While we allow the good people of Kansas City and thereabouts a few moments for composing their thoughtful and thoroughly responsive comments concerning the excellent question just posed by our most gracious and excellent hostess, I thought I'd mention that I always titter when Batgirl says "kerfuffle." Heh. "Kerfuffle." Hee. That's good fun.

Isn't a kerfuffle a character in the new Winnie the Pooh movie - oh wait - that's a Heffalump - nevermind -;-)

huh - this is an interesting quandry - I agree - with batgirl - everyone wins if the fine-fine people of Kansas City would like to raise money for a Twins new ballpark.

Much Love and Peace
Wonder Woman

How about we give them Mulholland in return for financing a stadium for us?

Seems fair to me...

Or, we could all just quit our bitching and vote for a new stadium ourselves. Oh, wait, we're not KC.

>>Oh, wait, we're not KC.<<

You're right.

We actually have a chance of winning the division this year.

*rimshot*

How about we give them Rivas? I mean he actually seems like a good batter when he's there.

Batgirl! I am ashamed of you. With the use of the word 'shithole', I believe that is the first appearance I can remember of vulgarity in here. So much for Minnesota Nice. Even if the Dome is a piece of crap.

We think we recall a few f-bombs durring the sucking time. also a recipe that got batgirl in trouble on the radio.(drinks&pills)

Being from "down under" I can say compared to several other baseball fields ive been in the MLB, I would put Kauffman near the top.
And while appearance wise its one of my favorites, the main thing that is attractive to people from KC, including myself is the ease of transportation to it.
The K sits at the intersection of I-70 and I-435, the two most traveled roads in the city.
Im all for keeping it where it is. Plus, downtown KC is a crap hole.

I, for one, can no longer stand this kind of shitty language, and will be cancelling my prescription or whatever it is called.high dungeon, etc. aL

The people in KC want a new stadium downtown. Now they didn’t say which downtown they wanted it in, so how about downtown Minneapolis? We will even let the Royals use it 10 times a year.

Disclaimer: I have very little idea about any efforts to raise money to build a stadium in MN to replace the dome.

That being said, has the KC plan been tried yet? The public raising the money, owning the stadium and leasing it to Pohlad? (Or would that just drive Pohlad to (a) sell the team; or (b) relocate?

Also, what about the new Vikes owner, does he have plans for a new Stadium? Is there a way to make everyone happy, having the knowledge that a new owner might also benefit from a new stadium?

Ignorantly questioningly yours,
YankeeFan

Andrew - Batgirl only speaks the truth.

You must not have read her "controversial" entry during the Montreal series last season. Still one of my favorites for it's good use of unflinching cusswords.

YankeeFan,

So far, Fowler has chosen not to say anything regarding a new Vikings stadium. The Vikings have a lease for the Dome until 2011, so perhaps he has a bit of wiggle room as far as timing for a new stadium. I so wanted Glen Taylor to buy the Vikings, because they way his deal sounded, he would have had a financing package for a new stadium written into the deal. Oh well.

Maybe Glen Taylor could buy the Twins and write in a financing plan for a rocking new Twins stadium!

Win Twins!

Take our stadium in Oakland.....please.

The issue, YF, is that the good people of Minnesota have repeatedly voted against public funding for a Twins stadium. And, if I recall, not just full public funding but *any* public funding.

So, I got my copy of Ball Four in the mail yesterday and started reading right up until bed time. This lead to a great dream. I don't remember everything but it involved being a rookie on a ball team and for initiation being thrown out of an airplane, driving in a demolition derby and meeting some woman that was part owner of the team and expected certain ... perks from the rookies. I can't wait to go home and read some more before bed time!

With today's technology, how difficult would it really be to just sneak on down and STEAL Kauffman? Pull a little switcharoo with the Dome, KC ownership will see what a shithole they're playing in and cave in to the public. Win-win-win, everyone gets what they want.

mmmarkiep,

So are the people of KC rich, bored, or just plain stupid? Of course I mean no offense, just trying to figure out why the KC public is willing to pay for a replacement for Kauffman (a great place to watch a ballgame from all accounts I have heard) while the MN public resists paying for any of it. Taking into account their respective positions in the AL Central, you'd think it would be the other way around:

First place team, bad stadium, public wants to build new one to keep flourishing team in the area.

Last place team, good stadium, public outrage over waste of taxpayer dollars (we like the stadium, but even if we didn't why should we build a new stadium for THIS team?).

Still trying to make sense of a situation where I have approximately 3% of the facts :)

YankeeFan

question: who ARE those citizens and critics in KC who are clamoring for a new stadium? the KC columnist doesn't specify. i wonder whether said columnist has an axe to grind, or something.

There is this option for a stadium: http://www.twindomes.com/home.htm

I emailed the guy asking more about it, why I have not heard much about this other than a small article in the Star Tribune. Here is the reply I got:

I think this is the most promising news I have heard about a stadium. The site is on the fairgrounds, which isnt my first choice, but I like the idea of it being privately funded.

Whoops, that email got lost...here it is:

I believe Red McCombs has been the hold-up. Red wanted a stadium given to him... he certainly wasn't going to invest in one.

I did not submit my proposal to the Governor's stadium committee last year because their process required the "waiving" of all rights of ownership. I own copyrights and have patents pending on the designs ideas, business methods, and independent research involved in the TwinDomes proposal.

I've been patiently waiting for Glen Taylor to buy the Vikings. Hopefully, Reggie Fowler will be interested in working in partnership with the Twins "owner" when he gains the NFL's approval to purchase the Vikings.

Just about everyone who involved in the stadium issue is aware of my proposal. The high price Fowler is going to be paying for the Vikings makes my proposal even more necessary is we're going to resolve MN's stadium conundrum.

My best guess, YF, is that KC politicians have pitched it as a way to revitalize the admittedly crappy downtown area. Call it Urban Revitalization and sell it as an economic boon to an aging and dying city center. That works for a lot of things. The Block E "entertainment complex" in Minneapolis and the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul for the NHL's Minnesota Wild come to mind. The difference is that the Twins (and Vikings and Gophers) already play in a Downtown Stadium. If I had to guess, "revitalizing the inner city" was probably one of the ways they sold the Metrodome over the Met originally.

There are other issues that, as someone that isn't FROM here, I see, but I won't go into them.

OaklandOak: I lived in Concord and SF from '87-'92 and saw many great games at the Coliseum between the A's and Twins. I know that's before Al Davis wrecked the Coliseum for football. Still, you don't know how sad a stadium is until you have to walk into our glorified warehouse on a beautiful August evening.

Old Town is a KU graduate whose freshman year was the year of their last NCAA hoops title and knows KC well. Even back then downtown KCMO was a dump. Every other time I get back there I make it a point of checking in on its "revitalization". Nope, downtown KCMO is similar to Saint Paul, deserted after five, but without any charm whatsoever (Rice Park > F. Scott > "Garfield is a fat kitty. He likes lasagna").

I'd also be curious to see exactly where the citizens of KC or their elected representatives actually approved a plan to build a new ballpark, with at least $200 million committed to the project, and the Royals ownership still said, "No thanks." If it's just the mayor and a few other folks in high places talking big about revitalizing downtown KC, I'm not all that impressed with the "offer."

Having lived in Kansas City for several years in the 90's, when the Royals REALLY sucked, I can honestly say that downtown KC also sucks, (unless you out to the plaza area), and the Royals stadium is great, with ACRES of parking, lots of sun and fresh air, and a nice waterfall. In the delicate balance of sucking v. fun, I would say that sucky team + sucky stadium location , even if it is a nice stadium, = bad day at the ballpark.

Man, KC is nuts. Kauffman is a beautiful stadium.

Of course, I still want them to keep Busch Stadium in St. Louis, so maybe that's just how I operate.

The the guy from Oakland who said,"Take our stadium in Oakland.....please."

I think the statement should be changed to "Take Mt. Davis, the worst seats designed for any sport EVER (where you can see more of I-880 and Alameda, CA then you can of the Game).

I don't recall ever having had the opportunity to actually cast a ballot for or against a stadium referendum since I started voting in 1979. If anyone can contradict that, please let me know.

In 1997, Minneapolis voters passed a referendum limiting the city funding to any stadium project at $10 million, which has been an obstacle to getting a ballpark plan approved for downtown Mpls. Perhaps bubblemint was not consulted in that matter, however.

A couple years ago, St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly offered to put a local referendum on the ballot for a restaurant tax that would supplement project funding already approved by the state. Polls showed that it probably would have passed, but the Twins refused to guarantee accepting a St. Paul site if the city came up with the funding, so the mayor cancelled the referendum. That is where the Twins lost my active support for their new ballpark efforts. It's OK with me if the ballpark is eventually built in Mpls; but don't pretend that both cities have a fair chance of hosting the project so they'll bid against each other, only to weasel out when it looks like the winner will be St. Paul. I still hope to see the team play in a nice new park someday soon, but I'll no longer write letters or sign petitions on their behalf. I'll let them work out their issues with the good folks of Hennepin County, with me watching from the cheap seats.

You're right frightwig...I wasn't consulted in the Minneapolis referendum.
One of the perils of living on the opposite side of the river I guess. ;-)

The Twins pissed me off with their attitude a couple of years ago on the St. Paul deal too.

I'd love to have the stadium in St. Paul, but unlike some Minneapolitans I have discussed this issue with, I will go to Twins games wherever they end up building it.

Just get it done!!