MLB Stadium Saga: Oakland/Tampa Bay/Southside

[FiddySicks]

11 hours ago, MBurmy said:

Looks like the D-Backs might be the ones who end up heading to Vegas...

 

 

I'd say the Diamondbacks are total morons to believe that, but they'll probably get a brand new taxpayer funded open air yard in Ahwatukee out of this because Phoenicians and their government officials are even bigger morons. 

[The_Admiral]

Open-air in Phoenix, how's that gonna work out? 8 p.m. first pitch every game?

 

Update to Rays news, the ownership says

“We have sites in mind, and it’s a question of what will get done around the site and how are they going to get paid for,” he said. “And once municipalities are able to line those things up, not completely buttoned up but at least to a good extent, then we’ll be able to make a decision.”

Sternberg said they were hoping to have a decision by the end of the season, but the end of the year may be more likely.

 

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/rays/sternberg-rays-ready-to-make-quick--decision-once-they-get-stadium-options/2332121

I liked the concept for the sailboat stadium.

[vikmurphy]

On 8/2/2017 at 0:32 PM, MBurmy said:

Looks like the D-Backs might be the ones who end up heading to Vegas...

That stadium is 19 years old how did it fall into such a spot of disrepair? 

[OnWis97]

1 hour ago, vikmurphy said:

That stadium is 19 years old how did it fall into such a spot of disrepair? 

20 years is the new 30 years.

[TBGKon]

1 hour ago, vikmurphy said:

That stadium is 19 years old how did it fall into such a spot of disrepair? 

Anything's possible if you don't keep up routine maintenance.  (just speculating on my part)

[FiddySicks]

7 hours ago, vikmurphy said:

That stadium is 19 years old how did it fall into such a spot of disrepair? 

 

It didn't. It's bull the team is throwing out there to try and ransom another taxpayer funded yard out of the dopes in Maricopa County because they've seen the way the wind blows down there in regards to publicly funded sports stadiums. 

[bosrs1]

22 hours ago, vikmurphy said:

That stadium is 19 years old how did it fall into such a spot of disrepair? 

 

It's not. Just typical maintenance issues any stadium is going to have as it nears 20 years old. But neither side wants to be the ones to pay for it. And the D-Backs won't leave the bigger Phoenix market to go slum in Vegas. They're just posturing trying to scare the city into paying for their desired upgrades.

[Quillz]

On 7/23/2017 at 6:56 AM, HedleyLamarr said:

Rays went to the World Series in 2007

It was actually 2008. The Red Sox won the pennant in 2007.

[Quillz]

On 7/30/2017 at 5:52 AM, BeerGuyJordan said:

Some cities aren't a significant secondary market for any team. Nashville, Las Vegas, Portland, and Charlotte are examples of that. It absolutely should be one of many factors considered. 

Portland, in the few times I've been there, always seems to be showing the Mariners on TV. Would the city not be considered a secondary market for Seattle?

[Quillz]

On 8/3/2017 at 0:38 PM, vikmurphy said:

That stadium is 19 years old how did it fall into such a spot of disrepair? 

I have to say I am amazed that stadiums like Fenway, Wrigley, and Dodger Stadium have managed to last as long as they have. While stadiums that weren't even 20 years old are already being abandoned. I guess it really does come down to maintenance. You'd think baseball clubs would do whatever it takes to keep their stadiums in good working order, but I guess not.

 

EDIT: Some other posts have stated the stadium is fine, and this is mainly just a ploy by the D'Backs to get some upgrades they want.

[BeerGuyJordan]

4 hours ago, Quillz said:

Portland, in the few times I've been there, always seems to be showing the Mariners on TV. Would the city not be considered a secondary market for Seattle?

Being in a team's TV market and being a significant secondary market aren't the same thing. Sure, you see more Mariners fans in Portland than any other team, but it's not a strong or very deep fanbase.

 

I believe that most of this is due to the lack of on-field success the Mariners have had. Portland falls more in line with Charlotte, or Nashville, in that they aren't a stronghold for any  teams. Not in the way Providence, or Columbus are.

[The_Admiral]

5 hours ago, Quillz said:

Some other posts have stated the stadium is fine, and this is mainly just a ploy by the D'Backs to get some upgrades they want.

Ah yes, the Bradley Center plan.

[crashcarson15]

I saw Indianapolis discussed a few pages ago, and I think Indianapolis could maybe support an American League team in the same way that Cleveland and Pittsburgh support the Indians and Pirates -- they're all metro areas of roughly 2 million, and each CLE and PIT have the three-team grouping of football/baseball/winter that Indianapolis would. Of course, that way is "lower mid-pack in attendance when the team is good, near the bottom when the team isn't good," which is probably not the long-term pathway to success.

 

Baseball has very few small-market teams, and most of those that do remain are longstanding clubs -- only Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh have fewer than 2.5 million people -- and is already in literally every market larger than that in the English-speaking part of the continent.

 

The best you could do population-wise is adding Charlotte, which would still rank 24th in both population and as a media market. Would Charlotte have more success supporting the football/baseball/winter trio than either Cleveland or Pittsburgh do? Perhaps Raleigh/Durham is more feasible, with only the Hurricanes and (admittedly big) college sports to deal with?

[The_Admiral]

3 hours ago, crashcarson15 said:

Baseball has very few small-market teams, and most of those that do remain are longstanding clubs -- only Cincinnati, Cleveland, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh have fewer than 2.5 million people -- and is already in literally every market larger than that in the English-speaking part of the continent.

 

And those cities you mentioned, especially Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, ranked much higher among American cities half a century ago. Got lapped by goddamn Phoenix and Raleigh-Durham.

 

I would love to see Raleigh lose the NHL and gain the American League. 

[kroywen]

If Indianapolis had a long history of hosting major league baseball, a la Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, I'm sure it'd be a market on par with its midwestern counterparts. But to try to grow a brand new fanbase in a market that's smaller than those three aforementioned cities would be asking for trouble. Especially given that said market might already be tapped out with the Pacers, Colts, and (to a lesser extent) Indiana basketball.

 

Baseball's best bet would be to go into a market with high population growth and a strong business base that's one of the largest 30 metropolitan areas in the country. That's basically Charlotte, San Antonio, Orlando, or Portland. San Antonio would be a hard sell to the two existing Texas teams, while Orlando would necessitate that the Rays rebuild their fanbase while remaining in a state that notoriously does not support MLB well.

 

(There's actually one other high-growth large metro area that baseball technically is not in right now - the Inland Empire. But there's no way Southern California should absorb a fourth team, and it's such a geographically dispersed area that any team would have trouble drawing fans to weekday night games. It might work as an Angels relocation threat, but nothing else.)

[Guest]

On 7/22/2017 at 7:25 PM, EvilChameleon said:

There's this city in Canada that could use a team. Can't quite remember the name of it right now though... starts with an M....

 

Manitoba? Wait, no, that's a province... hmm...

Mexico City? Wait, no that's in Mexico...

[BBTV]

11 minutes ago, sayahh said:

Mexico City? Wait, no that's in Mexico...

 

I think he's referring to Monterrey - also in Mexico.

[The_Admiral]

Hypothetical: if baseball's antitrust exemption had been amended in 1971, following the relocation of the Washington Senators and the NFL-AFL antitrust amendment, to include a clause prohibiting relocation of major-league teams, would that have exempted Toronto and Montreal, making their value increase tremendously by being the only portable teams?

[Gothamite]

Hmm.  I doubt it.  I can't see the other owners being willing to extend exceptions to two teams.  More likely the prohibition would be written into MLB by-laws and apply to all clubs regardless of location. 

[DustDevil61]

Great timing for the Tampa Bay Rays...

 

 

Edited August 24, 2017 by DustDevil61