Last Saturday night, my wife and I decided to get away from the daily sports issues by spending some quality time together. We attended and participated in a Trivia Night fundraiser at a local Community College.

What a nice evening we had planned: spending time with a table of six good friends while trying to correctly answer questions in the categories of old movies, television, literature, sports, pop culture and others. (Incidentally, rather than disclosing our team's final score and final answers: let's just say that Regis Philbin has nothing to worry about!).

While registering for the evening's festivities I was met by fellow contestant: a part-time local news/sports reporter (a full time local media wannabe) flapping his gums over the Cardinals' announcement of a proposed new baseball stadium in downtown St. Louis.

"The arrogance of that bunch", this part timer exclaimed. "I think that the City should file a lawsuit so fast that it would make the Cardinals think twice about using our money just to make them richer. Just who do these guys think they are anyway?"

I asked this opinionated gentleman how the Cardinals responded when he obviously presented this argument at the morning press conference announcing the stadium plans. Silence filled the air and this media wannabe stormed away.

Before the trivia night began, a lovely older lady whom I have known since my childhood approached me. Politely and quietly, she asked: "Can you tell me how building a stadium that seats LESS people is a better deal for the Cardinals?"

(This illustration perhaps gives more ammunition to the perception of the local media)

Fact or fallacy, the Cardinals proposal for a new stadium is more than a sport story. It resurrects the age-old argument of local money supporting professional sports teams.

According to their plan, the Red Birds will chip in roughly one-third of the cost (including the land) of this new facility. The balance will be derived from redirected tax revenue. The stadium will be a foul ball away from Busch: on the parking lot directly south of the current ballpark. There will also be a year round retail and residential development on the current Busch site that would compliment the new stadium.

Mark Lamping and other members of the Red Bird brass have been flooding the local radio, television and newspaper circuit putting their spin on the merits of such a new facility. Friendly audiences are not receiving them. Most of my WGNU callers have voiced their displeasure with the proposal. The comments ranged from "why tear down a perfectly good stadium?" to "don't give these multi-millionaires another dime!"

This is obviously more than a sports story. But yet, this story will have a very simple ending. If the Cardinals want a new stadium, they are going to get it. Period.

It was more than a coincidence that the Cardinals disclosed their downtown St. Louis stadium proposal roughly ten days after East St. Louis Mayor Debra Powell offered riverfront space to the team. All of a sudden, the Red Birds have a back up plan to the folks at Tucker and Market Streets as well as in Jefferson City. (Can you imagine the reaction of state legislators watching all that tax revenue drive over the Poplar Street Bridge into the coffers of the State of Illinois?)

The Cardinal ownership realizes that downtown St. Louis site is the best location for the new facility. Fans can take advantage of the existing parking lots and garages. There are restaurants that are still within walking distance. The various interstate highway accesses make the site logistically ideal for arriving and departing. No need to change the routine.

These are all pluses. Yet, the biggest positive in the team's favor is that the City of St. Louis simply can not allow the Cardinals (and more importantly the ticket tax revenue) leave its boundaries. Using the "East St. Louis" option, the Red Bird brass can make their demands stronger. The Ball Club will continue to generate the ticket revenue regardless of which side of the Mississippi River the team plays. Also, I would have to think that St. Louis and St. Charles counties are curiously watching this posturing from afar.

No one recognizes this aspect more than the Red Birds do. It is called leverage. Bottom line, and pardon the pun: the Red Birds hold all the cards in this deal. You won't see this Cardinal Ownership Team gloat or demand. But they are well aware that they hold four aces in this poker game.

Should the Cardinals vacate downtown, it would be a knockout blow for the City. Many local fans only come downtown for sports in general and some for baseball in particular. These folks bring their Cardinal spirit; but more importantly their wallets, credit cards and ATM cards to 250 Stadium Plaza at last eighty-one dates each year. If the team would leave downtown, how will the City recoup this revenue? It will be very difficult. The downtown vacancy rate would simply go higher.

If you build it, the fans (and their discretionary spending dollars) will come. No matter if it is in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, or the Metro East.

There are currently four National League franchises whose Stadium is older than Busch Stadium; with one being Milwaukee who will open their new facility next spring. Houston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco are all cities that either have opened or will open new baseball facilities for their teams. Each of these existing facilities are (or were) older than Busch Stadium. The Red Birds' owners obviously see this trend (and new luxury boxes and revenue streams) and want to seize the moment.

At the end of the day, once the rhetoric dies down, the name calling ends and the threats are squelched, the Cardinals will get their new stadium. In all likelihood it will be right across the street from their current playground.

There will be public money spent when ground is broken for the new stadium. There will be some residents in the Gateway City who will harbor a grudge. Yet there still is one avenue of revenue that has not been publicized, and deliberately avoided. The thought of this golden oldie will re-incite squawk radio and the PD's Letters from the People. This will trigger another article at another time. (No, it's not a Bake Sale!)

Let me spell it for you: P S L.

You don't have to be a trivia expert to know what that spells!