Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Hi
I read somewhere that as fans we were "owed" a championship. That we "deserved" it.
BS. We have been so incredibly spoiled by the team over the past five years.
We aren't "owed" anything. Not a higher payroll, not a hand-built stadium, and certainly not a championship. Bernie isn't owed the finest danishes St. Louis has to offer in the pressbox (which incidentally - not as tiny as he says).
Mad that payroll isn't higher? Perhaps you haven't noticed the very large brick structure just north of Highway 40. The one that was paid for (to the tune of $340M of $365M, or 93%!) by the private owners of the team. Think they're just doing this to get ready to sell the team? Sure, they'll sell, but it won't be in the same way they did with the Rangers. There are severe penalties for selling for a number of years after Busch III opened. And if you think the team didn't need a new stadium...let's just say you can polish a turd, but it's still a turd.
Also contributing to the lack of financial flexibility is the $60M the owners are committed to spending on Ballpark Village. They'd like to spend $550M, with the regional governments kicking in $100M. Not that downtown couldn't use a $60 million development, but a $650 million development's impact on the City...I can't even imagine. I live in the City, and with every new loft and condo, the tax base gets better, the amenities get better, the City gets better. I guess people who live out in the suburbs that only come into St. Louis for the occasional game or to go to the Zoo don't see how a revitalized downtown impacts them. But it's really very simple: housing->people->taxes->schools->families->growth, or, housing->people->jobs for those people->taxes->schools->families->growth. And not just growth in St. Louis City. What does that mean for random fan from Arkansas? Not much, but they can stay a block away from the stadium and walk around downtown after the game.
So, where have I been? I got very tired of the bitching and moaning I kept reading. Honestly people, before you start whining about how La Russa and Duncan hate rookie players, take a look at the freaking roster. And please show me what indicates Reyes is going to be a stud (the one-hitter in Chicago notwithstanding. Heard from Bud Smith recently?). I don't know if DeWitt ran over Bernie's dog or what, but he has had some kind of crazy ax to grind this season. It's too bad, he used to be a good writer, but he's become a prematurely bitter old man shaking his fist at the clouds. It's one thing to be skeptical of the owners, to want them to be accountable. It's another thing to be a dick.
I've also actually been going to games. I've got two next week - right about the time they should clinch.
BS. We have been so incredibly spoiled by the team over the past five years.
We aren't "owed" anything. Not a higher payroll, not a hand-built stadium, and certainly not a championship. Bernie isn't owed the finest danishes St. Louis has to offer in the pressbox (which incidentally - not as tiny as he says).
Mad that payroll isn't higher? Perhaps you haven't noticed the very large brick structure just north of Highway 40. The one that was paid for (to the tune of $340M of $365M, or 93%!) by the private owners of the team. Think they're just doing this to get ready to sell the team? Sure, they'll sell, but it won't be in the same way they did with the Rangers. There are severe penalties for selling for a number of years after Busch III opened. And if you think the team didn't need a new stadium...let's just say you can polish a turd, but it's still a turd.
Also contributing to the lack of financial flexibility is the $60M the owners are committed to spending on Ballpark Village. They'd like to spend $550M, with the regional governments kicking in $100M. Not that downtown couldn't use a $60 million development, but a $650 million development's impact on the City...I can't even imagine. I live in the City, and with every new loft and condo, the tax base gets better, the amenities get better, the City gets better. I guess people who live out in the suburbs that only come into St. Louis for the occasional game or to go to the Zoo don't see how a revitalized downtown impacts them. But it's really very simple: housing->people->taxes->schools->families->growth, or, housing->people->jobs for those people->taxes->schools->families->growth. And not just growth in St. Louis City. What does that mean for random fan from Arkansas? Not much, but they can stay a block away from the stadium and walk around downtown after the game.
So, where have I been? I got very tired of the bitching and moaning I kept reading. Honestly people, before you start whining about how La Russa and Duncan hate rookie players, take a look at the freaking roster. And please show me what indicates Reyes is going to be a stud (the one-hitter in Chicago notwithstanding. Heard from Bud Smith recently?). I don't know if DeWitt ran over Bernie's dog or what, but he has had some kind of crazy ax to grind this season. It's too bad, he used to be a good writer, but he's become a prematurely bitter old man shaking his fist at the clouds. It's one thing to be skeptical of the owners, to want them to be accountable. It's another thing to be a dick.
I've also actually been going to games. I've got two next week - right about the time they should clinch.
