Just picked up a news item here in the Land of the Frozen Chosen. It seems some folks are trying to get a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins. For those of you who don't know them (OK, 99% of you!), they're the baseball team who currently play in the Metrodome in Minneapolis. It's a totally undercover stadium, shared with the Vikings (Minnesota's football players with odd-shaped-balls).

Anyway, the Twins are looking to create a new stadium, at the cut-down, snip, bargain basement price of $250M. And we thought wor place was like an albatros roond wor necks.

-- Anonymous, March 19, 2001

Answers

And judging by the number of threads on this they need TWO new stadiums. Is that because they're twins?

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

But who is paying for it Screacher?

It has become usual in the US for the municipality to pay for the stadia using local taxpayers money - often a bone of contention, as you can imagine.
They are usually forced to do this to prevent the Owners up and moving 'franchise' to another city.

Can you just imagine Newcastle City Council stumping up for a new stadium to stop Doug & Fred taking the Toon to say Carlisle or Hull? Neither can I; nevertheless, I feel immense pressure could have been applied to ensure an appropriate location and planning approval was secured for a new SJP, rather than building to lop-sided carbuncle with it's various limitations at vast expense.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

At the BBS HQ (The Strawberry) on Saturday, Dr Bill informed me that when the votes were made for planning permission of the ground, the Newcastle ST holders were not allowed to vote. That left the remainder of the council (mainly Sunderland ST holders allegedly) to decide our fate.

What can I say? If this is true, I urge you to get the names of these individuals and make these facts known to the voters who will be exercising their democratic rights on May 3. I'm sure the opposition parties could help to publicise this.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

There was something about dual funding, plus a large (circa $10M) tax "fiddle". Probably not having to pay local taxes or something like that.

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001

I remember reading in the chronicle that any council member who had a season ticket was asked not to vote....

-- Anonymous, March 20, 2001