Mike is setting everyone up for heartache

[Whatever]

(03-28-2017, 12:52 AM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I think there's something to be said for loyalty. Fans are expected to show loyalty when the chips are down, yet teams can't hang around for awhile and try to make things work? How long were these teams really trying to get a stadium deal done? They can't make some concessions to return the loyalty these cities have shown them through the years? The reality is that the loyalty is one-sided. 

I think every team has a responsibility to bargain in good faith with their current market.  However, let's be real.  Oakland's stadium has been a substandard shxthole for a long time.  A lot of the politicians simply won't do anything for the clubs as long as they have a current lease to hold the team hostage with.  They wait until the last minute to try and swing a deal, get outbid, then play the loyalty card so it doesn't seem like it's their fault.  Most of the teams who've recently moved are signing lease extensions because negotiations drug on so long.

If it was me, I'd put a new stadium levy up for vote this year and start getting investors lined up now, and start taking bids and getting my pricng locked up.  Stockpile the funds for 4-5 years and start construction 3 years before the PBS lease is up.  It's going to cost more the longer they drag their feet.