Shelton: Wins and votes don't go hand in hand

Times columnist Gary Shelton today: And so we gather to mourn the streak. Nice ride, wasn't it?

On the other hand, were you really ready for all of those "What the Heck, Let's Build the Darn Stadium'' signs that were about to be scattered across the lawns of your neighborhood?

Another series sweep by the Rays, by golly, and the fans would have demanded to vote now. Wouldn't they? Another six straight wins, and they would have thrown in a parking garage. Maybe two. Another 10 in a row, and fans might have rushed to Al Lang with their own saws and hammers, like the great barn-raising scene in the movie Witness.

Then again, perhaps they wouldn't have.

We are still in the early stages of the Great Stadium Debates. No one has raised a voice or called a name or gnashed a tooth. So far, it seems there are some people who oppose the stadium in any circumstance, some who support it at any cost, and a great many of us in the middle who need to hear more before we decide. Nothing wrong with any of that. It is, one supposes, why they put such things on the ballot.

Along the way, however, there also are those who are eager to connect their decision to the baseball standings. Time and again, you hear it. This person will vote for the stadium if the team wins 80 games. That person will vote for it if the team finishes out of the cellar. And so on.

The truth of it, however, is that stadium votes rarely have anything to do with the won-loss record, nor should they. Read more.