If there is anyone left on earth who still thinks that publicly funded stadiums are a good idea, I give you the Hartford Yard Goats, currently playing out of Binghamton, New York. What . . . a . . . mess.
John Kostrzewa writes in the ProJo — Stadium parable: Hartford loses a season — that nobody is sure “when, or if, they’ll ever play ball in the brand new $63-million Dunkin’ Donuts Park.”
Five weeks ago, the construction site was chained and padlocked shut in a dispute between the city and the general contractor over missed deadlines and cost overruns.
Since then, no work has been done, the baseball season is slipping away and taxpayers wonder if they’ll ever get to enjoy what they paid for.
No work has been done in five weeks! The subcontractors are of course getting totally screwed. Lots of work for lawyers though.
And what about the people who fought the new stadium proposal here last year. So okay, this includes me. I don’t care, I was right, and I told you so! At any rate, on behalf of everybody who phoned the state house, wrote letters, collected signatures, made signs, and held demonstrations — you’re welcome. I know I have better things to do with my time; this television isn’t going to watch itself. (Side note: Should Rhode Island taxpayers still have to pay the self-styled sports economist — but really a PawSox lobbyist — Andrew Zimbalist for his excellent “advice” to House leadership?)
Kostrzewa notes that while the PawSox riverfront plan fell through, the team owners have not pushed away from the public trough. Somehow the state and the city of Pawtucket have agreed to help fund a study for renovating and developing the stadium and the neighborhood. To which I say, if Lucchino wants a study done, let him pay for it. Oh wait, he already did.
Because PawSox team owners already commissioned such a study. They referred to it constantly last year saying that it had shown an investment of $65 million would be needed to bring McCoy up to snuff . . . ergo, we need a completely new stadium.
So here is my latest demand: The person now representing the state of Rhode Island in this matter must demand to see a copy of that study. My prediction is that PawSox ownership will refuse to produce it. This is because it never existed. And that should tell you all you need to know about these people and we should not be in business with them. Maybe the PawSox will end up leaving; I hope not. But I understand the Yard Goats are looking for a home.