When new ballparks open, you always hear about how they’re going to be a boon to local business. I’d suspect that there’s some truth to that, even if it’s overstated. I mean, you won’t be able to open up seventeen restaurants, a miniature golf course, and a shopping mall tomorrow afternoon, but you’d at least […]

Many are speculating in the comments to the Marlins post this morning about where the Marlins might move if Miami falls through. The discussion thus far has focused on Las Vegas, as it often does when new potential Major League cities are mentioned. For what it’s worth, I’ve often been dubious of Las Vegas as […]

After all of that buildup last week, the Miami-Dade County Commission punted on Friday: The Florida Marlins encountered another curveball Friday in their bid for a new ballpark. City commissioners met for 7 1/2 hours without reaching a final decision on a plan to build a 37,000-seat stadium near downtown. They agreed to take up […]

Many are speculating in the comments to the Marlins post this morning about where the Marlins might move if Miami falls through. The discussion thus far has focused on Las Vegas, as it often does when new potential Major League cities are mentioned. For what it’s worth, I’ve often been dubious of Las Vegas as […]

This morning I posted Jorge Costales’ response to my anti-Marlins stuff, and now Will Wilson has a response to Jorge’s response, taking specific issue with Jorge’s argument that the Marlin Money was designated for entertainment-related purposes to begin with: Governments (politicians) earmark specific revenue and expenditure streams in order to artificially restrict the universe of […]

I’ve slagged on the Marlins’ stadium across a dozen posts by now, so it’s probably time I grant some equal time. Here’s a comment on my post about this from Wednesday, from the guy who probably knows more about this deal than the dudes who are going to vote on it later today, Jorge Costales: […]

The Twins unveiled the plans for the space surrounding their new ballpark yesterday, and it sounds pretty spiffy: Other plans for the space include nine 40-foot tall topiary frames, lit with LED lights and twisted with annual vines. (To the beer snobs among us: Plaza designer Tom Oslund said hops will be one of those […]

Stadium giveaways to billionaires are foolish even in the best of times, but they are even harder to take in the worst. Now comes an analysis from the Miami Herald showing that the Marlins deal — due for a vote on Friday — is even more generous than your typical ballpark boondoggle: The Florida Marlins […]

They’re protesting public funding for the Marlins’ ballpark down in Miami: Elected officials, community organizations, business owners and others gathered outside the Fillmore at the Jackson Gleason Theater in Miami Beach on Tuesday, explaining how the proposed Marlins baseball stadium would divert needed money from the local economy. One member of the coalition, City of […]

They’re trying to build a publicly-financed ballpark/development in Richmond, and woe be unto those who oppose it: The debate over a ballpark in Shockoe Bottom is getting louder, especially at 15th and East Main streets. A large, bright yellow sign, exclaiming “No Stadium in Shockoe,” hangs from the side of the building above the neon-lit […]