Outdoor Baseball?

We've been hearing hints for some time now that all is not well in NewBallparkLand. The evening news gives us soundbites about "difficulties agreeing on a purchase price for the land" and the daily newspapers are scarcely more informative. All anyone seems sure of is that somehow, after all the wrangling in the Legislature, all the commercials and the petitions and the triumphant signing ceremonies, the Twins don't yet own the land they want to start building on.

So what's going on? The new stadium has been presented as a sure thing, but is it really? Could we open the 2010 season in the Metrodome? The City Pages cover story this week attempts to answer those questions.

"Groundbreaking for the stadium is slated to begin in March 2007, just a few weeks from now, but the county has not yet acquired the land where it will be built. And its owners seem nowhere near reaching an agreement to sell it."

That's the issue in a nutshell. But the story of how it got to this point is long and weird and frankly disturbing. You should read it.

And you may want to reconsider laying in that stock of sunscreen.