As jubilant Angel players prepare for the playoffs and a hoped for appearance in the 2014 World Series, team owner, Arte Moreno, nixed further negotiations with the Anaheim City Council that would keep the team in Anaheim. Particularly now, fans do not welcome considering the possibility of losing the team to Tustin or any other city.
The yearlong impasse between the Council and Moreno has been detrimental to both parties. Moreno doesn’t need three more years to decide whether to stay or move his mega-moneymaker and the city’s mega tax generator. Regrettably, both sides neglect consideration of inveterate fans and their passionate investment in the Angels. Conspicuously absent is love of the game, so poignantly evidenced this week in every ballpark within which Derek Jeter appeared.
Moreno recently expressed a feigned caring for Angel fans to a Los Angeles Times’ reporter: “I’m very emotionally tied to the fans and the players.” In fact, Moreno cares much more about how much money the team will balloon his wallet: “I learned a long time ago there is no sentiment in it. . . . At the end of the day, it is business.” The Council, particularly Mayor Tait, shares Moreno’s penchant for money, wanting a bigger cut for the city of the revenue generated by the Angels and the future development of land juxtaposed to Angel Stadium.
Are Council members ready, particularly Tait, to permit Moreno to walk off, a losing decision for Anaheim? Local taxpayers would foot the bill to raze an outdated stadium—and a city treasury would never see millions of dollars in new tax revenue. The question to answer is whether the Anaheim City Council will give Moreno the contract he wants so he stays or continues the stalemate too long—and Moreno takes his ball and glove to get richer somewhere else. What would happen if Tait and others were to remain steadfast for a bigger piece of the Angel financial pie than Moreno is willing to serve?
A study by CSL (2012) quantified the financial benefits to Anaheim resulting directly from Angels baseball. The failure to extend the team’s contract through 2036 assures the loss to the city of $3,000,000 in net new cumulative spending. And approximately 2,500 full-time jobs would end along with $4,700,000 annually in cumulative taxes and other direct revenues. Moreover, 88% of persons who buy Angel tickets do not live in Anaheim (CSL, 2012, p. 4).
There is enough pie to divide between Moreno and Anaheim so that he and the city feel financially sated. If time runs out, Anaheim is the big and permanent loser.
Source:
Conventions, Sports & Leisure International (CSL). (2012). Economic Impact Study of Angels Baseball. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/pe8nfqb
—Hugh Glenn
Hugh, I’m missing something in your post. You seem to be blaming Tait for this so-called impasse. And yet he is only ONE vote on the council. What about the other four? Kring has fundraisers at the stadium. Murray says she is going to “work like hell” to keep the Angels. Eastman and Brandman enthusiastically voted for the one-sided “non-binding” MOU.
So what’s your real problem? Why not address your issue to at least two of the four who seem terrified to go ahead with the deal, and could have approved it months ago, with or without Tait.
Agreed.
I’d love for someone to explain why Kris Murray and Todd Ament can’t count to three.
I mean seriously. They vote down the deal and then use the failure to pass the deal as a blunt political weapon?
I’m not sure who to feel sorry for. Anaheim voters being played for suckers or Arte for being played as a chump political tool?
It’s just sad all the way around.
That said, quick shout to the author of this post. This is actually well written. Keep it up.
Can you fools be anymore hypocritical? Now you’re complaining that the council majority didn’t override your hero Tom Tait? How dishonest can you be? You’re the same morons who have been saying the Angels have nowhere to go. Now that they have a foot out the door, you’re trying to blame everyone but the guy who has been driving them out the door (with help from people like you). You clowns will say anything.
Tom Tait is the one who has brought us to this pass. If he possessed a modicum of leadership skills, and conducted his mayorship like an adult rather than a spoiled child who throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get his way, Anaheim wouldn’t be in this fix. It would be nice if Cantor and Zenger would man up and admit it.
What up, Ster!
I’ll admit I can count to three.
Three votes is what Kris Murray needed last September to pass the MOU. Three votes is what she needed to pass a deal in January. Three votes is still all she needs today.
Three votes to turn this into a political weapon.
Three votes.
Now, what was that you wanted an admission for?
We aren’t stupid. Murray and Ament are risking Anaheim’s future for the sake of one election. The Angels had no where to go, they gave them three extra years to find an alternative, and they failed to get the deal done.
The same week absentee ballots go out, what a shock.
Anaheim deserves better. I’ll settle for anyone who can count to three.
SKADOOSH!
“Stop me before I alienate Arte Moreno again!” Sad and pathetic, Ryan! Send that boy back to spin school!
SKADOOSH!
Uh oh. Someone’s feathers are getting ruffled.
Chill out Chamber lackey.
Back to deleting my replies. Thanks, Matt.
Anyway SKADOOSH, you’re not using it right. Try again.
I edited out the gratuitous, stupid crack in that comment and published.
But good grief – stop whining already! You have more comments on this blog than any single person.
Where’s my info on that $35m, Matt?
First off, they “override” Tom Tait by getting three votes. He has only one vote; they have four.
And I’M not complaining about the fact that they didn’t approve the deal. I revel in it. But YOU should be complaining to them that they didn’t. Three votes. Which of the four refused to go along with the MOU?
Actually, you are complaining about that fact.
No, I’m not complaining – just noting the delicious hypocrisy. I’m glad they didn’t have the courage (in an election year) to foist that rotten deal on us.
However your Mr. “Anaheim Insider” wants to blame SOMEBODY ELSE for their lack of courage of conviction.
So who refused to go along? Eastman? Kring? Murray? Brandman? Jeez, they only needed three votes to make a deal. At least two of these worthies balked. I wonder which two.
The spinning from the Taitbots is amusing. I laughed while reading Cynthia Ward’s comments about how Arte “realized” the MOU was a bad deal for him, since she’s been saying exactly the opposite for the last year. Or how he is free to work out a deal with Tait.
News flash: Moreno can’t stand Tom Tait, thanks to Tait’s private double-dealing and publicly dragging Moreno through the mud for the last year.
I’m pretty sure Arte hates getting used and losing money more than he hates Tom Tait.
Following Todd Ament’s advice is just getting him used. It’s going to cost Arte a lot of money, too. I wouldn’t want to be Todd when Arte figures that out.
Matt, the Juicebots are getting very upset that you are not johnny-on-the-spot in approving their comments. Please get on the stick. This is their planet, and we just live on it.