Just as placarded protests at Diamondback games seem to be dying down, a related story questioning the integrity of club ownership is just building steam.Ken Kendrick is reportedly "hosting" a partisan fundraiser at Chase Field on May 20th, during a game. This is important because it comes on the heels of Derrick Hall's SB1070 related denials that the "organization" takes political stands.
I really wouldnt have an issue, if one of the "quieter" partners (ie Royer, Chipman) held a fundraiser, and comparable suite leases were available to different political persuasions (which, I assume, they are).
But Kendrick is the face of the franchise, along with Hall.
So for him to lend his name to this event (quite apart from any money), in our publicly financed stadium, seems incongruous with the club's stated position. It contradicts the tone of the earlier statements, that's for sure.For a blustery figure with an almost casual penchant for sullying the integrity of others (Colangelo, Luis Gonzalez, Wally Backman, WVU athletic dept), Mr Kendrick appears to be saying one thing and doing another, parsing his own actions and words with the sharpest of double edged blades.
2 comments:
I actually thought that the original Diamondbacks statement on this issue was strange. Calling on the Federal Government to do more about the immigration issue was political in itself, and didn't really distance the club from the controversy.
Apparently Kendrick has said that he won't be attending this particular event but has merely lent his name to it, but it still seems a pretty dumb move that makes the loss of the All Star game more likely than ever.
Yeah, I actually think "lending his name" to the event is a pretty big deal - and an interesting choice of words, coming from AZ PR man Shaun Richau.
What does that even mean? Is his name printed on invitations? My hunch is Kendrick either comped or subsidized the suite, then after he was outed by The Nation, spun a release insisting Paton paid a lease fee.
There's so little visibility into what these guys do, they might as well be mullahs.
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