Not one word.

 

Ignoring the most explosive comments of yesterday's county commission meeting - that the city, county and the Marlins intend to lobby the state legislature next session to strip Wayne Huizenga's Huizenga Holdings (HH) of the $2 million tax rebate PPS currently receives in the name of the Marlins - and David Samson's comments regarding the team's working relationship with the PPS guys, once again the South Florida media has shown how spineless and fearful they are when it comes to the Dolphin's ownership.

 

It's embarrassing to see as a Floridian but totally predictable. Not one media outlet, broadcast or print, dared to touch the story. And it was THE STORY coming out of yesterday's meeting, the kind of event that real journalists anywhere else in America would have pounced on, but not here, not in South Florida where Wayne H. is so feared that the Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post dared not report.

 

As I reported here yesterday David Samson went into quite a bit of detail about trying to make his financial situation at PPS work and how he had tried to get the PPS guys to loosen up some of the peripheral portions of their lease - advertising, exclusive corporate sales, parking - to at least mitigate some of the losses the Marlins sustain each year, only to be told by Huizenga's guys (paraphrasing) "no, we want you out".

 

Off-camera you could hear (I believe it's) Joe Arriola saying "Huizenga doesn't like Dade county". So caught up in capturing every possible sports entertainment dollar Huizenga has done everything he can here and in Tallahassee to drive the Marlins out of South Florida. Next session expect a war, an all-out firefight as the good guys try to confront the power of WH's lobbying machine.

 

If nothing else it should make for good theater.

I emailed one of the writers earlier, wondering about that same thing.

I emailed one of the writers earlier, wondering about that same thing.

 

I emailed both Talalay (@Sun-Sentinel) and Rabin (@Herald) yesterday after each had their pieces published online after the meeting asking if today's pieces would go into this. As of this writing neither has repsonded.

From this morning's Palm Beach Post, written by Charles Elmore:

 

"Commissioner Joe Martinez urged county officials and the Marlins to lobby for the $60 million state subsidy and cut off a similiar subsidy for the baseball team that would remain at Pro Player Stadium, owned by Wayne Huizenga. The original subsidy is less than halfway through it's 30 year payout."

 

"Arriola agreed: "One of the things we're working on is to take away that double-dipping." "

The OTHER baseball team that will remain in PPS? What does that mean?

Sportwriters ain't gonna touch it - could be re-assigned to the Fins at any time.

 

Calling Jim DeFede, the fearless.

Sportwriters ain't gonna touch it - could be re-assigned to the Fins at any time.

 

Calling Jim DeFede, the fearless.

Jim DeFede is not fearless.

 

He just has nothing better to do.

The OTHER baseball team that will remain in PPS? What does that mean?

You mis-understood the sentence. It's referring to the subsidy that would remain at PPS not a baseball team.

You didn't hear? Huizenga is goign to buy a new team to start play in the independent Sunshine League. They're expected to fold two weeks into the season claiming huge losses despite owning all the stadium revenue.

You didn't hear? Huizenga is goign to buy a new team to start play in the independent Sunshine League. They're expected to fold two weeks into the season claiming huge losses despite owning all the stadium revenue.

 

...but he will get the state legislature to give him a $2 million sales tax rebate for the new team. One day before the team folds.