The Arizona Diamondbacks should have waited to address lease issues
Mar 25, 2016, 2:52 PM | Updated: 9:22 pm
(AP Photo)
(AP Photo)
On Thursday, the Arizona Diamondbacks dropped a bombshell on the entire state: They decided to go all Arizona Coyotes vs. Glendale and threatened to bail on their agreement to play at Chase Field.
Look, the legalities of a lease of this size are way above my pay grade. I’m sure both sides have their reasons for acting the way they are acting. I’m also sure that both sides feel they are right.
Let’s stay away from the subjective language in the lease like “state of the art” and get right to the big problem here: timing.
Look, the D-backs are killing it in Spring Training. They look like they have pieced together a team that that can contend this season.
So why in the baseball world did the D-backs NOT just sit on this battle until the end of the season?
This type of battle is exactly the sort of thing that takes the attention away from the product on the field, angers fans and hangs a cloud of doubt over the players for the entire season.
And what about those players?
Let’s face it: The D-backs’ facilities are far better than any of us used in high school or college. It might even meet the standards of most pro ball players.
Until now.
Think about it. You might really like the car you have been driving for years. That is until someone gets in and starts to point out the items that are starting to fall apart or need repairs.
The same goes for the players. They might be jazzed to have a major league stadium as their office, until management begins to make a very public stick about the condition of the facilities.
Now they feel slighted. Other teams have it better.
Why won’t the county just come in here and fix this place up?
Who can possibly play in these conditions?
You can see how morale can take a dive.
And if you are going to tout the fan experience, why make the place sound like it’s falling apart to the tune of $187 million? Nobody wants to buy season tickets to a perceived dump of ballpark!
The bottom line is the organization should have and could have let this issue sit until the end of the season.
After all, they still have a ways to go on their lease.
