Savannah Bananas Redux & Tenants: Getting Stuck Until the Game is Over
Savannah Bananas Event Schedule:
- Early Merchandise Sales: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Pre-Game Party & Player Appearances: 2:00 PM
- “Before the Peel” Show: 3:00 PM
- Gates Open: 4:30 PM
- Show Starts: 6:30 PM
- First Pitch: 7:00 PM (ET)
As I had written a few months ago, my family had the “privilege” of buying tickets to the Savannah Bananas baseball game in Charlotte earlier this month. We had never been and the Charlotte community was whipped into a frenzy for this event at Bank of America Stadium. It was sold out for both nights in the 74,000-capacity stadium! Local social media was ablaze:
Were you one of the lucky ones who were able to buy tickets in the lottery that started 6 months prior???
Oh, you’ve never been?? It’s such an amazing experience! So funny! Fun for the whole family! Better get there early! The Pre-Game Party is not to be missed!
Now that my family had the “golden tickets”, logistics had to be sorted out. Real life things such as: how are we getting there (traffic will be a nightmare in Uptown), what time should we actually show up (2 PM is the start of the vaunted “Pre-Game Party”, but the game itself didn’t start until 7 PM), how long could the family with younger children last at this event (is 2 PM – 10 PM realistic?), and what and when were we eating?
Complicating the situation was a small disclosure at the bottom of the hype material:
The Pre-Game Plaza is a ticketed space, fans must have tickets to the game to access the Plaza. Re-entry after exiting the venue is prohibited.
I thought we had a chance of success if we could float in and out of the 5-hour pre-game activities. But reentry was apparently not an option. The “Pre-Game Plaza” was held on the closed down roads and area directly outside of Bank of America Stadium. We would have to go through security (bringing in no outside food and drink) and then stay on premises once admitted. Once we were in, we were in, until we were out for good.
After some serious thought, the executive decision was made that we would take the marketing at its word and get the fullest Savannah Bananas experience we could. We were going to go early by light rail and take it all in!
We made it to the stadium around 3 PM. Initially, there was much fanfare and excitement! Yellow everywhere, buzzing children, ear-to-ear smiles all around!
Then real life set in. It was really hot, the Pre-Game Plaza was mostly in the sun (unless you packed in where the stadium’s shadow offered some shade), the pre-game show on the stage was not visible for shorter folk (re: my kids), and it was not overly interesting to us. I looked at my watch showing 3:45 PM and wondered how we were going to make it until 6:30 PM. At least we were being paid to be there (wait a sec…).
It turns out the way one kills three disinterested hours in the hot sun is deflecting complaints and taking down multiple $15.00 drinks and burgers. With a captive audience (no pun intended), the only other choice was to leave and cut losses. In hindsight, I wish I had shown a little more discipline and did some research deeper than soaking in Savannah Banana marketing e-mails. Once we got there early and had our ticket scanned, we were stuck and needed to stick it out.
In a way (with my Charlotte property manager hat on), it reminded me of the importance of placing quality rental tenants.
Landlords have these nice houses that they spend a good amount of money preparing for tenants. Then the rental home goes on the market and prospective tenants fill out applications highlighting what good candidates they would be. If one cares to listen, tenants will tell you how they will pay on time and meticulously care for the home. And they proclaim they have the first month’s rent and security deposit in hand and are ready to move in ASAP once they get the go-ahead! Their marketing pitches can be very convincing as landlords have rental properties that are costing them money each vacant day.
But once the lease is signed and the tenants move in, there is “no reentry” until their tenancy is complete; once they are in, they are in. The landlord is stuck with them until lease expiration or they are forced out by eviction. The house could be taking heavy wear, misuse, and late/missing payments. For an investment in which the landlord should be making money, it can turn into one that is costs them even more. A rushed decision based on emotion and fear can turn out to be financially and mentally draining.
Much like prospective tenants, the Savannah Bananas proclaim they are the greatest show on Earth and will be one you never want to forget! But things do not always turn out as well as advertised. Smart landlords will make sure to do the requisite research and ensure it is a game with tenants they want to be stuck with!
Happy Landlording!
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Pete Rose’s Reinstatement & Evictions: Worth Reaching for a Win-Win?
“It depends upon what the meaning of ‘is’ is. If the- if he- if ‘is’ means is and never has been, that is not- that is one thing.”
President Bill Clinton pleading his case during the Monica Lewinski grand jury trial
Growing up, I remember having some of Pete Rose’s baseball cards in my collection; they were good ones! Not only was he the all-time hit leader in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, he was the consummate ballplayer. He was gritty, ran out every groundball, and earned the nickname “Charlie Hustle”; he was consistently lauded for “playing the game the right way”. During his 24-year career, he won three World Series and more regular season games (1,972) than any other professional player in any sport. He loved baseball and was considered a surefire Hall-of-Famer.
But off the field when his playing career was over, he did not always conduct himself the right way and broke a major, unforgiveable rule- gambling on baseball. With the integrity of the competitiveness of the sport at stake, gambling had always been banned by MLB. Outcomes of games would not be tainted by it. It was a simple, Draconian regulation: if you gambled on baseball while involved, you were banished.
Rose was accused of betting on his own baseball games while he was manager of Cincinnatti Reds. He denied the accusations. When concrete evidence was discovered showing his guilt, he continued to lie about it. The commissioner of baseball permanently banned Rose from the game of baseball (including the ability to be voted into the Hall of Fame) in 1989. Afterwards, he still showed no remorse for his actions, even after finally admitting to gambling on baseball in a book he wrote years later. A storied career ended in infamy.
Pete Rose died last year.
But last week, the newest commissioner of MLB, Rob Manfred, reinstated Pete Rose. This lifted his ban and made him posthumously eligible for Hall of Fame induction.
But he broke the unforgivable rule! How is reinstatement possible? Doesn’t this send a bad message to other MLB personnel? Or have times changed now that gambling is more mainstream? Baseball fans seem to have split feelings. But, regardless, Pete Rose not being in the Hall of Fame is a regrettable lose-lose for Rose and MLB.
The same line of questioning can be used in property management on eviction guidelines. Most residential leases have rent due on the 1st of each month and allows for evictions to be promptly filed on the 2nd if rent has not been received. But that doesn’t happen often. In fact, most evictions aren’t filed until the 16th at the earliest. Why?
It’s because it is in everyone’s best interest (tenant, owner, and property manager) for the tenant to pay. And giving the tenant additional time to the 16th of the month usually allows a second paycheck to come in so the tenant square the balance. Once eviction is filed, attorney fees and court costs begin to accrue to the tenant which can make a perilous financial situation worse. If this happens, the tenant will probably never get caught up before the eviction is recorded, leading to the owner never receiving the rent, and leading to the tenant being forced out of the house. It creates a true lose-lose situation.
What about if the tenant gave a compelling case that full payment could be made if he was granted an extension past the 16th of the month? This is where it gets sticky. All the letters sent and communications continually reinforce that the 16th is it. There is no tomorrow. Full payment needs to be made by then or, unfortunately, eviction must be filed. Rarely can most tenants in a non-payment situation get caught up after being a full month behind anyway.
But does it need to be a hard and fast rule? Shouldn’t every effort to avoid lose-lose situations be exhausted? Is there a case to be made that sometimes the 16th isn’t it?
I believe there is. Pushing the deadline is always by a case-by-case basis, and candidly, most situations don’t warrant it. But some do. Property managers should be always aiming to avoid lose-lose situations.
Doesn’t everyone believe that the all-time hit leader in MLB history should be enshrined in baseball’s Hall-of-Fame? Of course! Hits are one of the most important baseball metrics and he had 4,256 of them.
Yes, it might be sticky if he ever gets voted in and enshrined. Fans may revolt in anger. Players may look at this as a precedent that gambling is a forgivable sin now. No one knows if there will be future negative ramifications.
However, a tenant paying and Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame are ideal win-win scenarios. But getting there requires discernment because there is always a chance of getting burned. Smart landlords (and MLB commissioners) should tread carefully.
Happy Landlording!
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