BBTV Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 The fact that they're talking about this as a permanent solution is what's so baffling. As has been pointed out a million times, solving the problem of not being able to build a stadium by trying to build two stadiums is ludacris. It's one thing to use this as a trial to see if MTL wants a team, with the intention of trying to have a ballpark built (or close) by 2028, but... yeah. Is Olympic Stadium playable right now if they had to? I was there a couple of years ago but only walking around. 1 Quote "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFGiants58 Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 This roving team idea has not been out of the question in the history of Tampa Bay baseball. One of my favorite parts in Stadium for Rent (again, READ THIS BOOK if you're a baseball fan and want an explanation as to why the Rays exist and are currently in this mess) was Andelmann going over the various expansion groups. Here's one of them, from future Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive Joel Glazer. Quote AMERICA’S TEAM: Florida businessman Joel Glazer, 23, applied for a franchise that would play 20 home games in each of four cities—choosing from Tampa Bay, South Florida, Denver, Buffalo and Washington, D.C. “This is an idea for the 1990s,” Glazer told the Denver Post. “It’s the future of baseball” (Andelmann 188). This was laughed out of the room, most likely. I guess Stu got the idea from him, but Stu didn't realize that this plan required no new construction. 2 Quote MLB: Project 32 (Complete), MLB: The Defunct Saga (Complete) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Didn't we almost have something like this with the Raiders for 2019? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Cesarano Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 11 minutes ago, BringBackTheVet said: Is Olympic Stadium playable right now if they had to? The Blue Jays play a couple of games there every year at the end of spring training. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlinfan Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Anyone ever seen this? Opening Night at the Florida Suncoast Dome in 1990. 3 Quote 1997 | 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveindc Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 So the target year for this is 2023? Coincidentally, a couple weeks back, Russell Wilson seemed confident that Portland could have a team as early as 2023. He probably already received word of this plan with the Rays. The time frame and whether they get an expansion team or existing team depended on the stadium situations in Tampa Bay and Oakland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Cesarano Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 5 hours ago, SFGiants58 said: One of my favorite parts in Stadium for Rent (again, READ THIS BOOK if you're a baseball fan and want an explanation as to why the Rays exist and are currently in this mess)... I have taken your suggestion, and am reading the book. I have finished the first chapter, about the White Sox' possible move to St. Petersburg for 1989. I am impressed that, even though the St. Petersburg negotiators were disappointed that the Illinois legislature came through at the last possible moment with a deal that kept the White Sox in Chicago, they were nevertheless very upbeat about the experience. City manager Rick Dodge and city council member Bob Stewart were positively effusive about how the whole process helped the region by putting Tampa Bay at the forefront of Major League Baseball's perception, an assessment that was endorsed by Peter Bavasi. Also notable was the lack of any ill will towards Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, who had been upfront with St. Pete in their negotiations. The White Sox' owners had said all along that they would move the club there if they couldn't get a publicly-financed park in Chicago. So, when they got legislative approval for that new park late at night on the legislature's final day in session (and as a result of considerable arm-twisting by the governor), the St. Pete negotiators did not feel betrayed. They came away excited for the future. Likewise, I am excited about my immediate future, which involves reading the rest of this book. Thank you for the suggestion. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Let's say the Oakland ballpark doesn't happen and we get the Portland A's & Montreal Expos (Rays). Expansion to 32 (if it happens) could come down to these candidates: Nashville Charlotte Raleigh Las Vegas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 13 minutes ago, Wings said: Let's say the Oakland ballpark doesn't happen and we get the Portland A's & Montreal Expos (Rays). Expansion to 32 (if it happens) could come down to these candidates: Nashville Charlotte Raleigh Las Vegas Las Vegas again? They already have NHL and NFL. Now they want MLS and MLB? Is Las Vegas sustainable enough to hold 5 pro sports teams if the NBA goes there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Just now, GDAWG said: Las Vegas again? They already have NHL and NFL. Now they want MLS and MLB? Is Las Vegas sustainable enough to hold 5 pro sports teams if the NBA goes there? They could be a candidate but if MLB gets Portland & Montreal through relocation I can see expansion being tabled if there aren't any viable candidates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, Wings said: They could be a candidate but if MLB gets Portland & Montreal through relocation I can see expansion being tabled if there aren't any viable candidates. Rob Manfred has hinted at teams South of the Border. I don't see that as a wise idea right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 27 minutes ago, Wings said: Let's say the Oakland ballpark doesn't happen and we get the Portland A's & Montreal Expos (Rays). Expansion to 32 (if it happens) could come down to these candidates: Nashville Charlotte Raleigh Las Vegas I do think that MLB will expand to 32 before the NBA does. I think that the NBA is taking a "wait and see" approach in regards to Seattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlinfan Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I don’t see expansion happening if both Portland and Montreal gain via expansion. Going into smaller markets wouldn’t be feasible unless there is a monumental shift in MLB economics to bolster them. Moving into Mexico, Puerto Rico, and even Cuba might be on MLB’s 2040 expansion plans due to the current problems in each region. Quote 1997 | 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 The Tampa Bay Times has a long take on this, worth reading. https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/06/22/the-rays-montreal-plan-a-peek-behind-the-curtain/ Good photos too, including this one: In this file photo, Jim Anderson, St. Petersburg Times pressroom superintendent, holds up a copy of an Aug. 8, 1992 edition of the St. Petersburg Times that commemorates a deal that would have moved the San Francisco Giants to the Tampa Bay area. [Associated Press] 3 Quote The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 If you want to see what the Giants playing home games in a dome would have looked like... Side note - if anyone ever gets the chance to go to a Yomiuri Giants game... DO IT. They start earlier than what we're used to here, but it's the best time you'll have at a baseball game that you really don't have a vested interest in. 7 Quote "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 11 hours ago, marlinfan said: Anyone ever seen this? Opening Night at the Florida Suncoast Dome in 1990. What the hell is the woman news person wearing around her neck? Looks like a giant hook with a towel hanging from it. 2 Quote "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 If they move out of the Bay Area, would it be time to retire the "Athletics" name? IMO it should have been retired in the '50s when they left Philadelphia, but keeping it as they move around and around doesn't make a lot of sense to me since it doesn't have any local meaning to any city that they'd be starting new in, and it's value as a brand has eroded over time... despite their relative recent successes. Quote "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmoehrin Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Gothamite said: The Tampa Bay Times has a long take on this, worth reading. https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/06/22/the-rays-montreal-plan-a-peek-behind-the-curtain/ Good photos too, including this one: In this file photo, Jim Anderson, St. Petersburg Times pressroom superintendent, holds up a copy of an Aug. 8, 1992 edition of the St. Petersburg Times that commemorates a deal that would have moved the San Francisco Giants to the Tampa Bay area. [Associated Press] On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being pulling the trigger on the move, and 1 being having internal about the possibility of a move, the Giants moving to Tampa comes in at a 9.8 The NL owners voting the move down 9-4 is the only thing that stopped it. The framework of the deal to sell the team to Vince Naimoli was not only in place, the paperwork was being drawn up to be signed. The owners’ vote was the last major hurdle the deal had to clear before being finalized. If the vote had gone the other way, the Giants would have been playing in Tampa Bay starting in 1993. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 I've argued that you can't retire "Indians" because it's lasted over a century. The Athletics have lasted even longer and haven't even offended anyone. It's there to stay. 13 Quote ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 So what are the odds that Oakland gets their stadium finalized? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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