Paul Lo Duca calls Mets catchers “schmucks” and calls Omar Minaya an “idiot”

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Former Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca is a Brooklyn guy with a lot of attitude so he’s naturally called on by talk radio guys when something pithy is required. He definitely delivered with WFAN hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts this afternoon when asked to talk about the state of the Mets.

He was critical of Mets catchers saying “I could hit better left-handed than the schmucks they’ve got there now.” He also called former Mets GM Omar Minaya an “idiot” and mocked Citi Field’s dimensions and/or David Wright, saying “your franchise player is a hitting star who has four home runs!”

Maybe Lo Duca could hit better than the Mets catchers, but maybe that’s because he was juiced up to the gills for most of his career. And maybe Omar Minaya was an idiot, but I don’t think he ever did anything as dumb as pay his drug dealer with a personal check and then write the same drug dealer a personal note on team letterhead about, man, sorry that the check I wrote you was returned! Or, say, cheat on his wife with a teenaged mistress and then pose for pictures with her when he’s trying to be on the down low about it.

But I guess he really stuck it to those schmucks and idiots on the Mets, huh?

New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million

D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
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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.