The take that keeps on taking: M's want $180 million of taxpayer money for Safeco Field. (Seattle: lease, to buy)

[LuvsCruisin]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Funny how their rare good season always results in asking for something.

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Now that the team sucks again, I doubt that King County will be interested in “playing ball”with them on this proposal. I still think the Mariners were trying to capitalize on their short-lived success.

I don't even think we can consider it a good season. The Mariners have already blown what? The 6 game lead they had in the wild card and are now sinking faster than the Titanic having already been bumped to 3rd place by Oakland.


Not that I'm surprised... flawed teams generally get exposed and the Mariners league leading record in 1 run victories just proves how lucky they've gotten over the course of the season.

[Rombus]

Somebody has to pay the high salaries of the players. It might as well be the taxpayers.

This is another example of crony capitalism at its worst. A select few get help and benefits that thousands of other businesses would never even dream of asking for. Let them fail or succeed on their own merits. And, if they move, well... Good luck and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

The idea that we have an economic need for any sports team is ridiculous. What happens to the money spent on tickets if they leave? Does it disappear? No, it goes to some other form of recreation.

If the Mariners get a deal, the Hawks will be next at the public trough asking for taxpayer money. Then it will be the folks who want another basketball team for Seattle. It never ends.

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by CharlesRamon

Farewell. Sayonara. Adios. Ciao. Auf wiedersehen. Just a sports team. Just a business, which becomes obvious in situations like this. The owners don’t have the same emotional attachment to the team and the city that the fans do. Sad that sports is a business that preys on people’s feelings.

Sometime in the mid '90s, then-Seahawk's owner Ken Behring had decided to move the team to California. IIRC they actually loaded a semi-trailer with stuff from their training facility and were headed out. I can't remember the details, but bottom line the decision to move was over-ruled.


I was working at a business in Kirkland where a number of players were clients. To a man, they were all rankled that the team wasn't going to move. They all wanted the LA weather and LA women. They did not give a rat's rear about the fans.

[CrazyDonkey]

Yeah, talk about low-life owners - Behring was the lowest of the low.

Moving vans hauled equipment out of the team's Kirkland headquarters on a Sunday morning. Players did their offseason workouts at the Rams' old facility in Anaheim. Because Behring had ordered the closure of the team's facility, the coaches and front-office staff were trying to do business from a Bellevue hotel.

Behring's plan was halted when the NFL threatened to fine him $500,000 a day until he returned the Seahawks to Seattle, and after King County had filed lawsuits against him.

That led to billionaire Paul Allen purchasing an option to buy the franchise, which became a done deal in June 1997 after voters approved funding for what it is now Qwest Field.

https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/foo...ly-1194634.php

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Funny how their rare good season always results in asking for something.

Whoops, not sure the Mariners are going to have the leverage they hoped. Wild Card dreams look doubtful, really weak offense.

[wutitiz]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Yeah, talk about low-life owners - Behring was the lowest of the low.


https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/foo...ly-1194634.php

Behring was actually a super-nice guy--I got to know him a little. He had a foundation that provided thousands of free wheelchairs to disabled people, and he didn't plaster it all over the front pages unlike a certain recent NBA star.


One thing I learned back then was that the pro sports people with the shiniest images were often jerks, and the guys whose names were mud were often super nice.

[pnwguy2]

Behring was simply a businessman looking to make more money with his holdings. He didn't have any grudge against Seattle. He eventually was threatened by major fines by the league for his out of state operation, and this led to the sale to Paul Allen, which of course was the best possible outcome. Allen built Centurylink Stadium, with partial public funding and the rest is history.

[Returning2USA]

Originally Posted by LuvsCruisin

I don't even think we can consider it a good season. The Mariners have already blown what? The 6 game lead they had in the wild card and are now sinking faster than the Titanic having already been bumped to 3rd place by Oakland.


Not that I'm surprised... flawed teams generally get exposed and the Mariners league leading record in 1 run victories just proves how lucky they've gotten over the course of the season.

It will take some time before I trust this organization again to just contend.

Just contend.

I watch almost every game on MLB TV.

[phoenixmike11]

in case you can not read the seattle times article due to their paywall (or do not want to take the time to read the whole article)- a blogger who speciializes in writng about what a bad investment sports stadiums are for the public wrote a good summary of the Mariners situation
Mariners seeking $180m in public money to buy $501 toasters, less frumpy luxury suites | Field of Schemes

[rjshae]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

Funny how their rare good season always results in asking for something.

I was wondering what they wanted this time around...

Alas, I'm not a baseball fan. Go Sounders!