San Antonio Remains Suspicious of Jeffrey Loria

San Antonio city and county officials remain suspicious that Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is talking to them simply to gain leverage. They are concerned that the Marlins are merely threatening to move the team to Texas just to pressure Florida civic leaders to build the Marlins a stadium in Miami. So San Antonio has set a May 15 deadline for the team to accept the city's proposal or else. As justification for the brinksmanship, the Bexar County Court of Commissioners have warned Loria that if San Antonio is expected to help finance construction of a $350 million stadium, preparations must begin now for a public referendum to authorize spending hotel-motel tax revenue. Another plan to move the team to Portland has lost momentum, as has the idea of moving to Las Vegas because of resistance to gambling influences. A longshot alternative in Oklahoma City is virtually out of the question because of the small television market.