The top ten HBT posts of 2011 - MLB

Gleeman and I spend a lot of time chatting during the day, and one of the few recurring topics of conversation that doesn’t involve Coen Brothers movies is the correlation between meaningful stories and stories that get a lot of traffic.

While we don’t set out to write about things that will make people click like crazy — we’re not compensated based on that, just so you know — over the past couple of years we’ve gotten pretty good at predicting what will play big and what won’t.

Sex obviously sells. Death, violence and absurd or obnoxious human behavior too. We’re a baseball blog so we can’t go all TMZ on you, but boy do you all seem to like it when baseball and sensationalism come together. Which is fine. We cover it all, so we’d write about that stuff and the straight baseball stuff anyway. It’s just interesting to see what plays.

And here’s what played in 2011. At least in terms of page views. No judgments here. And RIP Hideki Irabu:

Hideki Irabu suicide;
Mike Flanagan suicide. Sensing a pattern yet?;
This random Power Rankings post. I have no idea why. I blame the Phillies truthers;
Idiot who almost fell out of the stands during the Home Run Derby;
The beer and fried chicken thing;
Charlie Sheen bailing Lenny Dykstra out of jail.
The Rangers drafting Jonathan Taylor, who is paralyzed;
Whether the Cardinals were going to postpone Game 6 of the World Series. So: more weather for 2012, just so you know;
Cameron Diaz “hurt and betrayed” by Alex Rodriguez. Gleeman went to journalism school, y’all, and I have a professional degree. We’re so proud; and finally
Tony La Russa announces his retirement;

Surprisingly falling short of the top ten: Miguel Caberea’s crazy DUI arrest, the actual deaths — as opposed to near-deaths — of fans in Texas and Colorado and the fact that not a single one of my “Best Shape of His Life” stories made the cut. Shocking, really.

Well, there’s always next year!

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.