money."

A state law requires local governments to put sales tax increases to a referendum. But the county and the Twins say it would cause too much uncertainty and increase the project's cost.

Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, pushed to require the referendum. She said it was the least the Legislature could do on an issue dividing the residents of the state's most-populous county.

"We can't stop this. We can see this," she said. "The body has decided that it's OK to tax a subset of Minnesota to buy something for everyone else in Minnesota."

Rep. Phil Krinkie, R-Lino Lakes, joined her fight. "Even if you allow the citizens of Hennepin County to vote, the Twins will still be here," he said.

But Rep. Neil Peterson, R-Bloomington, said he watched the Minnesota North Stars leave town while he was mayor of their host city. He said he fears a similar fate for the Twins if the ballpark plan stumbles.

"Some of us were sent here to lead," he said, adding, "Had we had a referendum on the Mall of America it would have never been built."

One amendment that prevailed would require the Twins ownership to share sale proceeds from any sale of the team and direct that money toward repayment of stadium debt. The county would get 18 percent of the gross sale price, under the premise that a new stadium makes the franchise more valuable.

Twins owner Carl Pohlad would be required to put $130 million into the project upfront before the stadium opens and the team would make annual payments for upkeep. They expect the building to generate $40 million a year for the franchise.

Even with House consent, there is no guarantee the Senate will pass identical language on the stadium bill.

In fact, the chairman of the Senate Tax Committee has hinted he'll put forward an alternative financing plan. Sen. Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, has scheduled a Thursday hearing on the bill. His committee is comprised of several lawmakers who have expressed concern with the current bill.

If there are any differences, the House would have to vote again once a compromise is struck.

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty supports the proposal, but he said he would prefer the 0.15 percent sales tax go to voters. The tax amounts to three cents on every $20 spent, excluding purchases of clothing, food, medical supplies and automobiles.

"There has been no perfect proposal over the years, they all have some flaws," he said Wednesday.

"We're not going to lose the Minnesota Twins on my watch," Pawlenty said.

If the bill passes this year, the Twins say the new ballpark would open in time for the 2010 season.

[SUPERBUNNY]

Re: Twins Stadium Deal

I have refused to go to a Twins game because they are in the dome. It's okay for football but these are the "boys of summer" and they should only play outside!

I'm glad to see they are going to get it worked out. A new park will be huge for attendance.

SUPERBUNNY

[Jacks99]

Re: Twins Stadium Deal

Can't agree more, don't mind the Twins, but even as a kid games in KC were leagues above games at the Dome.

I don't even follow baseball close anymore, but like to go to a nice outdoor stadium now and then, went to Coors fields in Denver a few years ago, good time.