Jim Thome = Brett Favre - MLB

Yeah, it makes my skin crawl too because Thome is totally awesome and nice and he’s never jerked anyone around and everyone who knows him absolutely loves the guy, but that doesn’t stop someone from making the comparison today:

At the same age as Vikings future hall of fame quarterback Brett Favre,
Thome’s performance this season, in terms of contribution to the Twins,
could be favorably compared to Favre’s last season for the Vikings.

Thome likes the comparison.

“Any time you can have your name thrown in the same mix with
Brett Favre, it’s an honor,” he said. “That’s pretty cool. I guess if
you kind of look at how (the Vikings’) season went last year, yeah.”

Thome is so nice. Even if he felt like every single rational person in the world feels (i.e. Favre is a notch shy of Satan on the evil scale) he’s too damn polite to say it out loud. His mama raised him right.

The fun part of this article, though, is that it starts with speculation on what Thome may do after this season. He says he’s going to play in 2011. Then, when, hit with the hypothetical about whether he’d retire of the Twins won the Series, he says he’d have to think about it.

My guess is that Thome would think about it for five minutes, consider it seriously, and then make a decision that was the best for him and his family and which he’d never come off of or publicize to insane degrees in order to draw attention to himself in a Favre-like fashion.

Then he’s drink a glass of milk and donate money to pay delinquent property taxes on an orphanage or something.

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.