Marvin vs. Portune!

[AMC]

Is Todd Portune an elected official??? If so, how does this joker get elected?

And the comments by Chesley are typical, considering the source...

Cincy politics suck! That's why all the good stuff is on the KY side of the river and there are no gambling riverboats in Cincy...Cincinnati can't get out of the stone ages, and it's because of the politicians...The only reason there are new stadiums is because of the awesome and generous Hamilton county residents (who have MUCH more forethought than the city council, etc!)

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...EWS01/511150366

[BlackJesus]

Portunes email if you would like to sign him up for Barnyardfunxxx.com or send him some hate mail:

toddp@toddportune.com

Portunes website

--> His Family.... and him in his wheelchair

The "Red Dragon" welcome that might happen to him if he says one more word about beloved Marvin .....

[membengal]

Job stuff forced me to move to TN in 1996. At the time I left, I wondered if Todd Portune would not be happy until he had driven the Bengals from Cincinnati. One referendum, one stadium and ten years later, and I am still wondering that.

At some point, isn't enough enough?

The more things change...

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I would think Marvin has better things to worry about as a HC than to conduct TV interviews about the stadium lease leading up to a big game.

So silly that a HC would be addressing this instead of someone in Bengals' management. Are they that reliant on Marvin's image?

Stupid.

[HoosierCat]

Stupid.

True dat. Of coourse, that just make it par for the course in this whole stupid affair. Did the Bengals get the mother of all sweetheart stadium deals? You bet your a** they did -- and they deliberately set out to do just that. Who would expect otherwise? This is, after all, the Bengals, they of the "let's start off with the most extreme position we can find" negotiating strategy. So, yeah, we want a taxpayer-funded stadium and total control over who can do what there and all the revenues and the county to pay for any improvements and, hey, they can pay us rent, too, etc., etc., etc.

On the other side of the table were a group on Hamiliton County politcos who were ether incompetent or corrupt or both. Didn't one of them, Bedinghaus, I think, go to work for the Bengals after leaving government? Ooookaaay. And apparently, during the so-called negotiations, they couldn't be bothered to ask for things like, oh, say, the Bengals' balance sheets . What's that, Mike, you say you're going broke? You need hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars so you can rake in huge profits for the foreseeable future? Oh, OK, done. Oh, no, no need for those Excel spreadsheets, we'll take your word for it.

Memo to Marvin: the Bengals aren't suffering. If you want to know who really got hosed in this whole deal, look no further than the stands on Sunday.

[HairOnFire]

Two quick thoughts.

First, Todd Portune looks like a porn star from the 70's. In fact, I believe he may have been Pizza Boy #2 in the classic...."Inside Seka".

Second, there's nothing quite as pathetic as buyers remorse, and the fact that Mike Brown was a far better negotiator than the local politicians isn't surprising or adequate legal grounds for a mulligan.

[buck3y3d]

Two quick thoughts.

First, Todd Portune looks like a porn star from the 70's. In fact, I believe he may have been Pizza Boy #2 in the classic...."Inside Seka".

Second, there's nothing quite as pathetic as buyers remorse, and the fact that Mike Brown was a far better negotiator than the local politicians isn't surprising or adequate legal grounds for a mulligan.

The negotiators screwed the Cincinnati taxpayers. I think Todd Portune truly wants to rectify the situation. The Bengals made false claims, and Hamilton County was stupid and accepted them. The other 2 commissioners at the time are more to blaim for this bad deal than Portune.

I do agree that Marvin should never have to talk about this. This is management and Mike Brown should answer it.

[BlackJesus]

- Noone forced the county to agree to the deal.... the citizens should blame their public officials not the Bengals. Also the people approved the raise in taxes.... so blame themselves.

- An owner of a team has the right to move his team to a new city, if the city he is in won't build him a stadium and another city will. It is not a city owned team... it is Mike Browns team.

if you sign a contract.... you better read the fine print.... Now Portune is trying to pull a T.O.

[HairOnFire]

The negotiators screwed the Cincinnati taxpayers. I think Todd Portune truly wants to rectify the situation. The Bengals made false claims, and Hamilton County was stupid and accepted them. The other 2 commissioners at the time are more to blaim for this bad deal than Portune.

Sounds like buyers remorse. Sorta pathetic.

[The_Next_Big_Thing]

Who's really paying for this? The people who voted for it. That tax hike was voted for, accepted, and in a landslide, granted.

Now, Portune is looking to be re-elected, so he sues the Bengals. Guess what, it's mismanagement that is the problem. The commissioners failed to getthemselves a good deal, now they are trying to TO their way out.

Have the taxpayers complained about the miniscule tax increase? Hell no. Then why is the government trying to take the money we agreed to pay in order to get a winning football team back? We got what we paid for.

[NYBengalfan]

I really should live out here, then I would know what the hell is going on. is this ass hole trying to get the Bengals moved?????????

[ShulaSteakhouse]

Yep all good points and accurate. Ultimately this city needed to do what was necessary to keep both pro franchises in town and competitive/modern.

The county got jobbed, they knew it, but they had no choice at the time. Portune just needs to drop it at this point, I see a reasonable amount of good faith on the Bengals' part the last 2-3 years regarding putting a competitive team on the field - and THAT is what this is about ultimately if you read into things (Mike Brown taking the $ and pocketing everything without making a true effort to operate like the other 31 NfL franchises as he said he would and why he asked for the deal in the 1st place).

That said the concessions at PBS are HORRIBLE and overpriced and should be dealt with - the field surface issue was dragged out long enough as-is.

Basically it's important for the fans and the county/city to keep the Brown family accountable - it's not our fault he is a cheap cut throat of an owner who will skimp and cut corners wherever possible to make a buck - we all suffer for that - and Brown needs to hear about it loudly when he does.

[AMC]

Yep all good points and accurate. Ultimately this city needed to do what was necessary to keep both pro franchises in town and competitive/modern.

The county got jobbed, they knew it, but they had no choice at the time. Portune just needs to drop it at this point, I see a reasonable amount of good faith on the Bengals' part the last 2-3 years regarding putting a competitive team on the field - and THAT is what this is about ultimately if you read into things (Mike Brown taking the $ and pocketing everything without making a true effort to operate like the other 31 NfL franchises as he said he would and why he asked for the deal in the 1st place).

That said the concessions at PBS are HORRIBLE and overpriced and should be dealt with - the field surface issue was dragged out long enough as-is.

Basically it's important for the fans and the county/city to keep the Brown family accountable - it's not our fault he is a cheap cut throat of an owner who will skimp and cut corners wherever possible to make a buck - we all suffer for that - and Brown needs to hear about it loudly when he does.

I don't feel sorry for the county one iota!

BTW the second year I lived in Tampa after moving there they finished Raymond James Stadium, also financed by the county, Hillsborough. And the county had the same arguments--i.e. the Glazers took them for a ride.

It's like the county has its cake, two sports teams, and wants to eat it too...Screw 'em...

Instead of focusing on suing the Bengals try stopping everything from going across the river to Newport. And get daggone Riverboat gambling downtown (see St. Louis for a dang model!)

[HoosierCat]

Guess what, it's mismanagement that is the problem. The commissioners failed to getthemselves a good deal, now they are trying to TO their way out.

Pretty much. I think any unhappy taxpayer in Hamilton County would do better -- and have a stronger case for revisiting the agreement between the County and the club -- by pushing to file criminal negligence charges against the commissioners.

I wouldn't call it a case of buyer's remorse, Hair. After all, in this case the buyer is Mike Brown. The stadium is his plaything: he controls it and virtually all the revenue it generates goes into his pockets. What he did was to secure public financing for the project, and the people who were charged with getting the public an adequate return on their investment (i.e. Hamilton County officals) were the ones who failed.

The Portune response -- the Bengals made us do it -- seems rather weak. But he is right in that as a functioning monopoly the Bengals held alll the cards; allowing the team to move would have been even more politically suicidal than signing a horrible deal. The big question is, did the Bengals actually put such a hammerlock on the county, or were the commissioners just nitwits? While I have little problem believing the former, all the evidence I've seen points to the latter.

[HairOnFire]

The Portune response -- the Bengals made us do it -- seems rather weak. But he is right in that as a functioning monopoly the Bengals held alll the cards; allowing the team to move would have been even more politically suicidal than signing a horrible deal.

Political suicide? Please, the politicians were responsible for negotiating a reasonable deal, and if that couldn't be done then it was their duty to negotiate no deal whatsoever. If that meant their local political career ended up on the rocks then so be it. You're elected to do a job, and that job involves more than simply getting re-elected. And as much as I love the Bengals I think it's clear that losing a football team to another city isn't the definition of a tragedy regardless of what a bleating Brownie fan might tell you.

I happen to live near a city that has lost two NFL franchises and if there is anything about that situation to be proud of it's that the city didn't sell it's soul to keep either of those teams and has repeatedly refused to accept a bad deal to get back in the game. True, the fact that Los Angeles hasn't returned to the NFL fold is a subject of laughter for many NFL fans, but when the NFL does return it will very likely do so without getting any form of taxpayer financing. In other words, the NFL will return on the terms Los Angeles dictates or it won't return at all. Nobody around here considers the lack of an NFL team a tragedy.

As for Cincy, I call it a case of buyers remorse only because the local elected politicians negotiated a deal that the taxpayers overwhelmingly supported. So the vast majority willingly and knowingly bought a deal that a minority faction is now so unhappy with they seek a legal solution. And to that idea I say tough titties.

[HoosierCat]

The Portune response -- the Bengals made us do it -- seems rather weak. But he is right in that as a functioning monopoly the Bengals held alll the cards; allowing the team to move would have been even more politically suicidal than signing a horrible deal.

Political suicide? Please, the politicians were responsible for negotiating a reasonable deal, and if that couldn't be done then it was their duty to negotiate no deal whatsoever. If that meant their local political career ended up on the rocks then so be it. You're elected to do a job, and that job involves more than simply getting re-elected. And as much as I love the Bengals I think it's clear that losing a football team to another city isn't the definition of a tragedy regardless of what a bleating Brownie fan might tell you.

Oh, I agree that losing a football team is hardly the definition of a tragedy. But leaving aside the question of whether or not it's possible to negotiate a reasonable deal with a monopoly (after all, the whole point of having a monopoly is that you don't have to be reasonable), we both know precisely where a politician's first and foremost interest lies, right? That's why they call 'em politicians, not public servitors. And being branded as a "guy who lost the bengals" was almost certainly a ticket to the (gulp) real world. That isn't meant as an excuse, just an illustration of how far over the barrel the Bengals had them.

My question from that point is, even given all that, why couldn't they do better? They didn't just give away the store to Mikey, they agreed to pay him to work in it. Far as I can tell, Mikey got the most generous stadium deal in the history of the NFL. Now Portune wants us to believe they had no choice --the Bengals made us do it. That is possible, but right now I think it more likely they were just a bunch of screwups who ought to be the defendants, not the plaintiffs, in any case involving the stadium deal.

True, the fact that Los Angeles hasn't returned to the NFL fold is a subject of laughter for many NFL fans, but when the NFL does return it will very likely do so without getting any form of taxpayer financing.

Don't be too sure. At one point in the recent wrangling here in NJ over a new stadium for the Giants and Jets, the Giants advanced a plan under which they would have funded the stadium themselves, 100%. This caused an apoplectic breakdown in talks between the team and state, nearly scuttling the entire deal, because it meant that NJ would lose a pittance in annual rent it collects from the Meadowlands. I'm sure the politicos in LA will find a way to waste some of your money attracting a new team.

[tibor75]

Marvin Lewis lost a lot of my respect with his stupid rant against Hamilton County.

Hey Marvin, "do your job" and shut up about things you don't understand and are clueless about.

Silly me, I thought you had a 9-0 team to prepare for.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

I now realize this is all about Marvin getting his indoor "bubble' practice facility after reading Bengals.com.

I wonder if he's flat out been told that he won't get it until the county lawsuit is settled....

They DO need that very badly as almost all the other cold weather teams have that - and it's a testament to the Bengals' cheapness that they haven't built one yet i think. The lawsuit is just a bit of an excuse at this point I think.

i don't see what's so hard about enclosing and heating one of the current practice fields (such as the turf field they never, ever use). i just don't see how that would cost 4 million $, if it's just something to practice in to avoid the elements and get things done.

[jungleman]

If Portune is so concerned about tax dollars why is he paying taxes on $77k on his house and not $485,000 which he paid for it last year. im sure since he is so concerned he would have his house reassessed by now but i guess politicians deserve a break. Also how does a county commissioner afford a house payment of $2500 per month with assumptions of 20% down. i guess politics pay.

his house looks nice though take a look

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/2812/portuneshouse3bn.jpg

[NYBengalfan]

Who is this Portune guy. If he causes this team to move or for MArvin to leave then I will have to come up to your great state and beat his crippled ass with a bat.

[jungleman]

ny he is the new county commissioner that is trying to take away the stadium deal the bengals negotiated with the county. The county is suing for $600mm. This guy is a joke and i think that the Bengal Nation needs to go down to city hall and make it known that the county needs to drop the suit and also pay the bengals for any legal fees that they had paid or give marvin his practice dome. I think Bengal fans need to do something.

[NYBengalfan]

thanks jungle man for clearing that up.

[jungleman]

Guys watch mike brown cut back on the payroll in the next few years. the basis of this losssuit is that revenues on sales tax have not gone up as planned well if they cleaned the city of the crime problem people like me would live there but oh well it is not the bengals problem.

[AMC]

Guys watch mike brown cut back on the payroll in the next few years. the basis of this losssuit is that revenues on sales tax have not gone up as planned well if they cleaned the city of the crime problem people like me would live there but oh well it is not the bengals problem.

Or if you didn't have to cross the river to have a good time....Hello Hofbrauhaus....

Bengals will spend as much as every other team...the Bengals are not losing money...that's why the county is PO'ed....

[Columbusbengal]

Nuts, I'm sorry to hear that idiot Portune is in the news again. This means that Andy Furman will talk about this all night on his show (Andy hates the Bengals getting a stadium from the taxpayers).