Final Attendance Numbers for TinCaps Home Games for 2009
Total “Announced” attendance for the 76 home games = 404,318
Net attendance that will count toward the 275,000 before Fort Wayne receives the $1.00 per Performance License Fee = 380,118
380,118 less 275,000 = 105,118 which results in $105, 118 from Hardball Capital toward the Stadium Maintenance Fund. Add to this $150,000 (one-half of the “Naming Rights” fee), and the result is $255,118 toward the contracted $230,000 for the maintenance fund. This leaves Fort Wayne with $25,118 to apply toward the contracted payment by Fort Wayne of all the utilities used at Parkview Field, which has been estimated to be over $50,000 per year. So, in addition to providing Hardball Capital with a prime stadium at no yearly cost to them, Fort Wayne also will have to come up this year with over $25,000 from other taxes to help Hardball make a nice profit on their only investment of just over $5 million.
Tonights 6,269 fans probably is a record for all of Minor League Baseball at a Championship Series Game! And the TinCaps won - only need one more victory to wrap up the first Minor League Championship for a Fort Wayne team -and this will be any one of the, if necessary, three games over the next three nights.
The TinCaps are finishing a “dream year” - A Fort Wayne furnished, absolutely fantastic new stadium, the Fort Wayne fan support that our town has been giving to professional teams for years, and a group of up-and-coming young future Major Leaguers who have played their hearts out - in both halves of the regular season and in the playoffs!
The ownership of the team, Hardball Capital, has to be pleased with how Fort Wayne has treated them. But, to date it has all been “one-way”, with millions of Fort Wayne dollars going to Atlanta, Georgia. Be aware that the Padres organization pays all the salaries for the players, the managers, and the umpires. Plus transportation expenses, equipment (balls, bats, et al) and lots of the other expenses. A modest average paid ticket of $7.00 times the 380,118 paid for the season has resulted in $2,660,826 of gross revenue for just this item (less the $105,118 that will be paid to Fort Wayne due to the Performance License Fee). Again, assuming a modest $10.00 per person “food & beverage” expenditure per paid attendee, would result in a gross income of $3,801,180 (all going to Hardball-none to the city). The revenue due to advertizing signage at Parkview Field, one-half of the $300,000 “naming rights” fee per year paid by Parkview Health, all the charges for the leasing of the suites, scoreboard advertising, broadcast rights and any advertising on radio and television, sales of souvenirs, plus “all other revenues from all Hardball Events”, goes only to Hardball Capital.
Yet, for some hard-to-understand reason, Hardball’s partner, Barry Real Estate, has not been able to complete the portion of the overall Harrison Square development that was a part of the agreement between Fort Wayne and their corporations. But, Fort Wayne still is paying for the stadium and the borrowing costs due to it’s construction - for 2009 this amounts to $3,344,748.
Will Fort Wayne see the same dropoff in attendance that the Wizards saw in their second year (1994) over the first (1993). 266,670 vs. 318,506. This dropoff, if it happens, would result in a 2010 attendance of 325,594 and this would require the city to budget a total of over $100,000 in 2010 to cover this short-fall.
It will be interesting to see where the city administration puts this in their suggested budget for 2010.
Former President Jimmy Carter is an embarassment to himself and the Democratic Party
Former President Jimmy Carter actually said the following in an interview with NBC nightly news.
Consider the following quote:
“I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African-American,” Carter told “NBC Nightly News.” “I live in the South, and I’ve seen the South come a long way, and I’ve seen the rest of the country that shares the South’s attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African-Americans.”
What a complete idiot.
Only a complete moron could possibly believe that “An overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man.”
Is there one single person reading this blog who believes that the above statement is true?
I am sick and tired of Democrats playing the race card. This statement from former President Jimmy Carter is an insult to every American and I think that EVERY prominent Democrat in the country should immediately denounce these absurd comments.
Mike Sylvester
1000 local Navistar jobs at risk
The New-Sentinel had a very scary headline today, “1000 local Navistart jobs at risk.”
I certainly hope that these jobs do not leave Fort Wayne. I have a couple of friends who work there and the loss of a lot of high paying jobs would hurt this area badly.’
I have been hearing rumors about this move for weeks and I had not given those rumors much credence…
Let’s hope that Navistar keeps its engineering operation in Fort Wayne.
Per the Community Research Institute Navistar is the 10th largest employer in Allen County with 1400 high paying manufacturing jobs.
If you eliminate government organizations (FWCS, Allen County, and the City of Fort Wayne) Navistar is the seventh largest private employer in Allen County.
Mike Sylvester
President Obama and his Congressional Address last week
President Obama gave a powerful speech on healthcare reform last week to a joint session of Congress. I listened to the speech as it was given and I have to say the President Obama is a very good public speaker. I may disagree with most of what President Obama believes in; however, I admit he could teach a course on how to give a good public address!
After listening to his speech I am now certain that comprehensive healthcare reform is dead; at least this year. His speech imposes mandates that the existing Democratic bills cannot meet.
President Obama does something right!
I have a series of posts about how badly President Obama has failed so far.
That being said, last Friday he did something that gives me some hope that he may do a few things that will actually help America.
Last week he imposed import tariffs on tires imported from China. China is of course condemning the move.
President Bush put a similar tariff on steel a few years ago and I supported that tariff as well.
We currently have a trade deficit that will eventually destroy our country. The United States absolutely must start ensuring that our companies can compete internationally on a level playing field.
President Obama did the right thing with this tariff. He should immediately put a new tariff on a Chinese import every day until China unpeg’s their currency entirely from ours.
Mike Sylvester
Mayoral Choices
And just when I thought I’d keep an open mind about voting against mayor Tom Henry:
Allen County Councilwoman Paula Hughes is off and running in the 2011 mayor’s race, forming a fundraising committee and working the crowd at last week’s Republican golf outing.
Ugh - nevermind…
My Discussion with Greg Leatherman on The Harrison - Part 2 of 2
In part 1 I covered our discussion involving the interest from two local companies in building office space at The Harrison instead of condominiums. In part 2 we discussed the future of residential development and the economics behind the project.
Thoughts on President Obama’s Health Insurance Reform Speech
Excellent speech and long overdue when it comes to outlining his principles and calling out the ridiculous lies that are drowning the debate. As I’ve said before the system is broken and will bankrupt this country sooner rather than later but while the President’s goals are laudable I’m not convinced they are affordable given his own constraints.
I still don’t understand how you can improve health care costs without improving health. Nothing I’ve seen would actually do that. In fact the President talks a lot about treatment but what we really need is healthier people who don’t need as much treatment! That should be the ultimate goal.
The public plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, need to start cracking down on unhealthy choices. Don’t ask me to subsidize your health care because you choose to smoke and are 100 pounds overweight. I feel no moral obligation to do so and neither should anyone else.
I’m not sure the President really articulated how this reform will work - namely that younger, healthy individuals will subsidize older, unhealthy people. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that idea but it’s not insurance. In fact, health insurance simply doesn’t work given the fact that we, as a society, are not willing to let people die. Again, nothing wrong with that, but let’s not pretend that health insurance companies can provide “insurance for all” - it’s simply not economically feasible.
If that’s the goal then the only entity that can do it is the government. I would argue that most people want everyone to be able to get affordable coverage and they somehow think this is possible via a purely private sector market. They are misguided; if you support a private sector approach then you have to take the good with the bad - the bad being some people won’t be able to afford coverage and will die sooner than others. If you can’t accept that then your only option is for the government to fund the system…
President Obama
President Obama is giving an address to both houses of Congress tomorrow. He is doing this because his “signature” health care reform legislation is in serious danger of failing this year.
This debate has been interesting to watch. The Democrats have handled this so badly that President Obama’s approval rating has dropped below 50% and the “pundits” are all of the sudden predicting large Republican gains in 2010.
There is a lot of speculation about what kind of speech President Obama is gong to give.
Some people think he will try to take the middle ground and pass bi-partisan legislation. Others think he will try to push health care reform with a public option and go for the whole enchilada…
I am in the latter group.
I think President Obama will do the following tomorrow:
- I think he will re-iterate his support for a public option.
- I think he will continue to demonize the health insurance industry.
- I think he will decide NOT to lay out his own legislation; I think this is a big mistake.
- I think he will be less vague than he has to date; however, I think he will continue the vague generalities he used on the campaign trail and that he has used to date.
I do NOT think he health care reform legislation the President wants will be passed this year. The Democratic Party is in complete disarray and their timing is terrible. Americans are concerned about the economy and not so concerned about health care reform.
Mike Sylvester
Labor Day, 2009
Tomorrow is Labor Day.
Labor does not have a lot to celebrate this year; unless you are in the Government sector.
I have worked in many industries in my past; I spent four years in direct sales, six years as an electronics technician in the USN, 2.5 years as an operator in a civilian nuclear power plant, 2.5 years as a journeyman electrician in a steel mill, four years as the Maintenance Manager at a factory, and five years in public accounting.
In that time I have been a member of three different unions, I have been hourly, I have been salaried, I have been a business owner, and I have worked in several different industries.
This is a dark time for many Americans and our leaders in Washington have absolutely no idea how to fix the problems that they have largely created.
Labor day is a time when Americans should reflect on their jobs and their wages.
