Sean Doolittle has some thoughts about MLB’s proposal to restart season

By May 11, 2020, 4:35 PM EDT
Sean Doolittle
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Nationals closer Sean Doolittle is one of baseball’s truly good guys. He and his wife Eireann Dolan have been involved with numerous philanthropic efforts and Doolittle even earned a nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award in 2016 when he was with the Athletics. They have supported Operation Finally Home, which is a nonprofit that provides “custom-built, mortgage-free” homes to members of the military and their widows. They also supported San Francisco’s veterans charity Swords to Plowshares, which “provides needs assessment and case management, employment and training, housing, and legal assistance” to veterans.

In 2015, Doolittle and Dolan hosted Syrian refugee families for Thanksgiving amid a turbulent time concerning Syrian refugees and U.S. foreign policy. The pair continued to speak out in support of refugees, including in 2017. Doolittle and Dolan also supported LGBT people in 2015, buying enough tickets to fill the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum on LGBT night. That was in response to critics who vowed to sell their tickets in protest. Last year, Doolittle was recognized for his advocacy of union workers who serve food at MLB stadiums.

This is all to say that Doolittle is a thoughtful guy who puts his money where his mouth is. He doesn’t just shoot from the hip.

Today, we learned that MLB ownership has agreed on a proposal it intends to present to the MLB Players Association on Tuesday regarding the 2020 regular season. The proposal will include details about the schedule, location of games, as well as worker pay. Ahead of that proposal, Doolittle offered his thoughts on the matter in a thread on Twitter. He provides links to many resources, validating his concerns. It’s worth reading and considering.

We haven’t heard from many players about the risks they face if they were to resume playing. Doolittle has taken it upon himself to speak up. Hopefully, union reps take his concerns into account before hearing MLB’s proposal tomorrow.

Nevada Senate vote on proposed A’s stadium in Las Vegas extended until next week

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 11:36 AM EDT
MLB: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
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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.