Arizona Diamondbacks: Tensions rise between team and county

The Arizona Diamondbacks are walking on thin ice when it comes to relations with the city of Phoenix. Reports of new disputes and aggravated letters have raised tensions to a whole new level.

“Keeping Up with the D-Backs” will be coming to a television near you! That’s right, the only way to describe the drama that is unfolding between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the city of Phoenix and Maricopa County is that it’s better than reality TV.

The Diamondbacks built Chase Field with the help of Maricopa County before it opened in 1998. The total cost of the stadium was $364 million and the city decided to pay for $238 million of that expense.

Now, the team is trying to upgrade Chase Field. They wanted to upgrade suites, the scoreboard and painting around the stadium. Maricopa County denied the request for $65 million, noting that the upgrades did not meet lease agreement requirements.

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In other acquired documents, it seems that the disputes between the Diamondbacks and Maricopa County have really started to cause tension and rivalry. According to the Arizona Republic, County Supervisor Andy Kunasek sent a letter to D-Backs President Derrick Hall that described what the team was doing as “irreplaceable harm” to taxpayer confidence.

The letter was strongly worded, but his rant that continued was even stronger. After delivering the letter in person, Kunasek called out Hall and the entire franchise with his words that are now trending more than a Kim K selfie.

Kunasek appeared to be quite bold as he wore his heart on his sleeve and let Derrick Hall really have it. From the Arizona Republic,

"“As Kunasek delivered the letter to the team, he directed a profanity-laced storm at Hall, calling on owner Ken Kendrick to ‘take your stupid baseball team and get out’ and go back to “f–king West Virginia,” according to team notes that Kunasek does not dispute.”"

Hall proceeded to lay out the obvious, saying, “For now, I will assume that based upon your comments, there is no interest on behalf of either the City of Phoenix or Maricopa County in furthering the past partnership (with) the Diamondbacks.”

It seems quite unlikely now that the negotiations between the two parties will be mended anytime soon. While things seem bumpy, the Diamondbacks’ main priority is to still acquire the money they need to upgrade the stadium. The current lease runs through 2027 and it is estimated that there will be about $187 million needed for upgrades and renovations through then.

Back in March, the Diamondbacks threatened to sue Maricopa County and leave downtown Phoenix if the city didn’t grant them with a state-of-the-art facility. However, Maricopa County has stated that as part of the original deal, the Diamondbacks cannot begin to look for a new home until at least 2024.

There is no real timetable as to when these childish overreactions and antics will end, but until they do, no progress will  be made. If the Diamondbacks go forward with the lawsuit that they threatened with, it could delay the entire process even longer.

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It seems that the D-Backs feel like it was spelled out clearly in the contract that the county should be paying for all Chase Field upgrades, while it’s the complete opposite in the county’s eyes. For now, all we can really do is sit back, grab some popcorn and hope that the E! (Entertainment Television) channel picks up this heated feud.