Sid's Scare Tactics Strike Again

Sid Hartman writes:

Memo to Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other politicians who are negative about building stadiums: The presence of the Browns in town to face the Vikings today is a reminder of how the Cleveland area lost the Browns to Baltimore when nobody thought it would happen, lost its pro hockey team in a merger with the North Stars and also would have lost the Indians to this area in the late 1950s if a lease hadn't prevented them from moving. I spoke with my friend Art Modell last week -- he moved the Browns to Baltimore -- and he talked of "how frustrated you get not being able to make it financially and finally you say to yourself, 'I've had it,' and make the move." Yes, one of these days Carl Pohlad will reach that frustration level and the Twins will be gone.

So Sid wants us Twins fans to be scared because the Indians almost moved (to either Minnesota or Milwaukee) about 50 years ago, and the NHL couldn't make a last-place expansion hockey team work in Cleveland in the '70s? Even by the standards of shameless scare tactics, that's really scraping the barrel.

OK, the Browns leaving Cleveland came as a shock; but the story is a lot more complicated than 'owner gets frustrated with uncooperative government officials and finally has to leave.'
For starters, that Modell quote about how he couldn't make it financially in Cleveland is a load of crap.

Modell had free rent in Cleveland Stadium, he owned the luxury suites, and he took the profits from sub-leasing the stadium to the Indians and other special events. The city had offered to build him a domed stadium as part of the Gateway Complex. He didn't want to be part of it. He liked his sweet deal in Cleveland Stadium, he just wanted the city to pay for improvements to the old place, but he got angry when he lost some profits from the luxury suites after the Indians and other events moved to Jacobs Field. Within a couple years of that happening, he broke his lease to go to Baltimore.

Art Modell was the bad guy. Everybody knew it, and the NFL recognized it by arranging the deal that let Cleveland keep the Browns name, colors, and history and gave the city a team in the next expansion. Is that a cautionary tale for Twins fans--vile owner takes team away, but state gets new team bearing the old team's name, colors, and history within a few years?

Anyway, Modell could bolt to Baltimore because he found a city willing and eager to fork over a stadium deal even richer than the one he had in Cleveland. There is nothing of the kind tempting Pohlad to move the Twins out of Minnesota right now.

Sid, your little games are not helping. Shut up.