Oakland Athletics owner Lew Wolff has been discussing with the city upgrades to Phoenix Municipal Stadium that would cost $30 million or so — “chump change” for what’s being spent on spring-training facilities in the area.
That Phoenix Municipal Stadium needs some spiffing up is probably true: the latest upgrades nicely added a level of suites and press box to the facility, as well as some new concessions, but didnt do much to address the seating bowl — and on a warm day Phoenix Muni can be a pretty miserable spot to watch a game if you’re not between the bases. And while Maryvale Baseball Park is the next spring facility in line for upgrades, Phoenix Municipal is right behind.
Still, it was a little unfortunate for Wolff to characterize $30 million as “chump change” in this interview. Think of that the next time you rent a car in Phoenix and pay 50 percent more in taxes, partly due to the stadium surcharge, and be thankful you’re throwing your chump change into the mix.
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