Stadium/Arena Saga Omnibus

[gosioux76]

2 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

Portland is probably very close to being as good a choice as Nashville.  Its MLS team ranks comfortably in the league's top third in attendance.  And a Major League Baseball expansion team's potential ownership group includes Russell Wilson.

 

The inclusion of Russell and Ciara Wilson into that so-called "ownership group" is ceremonial at best. The problem with Portland is that nobody knows where the money is coming from. Russell Wilson's a well-compensated pro athlete, but neither he nor his pop star wife have the kind of scratch to be majority owners of a multi-billion-dollar sports franchise. At this point, they're nothing more than ornaments to present a facade of legitimacy to their effort. 

[GDAWG]

1 hour ago, gosioux76 said:

 

The inclusion of Russell and Ciara Wilson into that so-called "ownership group" is ceremonial at best. The problem with Portland is that nobody knows where the money is coming from. Russell Wilson's a well-compensated pro athlete, but neither he nor his pop star wife have the kind of scratch to be majority owners of a multi-billion-dollar sports franchise. At this point, they're nothing more than ornaments to present a facade of legitimacy to their effort. 

 

They probably need a White (Phil) Knight, but it's unknown if he's a fan of baseball.  

[gosioux76]

26 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

 

They probably need a White (Phil) Knight, but it's unknown if he's a fan of baseball.  

He's a fan of any and all sports, and he's also proven his interest in investing billions into Oregon and its institutions. The head of the Portland Diamond Project, Craig Cheek, is also a former Nike executive.

 

So it's 100% possible that Phil could be the money behind any MLB project in Portland and that he's keeping his name out of it until it's more of a sure thing. But if that's the case, then they've made it really hard to legitimize this bid publicly. 

 

Then again, maybe they don't need to. If Phil intends to finance and own a Portland MLB team, the only people who would need to know are Rob Manfred, the members of any eventual expansion committee, and a handful of Portland stakeholders, such as the mayor. 

[BBTV]

Phil Knight may not be eligible. Michael Rubin (Fanatics) had to sell his share of the Sixers due to the NBA’s partnerships with Fanatics. I imagine Knight would present a conflict of interests whenever the apparel and on-field uniform ad deals come up for renewal. 

[GDAWG]

1 hour ago, BBTV said:

Phil Knight may not be eligible. Michael Rubin (Fanatics) had to sell his share of the Sixers due to the NBA’s partnerships with Fanatics. I imagine Knight would present a conflict of interests whenever the apparel and on-field uniform ad deals come up for renewal. 

 

Phil Knight attempted to buy the Trailblazers like two years ago, but the offer was never accepted.  

[who do you think]

10 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

Nashville is everyone's favourite.  And they have an active potential ownership group in waiting, led by Dave Stewart.  So that city goes to the front of the pack.

 

They're a bunch of goobers with a dorky consulting website and no actual money.

[GDAWG]

Doesn't MLB allow private equity to purchase minority shares of MLB teams?

 

I'm sure that Acrtos Sports Partners (who for some reason own minority stakes in the Dodgers, Giants and Padres, but also the Astros, Red Sox and Cubs) would be open to owning minority stakes to at least 5 more MLB teams including the two expansion teams.  

[gosioux76]

13 hours ago, BBTV said:

Phil Knight may not be eligible. Michael Rubin (Fanatics) had to sell his share of the Sixers due to the NBA’s partnerships with Fanatics. I imagine Knight would present a conflict of interests whenever the apparel and on-field uniform ad deals come up for renewal. 

 

That's an interesting point, but as @GDAWG noted, that apparently didn't deter Knight from making continued attempts at acquiring the Trail Blazers. That bid was made in partnership with Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinsky, so maybe the addition of a partner was enough not to trigger any conflict? 

 

11 hours ago, GDAWG said:

 

Phil Knight attempted to buy the Trailblazers like two years ago, but the offer was never accepted.  

 

And to this point, not only was his bid not accepted, it wasn't even acknowledged. This really great report by the Wall Street Journal in June shows that Blazers owner Jody Allen won't even take Knight's calls. 

[BBTV]

32 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

That's an interesting point, but as @GDAWG noted, that apparently didn't deter Knight from making continued attempts at acquiring the Trail Blazers. That bid was made in partnership with Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinsky, so maybe the addition of a partner was enough not to trigger any conflict? 

 

I really don't know the rules.  Josh Harris' company is the majority owner of the Sixers (and Devils, and Commanders) and Rubin was just a minority partner who's make contribution was being the dopey middle-aged white guy that threw lavish parties on yachts with rappers and sports stars, but apparently he still had to sell.  Or maybe it was a choice?  Not sure.

 

 

 

 

[GDAWG]

1 hour ago, BBTV said:

 

I really don't know the rules.  Josh Harris' company is the majority owner of the Sixers (and Devils, and Commanders) and Rubin was just a minority partner who's make contribution was being the dopey middle-aged white guy that threw lavish parties on yachts with rappers and sports stars, but apparently he still had to sell.  Or maybe it was a choice?  Not sure.

 

 

 

 

 

I think it's because Rubin owns a Gambling sports book.  

[throwuascenario]

On 10/5/2023 at 12:39 PM, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

Las Vegas is a terrible idea, either for a relocated team or an expansion team.  The unavoidable reality is that that city will not be there in its current form in a few decades. 

 

The same issues that doom Las Vegas in the long term apply to Salt Lake City, as well as, to varying extents, to the entire Southwest.  Major League Baseball should stay away from that region.

 

Can you please explain what you mean by this?

[GDAWG]

3 minutes ago, throwuascenario said:

 

Can you please explain what you mean by this?

 

Global Warming, I think.  

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

2 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

5 minutes ago, throwuascenario said:

Can you please explain what you mean by this?

 

Global Warming, I think.  

 

Yes, the soaring temperatures constitute one factor.  And then there's the diminshing water supply, which is occurring at the same time as a population surge.  Things are going to get very messy in that region.

[Kramerica Industries]

There are already too many MLB teams in media markets that marquee players either a) will never be interested in playing in, and/or b) are markets whose owners won't support making such big investments into the team. Either or both of these things hinder those teams abilities to ever compete for winning the World Series, which of course is the #1 goal of any team.

 

MLB, and other sports for that matter, gain very little from any further expansion at this point. How many MLB teams are there as is whose basic function seems to be nothing more than "to exist" right now?  We don't need to add more to that list.

[throwuascenario]

12 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

Yes, the soaring temperatures constitute one factor.  And then there's the diminshing water supply, which is occurring at the same time as a population surge.  Things are going to get very messy in that region.

 

Ok then.

[Walk-Off]

• If the Rays' upcoming ballpark and related development existed in a complete vacuum, both geographically and historically, the overall proposal would be a wonderful idea.  Also, I am glad that Stuart Sternberg has revealed that he and the Rays organization will pay for the majority of the costs of the whole project.  Unfortunately for Sternberg and the Rays, putting the entire development in its proper geographic and historical contexts causes me to be dismayed with the whole plan and to regard the plan as being specifically rife with not only greed (as Sternberg and the Rays will still extract hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers across St. Petersburg and Pinellas County and will get a cut of the revenue from the redevelopment of so many acres of land throughout the neighborhood where the Trop stands now and where the Rays' new ballpark is to be located), but also laziness and cowardice (as Sternberg seemed to be unwilling to put much of an effort into making this kind of deal happen in Tampa and/or Hillsborough County, let alone commit enough of his own and/or the Rays organization's money to make the project feasible on Tampa's side of the bay).
• The only realistic way that I could see the MLBPA accepting contraction is if, in return, every remaining MLB team starts eighteen (18) players in every game, with every batter being a designated hitter and every pinch runner being a designated runner.  The pitcher would only pitch and field, each of the other fielders would only field, each batter would only bat and run the bases, and all that a pinch runner would be allowed to do after he finishes his initial baserunning stint is take his predecessor's place as a DH.
• Even if the MLBPA can be swayed to accept contraction in MLB and its affiliated minor leagues, various politicians are likely to oppose contraction enough to introduce bills that would punish MLB for putting whole franchises out of business.  Such measures, should they become law, could do as little as abolish baseball's antitrust exemption or do as much as break up MLB teams' farm systems and subject every professional baseball league operating in a given country to a European-soccer-style pyramid of leagues with mandatory promotion and relegation of teams across leagues at different levels.
• Any debate over which MLB teams to cull via contraction is likely to run into discrepancies between teams with strong ticket sales but locations that are unattractive to free agent players and teams in the opposite situation.  For instance, while the Twins and the Pirates might have easier jobs of finding buyers for tickets than do the Rays or the Marlins, the typical free agent might be far more eager to experience the kind of lifestyle that is possible in Florida than to deal with a presumably less glamorous life in the Rust Belt.

[Red Comet]

It's not just the unions MLB would have to worry about either. Let's say a powerful senator from Florida, Rick Scott probably, were to have an issue with MLB taking away a couple of teams from his state. Do you really think a guy like that wouldn't hit the "Revoke Anti-Trust" button the moment it came up? Or any other way of getting back at MLB for reasons that would violate forum rules if I elaborated? 

Edited October 6, 2023 by Red Comet

[Fowler]

Retiring A's relief pitcher Trevor May had this to say about John Fisher on his way out:

 

Quote

"Sell the team, dude. ... Sell it, man,'' he said. "Let someone who actually, like, takes pride in the things they own, own something. There's actually people who give a s--- about the game. Let them do it. Take mommy and daddy's money somewhere else, dork."

 

Quote

"If you're going to be a greedy f---, own it," May said. "There's nothing weaker than being afraid of cameras. ... Do what you're going to do, bro. Whatever, you're a billionaire, they exist, you guys have all this power -- you shouldn't have any because you haven't earned any of it, but anyway, whatever."

 

[FiddySicks]

I would love to see more players come out against owners. Hell, we should all be more hostile to billionaires just in general. 

[McCall]

In case this was never covered, this past summer, The Athletic did a player's poll on potential expansion cities they'd like to play in. Nashville was the overwhelming winner. Las Vegas was left off as this was done after the A's announced their intentions to relocate, but Oakland was on it and garnered no votes, less than Salt Lake City, Vancouver and San Juan, PR.