Las Vegas Sun NewsThere’s hope for baseball yet
Can’t help but imagine what a big league ballpark could do for downtown Las Vegas
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24 September 2012
1:55 a.m.
When I look at the transformation worn-out or never-had-a-chance neighborhoods have had after baseball stadiums were built there, I get that glimmer of hope that resides in all baseball fans.
Two decades ago in my old hometown of Denver, we always avoided going downtown. Too dirty. Too scary. Too risky.
But look at the area they call LoDo (for Lower Downtown) now. It is the home of Coors Field, one of the finest baseball venues in the country. Restaurants and retail shops sprouted around it. The area is a bustling center of commerce today and an example of what a well-done baseball stadium can do for a run-down area.
It’s the same story with Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And Petco Park near San Diego’s Gaslamp District. And Safeco Field in Seattle. And even Northern Nevada’s home of the Reno Aces.
So it’s really no surprise that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority hit the brakes when it was asked to delay action on a lease agreement for the Las Vegas 51s this month.
Cashman Field, once a gem of Minor League Baseball, is a tired facility that can’t keep a major league partner happy.
The Las Vegas Triple-A franchise had a dream deal as a minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the major league team Las Vegans identify with most because of its regional appeal and star power. Because Los Angeles is only a one-hour flight away, Las Vegas was a perfect partner with the Dodgers, and local fans loved the affiliation.
But the Dodgers moved their top farm team to greener pastures — Albuquerque, if you can believe that — because that city’s stadium has better training and conditioning facilities.
A while back, the city sought proposals to transform Cashman Center — the stadium, theater and convention venue — into something better to generate traffic to the downtown area. The LVCVA manages the facility, but it’s on city ground. The lease agreement with the baseball team promises to give the 51s a new place to play if the stadium is demolished.
City officials would love to see a traffic magnet on the Cashman Center grounds. But the city also has big league dreams, and officials know they stand a better chance of hosting a National Basketball Association or National Hockey League team in a new arena than a Major League Baseball franchise with a stadium. So, for now, the 51s are what we have.
So why would a partnership that includes the Howard Hughes Corp. want to buy the 51s?
Probably because they’ve seen what Coors Field has done for Denver and what Aces Park has done for Reno. Attach a few restaurants and appealing retail outlets to the stadium — something the Howard Hughes people could do well — and you have a successful traffic generator.
The only question now is will it be downtown or, perhaps, in Summerlin where interest in jump-starting the stalled mall project has been renewed?
I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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Las Vegas will never have any type of professional team just because of the legal gambling and its transient population. There are people that have lived here all their lives. But for the most part, Las Vegas' population is made up of people who have not been here too long and probably won't be here too much longer. Hardly a fan base a team needs to succeed. Las Vegas has had many different minor league teams that have always folded because of lack of support. Most Las Vegans support teams from their home towns since most Las Vegans were born elsewhere. Las Vegas doesn't even support its local college football team. Most communities would support (attend games) their local team through hard and good times. Not here... If they don't win, nobody will come. As for the gambling, there are too many problems that legal gambling present to warrant a team. Las Vegas will still be looking for a professional team 20 years from now.
I think you're missing the point, WBTerry 6. A new stadium complex, whether it's for a major league or minor league team, breeds economic development. Considering the summer heat, minor league baseball has a respectable following here. I'm not suggesting that we're going to see a major league team anytime soon. But we do need a new stadium if we expect to keep what we have.
While the Dodgers/51s regional relationship is strong, one could argue that the bond between the Dodgers and Albuquerque is even stronger. Except for the 8 years when the Dodgers were here, the Dodgers have had a team in Albuquerque since 1963.
One could argue the only reason the Dodgers ended up in Las Vegas is because the Albuquerque franchise was sold and relocated to Portland, Oregon due to the fact the stadium in Albuquerque was run down and out of date.
Baseball.....really. The season is as long as the game is tedious. 80 home games with at least 50 in 100+ degree weather. And who is going to foot the $300 - $500 million dollar bill for a new stadium (complex NOT included). Let alone trying to get permission from the other team owners. Outdoor sports that happen during the summer are destined to fail here (ever been to a 51's game in the summer?). IMHO the ONLY sport that would have a chance of success would be basketball, and good luck trying to get the commissioner of the NBA to approve a franchise here. You want economic development, attract more industry to the valley. A diverse industrial base is what is needed to augment the service based industries that currently employ the lions share of residents here. But Southern Nevada does not have the water resources required for high-end manufacturing (semi-conductors, mciro-chips), or the skilled population base to staff these postions. And without skilled labor positions that pay a decent wage, we will continue to be mired in high unemployment and slow growth.
Washington DC turned a Horror of a Neighborhood around with their New Nationals Stadium. They were also smart enough to Build a Subway Stop for the Regions 5 Million Plus Population. Las Vegas would need an Indoor Stadium, usable Mass transit to keep from having a Stadium Surrounded by Parking Lots ( that generate No Revenue outside of the Stadium Itself). In a place like Main Street North of Hwy 95.
As for Denver they also built an Arena, a Football Stadium, and an Indoor Zoo/Aquarium in Downtown Plus they Had Six Flags.
They have Synergy- something all the little fiefdoms of Political Gamesmanship in the Las Vegas area will NEVER accomplish.
Think smaller Las Vegas. First off Cashman borders on a crappy area of Las Vegas. Summerlin is beautiful but no one is going foot the bill to build a 600 million retractable roof stadium. Pure indoor baseball on artificial turf has gone the way of the dinosaur so forget about building a plastic grass facility. Only Tampa is left and they desperately want a new facility. A new minor league facility would be nice and Summerlin would be a great location but it's not going to generate huge economic developmen that a MLB park would. Stick to smaller projects. The shops in Summerlin are a start.
I like the idea of the Summerlin project. Next to Red Rock so the Fertittas might get involved. Good highway access...
The town cannot support a MLB team. The tourists are not going to want to waste up to 5 hours (round trip drive time + game) out of their vacation for a game.
And, locals are not going to help 81 home games average more than 15,000 to 20,000 per game, it's ludicrous to think the stadium would average more people than that.
It's a huge money losing venture all the way around.
We're about to get 2 competing ferris wheels....I'm not that optimistic about any professional sports franchises.
"We're about to get 2 competing ferris wheels"
Well maybe you haven't noticed but one of them is far from a certainty.
Build a new stadium but not with taxpayer money