New Crib for the TC Men

After a debate that lasted over 11 years, the Minnesota legislature finally approved a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins. The move means that, sometime around 2010, the Twins will escape the Metrodome and take up residence in a new open air ballpark in the Warehouse District. And the 11 year delay meant that the price tag only tripled since the first proposals way back in 1995.

So what to make of this? The most important thing is that the Twins will now remain in business and we'll continue to have Major League baseball in the Upper Midwest. That's a good thing for the region and for the many fans of the team. Legislators are betting that the "outrage" of those who don't support "subsidies for billionaires" will fade once fans settle into a seat at the new park. Whether you think that private enterprises like the Twins don't deserve public subsidy, as long as other communities are willing to provide same, governments have to decide whether or not they are willing to risk losing a team to stand on principle. As it stands, the principled opposition has now ensured that the cost of constructing the new ballpark, along with the new on-campus stadium for the U football team that was also approved over the weekend, has gone up significantly. And ol' Carl Pohlad will get his money anyway. Carl always wins in the end.

The only "newer" ballpark that I've been in is US Cellular Field, which the White Sox have called home since 1991. It is not at all like the newer parks, which all take their inspiration from Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the beautiful ballpark that opened in Baltimore in 1992. Based on the plans that have been shown to date, the new park for the Twins will be more like PNC Park in Pittsburgh or maybe Comerica Park in Detroit; that is, a nifty structure that is exposed to the elements. No matter what, it will be a much nicer atmosphere than the unloved Metrodome.

Both new stadiums will likely have corporate names as well, which still seems to outrage people who forget that Wrigley Field has been named for a gum company since the 1920s. It was especially amusing to hear these complaints about corporate sponsorship for the Gophers stadium. Considering that major college football programs play in places like Papa John's Stadium and the Carrier Dome, the objection to having TCF's name on the facility has always seemed silly. The only acceptable name for most new public structures in this state is after Paul Wellstone, but at this point his name is on everything from schools to office buildings to someone's coffee kiosk in the Northtown parking lot. Enough already....