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Twins #3 for stadium; Take action on stadium issue From the Seats, February 13, 2005 MINNEAPOLIS - Bad news for the Twins. Stadiums for teams in the Metro area are not number one on any list. But they should be first on the stadium list. The Gophers don’t need an on campus stadium right now, the Gophers wont go anywhere. The Vikings don’t need one either. If they move it wont be due to stadium issues. Want more on the issue? Go to the Minnesota Twins page to see more about the stadium issue. Go here to find your local legislature to write a letter to let them know the stadium issue is important to you. I did just that today, here is what I said in it: |
Patrick Reusse: Politicos bury Twins in ballpark hierarchy
Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune The Twins almost disappeared during the winter of 2001-02. Baseball finally blinked and agreed not to mention the word "contraction" until after the 2006 season. This near-miss did seem to put the Twins in position of being priority No. 1, if the Legislature ever were to get in a mood to build stadiums and guarantee the Twin Cities' future as a big-league sports area. There was also a belief there was no possible way for the Twins to fall lower than priority No. 2, since the Vikings were the only other entity shouting for a new stadium. Go back to February 2002. Anyone mentioning the notion of the state contributing mega-millions to the construction of separate football stadiums for the Vikings and the Gophers would have been institutionalized. Now go to February 2005. In a conversation this week, Twins President Dave St. Peter found himself conceding that an on-campus stadium for the Gophers probably will get the first and best look during this year's legislative session. Apparently, the legislators are swept away in the momentum of the Gophers' eighth-place finish in the Big Ten last fall. They want to stick the first hunk of millions into an on-campus football stadium that will be conveniently located as much as one-tenth of a mile closer to Coffman Memorial Union than the Metrodome. And then comes the Twins' ballpark need, right? Not exactly. Red McCombs said more than a year ago that he felt a new Vikings owner would have a better chance to get an up-to-date NFL playground than him, and now we know why: Red is about to sell for such an exorbitant price -- either Reggie Fowler's $625 million or Glen Taylor's $575-590 million -- that the owner will need the revenue from a new stadium to make it work. As the end of the Vikings' lease (the 2011 season) comes into view, the NFL will go from hinting to demanding a big-dollar venue. Plus: The Vikings already have a willing public entity with growing political clout-- Anoka County -- as a partner. Where does that leave the poor, old Twins? Basically, running third in what only three years ago was a two-team race. "I think at the end of this legislative session, after the major budget issues, there are people who will want to find a solution for the Twins," St. Peter said. The Twins were able to break even in operating expenses last season, thanks to a big handout from the higher-revenue teams. That does not tell the real story of owner Carl Pohlad's bottom line with the Twins in 2004. The attempt to launch Victory Sports and raise regional television revenues flopped. The final cost to Pohlad was $12 million -- in start-up, operating and close-down costs. "As always, the Pohlads were first class with employees," St. Peter said. "They had brought in Victory people on contracts of a couple of years. They paid those people full severance." The Twins are hopeful of driving gross revenues above $100 million this season. That's almost double five years ago -- a reflection of the organization being able to increase the dollars it takes in locally, but more so a sign of baseball's increased sharing and escalated national revenues. "Even if we get to $100 million, we'll be in the bottom five in revenue among the 30 teams -- probably the bottom three," St. Peter said. "We're fortunate Carl and [son] Jim have allowed us to fund the team at this level. The payroll's going to be closer to $60 million than the $53 million of last season. That's a decision the Pohlads made to give us the best chance to try to win again." St. Peter said the owners also continue to fund scouting and development at a higher rate than many franchises. "Scouting and development are where many clubs are cutting back," St. Peter said. "The Pohlads have increased that budget for [General Manager] Terry Ryan. "We can't keep everybody, especially with the spending we've seen from other clubs this winter. Carl and Jim want to keep this going as long as possible, but they also know the only way for the Minnesota Twins to compete on a regular basis is through development." What the Twins have going are three consecutive AL Central titles. The political award for this has been to fall from first to third on the legislature's stadium to-do list. Amazing. |
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Dear Representative/Senator Last Name, I am writing you in regards to our stadium issues. The Twins stadium is an important issue to me and I would like to see it resolved this year so there is no further threat of the future of the Twins. I believe that the University of Minnesota’s Football stadium and Vikings stadium can wait, and are not vital to the survival or future of either team here in Minnesota. Both can wait, the Twins are running out of time. I will follow the stadium issues and how you vote on it to determine how I vote in the future. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Signature |