Facility Notes

Dermer Pledges To Fight Marlins

MLB: Since an agreement between Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County would give Miami Beach $50M May 1 if money raised by Miami-Dade County's Convention Development Tax is not pledged by December 1 for a new ballpark for the Marlins, Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer said that he will "fight the latest push by the Marlins to build a new stadium if the team seeks money from" the tax. Dermer: "Obviously, this is of great concern to me, and I'm going to be very vigorous in fighting the matter" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/11)....In Pittsburgh, Rob Biertempfel noted several MLB players "have criticized the turf" at Miller Park. Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon: "Our guys are not happy because they don't feel comfortable out there" (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 7/10).

NOTES: The AZ Tourism & Sports Authority (TSA) said that it "can no longer provide up-front funding to improve Cactus League baseball spring training facilities, a shortfall that will force Scottsdale and Tempe to find their own revenue to begin projects needed to keep major league teams in place." TSA CFO Charles Foley: "We just don't have the financial resources at this time to pay cash for our portion." Foley added that the "slow revenue has hurt the authority's ability to issue bonds for Cactus League projects" (EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE, 7/10).