MLB Stadium Saga: Oakland/Tampa Bay/Southside

[GDAWG]

 

[TBGKon]

13 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

 I haven't been to the Trop in nearly 20 years (!!! A-Rod was playing that day too! Surely we're not all that old?), but my recollection is that once you drive there -- and you can only drive there -- the actual walk from the parking lot into the stadium is actually pretty pleasant. Or as pleasant as a parking lot walk can be in summertime Florida. There are bars and restaurants near the stadium (I think?) and inside the stadium itself is brighter than you would expect and you feel basically safe in there. It's weird in the Trop because it feels like you're in a repurposed Costco, but for a repurposed Costco it's decent enough.

 

But I guess "adequate, I guess" is the worst kind of endorsement for a baseball stadium -- especially from a 2002 review.

I can definitely say that the area outside of the Trop and the surrounding parking lots have gotten better.   There are more restaurants, breweries, bars, and entertainment options that St Pete's downtown have edged further ahead of what downtown Tampa currently is.  Downtown Tampa is coming up though, so hopefully both are on even keel soon.

[DustDevil61]

14 hours ago, bosrs1 said:

Oakland's mayor throwing out an interesting tidbit today. If the vote fails on July 20 with the Oakland City Council, Manfred has authorized the A's to begin looking at as many as 6 other cities in addition to Vegas. That includes some Canadian cities. 

 

What's interesting is that must mean by extension that currently the A's are only authorized to look at Vegas based on what they've been doing outside Oakland so far. Also makes me wonder if that 6 city play isn't a power play against Vegas to act quickly if they want the A's more than it's anything against Oakland. I mean one motivated region vs 6 or 7 that's still a city working actively to steal Oakland's team. Doesn't really matter how many are trying to do it, more competition doesn't really change the calculus for Oakland. But for Vegas to suddenly have competition would seem to ramp up the pressure on them to get it done fast if they want the team. 

 

 

 

Of course my mind goes over what all 6 of those cities would be.

 

The only 2 Canadian cities without a team that I would think are viable are Montreal or Vancouver. In the States, we know that Nashville and Portland have been mentioned, so there’s 4 total. What could possibly be the other two?

[bosrs1]

2 minutes ago, DustDevil61 said:

Of course my mind goes over what all 6 of those cities would be.

 

The only 2 Canadian cities without a team that I would think are viable are Montreal or Vancouver. In the States, we know that Nashville and Portland have been mentioned, so there’s 4 total. What could possibly be the other two?

 

Charlotte & Raleigh/Durham? I’ve head both mentioned over the years. 

[DustDevil61]

1 hour ago, bosrs1 said:

 

Charlotte & Raleigh/Durham? I’ve head both mentioned over the years. 

Oh yea, that’s right. I forgot about them for a moment.

[SFGiants58]

My pet joke would be to suggest the Anchorage or Honolulu Athletics. Both of those locations are stupid, but I love the idea of the Mariners not having the worst travel schedule in MLB.

[sky1324]

1 hour ago, DustDevil61 said:

Oh yea, that’s right. I forgot about them for a moment.

That's fair, most do.

[GDAWG]

 

Also:

 

Oakland A's president Dave Kaval says July 20 vote is 'last at bat' for team in Oakland - ABC7 San Francisco (abc7news.com)

[bosrs1]

3 hours ago, GDAWG said:

 

Also:

 

Oakland A's president Dave Kaval says July 20 vote is 'last at bat' for team in Oakland - ABC7 San Francisco (abc7news.com)

God I called it. Oakland produced their own term sheet that only made minor concessions toward the A’s term sheet and they’re going to vote on that next week instead of the A’s sheet as they were asked to. They’ll vote yes on their sheet because it’s theirs and they can say “we said yes” thinking it’ll make the A’s look bad. The A’s will promptly start packing... Oakland pols are so damn predictable. 

[LMU]

[GDAWG]

 

 

[Red Wolf]

On 7/16/2021 at 11:20 AM, SFGiants58 said:

My pet joke would be to suggest the Anchorage or Honolulu Athletics. Both of those locations are stupid, but I love the idea of the Mariners not having the worst travel schedule in MLB.

 

Well if we're putting forth joke ideas, then I would like to nominate Little Rock, Arkansas. Sure, we don't have a lot of the things that Las Vegas has, but we do have one thing they can never have: water.

 

[SFGiants58]

Anchorage fits the A’s more. Anchorage is a refuge for those who aren’t welcome where they’re from, for a variety of reason. The A’s wore out their welcome everywhere they have gone, much like famed serial killers Robert Hansen or Israel Keyes.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

52 minutes ago, SFGiants58 said:

Anchorage fits the A’s more. Anchorage is a refuge for those who aren’t welcome where they’re from, for a variety of reason. The A’s wore out their welcome everywhere they have gone, much like famed serial killers Robert Hansen or Israel Keyes.

 

Visiting Anchorage is a trip. It's cold, unwelcoming, and clearly populated by a lot of people who escape the mainland for a reason.

But they also have things like Dave & Busters.

 

There's some beautiful scenery not far from Anchorage, so it's got that going for it. I saw a beluga from our tour bus.

[GDAWG]

Although they are on the verge of losing the A's, Oakland has expressed interest in a WNBA team when that league expands again:

 

Oakland Arena votes to move forward with lease to start a WNBA team - Golden State Of Mind

 

Quote

It’s starting to look like professional basketball will soon return to Oakland, and to the funky basketball paradise that is Oakland Arena (formerly Oracle Park). No, the Golden State Warriors aren’t coming back, at least not anytime soon. But the city might be getting an expansion WNBA team, and there isn’t a city in the country that would be a better fit.

 

The African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) has been seeking to secure a 50% stake in the Oakland Coliseum Complex, with their proposal heavily featuring the idea of bringing a WNBA team to the city. In June, the Oakland city council rules committee voted to advance the group’s term sheet to a full city council vote.

 

According to a report from Janis Hashe of the East Bay Express, AASEG is planning on adding a WNBA team that has a “woman-led ownership group.” The organization has already sent a bid to the league, with spokesperson Ray Bobbitt saying that “If everything falls into place perfectly, the goal would be to have a team playing next year,” while admitting that it could take a bit longer than that (it almost surely would).

 

With surging ratings and popularity over the last few years, the WNBA has openly been starting to consider expansion from the current 12-team format. While some executives have been hesitant, due to the potential loss in revenue, players have been outwardly supportive of expansion. With limited roster sizes and teams, the league only has 144 players, which means that even first-round picks are often waived during — or even before — their rookie seasons.

 

[Red Wolf]

1 hour ago, SFGiants58 said:

Anchorage fits the A’s more. Anchorage is a refuge for those who aren’t welcome where they’re from, for a variety of reason. The A’s wore out their welcome everywhere they have gone, much like famed serial killers Robert Hansen or Israel Keyes.

 

Maybe this says more about my friends and me, but I have a friend that loved Alaska. He ended up moving back to Arkansas because of his wife's family. The way he talked about Alaska sounded like the best though. Again, maybe that says something about the kind of people we are.

[Burmy]

2 hours ago, GDAWG said:

Although they are on the verge of losing the A's, Oakland has expressed interest in a WNBA team when that league expands again:

 

Oakland Arena votes to move forward with lease to start a WNBA team - Golden State Of Mind

 

 

And they're losing their IFL team before it even plays a down...the IFL's Oakland Panthers are moving to San Jose and the SAP Center in 2022. (No word as to whether or not they're going to try and buy the rights to the the San Jose SaberCats identity).

So yeah, Oakland has become the place teams go to die...

[FiddySicks]

On 7/15/2021 at 10:25 AM, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I once walked from the BART station to the old Oracle Arena. Man, that is not a fun walk, especially when you're doing it without fellow game attendees. You walk across a long, fenced-in ped bridge kind of all alone and you have no idea who or what will be on that bridge with you. And below, as I remember, is just a rail yard or train tracks and not even moving traffic (and eyes on the streets).

 

It felt like Mad Max to me -- the way a lot of Oakland (and yes, Seattle) does -- and I was glad to be safely back on the BART.

 

Is that still the gameday experience?

Yes, and that’s legitimately one of my favorite parts of the experience. I’ve gotten some of the coolest t shirts ever dirt ass cheap on that walkway. It’s not for everyone, but I love the vibe. It’s so Oakland. Gritty, somewhat intimidating, sort of crazy. It feels like a party at an insane asylum. 

[The_Admiral]

On 7/16/2021 at 9:23 AM, DustDevil61 said:

The only 2 Canadian cities without a team that I would think are viable are Montreal or Vancouver.

I'm of two minds on Vancouver. As a local market, I think it makes more sense than Montreal does, but I have to believe that the idea behind a second Canadian team would be 162 days of programming for Bell, the non-baseball-having half of Canada's telecommunications duopoly, and it's hard for Vancouver to make the most of that when about two-thirds of the country lives in Eastern or Atlantic Time, which all but dictates Montreal. But screw both of 'em, the Oakland A's don't belong in either one.

[SFGiants58]

Like the Braves in Milwaukee, the A’s should’ve stayed put after moving the first time. Let Atlanta have an expansion team, while the Giants use the mausoleum as a threat while trying to flee Candleshart.