"With all due respect"

I lost count of how many times that phrase was used at the Miami commissioners session today. By the way, the vote to approve the Marlins ballpark project stalled at 2-2 while commissioner Marc Sarnoff backed off, saying that he needed changes to be made to the plan.

The scene looked like a small scale version of a recent House stimulus debate. Everyone played politics, a few insults were thrown around. Where do the Marlins go from here? Supporting Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez thinks it's dead if the concessions requested by Sarnoff are made.

They are now in a second recess while they consider... something.

Update: The meeting will adjourn continue again on March 12. Plenty of time for David Samson to sweat.

Examiner interview now up

Last week I did a quick e-mail exchange with the Examiner's Scott Sabatini, who has been following the A's stadium saga for the paper. The exchange has just been published (yes, my full name is in there), with a nod to yesterday's speculative post in there.

Sabatini has been picking up the pace of the A's beat since the beginning of the year. Impressively, he's covered the business beat in equal proportion to the on-field A's. Normally, a paper will have separate reporters to cover the team and the stadium stuff (a city business affair).

Side note: I'm watching the Marlins-Miami commission meeting right now. The city's commissioners will vote today to approve the ballpark. This vote is considered the last major hurdle for the Marlins.