Milwaukee Brewers could have intentionally walked Edwin E

MINNEAPOLIS -- Zygi Wilf beamed in the middle of the sharp-dressed group, a gold-painted shovel in his hands, a purple Vikings hard hat on his head and star running back Adrian Peterson by his side. Finally, the work on Minnesotas polarizing and long-sought new stadium was under way. After more than a decade of planning, dealing and pleading, the $1 billion project began Tuesday with a formal groundbreaking in downtown Minneapolis. About 600 people, including local politicians, business leaders and chanting fans, were in attendance as Wilf, Peterson, Gov. Mark Dayton and many others took turns flipping dirt and smiling for photos as fireworks exploded overhead. The grinning and digging took place in the parking lot next to the Metrodome, where the Vikings have played since 1982. Their last game there is Dec. 29, and a three-month demolition of the Teflon-topped stadium will start in mid-January. After two years outdoors at the University of Minnesota, the Vikings are scheduled to inaugurate the ship-shaped, glass-encased venue in time for the 2016 season. During a set of speeches in a nearby tent, Dayton joked that he felt just like Vikings coach Leslie Frazier after the teams 23-20 overtime victory Sunday over Chicago. "I cant believe its over, and I cant believe we won," Dayton said. State lawmakers enacted a bill last year to fund the stadium with the threat, real or perceived, of the 52-year-old franchise moving to Los Angeles hovering over the often-tense process. Many of the same hard-core, costumed fans who camped out at the state capitol to help lobby for a deal were at the event Tuesday, their presence recognized by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. "Sometimes democracy includes painting faces and wearing horns," Rybak said. The public is on the hook for roughly half the cost: $498 million. The NFL and Vikings are handling the rest, with much of the teams share coming from corporate naming rights and fees on season ticketholders, known as personal seat licenses. Many lawmakers and citizens have railed against the project since it was first raised as a possibility around the turn of the century when Red McCombs owned the team. Dayton was a driving force behind the legislation, but even he publicly criticized the Vikings for the proposed PSLs. The Vikings recently pledged to increase their contribution to more than $500 million to make sure the project has all the top-end amenities they want, like high-definition televisions in extra-wide concourses. "Whatever that took to get that done, we had to step up because our fans are what this is all about," Mark Wilf said in an interview after the event. He added: "When its actually here and you see the shovels out there beginning to dig, its exciting." Its also a nice respite from a challenging season. The Vikings have gone from a 10-6 playoff team in 2012 to a 3-8-1 mess this year. And the Wilfs, who built their fortune in a family real estate business, were ordered in September by a New Jersey court to pay $84.5 million to two former business partners the judge ruled they defrauded in a deal forged in the 1980s. So this event was a true highlight. "This is a positive, exciting and great project, and thats been our focus," Mark Wilf said. "I think as the project goes up, as people start seeing the frame go up, and the building become a reality over these next 2 1/2 years, and the jobs being created and the excitement being generated, I think its going to be something that all Minnesotans can appreciate." Mark Wilf declined to answer a question about the performance of Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman. "Were of course disappointed in our season. We didnt expect to be where we are," he said. "One of our goals was to get the stadium project built and have a great facility but our ultimate goal is to win championships and Super Bowls." Away from the festivities, a collection of conservative groups and lawmakers held a counter-event to try to keep focus on the stadiums heavy taxpayer subsidy. They described the financing as shaky, noting that a prior plan to pay for the $350 million state share through electronic gambling has fallen woefully short of projections. Lawmakers plugged the gap in a stadium account this year with a one-time diversion of tobacco taxes and for the future with a corporate tax. "Its a bad day for Minnesotans," said Republican state Sen. Roger Chamberlain. "Were talking about taxpayers paying for Zygi to walk away with hundreds of millions in his pocket if he sold the team, not to mention the increased annual profits. This is not about having football or no football, stadium or no stadium. We could have done this a better way." 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The win gave Toronto (47-39) a two-game mini-sweep of Milwaukee (51-35) and extended the Blue Jays lead atop the American League East to 1 1/2 games over Baltimore. The Orioles were scheduled to play the Texas Rangers later Wednesday. Encarnacion, whos now tied for the major-league lead with 26 homers, raised his arms in the air after finishing his swing. He dropped the bat, clapped his hands a few times and began to trot around the bases as the 24,286 fans at Rogers Centre roared in approval. "For me its the best moment you can have," Encarnacion said. "For any player to have a walk-off home run. So everybody (is) happy on the team and were going to fly a five-hour happy flight today." The Blue Jays will kick off a 10-game road trip Thursday at Oakland. Jose Reyes led off the ninth with a double and Melky Cabrera was intentionally walked. Anthony Gose tried to move both runners into scoring position, but Reyes was thrown out at third after the sacrifice bunt attempt. Darin Mastroianni struck out before Encarnacion hit his third career walkoff homer. "I should have just bounced a sinker and walked him or thrown the slider away off the plate," Kintzler said. "It definitely didnt go where I planned it." Jose Bautista and Juan Francisco also homered for Toronto. Casey Janssen (3-0) worked one inning of relief for the win, and reliever Will Smith (1-1) shouldered the loss. "A good win for the guys," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "They finished a tough homestand with a good win." Both teams scored in the opening frame. Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-out double off Toronto starter J.A. Happ and scored when cleanup hittter Carlos Gomez hit a bloop single that dropped in right field.dddddddddddd Bautista answered in the bottom half by hitting a solo shot in his first at-bat for the second straight day. He took a 3-1 pitch from starter Wily Peralta over the wall in left-centre field for his 17th homer of the year. The Brewers scored three times in the third inning but Happ settled down after that, recording 13 outs in a row before catcher Martin Maldonados bunt single in the seventh inning. "I tried to get back down and focus and try to cover some innings and let our offence grind it out, and thats what we did," Happ said. The Blue Jays tied the game with Franciscos two-run shot in the fourth, his 13th homer of the season. Toronto put baserunners on in the seventh but Mastroianni failed to advance the lead runner with a sacrifice bunt attempt. Brewers skipper Ron Roenicke was ejected in the top of the eighth and Gibbons was tossed in the bottom half after a safe call was overturned at second base. Gibbons admitted he was frustrated and perhaps a little on edge after a long homestand with a lot of day games. "Maybe I got tired of looking at bunts not getting put down," he said with a smile. "So I said, Ill go have a beer." It was Roenickes first ejection of the season and the second for Gibbons. Notes: The game took three hours one minute to play. ... With dark clouds hovering in the area, the roof started to close in the ninth inning. ... Bautista was the designated hitter for the second straight day. Cabrera started in Bautistas usual spot in right field and Encarnacion started in left field. ... Earlier Wednesday, the Blue Jays announced that they signed first-round picks Jeff Hoffman and Max Pentecost. Hoffman, a right-handed pitcher, was selected ninth overall. Pentecost, a catcher, was taken with the 11th pick. Both players are 21 years old. ... The Blue Jays wrapped up the homestand with a 5-4 record. ... Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey (6-7, 4.24) is scheduled to start the opener of the four-game series against Athletics right-hander Sonny Gray (7-3, 3.20). ... The Brewers get an off-day Thursday before kicking off a three-game set at Cincinnati. 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