And here we go.
Gang, the budgets are in the books. The voting booths open in less than 24 hours in Tennessee. And one of the most controversial political discussions on the horizon in Hamilton County deals with the local baseball team.
Yep, our beloved Lookouts and how much taxpayer money our local officials are willing to pony up for a new baseball stadium on the Southside of the city.
Here's an excellent update on the issue from TFP BID-ness ace Mike Pare. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2018/jul/31/future-lookouts-stadium-entering-key-time-own/476103/
And the money quote in the story is from John Woods, one of the Lookouts general partners and an Atlanta BID-ness man who grew up in East Ridge.
"I'd never move the team," Woods said.
Write that down. In Sharpie.
That's the money quote from the story and it will ring in almost every conversation about this issue, because it is so very important. Woods's main partner in running the Lookouts is Jason Freier, who is the poobah of Hardball Capital. The Lookouts franchise is one of three minor league baseball teams under the Harball umbrella, and the previous two have reached this stadium crossroad before.
A Hardball franchise in Fort Wayne, Ind., threatened to move unless it got public funds for a new stadium. The city ponied up to keep the team in town after Freier and Folks started looking for a new home. The other Hardball hardball ball club was in Savannah but now is in Columbia, S.C., because, you guessed it the coastal Georgia city was not interested in putting public money into building a new stadium and Columbia was.
Maybe Woods - who by every measure and every interaction I've had with him is a good dude - is putting it out there plain and simple. Maybe it's a sign of good faith to everyone involved. Maybe it's part of a good-partner, bad-partner plan for down the road.
Who knows, but that quote will be repeated - several times - before we get to the finish line when we will see if it is prophetic or posturing.
People line up to place bets in the sports book at the South Point hotel-casino, Monday, May 14, 2018, in Las Vegas. The Supreme Court on Monday gave its go-ahead for states to allow gambling on sports across the nation, striking down a federal law that barred betting on football, basketball, baseball and other sports in most states. (AP Photo/John Locher)Betting on the Egg Bowl
Mississippi is going to start offering legalized sports betting today around lunch.
That's a good thing. (Yes, Stewwie, you and I are on different angles to this debate. My main talking point is if something like this - a non-violent, self-decision activity that while illegal is rarely policed - is happening anyway, why should it not be offered and taxed.
And it's a great thing for the folks of Mississippi that they will be a relative island in the deep south offering legalized sports betting for the foreseeable future.
(Side note: Please to say we have Daniel Graham, a Miami attorney who is one of the foremost experts on this matter in the country, scheduled to appear on Press Row today. Stay tuned for air time.)
In addition to the Mississippi thing, there were a couple of other gambling items worthy of our time this morning.
We'll start with the NBA agreeing to a deal with the MGM to be the official betting house of the league. We're pretty sure that there are not a whole lot of extras involved in that - and it does not mean non-official betting houses can't have NBA games on their books - but it is another revenue stream.
As for a gambling update, we loved these stats from the Twitter feed of David Purdum, referring to the numbers from the Nevada Gaming Control on June's net returns (and this is why they can offer $5.99 lobster dinners):
Blackjack $100.0m
Craps $36.0m
Roulette $36.7m
Baccarat $73.7m
Sports $20.1m
Penny slots $255.0m
Dear Lord, next time we are in Vegas remind us to avoid the dang penny slots.
Also from Purdum, who is also a gambling expert, Mobile sports betting in Delaware has been put on hold "to ensure we implement the best long-term solution for our customers, our partners and the taxpayers of Delaware," says lottery director Vernon Kirk.
New York Yankees Aaron Judge high-fives teammates after they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in a baseball game in Toronto, Saturday, July 7, 2018. (Fred Thornhill/The Canadian Press via AP)Trading deadline recap
Is there a more telling description of the haves and the have nots that this:
The Yankees made a slew of moves in the last week. They were happy because they knew they improved their club and their chances come October.
Among those moves for the Yankees was dealing a pitcher to a team to clear space for the new line of talent coming to the Bronx. That team was Seattle, which added a reliever and was tickled about it. Did we mention that Seattle is now taking New York cast-offs while the Mariners are leading the wildcard race.
And we think the NBA is top heavy.
In truth there was a lot of action, including several surprising moves by teams on the cusp of wildcard contention.
Chief among those was the Pirates adding Chris Archer, the Rays best player and the best starting pitcher on the market.
After all has been done - and again, there are still ways to acquire players if they clear waivers - here is one person's top-five power rankings in terms of World Series chances:
Boston. The Red Sox were the best team in the game entering the deadline - and while other AL teams did more - and Boston still looks like class of the MLB.
Houston. A simple statement to their starting pitching, which is 1-through-4 light years better than everyone else's.
New York. Adding J.A. Happ - his hand, foot and mouth illness aside - may be the most important move come October, and the Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball. Even with that - and a lineup still on pace to set an all-time home run record - they are a step behind Boston's completeness and the Astros elite starting pitching.
Los Angeles. If we had to bet on one team to make the World Series, we believe the Dodgers are the best bet. But that's a testament to the AL's superiority more than the Dodgers' claim to the top spot.
Chicago. Cole Hamels helps. The Cubs' lineup is impressive. But it feels like there are holes, especially in a bullpen that is hard to trust.
This and that
- Speaking of baseball's trading deadline, how about Adam Jones saying thanks but no thanks to a possible deal to Philadelphia and a place in a pennant race? Friend or foe on Jones' decision?
- This guy should have won the weekend. https://twitter.com/TheAdamsEra/status/1023966625853317120 Way to go Jamal Adams.
- Hard to remember any news that was good news for NASCAR and the TV numbers. Pocono was a record-low, and while the year-to-year numbers have been down double-digits at almost every track, the longterm stats are even worse. While Pocono was the most watched sporting event of the weekend and the most-watched cable race since May with 2.75 million viewers and a 1.7 rating, compare that to just five years ago when Pocono had a 3.2 rating and 4.9 million viewers on ESPN.
- How one-sided was the Nationals' 25-4 win over the Mets on Tuesday? Well, every Nats regular had a hit by the end of the second inning and the Nats became the second team in MLB history to have a lead as larger as 19-0 before the end of the fifth inning. The other was the Hartford Dark Blues in 1876.
- Johnny Football will make the start for Montreal. The game will be on ESPN 2, and here's betting that the CFL game will outdraw everything this side of the NFL Hall of Fame game on Thursday night in TV numbers this weekend.
Today's question
Which way Wednesday, agree or disagree?
Legalized sports betting, friend or foe?
Which way will the arrow point for Johnny Football come Saturday morning?
Should the city/county put local tax dollars into a new Lookouts Stadium?
As for for the first day of August, did you know that MTV debuted today in 1981? Wow, right.
Hilter opened the 1936 Olympic Games on this day, too. Wow, again, right?
Dom DeLuise was born on this day in 1933.
Chuck D. - the dude from Public Enemy – was born on this day in 1960, and he is one of the main studs of the explosion of rap.
Stacey Augmon is 50 today, and he is part of the forgettable history of Atlanta Hawks first-rounders.
Jerry Garcia was born on this day in 1942. Amazingly, the Grateful Dead exactly one No. 1 single and hit the top of the charts on this day in 1987.
Rushmore of best bands with one No. 1 single or fewer.