Things Will Be Great When You're Downtown

By Loran Pilling, San Diego

WTF? Seriously? Have you paid any attention at all in the last two decades? Did you notice that our city is broke, and giveaways to professional sports entertainment businessmen has been one of the catalysts for our breakdown? Again, WTF?

Posted by Fred Williams | reply to this comment
November 3, 2009 7:47 pm

Here's a radical idea. Let the owners and fans pay ALL the expenses associated with sports. The rest of us don't benefit and don't want to pay for welfare to the ultra rich. No, I'm not buying the trickle down economic theory. It makes about as much sense as a two story outhouse.

Posted by janet | reply to this comment
November 3, 2009 9:37 pm

Yep, it's a win-win for everybody -- except the San Diego taxpayers. Horse shizzel.

Posted by Edgar | reply to this comment
November 3, 2009 11:06 pm

That is the kind of delusional thinking that got the city into trouble several times in the past. "If we build it they will come"??? Nonsense. This small-big-city does not have the corporate base or winter sports enthusiasm to support major league basketball or hockey. No team is coming, no matter what kind of facility is built. Go back to your surfboard and forget the illusions.

Posted by Hillcrester | reply to this comment
November 4, 2009 7:20 am

That is a terrible idea. The Chargers can just keep using The Murph. There is nothing wrong with it.

Posted by Danny Davito | reply to this comment
November 4, 2009 8:18 am

Win-win? Are you nuts? Residents will lose. Visitors to the Gaslamp will lose. Business downtown will lose. Traffic, parking, delays, compounded by normal use of the area will prove to be a mess. Like Petco, the city will wind up pouring money down yet another major league sports drain. You obviously don't live or work downtown, or you would not have made such a stunningly ignorant statement. Sanders should be flogged down Market Street for even considering this potential blight on an already overloaded area. Spanos wants the same sweet deal John Moores got from the city; a little Eminent Domain seizure, a truckload of public money, other perks from our fine city officials. I don't just say no...I SAY, HELL NO!

Posted by dagobarbz | reply to this comment
November 4, 2009 8:20 am

Build the Spanos a new football stadium on top of the convention center. Lots of room up there. Would block off downtown from its waterfront even more. Jerry could get more campaign contributions for his next run for office, in Calexico.

Posted by Watcher | reply to this comment
November 4, 2009 1:34 pm

I agree with moving MCRD. When I went through" Boot Camp" many years ago. We spent almost 1/3 of our training at Camp Pendelton. Rifle range is there. Upon graduation everyone moved to Pendelton for more training. Why not do it all there? I am not nostaglic about MCRD. To me a 2nd runway would be a better use.

Posted by lee | reply to this comment
November 5, 2009 8:42 am

If WTF means what I think it means, then WTF, let's just reconfigure the entire town to accommodate sports moguls and developers. Chargers downtown, Padres downtown, more Convention Center Great Wall, move the Marines out of MCRD and re-do Lindbergh Field so we can get more hotels on the waterfront. And why not have a stand-alone hockey and basketball arena where the Civic Center is -- no need for a City Hall when there are no City Leaders. Maybe local government could find a home in the new Central Library when that structure is built and, in the interim, operate out of a seasonal tent somewhere on east Market Street. As they say, let's just do it.

Posted by Frances O'Neill Zimmerma | reply to this comment
November 5, 2009 11:31 am

I'm with you Mrs. Zimmerman! All except for that last part about the tent. Let our city "leaders" just sit out in the elements. What a city! It has gone past infuriating to depressing and just plain embrassing.

Posted by Edgar | reply to this comment
November 5, 2009 12:22 pm

How can anyone support this site. The Wonder Bread, or more accuratly, the Winters Bakery site, joins the list of endangered historical sites. The past holds all the answers...Balboa Staduim is a reasonable alternative (there really is no perfect site). Rebuilt to its original design, with an added tier or two, and you have an extraordinary piece of classical Greek revival. And, its the only place the Chargers ever won a championship.

Posted by Jazzo Clark | reply to this comment
November 7, 2009 5:53 am

While talking about a second runway at Lindbergh is a novel idea, the time to do something about it has long since passed. In case no one has noticed, there is terrain east of the airport that impacts the existing runway, a new runway wouldn't be any different. Look a little further southeast of the airport where aircraft would have to approach the airport or depart toward this "second runway" and you'll notice high rises that weren't there 30 years ago. San Diego, in its short sightedness has managed to corner Lindbergh Field. You can't blame airport for this situation. You have to blame the politicians for thumbing their nose at the airports objections to that development. The same politicians that ran and hid during the airport debate just a few years ago.

Posted by A dose of reality | reply to this comment
November 7, 2009 1:58 pm

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