BOB: Marlins stadium update and general managers
Red Sox, Rockies look to cash in on World Series appearances
In an excellent article, former THT writer Vince Gennaro recently explained how both the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies should benefit from their appearances in the 2007 World Series. The Red Sox stand to gain an estimated $45 million in revenue over the next five years, while the Rockies should see their revenue improve by $30 million over the next five years.
Gennaro also explains how a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers would benefit the most because they have a large-market team with available stadium capacity and a championship dry spell. He goes on to explain how the effect that the Rockies will see on their revenue should be similar to what the Detroit Tigers saw in 2007. Despite not making the playoffs, the Tigers had record attendance in 2007 because of their surprising season the year before. There’s a ton of stuff in Gennaro’s article; it’s well worth checking out.
Dodgers’ spring training site faces tight deadline
The Dodgers hope to move into their new spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz. for their 2009. Because of delays in funding however, the ballpark faces a fairly tight deadline that is forcing the construction company, M.A. Mortenson Co., to already plan on some contingencies in the event the ballpark isn’t 100% ready.
Site preparation has already been completed and the groundbreaking is set for November 19. Still, that gives the construction company a little over a year to construct the facility, and the hope is that longer hours and a larger workforce will do the trick. The target for completing the facility is February 27, 2009; even this will force the team to use adjacent practice fields for the earlier portions of spring training.
Rays modify free parking policy
For the past couple of years, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have allowed their fans to park in the stadium’s parking lots for free. Now, that policy has been modified, and while fans will still get free parking, it’ll only be if at least four people are in the car. Vehicles that don’t have four passengers will be charged $10.
Marlins one step closer to getting stadium funding
In what’s turned into an ongoing saga, the Florida Marlins got another thumbs up as they get closer and closer to getting the stadium funding they’ve wanted for so many years. This time, a panel of Miami-Dade County commissioners agreed last week to continue the negotiations for a new Marlins ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl. There was a little dissension though, because three of the commissioners said that they’d withdraw their support if the Marlins begin to back away from the amount the team committed to make in order for the new ballpark to become a reality.
The Marlins in the meantime are hesitantly on board. Marlins president David Samson said shortly after the announcement that the team would accept the site but they still feel a downtown Miami stadium would be more successful. There was no comment as to the team’s financial commitment.
Executive Q&As
With the general manager meetings upon us, I’ve run across two interesting Q&As. The first is one with Baltimore Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who talked about the course of the team as well as some of the team’s biggest needs. The second Q&A is with Texas Rangers general manager Jon Danies, who talked about the Rangers’ need for a center fielder and the possibility of the Rangers pulling the trigger on a trade this week.
General managers approve limited instant replay
The first piece of news to come out of the general managers meeting was the approval of limited use of instant replay. It would apply to just boundary calls, such as whether home runs are fair or four, whether balls go over the fence or not and to determine fan interference. The proposal was approved by 25 of the 30 general managers; the next step is for MLB commissioner Bud selig to give his seal of approval. The rule change will also have to be approved by the umpires and the union, so this is hardly a done deal.