Signs of Things to Come: To Move Team from El Paso if Stadium Not
Improved - Paul Foster's Threat to Move Western Refine. Headquarters After Losing San Jacinto Plaza Renovation Battle
He's done it before, why Foster, like
other team owners, will extort the City of El Paso to his benefit
In late March of
1984, a moving company secretly packed up the Baltimore Colts’
belongings and its fleet of vans sneaked off in the darkness of the
early morning. Leaving a city of deeply devoted fans in shock and
disbelief.
Above is the description of the ESPN 30
for 30 documentary “The Band that Wouldn't Die.” The above title is probably something we can see in the future.
I was very young when I saw the 60
Minutes coverage of the Colts midnight move to Indianapolis from
Baltimore. More than two decades later, team owners continue to hold
cities hostage. They threaten to move if improvements are not made to
stadiums, if they don't get more profit, if the cities' don't cover
more of the expenses.
In November 2011, El Pasoans won a
major battle against a local tycoon. After a 6-month campaign to save
Luis Jimenez “Los Lagartos” sculpture from being removed from San
Jacinto Plaza, the City Council voted to keep the sculpture as its
centerpiece.
Paul Foster wanted the sculpture
removed and to put in a much despised plan that he “generously”
paid for. In the spring of 2011, then city representative Robert
O'Rourke, pushed Foster's plan to revamp San Jacinto Plaza. O'Rourke
told the El Paso Times he wanted the park to look like a park in New
York including the closing of Oregon Street just east of the Mills
Building. Although this street closing may have been more of a “gift”
for Foster, it was Rep. Steve Ortega who took the torch after
O'Rourke left office and O'Rourke was saved from attack.
In the discussion, Foster's people said
on the record at a El Paso City Council Meeting that Foster would
pull out if he did not get his way.
In the fall of 2012, Foster lost. The
city representatives voted to keep Los Lagartos as its centerpiece
even though Ann Morgan Lilly, Corney Nilan, and Steve Ortega voted
against the measures.
Within
about a month after Foster's defeat, his company Western Refining
announced “that it will reduce its 85-person corporate headquarters
roster by 50 and relocate most of them to Arizona has raised concerns
about the future of the company's headquarters in El Paso” (El Paso Inc. 11/15/20122 “City wants to halt Western move”).
Was this retribution for Foster not
getting his way?
Is not this what team owner do to city
after city, a type of extortion, that the team will leave if the team
owner does not get his way?
More important, now that Foster wants
to become a baseball team owner: Is this what we will see in the
future?
Most likely yes, because if he can do
it without a baseball team, he'll do it with one.
