Sacramento A's: a dream or a possibility?

[SoupNazi]

With the A's trying to find a new home, what are the chances that they'll end up here in Sac? I know that kings are having difficuly getting a new arena and how can they get one of the A's. I think it can be done.
Iheard a lot of people say that the sac market cant support another pro team. I think they're wrong, we have a lot baseball fans in the sac metro area who'll go to the games. Rivercats have had the best attendence in all of minor league.As for the stadium, I think its not impossible to expand the raley field and add more seats. what ya think?

 

[slugking50]

No chance in hell. Theres not enough corerate funds for another team. Heck, Seems as though theres not enough for the pro franchise we have now

 

[tubiscus]

Too Late

Unfortunately it's too late. In the mid 70's when Bob Lurie was trying to move the Giants out of SF, I used to dream how great night baseball in Sacramento (Somewhere near Sac Metro Airport) would be. I knew it would draw, but who could and how would a stadium be built?

30 years later, and I still think about it. Obviously the A's are the more likely team now, but with the River Cats in W. Sac and the ongoing issues over a replacement for ARCO, what baseball owner would even think of coming here? There are many cities and Metro Areas who'd love to bring the A's in, why fight to bring them here. I just hope they can pull off a move to San Jose, since the Giants are fighting that too.

 

[LPKingsFan]

It would have been nice if they had built Raley Field in a way that was conducive to major-league expansion. Does anyone know if they did?

 

[BobbyJ_for3!]

i hav no idea, but i hope they did

seeing as that i live a little bit away from Raley Field and can't yet drive on my own, i havnt gotten to go out to nearly enough baseball games. But if the A's moved here, i wouldnt be suprised if i went to 30 games a year.

i have a lot of friends who LOVE the A's, and they're families do as well. I think the A's, if given a chance to move here and get a good stadium, would do wonderously well. I also don't see it happening, but theres no reason not to want and hope.

 

[Venom]

I think it would actually be easier to get a downtown stadium than a new arena. ALOT easier. Downtown stadiums are proven community revitalizers. They bring 40,000-60,000 people to the area 81 times every summer. Plus, Sacramento is a big time baseball town. We have a fair amount of guys in the pros, including the National League MVP candidate Derek Lee. Sacramento has never been a basketball town. We put out an NBA player about every ten years or so, but there is no bedrock interest in the sport. The Kings thrive because they are "The Show", with no competitors.

Moreover, baseball stadiums are more aesthetically appealling, a much easier sell to Councilmen and the like. An arena is just a large, boxy building. But these new stadiums are flat out picturesque, just beautiful.

Lastly, baseball is still going strong as a sport. Despite the steroid scandal, and NFL players' legal run-ins, it is NBA players that are usually decried as selfish money-grubbers. There is severe fan antipathy towards the NBA, whereas people still go to the ballpark, and the football stadium, in droves. With the exception of Oakland of course. I'll be honest, if we got a baseball team the Kings could leave, and I wouldn't even care. Let some other city worry about why our team is always so soft, I'll be too busy watching baseball to wonder why the Kings just lost another first round matchup.

No way can Raley Field be expanded enough though. It would take a whole new stadium. They don't take that long to actually build, once the land and financing is in place. A baseball team was always Serna's big dream, and he did a lot of research on it before he died. I think it could happen. We should start firing off some letters to the Bee, demanding some stories about it. The Council seems to listen to the Bee, for whatever reason.

 

[Bricklayer]

Very hard to see that happening for Sacramento right now.

1) there's almost no way you could get a MLB stadium funded in the current environment without a 100% committement from the A's. Sacramentans won't build a sports arena with a clear and pressing need, no way they build a stadium on spec.

2) For a city balking hugely at funding a basketball arena for their existing team, it seems highly unlikley that they could come up with money, a plan, or even the political will for BOTH an arena and a stadium,

3) Any either/or scenario is HIGHLY likely to favor the Maloofs and the Kings as the current team. And at best if it comes down to one or the other you get a warring sides thing where neither side and neither team gets what it needs and Sacto might well lose both. Selling the public on why you are building a new stadium for a non-existent team rather than a new arena for the hometown club would be difficult to say the least.

4) With baseball's ludicrous economic system (or lack thereof), a team in little Sacramento would have almost no hope of ever really competing for a title. Unprotected by a salary cap such as the Kings have, it would be strictly second class citizenhood -- low corporate base, bad TV contracts, smaller population etc. etc.. Tough to convince a team to want to move into that.

The only ways I could see it happening would be:

a) the Kings leave, and then the A's could be the "replacement", although the debacle that would make the Kings leave would be a huge red flag and throw confusion over the whole deal.
b) the Kings get their arena, and then attention could be turned to the A's. But there, you have a balky populace and council already feeling miffed that they had to put out to help build one stadium, and now you are coming to them with a second.
c) some VERY ambitious developer comes along with an idea to build a combo baseball/basketball sporting complex (here I am thinking of Philly, but whereever) and makes them into a package deal.
d) the Maloofs buy the A's and want to move them to Sacto provided the City Council gets off its *** (yeah right!).

 

[Venom]

Brick, I am going to try to take this on point by point.

1. If the A's commit to come here, the stadium would no longer be on spec. It would be creating a venue for an opening 2-3 years down the road.

2. The city and people seem to be balking at a new arena because the Kings already have one. I agree with you, it's asinine, but that's where it's at. Sacramento does not have a stadium capable of supporting an MLB team, therefore it is easier to rationalize building.

3. The Maloofs have screwed the pooch. They have been far too clandestine on this thing. If A's ownership were to come in and say how they love Sacramento, and commit to playing there if a stadium is built, they look like the good guys while the Maloofs look like jerks. Again, this is conjecture of public perception, but that's how see it.

4. There is an MLB team in Milwaukee, Tampa Bay, Denver, and Miami. Some of those cities are bigger than ours, but they are all horrible sports towns. Denver only really cares about hockey, and Miami is second to Atlanta as being the worst metropolis sports town. Just awful. And unless you are the Yankees or Red Sox you are always going to be a second class club. Those are the only two teams that can consistantly buy the top talent.

I think you underestimate how big a sports town in general, and baseball in particular, Sacramento is. The first couple years the River Cats outdrew the A's, no BS. Sacramento is still not a basketball town. The fans are nowhere near as educated about the game as Detroit, Boston, or even San Antonio fans. But Sacramentans know baseball. We have great summer weather, especially at night, and there is a built-in A's fan base. Where else would the A's go? Someone said San Jose. . .no way do the A's sell out San Jose. I can gaurantee the A's would sell out every night game, and most day games in Sacramento.

A baseball team is alot more attractive from a councilman's perspective as well. Baseball stadiums are proven downtown rejuvenators. "Some" arenas have done that, but most often in conjunction with a stadium, such as Denver and Cleveland. Plus, there are 40 more home games bringing people downtown, 20 thousand to 40 thousand more of those people, and it is during summer when they are more likely to hang out before and after to have a drink or dinner or what have you. From an economic standpoint, baseball makes a hell of a lot more sense. And, I cannot over emphasize this, baseball stadiums are amazing, modern day archetectural master pieces. They truly are the jewels of the cities that build them. For all of San Francisco's grandeur, all anybody can talk about is SBC Park. Sure, that will fade a little with time, but its a gorgeous setting. People take trips just to see games at certain ballparks. I do that quite frequently. You want to talk about a city putting itself on the tourism map, build a baseball stadium. Baltimore was known as the STD capitol of America until it built the new Camden Yards. An arena is just a huge box, they're all the same on the inside. The only arena anyone gets excited about is Madison Square Garden. The smart money is on a baseball stadium.

 

[mr. moustache]

Brick, I am going to try to take this on point by point.
For all of San Francisco's grandeur, all anybody can talk about is SBC Park. Sure, that will fade a little with time, but its a gorgeous setting. People take trips just to see games at certain ballparks. I do that quite frequently. You want to talk about a city putting itself on the tourism map, build a baseball stadium. Baltimore was known as the STD capitol of America until it built the new Camden Yards. An arena is just a huge box, they're all the same on the inside. The only arena anyone gets excited about is Madison Square Garden. The smart money is on a baseball stadium.

Wasn't SBC park funded 100% without public money?

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Denver only cares about Hockey? I bet Jake Plummer wishes that were true after last season...

 

[QueensFan]

There was an article in the Bee about this about a year ago that said it would cost about $300 mil to convert raley field to a major league park by adding another deck.

 

[ForlornKing]

Well to answer your questin Raley Field WAS built to expand into a major league stadium.

 

[BobbyJ_for3!]

I can deff take ur word for it, and will, but can I ask where you heard this from?

I would hope it was, because Sacramento is evidentally more than just a basketball town.

 

[Ryan]

My dad used to be in the committee to bring professional sports into Sacramento. I think once in the 80's he and the committee bought out the entire upper level of the A's game with Sacramento ticket buyers. The owner invited him in and said if Sacramento could get a stadium built, the A's would most likely move there.

I think eventually we will have the A's. Sacramento is the perfect baseball town, not to mention over 25% of Oakland season ticket holders are from Sacramento.

 

[BobbyJ_for3!]

My dad used to be in the committee to bring professional sports into Sacramento. I think once in the 80's he and the committee bought out the entire upper level of the A's game with Sacramento ticket buyers. The owner invited him in and said if Sacramento could get a stadium built, the A's would most likely move there.

I think eventually we will have the A's. Sacramento is the perfect baseball town, not to mention over 25% of Oakland season ticket holders are from Sacramento.

thats some nice, good info

gracias ryan

Go Sacramento A's lol

 

[SlimKid15]

Hey why dont the kings and A's just get together and build an arena and a stadium on the same land...kinda like the warriors and A's did. Probably wont happen, but its a thought.

 

[SoupNazi]

Article from today's San Jose Mercury News:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/12152023.htm


Potential is there for Sacramento to gain major league team

BY JOE STIGLICH

Knight Ridder Newspapers


SACRAMENTO, Calif. - (KRT) - Paul Gonzales floats five miles down the Sacramento River on his cabin cruiser before every River Cats home game, walks across the Tower Bridge and settles into his Raley Field seats to cheer on his team.

It's a tradition going on six years for Gonzales, who lives in Rocklin but keeps his boat docked near Raley Field.

He's been a Sacramento River Cats season-ticket holder ever since the Triple-A baseball franchise re-located from Vancouver to the capital city before the 2000 season.

Someday, Gonzales would love for his journey to lead him to a major league stadium.

"We've been starving for baseball for a long time," Gonzales said.

The River Cats, who serve as the A's Triple-A affiliate, have won back-to-back Pacific Coast League titles. They've also led the minor leagues in attendance since 2000, regularly packing 14,680-seat Raley Field.

Fans such as Gonzales see this and believe it's evidence that Sacramento is ready for a major league franchise.

The city often gets mentioned when rumors circulate about the A's leaving Oakland.

In the late 1990s, Sacramento explored the possibility of landing an expansion team.

Can't you just see Arnold Schwarzenegger firing out the ceremonial first pitch for Sacramento's own big league team?

But to some it's a dream, and an irrelevant one at that.

"Nobody is really thinking in that regard any longer," said John McCasey, executive director of the Sacramento Sports Commission. "(The River Cats) have filled that void. Everyone is content."

According to Greg Van Dusen, who helped negotiate the deal that delivered the NBA's Kings from Kansas City to Sacramento in 1985, the city holds great potential for major league baseball.

"I think the market has grown tremendously since those days," Van Dusen said. "It's very ripe. The weather is terrific. There are (stadium) sights available."

But building a stadium could be a roadblock to big league baseball ever arriving in the capital.

Plans for building a baseball venue in Sacramento date as far back as 1979, with Gregg Lukenbill spearheading the effort.

Among the proposed sites for a stadium was a piece of land next to Arco Arena, where construction was started several years ago before plans were abandoned.

"You can still see the concrete outline of the grandstands," River Cats fan Ryan Koledin said. "If they had finished that, we'd have a team now. We might have gotten the A's."

Van Dusen still believes the land around Arco Arena is the ideal site for a stadium if the financing were available for it.

"The major hang up in the Sacramento market always has been the public sector's hesitance to be involved in any way, other than a regulatory fashion, in the development of facilities," he said.

Stadium difficulties aside, there are River Cats fans who believe Sacramento would support a major league team.

Koledin, who has lived in Sacramento since 1956, said he hasn't been to a Giants or A's game since 1968. He prefers to cheer on local teams, such as the Kings and various Sacramento State squads.

"(The River Cats) get about 10,000 for a game," Koledin said. "You'd have to get 20-30,000 for a major league game. They could probably get the attendance. If the team was halfway decent, they'd keep coming too."

Dori McKirgan stood outside Raley Field during the Triple-A All-Star Game festivities last week and talked passionately about Sacramento deserving a big league team.

The Fair Oaks resident said her family regularly makes the long car ride to watch the Giants and A's.

"Baseball is so big here," McKirgan said. "We've got more traveling (youth) teams in (Sacramento) county than all the surrounding counties put together."

According to www.census.gov, Sacramento's population of 454,330 ranked seventh among California cities in 2004.

But Van Dusen thinks it's the outlying areas around the city that hold the promise of potential ticket buyers.

"A lot of the economic growth is just east of Sacramento," he said. "Placer County, which is just booming, from a financial standpoint is like Orange County North."

If fan knowledge and passion count for anything, Tucson Sidewinders pitcher Jason Bulger thinks Sacramento meets the major league requirement.

Bulger was in Sacramento playing in the Triple-A All-Star Game.

"I love this city. The fans are amazing," Bulger said. "It's a great baseball town. I think they know the game a little bit better. They recognize good plays. I don't think you get this in a lot of cities."