Stadium/Arena Saga Omnibus

[Red Comet]

22 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

I agree. Their only downfall is their location in the middle of a giant parking lot when KC has such a vastly improved urban core. That wouldn't be enough to raze Kaufmann -- it's a gem of a stadium -- but it will always be battling that debate over urban density. 

 

Thing is, right now, there isn't mass transit that would allow a downtown stadium to be functional aside from a 2 mile streetcar and a bus system. There's limited parking for downtown as well so a downtown stadium would be a disaster. Kansas City has a lot of highways so a stadium with a large parking lot is what makes sense right now. Same with Orange County vis a vis the Angels Stadium.

 

Lease runs out in 2031 for both Kauffman and Arrowhead. They are talking about expanding the streetcar to Westport (a bar district that's 5 miles or so south from Union Station where the southern terminus is for the streetcar) plus they're still building capacity for parking. John Sherman has been pressing for a downtown stadium so maybe the infrastructure will be there by the time the lease is up. I don't think Arrowhead would be torn down, though. The Chiefs (and the people running the Truman Sports Complex) would probably turn the footprint that was Kauffman into a spot reserved for tailgaters only. Maybe they keep the fountains for those early games in the season. At that point, the question would be if 22 co-owners of the Royals and John Sherman are going to pay for this stadium themselves and if not, whether there is the political will among the people to approve of taxpayer funding for a stadium.

[The_Admiral]

The Royals can move downtown, and I'd be sad to see Kauffman go (future home: Hallmark Park?), but there's no reason for the Chiefs to leave Arrowhead and its ocean of parking. It barely gets used, just let it sit there and give people from all over the Plains a place to toss beanbags and eat gloppy deli food, it's fine, it's whatever.

[monkeypower]

And here's the Ducks plans for the Honda Center land that was mentioned in the Angels article. Called ocV!BE... which is I guess their play on LA Live, but not a great name.

 

 

Quote

A sustainable community emphasizing walkability, health and wellness, and lifestyle amenities

30,000 capacity of live entertainment, including a new 6,000-capacity concert venue

30 acres of public open space including three unique plazas and 20 acres of park

A 5-acre, riverfront park with the ability to host seasonal outdoor concerts and events

30+ restaurant concepts, including a food hall with diverse offerings and multiple standalone restaurants

Uniquely themed and intimate clubs

Two hotels, consisting of 650 rooms total, thematically aligned with the energy of the district

A network of pedestrian bridges and walkways including a landmark bridge crossing Katella Avenue

825,000 square feet of office space, including a new 325,000-square-foot office tower

2,800 residential units, including a commitment of 15% affordable housing units

8,700+ parking spaces among several structures, new roads and increased capacity to enhance ingress/egress

 

[Red Comet]

10 hours ago, the admiral said:

The Royals can move downtown, and I'd be sad to see Kauffman go (future home: Hallmark Park?), but there's no reason for the Chiefs to leave Arrowhead and its ocean of parking. It barely gets used, just let it sit there and give people from all over the Plains a place to toss beanbags and eat gloppy deli food, it's fine, it's whatever.

 

Hey, that's fine by me. Not everyone has to be the avatar of high culture. Gloppy deli food OTOH? Them's fightin' words. 

[The_Admiral]

Then fight me. I can't stand even looking at mayonnaise-based "salads." Why do they exist? Disgusting!

[Red Comet]

It's our culture and potato salad is great IMO. 

[ltjets21]

On 6/24/2020 at 10:54 AM, Red Comet said:

Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium are still among the best stadiums in the league despite also being some of the oldest. Renovate, Don't Annihilate is the best path. 

I agree but for the majority of the stadiums being replaced in baseball were multi-purpose stadiums or just stadiums that reached the end of their road due to improper care like Comiskey Park. The last two cases of new ballparks in ATL and Dallas were forced as well as the Mercedes Benz stadium.

[Gary]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31427293/oakland-athletics-start-looking-relocating-elsewhere-sources-say
 

Where to? Portland? San Jose? Nashville? But I don’t think San Jose would be viable as the Giants own the territory. I also think Las Vegas could be a possibility. But it would have to be a dome, as their weather gets to triple digits in the summertime. Probably do what the Diamondbacks do and build a dome in Phoenix.

[sky1324]

If they do move (which they shouldn't), Portland should be their first choice (it won't be), followed by San Jose (whoops, shouldn't have given up that territory), then pretty much anything else, then Vegas. But of course, Vegas will jump the line and somehow end up with an original AL team then muck up the brand. Fun times!

[FiddySicks]

Their last, like, three ownership groups were either completely broke, completely inept, or some combination of the two. They’ve had PLENTY of time to figure something out. At least the length of my entire lifetime, and I’m in my mid 30s. As far as I’m concerned, good riddance. Go be Vegas’ problem from now on.
 

The only thing I wish is that they would just shut up with the relocation/stadium talk and just do it already. Quit blabbing about what you’re gonna do and actually do something. They can :censored: off to the moon for all I care at this point. 

[BBTV]

There's a link to a story about the A's "exploring relocation" or getting a new stadium in every season-long mega thread since... well, since the forum started.  There's nowhere for them to move to.  There's not 26 MLB markets - let alone 27. 

 

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

This has been ongoing for as long as I can remember. Relocation and/or contraction. I personally thought the Howard Terminal stadium was a done deal, but the A's ownership apparently are still completely incompetent. I'd hate to see them go, as I've inexplicably always liked them (even as a Tigers fan).  

[LMU]

Oakland and Alameda County are just as guilty, if not moreso, for how we got here.  If you manage to lose three franchises in a short timeframe there's a common denominator.

[Dilbert]

i wonder if that cow pasture in Peculiar, Missouri that Charlie O. Finley threatened to move the Kansas City A's to is still available?

[McCall]

1 hour ago, QCS said:

If they do move (which they shouldn't), Portland should be their first choice (it won't be), followed by San Jose (whoops, shouldn't have given up that territory), then pretty much anything else, then Vegas. But of course, Vegas will jump the line and somehow end up with an original AL team then muck up the brand. Fun times!

The Giants won't let them move to San Jose, so that's already off the board.

You also gotta think about the Rays. What are they gonna do? That 2027 end of lease is not far away, especially when you consider selecting locations and stadium plans. Seems like the A's are always suspected to stay in the west and the Rays in central/east.

[AstroCreep]

How do you lose 3 franchises in such a short amount of time?

[LA_Angels]

#RootedinOakland 

[FiddySicks]

21 minutes ago, insert name said:

How do you lose 3 franchises in such a short amount of time?

Ooh boy, how much time do you have? 

[Walk-Off]

1 hour ago, McCall said:

You also gotta think about the Rays. What are they gonna do? That 2027 end of lease is not far away, especially when you consider selecting locations and stadium plans. Seems like the A's are always suspected to stay in the west and the Rays in central/east.

 

At this point, the idea that the Athletics and the Rays will stay on their respective current sides of North America if and when they move has become a common cliché when journalists, bloggers, radio talk show hosts, podcast hosts, et al. speculate about MLB's future geography.  If I had to guess, such an assumption is based on a belief that MLB is unwilling to realign in order to accommodate a transcontinental relocation of a team.

 

However, a serious problem with this premise -- and part of the dilemma that Rob Manfred and the overall MLB power structure face when dealing with these two teams' ballpark situations -- is that the A's are free to leave RingCentral Coliseum three years sooner than the Rays are allowed to vacate Tropicana Field.  So, what will happen if, sometime between 2024 and 2027, whatever person or group owns the A's at that time determines that a metropolitan area located east of the Continental Divide, or even someplace that is also east of the Mississippi River, is the best new home for that franchise?  Will Manfred and his minions dare to tell the Athletics' ownership, "Sorry, but the only places where you may move the A's are Las Vegas; Portland, Oregon; Sacramento; Salt Lake City; or Vancouver" and have the gall to say to political and business leaders in that easterly locale, "Sorry, but you'll have to wait till either we expand again or one of our teams in the eastern two-thirds of North America is willing and able to move, whichever comes first" in response to such a situation?

 

Anyone who wants the A's to remain in Oakland, wishes that the Rays keep playing in the Tampa Bay area, desires that both of those teams stay put, or yearns for an MLB club in a place that is currently without such a team will need to buckle up.  This could be the start of a few bumpy years of geographic uncertainty across Major League Baseball.

[Red Comet]

2 hours ago, LMU said:

Oakland and Alameda County are just as guilty, if not moreso, for how we got here.  If you manage to lose three franchises in a short timeframe there's a common denominator.

Oakland is ran by dribbling morons? Say it ain’t so.