March 20, 2003 [LINK]
War
Because of heightened security risks during the war, MLB officials have cancelled the planned Oakland-Seattle games in Tokyo, Japan, which had been scheduled for March 25 and 26. They would have been official (not exhibition) games, and they will be played later in the season in the U.S. Thought experiment: During World War II, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and nearly all the best major league players of that era served their country in the armed forces, foregoing two or three years when they could have been building up their home run records. Can you imagine Alex Rodriguez or Ken Griffey, Jr. making such a big career sacrifice to serve their country?
The Washington Post has published more stories on public financing of stadiums, showing that of the 15 new baseball stadiums built since 1990, in only one did private financing account for more than 40% of the total cost -- Pac Bell Park, in San Francisco, where the public sector chipped in only 5%. That is the model that Northern Virginia should seek to emulate: Just say no to "stadium socialism"! As a follow-up, a column by Thomas Boswell highlighted the grim profitability outlook for prospective D.C.-area team owners under the current sales terms MLB is asking for the Expos franchise. If the owners have to pay $200 million for the franchise AND bear most of the estimated $350 million construction cost for a new stadium, there is almost no way they could make money. Unless the sales price is lowered substantially, or the D.C. or Virginia governments suddenly find a hidden vault of cash, or the prospective owners can interest additional investment partners, the the deal may fall through, and Washington may not get a team after all. State and local governments must be consider creative tax incentives to close the deal. Boswell suggests a novel solution: save money by simply refurbishing RFK Stadium, razing major portions of it if necessary. I've thought about the same thing, and it just might work...