Wednesday, August 26, 2009

More on Keeping the Cubs

We need to read between the lines here and see what is really going to be needed to keep the Cubs in Mesa. It's clear that the Cubs really want a new stadium and a new practice facility. When you look around the league and see what the other teams have (especially those in Glendale and Goodyear), who could blame them? Making rennovations isn't going to be enough.

Interestingly, the Tribune, usually the fiscal conservative, is already on the fact that the bed tax might be a good place to go for some of the revenue needed to get a deal done. It does make sense, since the bed tax is used to promote Mesa, and one of the things the CVB does the most is promote the Cubs. Have you ever been down to the CVB office? It's got a giant cactus in the lobby with a Cubs uniform on. Needless to say, they get what impact the Cubs have on tourism in Mesa.

Hopefully, Mayor Smith, Speaker Adams, Chris Brady, and others can come up with a plan that can keep the Cubs in town. Going to Chicago to plead their case and show their commitment is the first step in this process. Now is the time to be creative and look at options to see what is best. Ideally, the Cubs would stay in west Mesa, but short of that, maybe its time to start looking at the Gateway area and gauge some interest in getting some midwest flights to come right into the airport.

1 comment:

Heath Reed said...

Yup, I agree. they do want more, but it has to be a process and one that the three have to sale to them. We know it is better to play here and Mesa is a great place for the cubs (ie history), but Florida is going to throw a lot of money their way and a new ownership can be easily swayed when they dropped hundreds of millions of dollars on the franchise. Bed tax is one way, but lets see how creative, innovative Brady and Smith can be. I hope they can pull a rabbit out of their hats.

Keep us updated and blogging on this subject.