News Cut: May 8, 2008 Archive

Still going for broke

Posted at 11:37 AM on May 8, 2008 by Tim Nelson (3 Comments)

Ah, spring. The snow melts. The robins sing.

St. Paul is going broke.

This is actually the first year in many that I haven't watched from the 3rd floor windows at City Hall as the trees leaf out on Kellogg Boulevard. But I took at least some comfort this week, as both papers reported multi-million dollar budget deficit projections in St. Paul.

Some things do never change.

The number goes up and down, but it's practically as reliable as a spring ice out. I went back and looked, out of curiosity, at what had been reported for the last 10 years.

Here's the rundown of projected "next year" deficits, as reported in April and May of the listed year.

2008: $13.1 million
2007: $16 million
2006: $16.5 million
2005: $16 million
2004: $17 million
2003: $33 million
2002: $6 million
2001: ($10 million)
2000: $7.3 million
1999: $7 million

There was no mention of a deficit in the spring of 2001 (heady days, indeed!), although I'll credit Norm Coleman for that year trying, unsuccessfully, to give out a $10 million tax rebate. All told, it adds up to about $106 million in total projected deficits.

Drop the rebate outlier and the conflagration of 2003 and its about $12.3 million, on average per year.

Now, go out and enjoy the day.

Comment on this post

Major League Bummer?

Posted at 1:41 PM on May 8, 2008 by Tim Nelson (2 Comments)

Before you get all excited about Carlos Gomez's hitting for a cycle at U.S. Cellular last night, (and prompting pitcher Mark Buehrle to take a bat to a dugout space heater, no doubt at least tepidly responsible for the White Sox's 13-1 shellacking) check out the new Fox Sports ranking.

It comes our way from Cubs fan and MPR staffer Tom Weber.

The upshot: our Minnesota Twins rank 7th in the bottom 10 rankings of all sports franchises.

At least they still beat the AL doormats on this list, the Tampa Bay Rays (they seem determined to drop the 'devil' in their name) and the now (Mike) Sweeneyless Kansas City Royals.

Best to take it as some consolation for the bottom-of-the-9th pinch Sweeney hit that broke up Scott Baker's no-hitter last September. Arrrgh.

Gomez, by the way, hit what I assume to be an extremely rare REVERSE "natural cycle" last night. There have only been a dozen times in recorded major league history that a single player hit a single, double, triple and homer in order in the same game.

(I actually got to see one hit by the St. Louis Cardinals John Mabry at Coors Field in Denver in 1996. It was spectacular, even if the Cardinals lost.)

Comment on this post