Ronald Belisario and his agent have vastly different views of his status for 2011 - MLB

Yesterday agent Paul Kinzer told Tony Jackson of ESPNLA.com that Dodgers reliever Ronald Belisario is unlikely to pitch this season because of visa problems in Venezuela.

However, today Belisario told a Venezuelan newspaper that he plans to report to spring training soon and his arrival has simply been delayed by a lost passport.

Here’s more from Belisario, via Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times:

I lost my passport and I have an appointment set for Friday. I passed the embassy’s medical examinations, and all I have to do is get the passport. Of course, I’ll go to spring training. As soon as I get the passport, I’ll go back to the embassy to get a visa.

Of course, when told of Belisario’s comments Kinzer replied: “That would be news to me.”

Kinzer also told Hernandez that Belisario “has gone kind of quiet” and “I haven’t heard from him in a few weeks.” All of which makes it seem sort of strange that the agent would have been so willing to speak about Belisario’s status and strongly state that the reliever was unlikely to pitch for the Dodgers this season. If they haven’t spoken for weeks, how would he know?

Also of note is that Hernandez says the reason Belisario left the Dodgers for a month last season (after reporting late to spring training thanks to via problems) was “to receive treatment in a substance-abuse program.” He returned to the team in August and proceeded to post a 7.32 ERA in 24 appearances down the stretch. So while Kinzer and Belisario being so far apart in their assessment of his status seems awfully strange, something tells me this whole thing isn’t just about a misplaced passport.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.