Heterodox Views on Politics and Public Policy from Michael Blaine

Friday, November 2, 2007

Twins Fans Want A-Rod, Mr. Pohlad

A-Rod Should Swing in Minnesota

I am tired of Minnesota Twins fans accepting the canard that team owner Carl Pohlad somehow can't afford to bring the very best free agent baseball players to town. In that regard, I recently posted the following commentary on a sports blog connected to the Minneapolis StarTribune:

'“Iggy Iggthorne says:

November 1st, 2007 at 11:11 pm

Personally, I think A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez] is one of the best ever! I’d take him in a nano-second if we could afford him.”

Iggy, of course we [Pohlad] can afford A-Rod! Why would you think otherwise?!

Carl Pohlad’s net worth is at least $2.8 billion. He has been the beneficary of massive income tax cuts in ‘01 and ‘03, and a series of capital gains tax cuts.

Moreover, he bilked the taxpayers for a new stadium and he receives millions of dollars in annual revenue sharing payments from Major League Baseball. Furthermore, the Twin Cities are the fifteenth largest baseball market in the nation, meaning the Minnesota team is not small market, but mid-market.

We Twins fans need to show more self respect by not accepting underdog financial status and demanding a lot from our team and its filthy-rich owner.

We deserve the best, and this winter that means signing not inferior players like Luis Rodriguez ("L-Rod"), Jason Tyner or Nick Punto, but baseball's best player: A-Rod!' Minnesotans deserve to experience another World Series victory, or at least host a team that genuinely wants one.'

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Typical liberal...someone else has a lot of money, they should spend it for my own personal enjoyment despite the economics of the decision. Your type of thinking is dangerous, and classist. You are a hate mongering classist.

Michael Blaine said...

Let's see, Realist:

Mr. Pohlad:

1) Takes money from taxpayers to build a new stadium for the team he owns; and,

2) Takes money from other, richer MLB owners in the form of "revenue sharing."

And I'm the one who covets other people's money?!!

Mr. Pohlad, billionaire, is a money-grubbing socialist out for a free ride.

On the other hand, I just want the Twins to be good.

Anonymous said...

Two wrongs don't make a right do they? Pohlad shouldn't get a dime of tax payer dollars. I agree on that. As far as revenue sharing goes, that is something that owners voted on themselves. It was seen as good for the entire sport of baseball as it provides a bit of parity league wide. That was a private decision made by private individuals (so not at all socialist). As a self proclaimed libertarian I can't believe you think it is okay to tell someone how to spend their own money for YOUR personal enjoyment. It is dangerous, classist, thinking by Michael Blaine, millionaire.

Ed Salden said...

Carl Pohlad did not make a billion by spending money he didn't have to.

The Twins could use A-Rod at third, no doubt, but I read that his asking price is $350 million.

Won't happen.

Tori Hunter is too expensive, too. He's as good as gone.

I just hope we can keep Santana.

Richard Cretan said...

Your type of thinking *is* dangerous, Michael.

Keep it up!