Mike Bianchi: While other Orlando politicians have played small ball, Anna Eskamani steps up to the plate for MLB
ORLANDO, Fla. — For years, the late, great Pat Williams wandered through Orlando like a baseball preacher without a congregation. The co-founder of the Magic and the godfather of big league sports in Central Florida spent the final years of his life trying to convince politicians, business leaders and the community that Orlando was ready for Major League Baseball.
He practically begged local leaders to stop thinking like a tourist town and start thinking like a major league city. Mostly, they smiled politely and changed the subject. Well, guess what?
Pat, even though he’s gone to That Big Ballpark in the Sky, finally has a political heavyweight in his corner. And it’s not who you might expect. State Rep.
Anna Eskamani — progressive firebrand, mayoral candidate, lifetime Orlandoan, proud UCF alum with two master’s degrees and a phD from our hometown university — has officially jumped aboard the Orlando Dreamers bandwagon and endorsed the effort to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida. “Let’s play ball! ” Eskamani said during an interview on our radio show last week.
It’s about time one of our civic leaders stepped up to the plate and swung for the fences. For years, the Dreamers have had wealthy investors and powerful people (see billionaire attorney John Morgan), Hall of Fame baseball players and supporters of every shape and size advocating for MLB in Orlando. What they haven’t had is a major political figure with real grassroots credibility publicly planting a flag.
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