STADIUM GAMES, REVISITED: Minnesota Gov. Tim "Paul Henty" Pawlenty is gearing up to revisit the state's long-running sports facilities battle, becoming the third governor in the last decade to take a crack at it; mega sports booster Arne Carlson whiffed throughout the '90s (though he did manage to prevent the T-Wolves from leaving in '94), while his successor Jesse Ventura had other sports ventures on his mind during his singular term in office. St. Paul's XCel Energy Center was built and the NHL Minnesota Wild lured during Ventura's tenure, but credit for both has long gone, justified or not, to then-St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman.
The latest battle, to be waged when the legislative session begins in February, breaks down like this: three teams (the Twins, Vikings, and University of Minnesota Gophers football team) want to escape their current home, the only-22-years-old-yet-very-obsolete Metrodome, all to play in new, outdoor facilities. In addition, Minneapolis and St. Paul are fighting each other for the right to house the Twins, with suburb Bloomington (home of the airport and the Mall of America) emerging as a darkhorse third candidate; both Twin Cities are in the market for the Vikings, as is far-flung suburb Blaine. And the Gophers would love a new stadium on the U of M campus in Minneapolis, but it's unlikely that the state would pay for three, especially since the Vikings and Gophers each only play about ten home games per year. Then there's the question of who pays for it, with previous schemes having included cigarette taxes, expansion of gambling, increased taxes on profits from Indian-owned casinos, a bizarre "gift" of 49% of the team to the state, and player salary surcharges, which may be the dumbest idea in the history of stadium financing.
The Twins and Vikings can't share because the way stadium construction works these days, field shapes and sightlines are radically different for the two sports, and therefore the multi-purpose stadium is dead. The Vikings and Gophers could share, but an idea to do just that fell apart last year because the Vikings wanted 30,000 more seats than the Gophers did. They also would have to agree on whether the seats would be purple or maroon and gold, and that's a whole other headache.
If it were up to me, the Twins would get a new ballpark, while the Vikings would not. The Twins need the park to survive financially long-term, and in order to compete with their richer rivals by retaining their best players. The Vikings have neither problem- with the NFL's socialistic revenue system, they're in no financial trouble whatsoever and, judging by their 6-2 record, first place position, and nine-figure contracts recently handed out to Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss, are doing just fine on the field as well. A Twins stadium would save the team, while the Vikings stadium would change nothing except make owner Red McCombs just a little bit richer. (And yes, I know the same is true of Carl Pohlad. But by the time a new Twins ballpark is built, he very likely will have long since keeled over).
Besides- indoor baseball is blasphemy, while there's nothing particularly grotesque about indoor football. In fact, I sort of like the Metrodome as a football stadium. And if the Vikings move outdoors, they'll have to completely alter their personality and become a cold-weather team- a transition that could take years. For the first few seasons it would be like playing the Packers twice on the road every year.
As for locations, if two stadiums must be built, put the Twins in Minneapolis (preferably on the Mississippi), and the Vikings and Gophers together on the campus of the "U." And if the Gophers decide not to take part, what the hell- put a new Vikings stadium in Bloomington next to the Mall- it'll honor the franchise's heritage, as the original Metropolitan Stadium was on the same plot of land where the Mega-Mall now stands. I'm against the idea of putting the Twins that close to the airport- and anyone who's ever been to Shea Stadium knows why- but football crowds are generally loud enough to drown out the noise.
The Vikings in Blaine? Please- that would make about as much sense as a New York NFL team playing its games in East Rutherford, NJ.
And I have no new ideas on financing, 'cause that's for the legislators to decide, but one request- don't mess with the tribes. Haven't they suffered enough? No, the American Indians in Minnesota are not "Chief Doug Smith"-like casino opportunists, but rather real Native Americans who have legitimate political power, unlike Cruz Bustamante's sycophants out in California. Carlson made that mistake- once even meeting with tribal leaders in a room in the governors' mansion that was adorned with a painting of an Indian massacre- Pawlenty would be wise not to repeat it.
I'll be following this throughout the winter, and if you're interested in the topic a whole book has been written about the history of sports facilities construction in Minnesota- and it's by the same Strib writer who wrote the afore-linked story.
And in other new stadium news, the World Champion Florida Marlins have announced that if the city of Miami builds them a new ballpark like they want, they will re-christen themselves the "Miami Marlins." Yea, 'cause their fan base isn't small enough already, they have to break it down even further.