FanPost

Finally, an impetus to movement ...

Now that the Court has ruled the Twins aren't obligated to the Dome past 2006, maybe we'll get some movement on the stadium front.

Judges can do the strangest things ....

Not long ago, a Judge saved the Twins, snatching contraction away from MLB by ruling the Twins were obligated to the Dome for their upcoming season, contraction or no contraction.  With the latest ruling, holding the Twins aren't obligated to the Dome past 2006, the courts may have saved the Twins again.

Absent some threat of the team disappearing - and perhaps even with it - it's clear a stadium for the Twins is going nowhere unless Pohlad wants to pay for 100% of it himself.  The Twins - correctly, in my view - aren't interested in a referendum:  the politicians are elected to lead, they have the authority to act and they're simply choosing not to; referendums are tailor-made for "anti-rich-guy" demagoguery; and costs go up as time passes.  

Unfortunately, while the prior ruling saved the Twins for the time being, it also took the pressure off the political types ... all those people who were "shocked, shocked" that the Twins might be taken away from Minnesota (you know, the same ones who wouldn't lift a finger to keep the team around before the word "contraction" was uttered).  And with the pressure relieved, the politicians went back to being, well, politicians .... moisten the finger, stick it in the air and attempt to run ahead of the masses & convince them they're 'leading.'

Well, now the pressure is back.

The Twins are obligated for 2006, and that's it.  If Minnesota wants to keep its baseball team, then something is going to have to be done to keep the Twins in Minnesota - and this time, that means reaching an agreement the Twins can accept.

If only the track record was prettier.

The Lakers were once the "Minneapolis Lakers" (who ever heard of Lakes in Los Angeles?), but they left town when it became clear there wasn't an acceptable venue for the team's home games.

Perhaps all those championships won in L.A. wouldn't have occurred in Minneapolis - but one can dream.

The "Stars" were once the "North Stars."  They, too, left Minnesota - hockey mad Minnesota - for Dallas - football crazy Dallas, Texas - because (ahem) they figured that market would treat them better.

They won a Stanley Cup in Dallas & are pretty consistently good these days - wonder how the Twin Cities would've treated them?

Now, of course, the Twins & Vikings are on the cusp.  If they leave - with the track record in the Twin Cities, "when" seems more likely - there will be a period of time when neither Major League Baseball nor NFL football is played in Minnesota.

Until they are again - in nice, shiny new venues built 100% by the taxpayers.

Somehow, keeping what we have seems like a better idea.