The Twins and the Pohlads, btw, are major contributors to the cultural well being of this city. The Pohlad family, for example, gave $1 million for the new Minneapolis Library. The Twins have built many play fields for kids around the metro, especially in the neighborhoods which are ignored by those jerks in St. Paul who are the alleged stewards of our tax dollars.

Let’s take a look at some of the other things we’ve subsidized with our tax dollars over the years: the northern Minnesota toothpick factory, the NWA maintenance facility that was never built, the Target headquarters downtown, the Best Buy headquarters in Richfield, the Lawson headquarters in St. Paul. I could go on. (It should be noted here, too, that Target and Best Buy are also pretty damn generous in the community.)

In that scheme of things, the stadium doesn’t look so bad.

So, when it comes right down to it, I’d rather give my entertainment dollars to someone who puts some of it back. And I’ll keep buying my toilet paper at Target and PDAs at Best Buy.

As for the Vikings though, they can jump in Lake Minnetonka. And I do hope they’d take that fucking Twins bear with them.

You know, this is a fallacy that I hear continually repeated over and over and over again by tons of Minnesota residents that don’t have the first clue about what they’re saying. The St. Paul Saints, as a baseball team, are *not* more fun to watch, period. The St. Paul Saints *games*, OTOH, might be more entertaining — if you’re not a baseball fan.

I don’t consider myself a baseball fan by any means — I certainly can’t stand to watch it on TV and while I may be biased (attending only three Saint’s games and over 20 Twins games since 2002) I must say that the Twins are far more fun to watch live. I did enjoy receiving free Buca di Beppo and front row seats at our most recent Saint’s game but I spent so much time eating and watching the random on-field antics that I forgot that we were at a baseball game!

Now, as far as my support of a stadium — I think it’s a terrible idea that shouldn’t even be considered by our illustrious governor.

Let me know when the St. Paul Saints’ atomosphere shows up at a Twins game. Then it would be the perfect combination.

WHEREAS we are all sick-to-death of hearing you bitch and whine about how your ballpark prevents you from making fistfulls of cash; and

WHEREAS there are several hundred organizations far more desperate for and worthy of my tax dollars than the Pohlad family; and

WHEREAS the Saint Paul Saints are considerably more fun to watch than the Twins, anyway;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the state of Minnesota officially says the hell with the Twins, let them go to Santa Fe or Tuscaloosa or wherever and see if we care;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a metro-wide sales tax increase (in an amount not to exceed one-tenth of whatever Speaker Sviggum and his pals are proposing) be instituted to fund a new ballpark for the Saint Paul Saints, who will be far more appreciative than the Twins and who better understand the value of not alienating your fans.

Damn, I’ve used that line before.

i think that’t totally lame, and they just won;t say out loud that what they really fear is grocery stores and gas stations selling alcohol.

i lived in boston for many years, and they could legally stay open until 11 pm every night of the week. it was not uncommon to go to the liquor store at 10:30 and find that it had closed early because business was slow. so you’d go to another one that WAS open.

do you EVER go to a liquor store at 8.pm. on a weekday night, in minneapolis, and find you’re the only one there? not likely.

I’m not the slightest bit concerned about buying liquor/beer in grocery stores. I just want to safely enjoy intoxicating liquors on Sundays without having to create a stockpile in my garage or drive somewhere to imbibe them and risk a DUI.

I’d like to be able to buy liquor on Sunday, after 8:00, in a grocery store. But the liquor stores shoot down these changes time and time again because they don’t want to lose their monopoly.