Cubs' announcer Bob Brenly rips Alfonso Soriano - MLB

On Monday night Alfonso Soriano hit a long fly ball that, had he been running out of the box instead of watching his handiwork, would have probably been a triple. It did not go unnoticed by Cubs’ ~~radio~~ TV announcer Bob Brenly, who snarked “wouldn’t it be refreshing if we could get our left-fielder to run as
hard as Ted Lilly does?” referring to Lilly’s attempted steal during a rehab start in Peoria.

He went on, saying that Soriano’s lack of hustle “sets a bad precedent to the team,” and sends “a bad message to the younger
players.” Which would be a damning criticism if the Cubs actually had any younger players.

Seriously, though, Brenly has a point. Sure, old managers saying that guys don’t hustle is not exactly a newsworthy occurrence, but Alfonso Soriano doesn’t need to be making himself a point of contention at the moment. It’s not often that a team will simply eat $90 million by cutting a guy, but it’s not totally fantastical to think that it could happen here.

The new owners aren’t psychologically or politically invested in that awful contract and if the team tanks — as it appears it very well might — cutting loose a seemingly lackadaisical symbol of the failed former regime may actually win them some fan support. The manager is probably going to retire after this season. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the GM canned this fall as well. Why not clean out the dead wood leftfielder too?

I guess what I’m saying is that if I were Alfonso Soriano I’d at least try to hustle a little bit, because while your mileage may vary, it seems like getting $90 million to play baseball would be preferable to getting $90 million to do nothing.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.