Posted: 2/18/04

St. Paul deserves a shot at Twins stadium

Minnesota is still far from a decision on one professional sports stadium let alone a decision on two or three, if you count the University of Minnesotaís push for a new football stadium on campus.

If, in its infinite wisdom, the state legislature actually makes progress on one stadium it should be for the baseball Twins. And hereís a vote to give serious consideration to St. Paul as the location.

Getting emotionally wrapped up in any hope for a new baseball stadium is not a wise thing to do based on recent history. We can hope but hope only goes so far.

Even for baseball diehards, watching a game at the Metrodome does not rank on the list of the top 10 things to do on a Minnesota summer day. The chiropractic association of Minnesota should become a corporate sponsor of the facility because of all the spinal adjustment patients they get from fans with stiff necks who sit along the baselines.

But if the baseball plan does advance, I am convinced St. Paul should get a serious look.

I have had my reservations about the proposed site across the street from the Xcel Energy Center Arena in the downtown. From the outside looking in it has appeared as if the site was too congested to house a baseball park with seating for 40,000 or so.

But after visiting downtown St. Paul for the Winter Carnival Ice Palace earlier this month, I now believe it would work. My visit came on Friday night while activities were also taking place at the Xcel Arena and the Riverplace Auditorium during the NHL All-Star weekend.

The trip to St. Paul came close to being scuttled because of fear of the hassles of driving, finding a place to park and a good place to eat.

My fears were unfounded.

Getting into St. Paul was a breeze even in Friday late afternoon rush hour traffic. Finding a parking spot was no problem either and the $7 lot was just three to four blocks from the Ice Palace. Another two-block walk along W. 7th Street led to numerous eating establishments.

Granted, the issues explained here may not have been so easy a bit later in the evening but it was clear downtown St. Paul was able to handle a massive crowd with the folks coming from all directions to see the palace or some of the NHL functions. All of this in the dead of winter with snow falling and the roads filled with slush.

Could a large summer crowd coming for a baseball game not be handled just as well? After seeing the area function well in the winter, hereís one vote for giving St. Paul a real serious look.

Downtown Minneapolis continues to get the heavy push for a new Twins stadium behind Target Center. The road network may be better at this site and the rail system will eventually be a transportation. But there is also the garbage burning plant right next door and the parking is really no better than in St. Paul.

St. Paul planners have proven the Xcel Center can work. The same should hold for the baseball stadium. And St. Paul has just as much to offer in terms of restaurants and bars that would flourish and expand if a stadium was built there.

But of course I am getting ahead of myself.

This proposal will need legislative action, be it in St. Paul or Minneapolis. The, of course, in-city fighting has already commenced with Minneapolis the side that is doing most of the below-the-belt hitting. At least St. Paul officials have taken the high road, thus another reason to look there first.

Can any proposal get through the legislature?

I am of the belief that professional sports benefit the entire region in which we live. They are magnets that bring people to the Twin Cities and boost our image as a place to live. They are major players in the economic engine of this region, without a doubt.

If professional sports are to be a part of our region, they come at a price. Out and out state tax subsidies to fund any new stadium will never happen, but it is clear that some form of government participation will have to take place, be it in form of a food and liquor or car rental tax.

Teams will be asked to share in the cost but the reality is they will not build their own facilities.

This is the point that rubs wrong with the majority of citizens in Minnesota and itís understandable. Building stadiums for billionaire owners and millionaire players doesnít sit well with many.

It is with such public sentiment in mind that many lawmakers run for cover, fearing the potential backlash at the ballot box should they cast a vote that many may not like.

What sometimes slips the mind of lawmakers is that they are elected to make decisions that benefit the whole of the state, not just their own little district. Sometimes they must make decisions that are not popular but have the best interests of the state in mind.

Thatís where lawmakers need to step to the plate. If stadium proposals are rejected out of hand, please provide the rationale that the decision is in the best interest of the state.

It is encouraging that Gov. Tim Pawlenty has moved the stadium issue to the front burner and is actively seeking a solution. If state lawmakers can see things in the same light and have the courage to do what is right, this might be the session when action is taken.

And if it is, St. Paul has proven it deserves a serious shot at hosting a baseball stadium.

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