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Ball There was a story last week in the St. Petersburg Times regarding the Tampa Bay Rays' latest stadium issue. We've seen and heard this one before around these parts, and once again the Charlotte sports market has been tabbed by yet another franchise in Major League Baseball. According to the story, the latest debate in the Florida city surrounds a new ballpark to replace the current home for the team that was built in 1990. Even though Tampa Bay has traditionally been awful, the team has struggled equally at the gate. There is a proposal to build a waterfront park for the team, but if the stadium isn't approved, there is speculation that the owner (Stuart Sternberg) might pack up his bags and head for a new destination. One of those potential sites is Charlotte, North Carolina. The Queen City has been played before when it comes to this cat and mouse game. In fact, the list of teams that has threatened to move to our fair city now reads as follows: Minnesota Twins, Montreal Expos, and now the Tampa Bay Rays. A few years ago when the Montreal franchise was looking for a new home, Charlotte was the leading candidate to win the Canadian sweepstakes. ESPN's Peter Gammons, a very respected baseball insider, called my radio show and claimed that the Expos would be in Charlotte within a year. It didn't happen, but that kind of stuff happens all the time. I even remember telling people that the NBA's Charlotte Hornets were never going to leave the Queen City, and we know how that turned out. The "sources" that alerted me of the inner workings were as solid and credible as you could get, given that they had a vote and say-so in the matter, but like I said...you never know how these things play out. I have no idea if Charlotte will land a Major League Baseball team, but I'd love to see it happen. I don't get the impression that the city is campaigning for a team, especially considering the facilities, or lack thereof, that are in place as we speak. The Charlotte Knights, our Triple A team, is having enough problems trying to get a stadium approved for "Uptown Charlotte" and the debate over MLB in Charlotte has been a hot topic for years. I would love to see it, but I get the feeling that we're on the outside looking in one more time. The Carolina Panthers are supported through the PSLers, and NASCAR's impact on the local economy is unparalleled. The NBA has serious issues and lukewarm support, and it makes you wonder how Charlotte would embrace and support another pro team in the marketplace. My gut reaction is that at least one of those franchises would fail financially if they all existed. I'll give you a hint...the NFL and NASCAR aren't leaving anytime soon. I asked a question on the air last week if you would trade an NBA franchise for a MLB franchise...or basically, would you trade the Bobcats for the Rays? It was a landslide response....the fans would rather have pro baseball than pro hoops. As far as the sports calendar goes, it would be a better fit, but I don't think Charlotte is in the mix for a Major League Baseball team. So while the Rays continue to be one of the surprise teams of this young baseball season, it might be worth keeping an eye on the politics at work in Tampa/St. Pete. Like I stated earlier, we've all been through the dog and pony show before when it comes to teams leveraging cities for new arenas and stadiums. For the first time in a long time, I didn't attend the All-Star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I had a previous engagement watching my little girls in a dance recital, and my wife and I were able to find time for a long overdue "date night". Despite being a no-show at Lowe's Motor Speedway, I did tape the race and the festivities, and all I can say after watching the replay is I'm glad I had a date night with my wife. The All-Star race is usually loaded with some fun highlights and water cooler chat, but not this year. It was a complete snoozefest. Even though I was glad to see Kasey Kahne get the win, the race provided zero buzz. I plan on broadcasting from the Speedway Club on Thursday during the qualifying for the 600, and let's hope the upcoming weekend race provides more drama than what we saw this past weekend. Humpy Wheeler and Bruton Smith do a great job of promoting the races and providing a great venue for the action, but the NASCAR guys have to put on a better show than that. The biggest excitement of the night occurred when Kyle Busch's engine malfunctioned...at least it gave Junior Nation a chance to cuss, scream and whoop it up at the expense of the 18-M&M's Toyota. Unfortunately for Junior's fans, their guy didn't win the race either. As the NBA Playoffs continue, the funniest sidebar story of the day takes place with J.J. Redick of the Orlando Magic. When I first heard this story, I thought it was a joke. It appears that the former Duke star and current Magic scrub has now demanded that he wants to be traded. Redick has put up some very impressive numbers while riding the pine in Orlando this past season....he averaged all of 4.1 points per game while collecting his 2 million dollar paycheck. In the playoffs for the Magic he played in two games, and in 10 minutes of action was 0-4 from the field while being shut out in the post-season. Now seriously, how can a guy like Redick demand to be traded? Just what would you have to trade to justify the move? When somebody asked me that question on the radio show, I responded by stating "a six-pack". I don't know if it's more startling that he asked to be traded, or that he makes 2 million per season. I know the NFL training camps don't open up for a few months, but the league didn't look very good in the final installment of "Spygate". Commissioner Roger Goodell finally had the chance to sit down and meet with former Patriots videographer Matt Walsh last week. Amazingly, it took over four months of negotiations between the lawyers on both sides just to reach this point of talks. Walsh showed up, turned over the outstanding videotapes, spoke with the commish and then it was "officially over." Roger Goodell could not get to the press conference fast enough to claim there was nothing to see, discuss or hide concerning Walsh, the tapes and the story. He basically went through the formality, and brushed it under the rug. He wants this episode to go away forever and hopefully nobody in the media will snoop around and uncover more evidence that points the finger at the NFL's prized franchise. I think it is interesting that the more Walsh says in public to the media, the more questions seem to come up regarding how Goodell and the NFL handled the entire affair. Personally, I'm tired of the whole deal, but there does seem to be some shaky maneuvers being made by the NFL's top brass with this situation. I don't blame the commish for his approach. The last thing he wants is for his league to create uncertainty for his legions of fans. You can never tinker with the credibility of your league....just ask David Stern about Tim Donaghy. It turns out that Donaghy bet on upwards of forty NBA games, including 14 match-ups involving games that he refereed. The former NBA ref is scheduled for sentencing this week. I hope he packs for a long trip. I think we're finally going to see a Triple Crown winner for the first time in 30 years. Big Brown, as expected, blew away the field in the Preakness Stakes. With victories in both the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby, he now has three weeks to prepare for history with the running of the Belmont. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was Affirmed in 1978, even though we've been teased recently with numerous possibilities. Since 1997, there have been six horses (not counting Big Brown) that won the first two legs of the Triple Crown only to fail to win the Belmont. I'm not a big horse racing fan, but I do appreciate history. I'd love to see it happen for the colt and his handlers. The sports world could use a great story in June. But one thing was fascinating to me as I watched the race....Big Brown won $600K for the impressive effort.....that's $400,000 less than Kasey Kahne brought home for putting us to sleep on Saturday night. Something doesn't add up. Speaking of being $400,000 short....has anybody seen Charles Barkley? |
Packman
on Sports Commentary
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