Vegas Marlins?

[FiddySicks]

Personally I like the name "Las Vegas Aces"

Besides, it'll go great with the NBA's "Las Vegas Kings"

Not gonna happen.

[Cujo]

Personally I like the name "Las Vegas Aces"

Besides, it'll go great with the NBA's "Las Vegas Kings"

Not gonna happen.

Them being called the Aces or the Kings moving?? . . . dumbass.

Personally, I'd like to see the Hornets wind up in Vegas.

[FiddySicks]

Personally I like the name "Las Vegas Aces"

Besides, it'll go great with the NBA's "Las Vegas Kings"

Not gonna happen.

Them being called the Aces or the Kings moving?? . . . dumbass.

Personally, I'd like to see the Hornets wind up in Vegas.

Howabout them Jets, Eh Curty?

[Cujo]

Personally I like the name "Las Vegas Aces"

Besides, it'll go great with the NBA's "Las Vegas Kings"

Not gonna happen.

Them being called the Aces or the Kings moving?? . . . dumbass.

Personally, I'd like to see the Hornets wind up in Vegas.

Howabout them Jets, Eh Curty?

The Jets suck . . . but if i recall, New York's last win came against Tampa, "Mastur Bucfan".

[powersurge]

Las Vegas WILL get a pro sports team, maybe in this decade.

No offense, but I just don't see that happening, for a couple reasons.

1) I think the gambling image will be hard for most leagues to overcome.

2) The population isn't stable enough. Sure, Vegas is an emerging market, but we've seen that emerging markets are frequently terrible places to put teams - too many established loyalties among the potential fanbase.

3) Do you really see the city and state ponying up $400M+ for a new facility? I don't.

I just see too many obstacles. That's not to say that I wouldn't want to see it - I have nothing against Vegas - but it seems like a very long shot. And don't count on long shots - the house always wins.

Don't forget that 48 out of the 50 states legalized gambling. There are casinos everywhere so eventually that stigma will go away.

Just look at The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Nobody is making a big deal about the Connecticut Sun playing there, with the actual name of the casino in their name.

Just something to think about...

[jkrdevil]

Las Vegas WILL get a pro sports team, maybe in this decade.

No offense, but I just don't see that happening, for a couple reasons.

1) I think the gambling image will be hard for most leagues to overcome.

2) The population isn't stable enough. Sure, Vegas is an emerging market, but we've seen that emerging markets are frequently terrible places to put teams - too many established loyalties among the potential fanbase.

3) Do you really see the city and state ponying up $400M+ for a new facility? I don't.

I just see too many obstacles. That's not to say that I wouldn't want to see it - I have nothing against Vegas - but it seems like a very long shot. And don't count on long shots - the house always wins.

Don't forget that 48 out of the 50 states legalized gambling. There are casinos everywhere so eventually that stigma will go away.

Just look at The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Nobody is making a big deal about the Connecticut Sun playing there, with the actual name of the casino in their name.

Just something to think about...

First the Conneticut Sun is a WNBA team. That's a different animal than the big buisness NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

Second while most states have legalized gambling I believe Nevada is the only one with legal sports books to where you can bet on a game. That is the problem. And for a sport that has had huge gambling scandels in the past any connection to sports gamblign is one the leagues look to avoid.

[Gothamite]

Don't forget that 48 out of the 50 states legalized gambling. There are casinos everywhere so eventually that stigma will go away.

Not for baseball. Not anytime soon. jkrdevil's right.

[powersurge]

Las Vegas WILL get a pro sports team, maybe in this decade.

No offense, but I just don't see that happening, for a couple reasons.

1) I think the gambling image will be hard for most leagues to overcome.

2) The population isn't stable enough. Sure, Vegas is an emerging market, but we've seen that emerging markets are frequently terrible places to put teams - too many established loyalties among the potential fanbase.

3) Do you really see the city and state ponying up $400M+ for a new facility? I don't.

I just see too many obstacles. That's not to say that I wouldn't want to see it - I have nothing against Vegas - but it seems like a very long shot. And don't count on long shots - the house always wins.

Don't forget that 48 out of the 50 states legalized gambling. There are casinos everywhere so eventually that stigma will go away.

Just look at The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Nobody is making a big deal about the Connecticut Sun playing there, with the actual name of the casino in their name.

Just something to think about...

First the Conneticut Sun is a WNBA team. That's a different animal than the big buisness NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL.

Second while most states have legalized gambling I believe Nevada is the only one with legal sports books to where you can bet on a game. That is the problem. And for a sport that has had huge gambling scandels in the past any connection to sports gamblign is one the leagues look to avoid.

Maybe you can help me here...My question is, who really gives a crap if teams are playing in that town? Does that change the fact that gambling is happening? ARe they afraid that the game outcome will be fixed? Couldn't that happen anywhere? I'm just wondering because, New York City probably has more people that could try to fix games than in Vegas. Know what I mean?

I just think this whole stigma is based more on what people keep saying and hearing over the years from other people (aka hearsay) and not based on any real substantial proof or evidence. The city is alot different now that it was twenty or thirty years ago, but people keep talking about it like it never changed.

Its not like having a professional game there will cause it to be overrun by slot machines and hookers.

"Pujols hits a shot to center field!!!! Pierre running back, back, way back.....

he runs into a gaggle of hookers...oh what a mess!"

[maxweb81]

I seriously think that MLB wouldn't flip out with the name Ace's because that is a reference in baseball to good pichters and Aces wouldn't reprensent gambling enough that you got activist groups after you. I think?

[DrBear]

It's easy to do an "aces" theme that doesn't involve gambling; think a Red Baron-type mascot.

By the way, there have been other teams that used Gamblers; Houston in the USFL (with just a G logo including the state map) and the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL (their first logo was a Jack of spades wearing a goalie mask; then they switched to a cowboy holding cards; now it's just a GB with a spur from the G.)

[appleclock]

I think the Florida Marlins should keep their history (2 world series) and move to St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay can have them. Take the Devil Rays and send THEM someplace else.

[NatsFan2004]

Although it would be ironic, considering that when Buffalo lost out on its bid for an MLB team, it ended up being awarded to the Marlins.

Buffalo was never even remotely close to getting a team. St. Petersburg was closer, and even it never made the final three. The final 3 choices in 1991 (the expansion year) were Miami, Denver and Washington DC.

[BJ Sands]

I think the Florida Marlins should keep their history (2 world series) and move to St. Petersburg.  Tampa Bay can have them.  Take the Devil Rays and send THEM someplace else.

Isn't that just moving the Marlins from one garbage stadium situation to another? Besides, if MLB wants to introduce Vegas, or any other new market to baseball, wouldn't it be better served to send the Fish, a team that has proven it knows how to build and rebuild?

[The_Admiral]

Screw the gambling. The problem is IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF A DESERT. Unless they're going to slap together a retractable-roof park just in time for their arrival, which would mean two years of lame duck baseball in Miami, which will kill the club dead in terms of revenue, they're gonna have to play at Cashman for a few years. All these "big-money casino people" will not be found at a minor-league baseball park in July. So either scenario, you're looking at 2007 and 2008 being drastic loss-taking years in either Miami or Las Vegas, losses that could hurt the club way more than you think.

[Your Name Here]

BJ Sands forgets that Los Angeles is a desert and Utah forbids music.

Can I get some clarification on that?

Damn, I'm gonna have to waste my 50th post on responding to this garbage.

Los Angeles Lakers? Utah Jazz?

[BJ Sands]

BJ Sands forgets that Los Angeles is a desert and Utah forbids music.

Can I get some clarification on that?

Damn, I'm gonna have to waste my 50th post on responding to this garbage.

Los Angeles Lakers? Utah Jazz?

Yeah, I realized how stupid that was about five minutes later.

[mrfab]

Did any of you see the PBS Las Vegas documentary? Say what you will, and I know you will, Las Vegas is unlike ANY other American city, much less unlike any other in the world. Hence, these seeming rules about what constitutes an American big league city don't apply to Las Vegas. It is about to be a 2 million person American city. IF, and it may be a big "If", enough investors think Las Vegas MLB could succeed financially, then it could happen. I could tick off responses to the "What about the gambling?" & "There's no temp stadium" etc. counter arguments but won't here. Suffice it to say, there are currently individuals and groups seriously pursuing Las Vegas MLB, as well as other Big 5 American pro sports leagues. And remember,

Everyone has the right to my own opinion!

[Your Name Here]

Yeah, I realized how stupid that was about five minutes later.

"In Missouri, there's a saying. If you don't like the weather here, just wait five minutes. We think, with hard work, we can get that down to three or four minutes."

[VitaminD]

It is about to be a 2 million person American city...

You know what would help your argument here? True facts.

According to the 2000 Census, Las Vegas's population was less than 500,000 (478,434). An imprecise estimate as of 2004 was 534,837. The metropolitan Las Vegas population (basically Clark County) isn't even 2 million yet.

The estimated population and metropolitan area size would mean that Vegas is about the size of Milwaukee. But without the stable population base and industrial infrastructure to properly support a major league team.

And powersurge - how old are you?

Not trying to be snide, just trying to gauge how much experience you have with the world at large.

As was mentioned, Nevada is the only state where sports betting is licensed and sanctioned. The NBA gets skittish when teams play the Knicks, Nets or 76ers (all of which are within 1-2 hours of Atlantic City) because of the possibility of a connection between the players and gambling - and there's no sports betting allowed in Atlantic City. Now imagine how much more pervasive the lure of the casinos AND the sports books would be with a team in the epicenter of sports gambling in this country.

If you're old enough, you'll remember the UNLV basketball teams of the early '90s - and the picture of 3 Rebels starters in a hot tub with reputed underworld types - bookies, mobsters and the like. Putting a team in Vegas makes it that much easier for athletes and casinos to hook up and make connections. And the major sports leagues are so concerned with their image that they don't even want to give the appearance of impropriety - so to avoid the whole mess, they feel they're better off staying away from the situation.

[Your Name Here]

Aren't the sports books prohibited from taking bets on sporting events in Nevada? I thought I'd heard that. It could be total BS.