Could Fly Balls from MGM Park Land on the Highway?
As the stadium gets closer to completion, it’s easy to see the potential danger from foul balls or home runs landing on busy Highway 90 or the I-110 ramp. David Nichols, Chief Administrative Officer for Biloxi, says, "We realized it is a very tight site, but we really like it in the downtown area, and anytime it’s in a downtown area, you’re going to have the problems with fly balls or foul balls."
Catching a foul ball at a Shuckers game will provide you with a memento baseball fans have cherished for ages, but if you’re driving on I-110, this could be a potentially deadly souvenir. Vincent Creel, Public Affairs Manager for Biloxi, says, "The biggest thing people want to see right now is balls being pitched and balls being hit and balls being caught in the baseball stadium as soon as possible, but I would expect if a ball was to go out onto Highway 90, let’s be honest, the one that always gets sued is the City of Biloxi."
Shuckers officials News 25 spoke to off camera say plans are in place to include netting along I-110 and in left field to limit the danger to drivers. The team would not say how high the nets would have to be to stop baseballs from landing on the interstate or street.
As for the million dollar question, will the city pony up the cash to complete the stadium in time for the home opener in April? Creel replies, "The city faces a $10,000 a home game fine for every home game missed. The million dollars, many are wondering if the city even has a million dollars, now what the city could do is look to some of our partners to see if they could help out."
Nichols closes, "We’re looking at a couple of different sources. We probably can’t take it out of cash flow, so we’re going to have to borrow it from somewhere, so we have a couple different options."
Some of these options may put the already over budget project into foul territory.
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