I co-hosted the postgame call-in show on 1500-ESPN here in Minnesota following the Twins’ season-ending loss to the Yankees on Saturday night and many of the callers wanted Ron Gardenhire fired, but not surprisingly the manager is in absolutely no danger of actually being let go.
Gardenhire is under contract through next season and Twins chief executive officer Jim Pohlad wasted no time saying that he’ll soon receive a contract extension that goes beyond 2011, calling it “a no-brainer.”
In nine seasons under Gardenhire the Twins are 18-57 against the Yankees, including nine straight losses to New York in the playoffs. However, he’s also managed the Twins to six division titles in nine years after the team had one winning season in the nine years before he took over for Tom Kelly and there’s a pretty good chance Gardenhire will be named Manager of the Year shortly.
I’ve been blogging about the Twins since 2002 and during that time I’ve often been accused of being overly critical of Gardenhire, in part because many of his lineup decisions and in-game strategies annoy me and in part because I think his regular season success has been somewhat overstated by virtue of playing in a weak division. On the other hand, I’ve never even come close to calling for him to be fired and certainly wouldn’t do so now.
Being dominated by the Yankees is extremely frustrating, but at no point were the Twins favored in those playoff series. Beyond that, the lack of success the Twins had during the decade before Gardenhire was infinitely more frustrating and there are probably 20 teams that would jump at the chance to go three-and-out in the playoffs in two of every three seasons. I’m far from the world’s biggest Gardenhire fan, but Pohlad is absolutely right when he says that keeping the manager around is a “no-brainer” for the Twins.
New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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.