Are You Friends Yet With Miami-Dade's Ballpark?

Hi folks, hope you all are having a great weekend.

I had to emerge from my weekend reveille to comment on how Miami-Dade's Ballpark has joined that annoying Facebook thingy where you have to list 25 random things about yourself:

Each alpha user annoyingly asked 25 friends to write 25 random things, too, and each of these friends' friends annoyingly asked 25 more, and so on, until this week, when the viral loop catapulted into the bizarro realm: 25 Random Things About Me, by Miami-Dade's Ballpark.

No. 2: ``None of the money used in my construction can go to other government services like education, police, public housing or parks. It's state law!''

No. 19: ``I'm ready for my close-up: I'll have some great views of the Miami skyline from the stands, which should be great for showing off the city during nationally televised games.''

No. 25: ``I'm beloved already.''

If this stadium were a person -- close-talking, unfunny, boastful but discomfitingly insecure -- you might de-friend.

And you might suspect that these Things About Me are not random at all. You might suspect that, coming a few days before the Miami and Miami-Dade County commission votes on the stadium deal, they read more like propaganda encouraging public support for a yes vote.

(Miami commissioners approved the stadium in a 3-2 vote Thursday; county commissioners will vote Monday.)

''This is not information,'' said Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, who opposes the deal. He claimed 11 of the 25 Random Things were inaccurate, and seemed unlikely to forward the list to 25 Facebook friends. ``When you put something down that says Miami-Dade County, it shouldn't just be a puff piece like this.''

No puffiness, said county spokeswoman Marie Bertot: ''It's not so much selling an idea as communicating information,'' she said. ``It's a way to disseminate accurate information and reduce those misconceptions out there.''

Oy. This is like when your Uncle crashed your high school party and tried to show all your friends how "hip" he is. And hit on your girlfriend.

Please stop.

In other news, here is another example of a governmental entity doing the wrong thing, litigating for no good reason, and having to pay a lot more as a result. By not coming to the table early and reaching a reasonable resolution, they incurred significant fees, paid a larger amount, and had to cover the plaintiffs' fees too as a result of a 3d DCA ruling on liability.

That's South Florida for you. Continue to make the same dumb mistakes and hope no one notices.

Well, it's almost Spring so enjoy this lovely seasonal ditty by Tom Lehrer and we'll see you all tomorrow!