TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
[b]Gordy Soltau Jersey[/b] . -- David Beckham brought his international star power to the halls of the Florida Capitol on Tuesday, trying to rally support from the governor and legislators for the Major League Soccer franchise he plans to bring to Miami later this decade. Beckham was mobbed by legislators and legislative aides during his visit as they took to social media to document his visit. Even Gov. Rick Scott took a "selfie" of himself with Beckham. Beckham made no secret that he wants to tap into state subsidies like most of the states other professional teams have done. The Florida Legislature is advancing a bill this year that would create a process that lets pro sports teams compete for a share of state tax dollars in the future. "No ones promised me anything," Beckham said about his brief visit. "But they promised me that they support having the team in Miami and are excited about that. Its good that they havent promised me anything, because then I know its going to be fair and the decision will be down to what they think is best for the state." The 38-year-old former England captain said he had never previously visited Tallahassee which has a much more Old South feel than cosmopolitan Miami. "Its going to sound silly and people are probably going to laugh at me but I love the moss on the trees," Beckham. "Ive only seen it in scary movies. Ive never seen it close up." Beckhams visit to the Capitol came a day after his architects and advisers recommended the Port of Miami as the stadium site for his team. The plan announced Monday would have an open-air stadium with views of the bay and the downtown skyline. The capacity could be as low as 21,000 or as high as 35,000. He was escorted around the Capitol by high-powered lobbyist Brian Ballard, who has been a major fundraiser for Republicans. Under the proposed bill, pro teams could qualify for as much as $2 million a year depending on how much the team invests in the project. A similar bill was considered last year, but it was never considered by the Florida House because initially it included help for the Miami Dolphins. Scott said on Tuesday he can support a sports incentives bill as long as it has safeguards to ensure a return on investment, including a provision to pay back the state if the pro team doesnt generate as much money as anticipated. "Its exciting he wants to invest in Florida," said Scott about his meeting with Beckham. A spokesman for House Speaker Will Weatherford called the meeting "informational" and said the speaker stressed his support for a bill that would create a process to guide future professional team subsidies. Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando and in line to become the next Senate president, said he and Beckham primarily discussed Orlandos Major League Soccer franchise that is expected to start playing next year. Beckham said hes confident that Florida can support two franchises especially since the league is "stable" now. The league previously had two teams in the state. "I think at the end of the day we want a rivalry," Beckham said.
[b]Ken Dorsey Jersey[/b] . The Reds will host the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the opener of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park, and the debut matchup will feature a pair of pitchers whose recent resumes have included a fair number of bases-clearing hits.
[b]Jimmy Johnson Jersey[/b] .Airport spokeswoman Heather Lissner said that all departing flights were back on schedule. However, arriving flights were still trying to catch up.Super Bowl Sunday got off to an inconvenient start for hundreds of passengers trying to get to Phoenix for the game.TSNs coverage of the Team Canadas performance at the Ford Womens World Curling Championships swept Canadian fans away, as overnight data from BBM Canada confirms that Team Canadas loss to Team Switzerland in the final on Sunday attracted a record average audience of more than 1.13 million viewers, making it the most-watched World Womens Curling Championship game ever. The record audience follows the most-watched MLS game ever on English television in Canada for TSNs coverage of Saturdays Toronto FC home opener.
[b]Troy Brown Jersey[/b]. Audiences peaked at 1.7 million late in the game. Overall, 3.2 million unique viewers tuned in to TSN to watch some part of the networks exclusive coverage of the gold medal match. The networks curling coverage continues Saturday as TSN is in Beijing, China for the 2014 World Mens Curling Championship. ' ' '
