[Mpls] Minnesota Twins in Mpls.- Take the wheels off

[gemgram]

Phyllis Kahn could not be more correct on this one.  The cost of a new 
stadium is 400 million or so if we are lucky, and after a few years we do it 
all over again.  The cost of the team is less than half that.  If you want 
to keep the team here, buy the darn thing and keep it here.

I know some will say that "Baseball" would never allow that, but let's get 
real. Minneapolis could slap baseball with an anti-trust action so fast it 
would make their collective billionaire heads spin.  Buy the team, then do a 
public offering of stock tied to the best seats.  You get more people 
interested and invested in the team, and probably boost attendance at the 
same time.

Folks it is not rocket science.  A second rate city within a much larger 
sphere of "influence" (Chicago) has already shown how successful such a 
model could be.  The Greenbushers should not even be able to field a 
semi-pro team, yet they have probably the most successful pro football team 
in America.  (It's like St. Cloud having their own professional baseball 
team that is more successful than the Twins!)  Why? Because the people own 
the damn team.  And believe me (and a couple of million crazy beer drinking 
Wisconsin people) it's not going anywhere!  It is also sold out for the next 
several lifetimes. Why?  Because there is the real feeling that the people 
OWN the team!

THEN, if the people want a new stadium for THEIR team they can build it. We 
should never allow a "Red" or another silly named billionaire hold our City 
and State hostage.  If the Twins, or the Vikings, are worth investing public 
dollars in then they are worth being owned by that public.

Godfather Jim joins Phyllis in saying take the wheels off, " Make em an 
offer Carl can't refuse".  If that baseball syndicate gets in the way, shoot 
their horse with the "Sherman" tank!

(By the way yesterday's Finance and Commerce Newspaper did a feature article 
on yours truely. The "tin" shack should have been tarpaper, but what the 
heck I was greatly honored.)

Jim Graham,
Ventura Village, hoping mighty Casey will finally hit us one.

Today's Wise sayings:

"We can only be what we give ourselves the power to be" - A Cherokee Feast 
of Days


We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.
- Thomas Jefferson