Posted by Teddy Panos, Sun Staff

Admittedly, I’m a horrible card player.

Unlike “The Gambler” of Kenny Rogers fame, “making a living out of reading people’s faces” was never a strong suit. Usually, I’m the one with eyes easier to read than “Fun with Dick and Jane.”

That’s why televised poker tournaments are such a hoot. It’s fun to see how hands are played when the camera and graphics people show us exactly what each player at the table is holding. There’s something strangely riveting, in a car crash sort of way, when watching one card shark holding a pair of sevens go “all in” against another player you know is hiding a King-high Flush.

Except when that inevitable car crash involves the city you call home betting it all in a high stakes game against an opponent holding all the cards. And make no mistake, in this bid to up the ante at LeLacheur Park the Spinners ultimately hold all the cards.

Oh, there are some who think the Spinners need Lowell more than vice versa. They believe the Mill City has gotten the short end of the stick in what has been a lucrative lease deal at the ball yard by the Merrimack. Payback time is finally here.

I’m not here to argue the financial merits of the case. There’s no longer any point to it. The battle lines have been drawn. The sides have been chosen. The numbers have been shaped to bolster either side. I seriously doubt any minds will change.

All that’s left now is to watch it all unfold. Will the City of Lowell keep the gains made during the last round of RFP dealing and live to fight another battle? Or will those pushing for the big score not see what the cameras are showing?

For better or worse, Lowell got into the business of professional baseball in the ‘90’s. Folks like Paul Tsongas thought the city could greatly benefit by housing a professional baseball team. Having that pro team ultimately turn out to be part of a maniacal “Nation” proved them correct and made it a public relations grand slam.

How ironic then, that the same thing makes the Spinners so successful, the thing that brings in so much money that we’re now fighting over how much of it should go back into the city treasury, is the exact same thing that basically dealt Drew Weber the trump card he holds: the Spinners’ affiliation with the Boston Red Sox.

As we found out from Arthur Solomon’s failed bid to lease LeLacheur Park, minor league baseball doesn’t look very kindly on teams trying to move in on other people’s property. If you really believe Solomon withdrew from the process out of “respect for Drew Weber” and not because he got a firm smack on the hand from baseball’s powers that be, grab a seat at the poker table. You’re naïve enough where even I have a chance to take your money.

Let’s play out a little scenario: The city continues to push. A frustrated Weber shops his team elsewhere, perhaps even enlisting the Red Sox help in finding a new home. In exchange, he cashes in his chips, selling the team to the Sox or some other person who finances a new Spinners home that will include money-making amenities like luxury suites and corporate naming rights.

LeLacheur Park, meanwhile, goes empty save for college and high school games. (Don’t hold your breath for a rush of outdoor concerts. We’ve seen how much success there’s been in bringing them to Tsongas Arena. Do we really want to try our hand at open-air concert promoting?) The pristine ballpark by the river gradually falls into a state of disrepair because the Red Sox, who control the territorial rights, make sure no professional team is there to pour hundreds of thousands into maintaining it. Oh, and in this time of budget uncertainty, those guaranteed $200,000 dollars each year for 10-years never find their way into Lowell’s financial coffers.

Think this scenario is unlikely? Only one sure way to find out. Put down that pair of sevens. Move your entire pile of chips to the center of the table and call “all in.”

What are your thoughts on the Spinners and LeLacheur Park? How should this end? Should the city hold out for more money or should a deal be reached quickly, following the parameters set forth in the Spinners first lease proposal? Do you see a day where there's no professional baseball at LeLacheur Park?