Ownership, and the superbowl

Cry me a river. Stevie Ross told us we *have* to do a public-private partnership to get the superbowl in the future - or we'll be shut out....

I was giving this some thought again today, and I have to admit that a real and true partnership might not be a bad idea.  Though I would still prefer he pay for it himself. Or at least pay back the loans he has. 

If there were some agreement, there has to be some give (and less take) from the Dolphins.  How about a bond that will be repaid by the Dolphins?  And in exchange, some portion of the stadium would be turned over to the public as a kind of collateral.  There has to be something in return for being loaned money - or perhaps a something in return for being given money.

And because its reasonable, it will never happen.

The nonsense proposed this round is just that.  Don't be surprised to see another hand in your wallet soon...

And another thing got me to thinking: H Wayne may have turned out to be a so-so owner...but he was a good citizen in south Florida.  I heard Channing Crowder talking about this today.  H Wayne brought in baseball, and lived here, and wanted the best for the team.  And, more importantly he has been philanthropic throughout our area.  He has done some good.

Compare that with Stephen Ross.  He is "from Miami" but moved away when he went to college, and basically never returned, other than to do business.  He doesn't live here (he's a resident of NY), and he tried to buy a couple of other teams before getting the Dolphins.  Maybe he has a link to Miami, but I believe its about owning A team, rather than THIS team.

And if you check his philanthropy, sure he PLANS to give a sizable fortune to charity.  And that's nice.  But he isn't living that promise now.  And looking into his philanthropy, he has given heavily to his alma mater (Michigan), and to various entities in and around New York.  But has done nothing here.

And here's where this intersects: he wants to enrich himself, and expects tax payers to fund enhancements in the stadium.  And he's essentially giving nothing in return. And in fact, he's not giving anything back to the community at all.  So why should anyone support him?

How about showing some goodwill first?  How about showing that maybe you care in some way about the community that you don't live in? 

Love this -- Manti Te'o girlfriend bobblehead giveaway in minors

By Matt Snyder | Baseball Writer
May 20, 2013 7:35 pm ET

All the way back in January, news broke that Notre Dame football star Manti Te'o's "girlfriend" Lennay Kekua did not exist. Anyone reading this certainly remembers how much the story exploded. It's old news at this point, but the Florence Freedom of the Frontier League -- an independent league, meaning there is no affiliation with Major League Baseball -- are having "Manti Te'o girlfriend bobblehead giveaway" night this coming Thursday.

Since Ms. Kekua never existed, the giveaway is an empty box with "bobblehead" crossed out. Here you go, via the Florence Freedom official website:

Here are more details, again from the team's official website:

Thursday night's promotions will also include an air guitar contest, a pretend kiss cam, an imaginary food fight, and fans with imaginary friends, girlfriends/boyfriends or spouses are encouraged to sit in section 115, the section furthest down the left field line
The traditional Thursday night promotions will also being going on at the ballpark; including $1 beer, soda and ice cream sandwiches, along with a post-game concert by Folsom.

The Freedom play in UC Medical Center Stadium in Florence, Kentucky, which is less than a half hour drive from Cincinnati and about 88 miles from Louisville.


http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/22274738/photo-manti-teo-girlfriend-bobblehead-giveaway-in-minors

Chuck Muncie

During his playing days some referred to him as "Snort" Muncie because he had a bit of a cocaine habit.

Muncie passed away today, much too young, at 60.

Muncie may be remembered by Dolphins fans on two counts.  First, of course, was on that 1981 Chargers team that beat the Dolphins in the infamous playoff game; he had nearly 100 yards rushing, and was able to keep the Dolphins defense off-balance.

Second, Muncie was traded to the Dolphins in 1984....he made it to Miami, and.... immediately failed a drug test, and the trade was voided.  Miami then tried to trade for Rickey Young, but he failed a drug test as well. So, they turned back to the Chargers, and ultimately got "6 point Pete" Johnson.

Its an odd connection to be sure,  but Shula said at the time "A back of his caliber can really help our offense."

Analyzing Dolphins Draft Pick by Pick: Part 2

With Jeff Ireland improving the defense, both pass rush and defending the pass, the Dolphins went into day three (rounds 4-7) with the mindset of adding depth, and that is exactly what the Dolphins did. With that said, lets look at what the Dolphins did with the other half of their draft. 

Jelani Jenkins OLB Florida 6'0" 243lbs

Jenkins in the fourth round was about where he was projected to go. Jenkins was one of the key leaders in that Florida Gators defense his senior year! Jelani coming out of high school was a highly sought-after 5 star recruit, bit did not live fully up to expectations in college. Jenkins has great range for a LB and can run side line to sideline to make plays. He is a very fast and quick athlete for a LB. His downfall is that is a not a strong and tall as you would want a starter in the NFL to be. Jenkins future in the NFL is a Special Teams ace and a solid backup when needed. With his good speed, he should excel quickly on Special Teams for Coach Darren Rizzi and possibly earn some playing time on 3rd down obvious passing situations. Overall, Jenkins adds depth to an already good LB core. The better quality depth you have, the better team you are.

Dion Sims TE Michigan St. 6'5" 262 lbs

With questions at the TE position this offseason (the signing of Dustin Keller, maturation process of Egnew and Clay), the pick of Dion Sims makes a lot of sense. Dion Sims is one of the best blockers in the NFL Draft, and with TE Dan Campbell, he should only improve. Being as big as he his, he will also make a great target and safety net for Ryan Tannehill, even though he is not the most athletic TE in the NFL. Coming out of high school, he was a highly recruited basketball, and with TE's in the NFL playing basketball before, Tony Gonzalez, Jimmy Graham, and Antonio Gates, he is in good company. With the combination of Sims being a good blocker and being a big target with soft hands, Sims should see some playing time early on in his career. 

Mike Gillislee RB Florida 5'11" 208lbs  

Starting his career at Florida, his first three years there he stuck behind Tim Tebow, Chris Rainey, and Jeff Demps, which limited his initial productivity. Starting his senior year, he finally got his chance to start and took advantage of it, amassing nearly 1,200 yds and 10 TD's. He is a very versatile back, who can carry the ball, catch the ball out of the backfield, and pass protect, which the Dolphins had trouble doing at the RB position last year. Gillislee has very good vision for a RB, and that is key when you run a zone blocking scheme. He locates the hole very well and hits it very had. He also has the ability to make the cutback when holes close up. Overall, Gillislee should add depth and competition to this already full backfield, which should only make thing better

Caleb Sturgis K Florida 5'10" 188 lbs

With Dan Carpenter missing filed goals to win games twice in a row last year (Jets and Cardinals), apparently the Dolphins thought it was a good time to bring in solid competition for his job, and in many people's minds, they are right in doing so. Caleb is the best K in this draft and the Dolphins pulled the trigger on him in the 5th round. Many are expecting him to beat Carpenter out for the job, while saving $3 million in cap space in the process. Sturgis was a very accurate K at the University of Florida, so do not expect that to change in the NFL. The only question for him is his kickoffs. They were not as long as you would like, but with added strength that comes with an NFL offseason, that should help with that problem. 

Don Jones CB/S Arkansas St. 5'11 191lbs

With Don Jones going to a smaller school in Arkansas St., there will be questions about whether he can play against real NFL competition, but one thing you cannot argue is his athleticism. Running 4.40 in the 40 yd dash, and jumping 42 inches in his vertical jump, there is no denying he has NFL athleticism. Jones, played both FS and CB at Arkansas St., which makes him very versatile, which Jeff Ireland and Joe Philbin like very much. When arriving at Arkansas St., he was a RB, but converted to S/CB his last two years, making him very raw at his position. Look for Jones to be slot WR cover corner and key Special Teams contributor for the Miami Dolphins. 

The overall theme of this draft was adding speed and athleticism, and the Dolphins certainly got a lot of it. With the Dolphins going heavily offensive in Free Agency, Jeff Ireland stuck to what he is good at, drafting defense. Building a solid secondary behind an improving pass rush will make the Dolphins Defense a nightmare to prepare for. And with Ryan Tannehill only getting better and adding him more weapons through the draft now in Dion Sims and Mike Gillislee, the Dolphins Offense looks to be much improved as well! The  third day (rounds 4-7), added depth and Special Teams contributors, which is important. Overall, the Dolphins, in my opinion, had a good draft, not a great one, filling needs and adding speed and athleticism that they were in desperate need of in 2012. This coming season is looking very promising for the Dolphins, but do not look for this rookie draft class to knock you off your feet. They should be solid contributors, with 2-3 starters (Jamar Taylor, Caleb Strugis, and maybe Dion Jordan). This is a very exciting time in Miami Dolphins football, and many are looking forward to the product they put on the field this season! 

G.G.G.

Look for my next article as I analyze each position of the whole team, starting with the offense.

Have questions or suggestions? Email me at sethAfisher07@gmail.com or tweet at me @PhinsBlogger13 

Utter nonsense

I finally had a chance to see the "plans" such as they were released to the public for the stadium improvement.  Included items were:

• Removing the lower bowl on the visitor side, and re-pouring concrete to make it permanent and closer to the field
• Re-doing part of the lower bowl on the home side and both endzones, including some new concrete
• Replacing seats in the lower bowl
• Replacing most of the seats in the upper bowl; removing some number of them
• Adding new video display boards
• Adding a partial roof
• (and as Stu Gotts reminds me) HD lighting

What did you notice about that list?   There's NO INFRASTRUCTURE.  The stadium itself is sound, this is about changing the seating and nothing more.

Yeah, maybe the seats are old and need to be replaced.  And perhaps there is a need to re-pour the concrete on the visitor side, based on the retractable seating for the Marlins.  But does it *have to be* done?

And the new video boards?  Didn't Wayne replace those just 6 years ago?

The roof - whatever.  Sure it might be nice.  But its not a must-have, certainly.

So its a ruse to get public funds to create new seats, and thus make more money for him.

Now we can look forward to more "woe is me" from him, and a lot of arm twisting saying he needs this, or boo hoo, he might have to move.

And once again....they ain't moving anywhere - that's just more bluster.

sigh....its just utter nonsense.

A little fact checking

I've read some of the recent reports by our intrepid local reporters and some national ones.  And I felt the need to comment on some of the "facts" they present to you.

Comment: The Dolphins will lose $41 million this year.
Reality: The Dolphins lowest attendance was in 2009.  Even in that year, according to Forbes, the Dolphins (on the whole) made $232 million because of profit sharing and revenue - and that was after their expenditures.  With all the corporations that have been established, its possible the team itself will show an operating loss.  But that does not mean that "the Dolphins" are losing money, or that Mr. Ross is taking a personal loss on the ownership of the franchise.

Comment: The Dolphins don't intend to purge their payroll, like the Marlins did.
Reality: they can't.  There is a salary cap AND a salary floor.  Right now they reside in the upper part of the range.  But they can't drop too many pieces and go below the floor.

Comment: They might move.  Maybe to LA or even to Palm Beach.
Reality: the Dolphins (see my comment above about the multiple entities) own the stadium.  And there are hundreds of millions of dollars in loan payments that are still outstanding.  The Dolphins are listed as the ones with the debt.  Unless the new city is willing to eat that for them, and essentially they find a way to sell the stadium, this will never happen.

Comment: Now that the stadium deal is done, the new stadium in Santa Clara will get the stadium
Reality: Sorry to break it to you, but that was pretty much a done deal LAST YEAR, before the stadium talk got going.  It was going to take a lot of "lobbying" to get the vote to go another way.

Comment: The NFL brings in new dollars with a SuperBowl
Reality: rough estimates are that 120,000 people may show up in a town that has the big game.  Many of them are the owners, the people they bring, the NFL's contingent, and large corporate sponsors.  What we don't see in the fine print is that they get special rates at the hotels, discounted meals, and the kicker is that they are exempt from paying taxes on most of it.  And add to that the fact that host committee gives them a lot of perks - like great tee times at prime resorts, VIP events at local venues, etc, etc.  All at no cost to these VIPs.  So who pays for that? 
Any guesses?  I'll let you think about that one.

Comment: he said, she said in Tallahassee
Reality: Will Weatherford is a politician.  Steve Ross is a businessman.  They both had their say and now the Dolphins are acting silly in accumulating witnesses to try and muckrake against Weatherford.  This IS politics.  I don't like it, either.  But, move along.

Stadium Fallout

Mr. Ross asked for money his stadium.  The legislature declined to vote on the measure, which naturally was their decision.  Its legislation, after all, and that business "is what it is" and they can play games, not vote, decide to vote, or amend it however they see fit.

And Mr. Ross is within his rights, of course, to decry the fact that there was no vote. It affects his business in some way.

But he's done a lot of posturing on the topic, because he's not happy.   He said that this just won't do, and while he won't move the team, the next owner might not have a choice, and an archaic stadium such as this could force the issue.

And the media has speculated on this further, and drawn parallels to other franchises that have asked for improvements to their stadia, didn't get it, and ultimately moved.  I'd like to add a team to that list: The Miami Dolphins.  Think about: Joe Robbie asked for the Orange Bowl to be improved, the city balked, and he moved the team to a stadium that he built with essentially his own money.

And that's where the stories diverge.  You see, in every case - other than Miami - when a team moved, they were renting a publicly owned facility.  They didn't get the improvements they wanted, and either broke their lease or waited for it to end and then moved into another publicly owned facility in another city.  And since then, they've managed to get money to improve said stadia in those cities - or have threatened to move if they don't get it.

There's also another factor.  After several moves, the NFL enacted a new rule that the owners have to vote on any move, to ensure that the Colts situation doesn't happen (think moving trucks in the middle of the night), and to ensure that NFL cities generally make sense - and that you don't leave one profitable city without a team.

Yes, the LA Dolphins certainly sounds like a possibility....but it seems unrealistic, and here's why: Miami is still a profitable franchise, and there is a following.  It seems unlikely the owners would agree to move the franchise and leave Miami open.  But there's a larger problem in that the stadium is not publicly owned...it is quite private.

Steve Ross (and his partner in this H Wayne, who still has a stake in it) owns the stadium in its entirety.  And he has an "outstanding debt" of the low- and no-interest loans that financed construction and improvements....that's money that has to be paid back by the owner "someday."  If he sold the team and stadium, and the new owner wanted to move it, well, that person would still would own a stadium that essentially would sit vacant, and owe money on it.  He would still have to pay some amount of taxes on it, and would be on the hook for the loan regardless.

Who in their right mind would do that?

So Ross' insistence that the new owner might move the team are hyperbole.  No way would an owner take a huge loss on a "white elephant" of a stadium.  And I think that's what's pissing him off.  Ross has no leverage left.  He got himself into what amounts to a bad deal on emotion - he wanted to own an NFL team and he paid too much for it, and is "stuck" with an aging stadium.

Now back to another question: why not finance improvements himself?  As I've mentioned before, he never planned to pay for it himself: he was going to use the NFL stadium funds as "his" dollars, but those dollars are only available if  there's a public-private partnership, and since there wasn't, "his" portion is off the table.

Realistically, there is only a small number of choices left for him.  He could accelerate the sale of the team, he could get some investors together to get money, or he could pay for it himself.  Or perhaps there's a combination of things that could happen.

I believe that he will wind up making a scaled back version of the improvements himself.  It would include some infrastructure pieces, and changes to provide seating closer to the field - anything else could wait.

And that's my take.

Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire!

Someone fired the first shot.  Someone got this whole thing started and I am not sure who is to blame or congratulate.

The internet is abuzz with talk of the Dolphins leaving Miami!

From ESPN to NFL.COM, from every blogger south of the Mason-Dixon Line to soon to be every blogger west of the Mississippi, that is as soon as they wake up, will be writing about the Dolphins leaving Miami for their new digs in LA.

You know, this is how it always starts and can finish with a Mayflower Truck sleaking away in the middle of the night.

First, there is conjecture.  Followed by denial.  Next possibilities.  And finally come the overtures.

We have heard the speculations.  Florida didn't pass the bill to help pay for the Stadium improvements. Florida said yes way to no pay. So Ross has to foot the bill.

We have the denial.  CEO Dee says no way to Ross move away.  But he did leave the door open for a new owner to possibly move the team.

Aha!  So here comes the overtures.  Count on it.

Someone in LA has already picked up the phone to talk with someone else in LA about the Dolphins possibly being in play.

Their next step is to reach out to Dee.  Why Dee?  Because he responded with the first possibility by saying a new owner may move the team.  So he sounds receptive to the idea by leaving that door open just a little enough for someone in LA to peek into.

And peek they shall.  "We are gonna be in Miami next week Mike.  How about lunch?"

Dee tells Ross who says "Make it somewhere public so people see you."

Dee meets and eats.  The LA guys flatter Dee about the Dolphin Organization and then brag about the size of their market compared to the size of the Miami market.

Now what's a CEO to do.  Bigger market, higher percentage of profits, more bonus $$$$!

Dee says "Put it in writing and I will run it up the flag pole."

Ross looks at their proposal and decides to fly out and meet and eat with the men from LA.  Somewhere public ofcourse.

"Oh no!" exclaims Edwin Pope, "Say it ain't so, say it ain't so."  But it is so.

Now we go from no vote, no money to ante up or we move away.  Yep, this is where we are headed.

Ross may love the Miami Dolphins.  He may want them to stay in Miami.  But eventually he will realize that he is a businessman too. So when that kicks in, Florida, look out because at that moment you will be dealing with a guy with options.  Options in writing!

Options he is already considering because someone fired the first shot!

Carl Leone
Dolfan since 12/25/1971