The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meets Wednesday to discuss a touchy subject: whether to pay for upgrades that the Arizona Diamondbacks say are necessary for Chase Field.
According to recent reports, the relationship between the team and the county over the issue has gotten contentious. The Arizona Republic reported that in a letter to Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall, Maricopa County Supervisor Andy Kunasek accused the team of “evolving in to a parasitic enterprise” and “selling a false narrative and doing irreparable harm to taxpayer confidence."
To top it off, as he delivered the letter to the team, Kunasek lashed out at Hall, saying “take your stupid baseball team and get out” and “go back to [expletive] West Virginia.”
Through a representative, the Diamondbacks refused to comment on the stadium negotiations and referred KJZZ to team attorney Leo Beus.
"It is unfortunate that this continues to be played out publicly by a government entity that refuses to live up to its obligations clearly laid out in their long-term agreement," he said. "This is an organization that has given so much back to the community and its fans and that has had such a tremendous impact on the economy. The county's abdication of its responsibility for necessary funding for the longevity of a public building is unprecedented and unfair to the organization and its fans."
Hear from Kunasek and Arizona Republic reporter Rebekah Sanders on the issue, in the audio player to the left.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been modified to reflect Andy Kunasek was speaking to Derrick Hall when he made his remarks.
