Wow!! Marlins Baseball To Oklahoma City?

[writerranger]

http://newsok.com/article/1763315/?template=home/main

Major League Baseball to Oklahoma City????

I knew Loria well when he had the 89ers. It truly would not surprise me if somehow this is pulled off. What would happen to Bricktown Ballpark? Where could a major league park be built in OKC? This is huge news. Preliminary or not - Loria's former ties to the city make it exciting.

By the way, I thought this was a big enough story to not bury it in sports.

[floater]

Holy cow!! The same AP article is on SI.com. When it rains, it pours!

I'll set aside thoughts on politics, viability and its impact on the Hornets, and just say Holy Cow, Batman!

[Jack]

I don't think MLB could survive here. You have to have 40,000+ fans at 75 some games. No way that could happen. Plus we don't have a facility for it. Let's just stick with the NBA or NHL for now.

[BDP]

You have to have 40,000+ fans at 75 some games.

I'm skeptical, too, but only 4 teams averaged more than 40k in attendance last year and half averaged below 30k:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

I much more fired up about an NBA team and, at this point, I'd only buy season tickets for that, but the two sports don't compete with each other much and it would be a fun diversion in the summer. The thing about the MLB that sucks is that it's very top heavy and the smaller markets usually aren't that competitive on the field.

[Pete]

I no longer am skeptical of such ideas as I once maintained OKC could never support an NBA team.

[writerranger]

You need more fans, but the fan base for baseball is much larger with MLB than for the NBA. Tickets are also scaled down to a much lower dollar figure. You really can't compare the two in fan support. Look at the 2005 Marlins schedule:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas.../2005/marlins/
Now, think of the families involved with baseball at every level (little league beginning at 4 years old, etc.). With teams like the Phillies, Dodgers, Reds, Mets, Cubs playing in Oklahoma City - there would be huge support. It's not an either/or for MLB and the NBA. In my opinion, they both would have huge corporate and fan support.

[Jack]

I don't think we're a large enough market to support both.

[roboticbrad]

That would be awesome if OKC got an MLB team. Do you think they would just add on to the bricktown ballpark?

[swake]

Um, OKC is not ready for MLB, you really don't want this, the team if you got the team it would never win and the only likely outcome is failure, MLB would be iffy for a city twice OKC's size.

It's all about market size, MLB has no real revenue sharing, no real salary cap, no real national TV deal. The money a team gets is local, mostly from TV sales, even if the Marlins were able to break even, they could never generate the revenue to be able compete with the big market teams, this is why the Marlins, and Royals, and Pirates and others are struggling. MLB baseball has big issues, big market teams make big money and spend tons of money on all the best players, mid market teams play the edges and hope to build using the minors, the small market teams, and OKC would be the very smallest, by a pretty wide margin, get the scraps.

MLB is in need of a major overhaul, but the big market teams don't want that to happen and are willing to fight, and the players don't want it to happen, and they are willing to fight too. So there is an impasse that leaves small market teams to fail on the field and lose money.

[metro]

Look who's spearheading the effort Mary Fallin - enough said

[writerranger]

Look who's spearheading the effort Mary Fallin - enough said

What does that have to do with it? Mary Fallin is the Lt. Governor - an office that has increasingly become one of spearheading economic development. What's the point?

This time last year, I know you were campaigning for the Bethany City Council. ( http://echo.snu.edu/page.php?article=462 ) Did you get on the wrong side of the Lt. Governor then?

[Luke]

The Bricktown Ballpark, I've heard, was built to be expandable to MLB specifications. That was awhile back when it first opened that I heard that.

Plus, I'm not so high on poo-poo-ing the idea of an MLB team so quickly. After seeing all the poo-poo-ing of the idea of an NBA team and then the subsequent success thereof, I'm thinking OKC may be able to hold its own in the major leagues.

[brianinok]

This is good news no matter the outcome. At the very least, it puts a fire under the Hornets and/or the NBA to give us something. [Assuming the Hornets/NBA stay,] I seriously doubt another pro team would look at OKC for another 5-10 years. What this really does is a few things:

1) Give us another "Plan B" incase the Hornets leave and the NBA does not place someone else here.

2) Light a fire under the Hornets/NBA.

3) Get us on the map of another pro league. It seems the worst the Marlins/MLB would say to us is, "we don't think your ready." We will no longer be laughed out of the room like 10 years ago (or even pre-Hornets).

[HOT ROD]

^^

Agree totally.

I totally think OKC could support NBA and MLB. The seasons do not compete and MLB would have ticket prices very similar to the AAA.

why would OKC need to have a larger stadium? Wouldnt it be better to expand the stadium to say 28,000 - adding outfield and suite while revamping the infield bleachers and chairs into boxes and - more suites!

And the corporate support is there, as we know. As is the rest of the state and region. OKC can add to its attractions, hospitality offerings, and infrastructure. This may even help lure corporations as they would find our "quality of life" impeccable (sp).

I think this could totally happen and would definitely put OKC (and OK) on the major leagues (regardless of the Barkley commentary).

Continue the Renaissance!!!

[HOT ROD]

Then there would definitely be "plenty" to do (all of the time) in Oklahoma City!

[soonerguru]

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. There isn't the corporate support here for both NBA and baseball. We don't have a park suitable. We have no proof that we would even have the fan support.

This is an example of Ol' Mary trying to pull a Mick. Ain't gonna happen.

I would have been impressed with her if she handled it all pimp like Cornett did, putting together the money people to make it happen. Without them, it's a campaign ploy. Some call it grandstanding. Dumb.

[soonerguru]

This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. There isn't the corporate support here for both NBA and baseball. We don't have a park suitable. We have no proof that we would even have the fan support.

This is an example of Ol' Mary trying to pull a Mick. Ain't gonna happen.

I would have been impressed with her if she handled it all pimp like Cornett did, putting together the money people to make it happen. Without them, it's a campaign ploy. Some call it grandstanding. Dumb.

[John]

A perfect location for the ballpark would be the eyesore that is the cotton mill co-op thing. Downtown skyline in the outfield, on the banks of the Oklahoma River.

Oklahoma is definately a baseball state.

It is a compliment to our city that they're even talking to us.

I think I've heard the 'it would never work/no corporate base' argument before.

[Midtowner]

Unless Fallin has already seen data from feasibility studies, or something of comparative value, she wouldn't be taken seriously.

My opion on this, however, is that OKC will now become a bargaining/bluffing tool throughout the country. In other words, "Give us X, or we move to OKC." In such situations, the team indeed gets their X, the governmental entity has some way of justifying it to the people (in other states, the people pay attention to things like that), and everyone is quite happy thinking they have either averted a disasterous move of their home team or they have come into possession of new facilities or cash-money.

[metro]

What does that have to do with it? Mary Fallin is the Lt. Governor - an office that has increasingly become one of spearheading economic development. What's the point?

This time last year, I know you were campaigning for the Bethany City Council. ( http://echo.snu.edu/page.php?article=462 ) Did you get on the wrong side of the Lt. Governor then?

writeranger, no hard feelings or crossing of paths with Mary Fallin or any other public figure. Municipal races are non-partisan. With the low profile a Bethany election gets; it probably wasn't even on Mary's radar. I do have my opinions about her though just like everyone else. I'm merely stating simply what soonerguru said about it simply being political grandstanding and riding the coat-tails of Cornett's success with the NBA. After all its election year and she's running for a tough seat. If it was at all feasible, Cornett, Bennett and others at the Oklahoma City level would be on board as well. It's a political stunt, however as some mentioned it can still be a good thing as it will draw all kinds of national attention to us.

[Jack]

May Fallin is so uninformed she can't even see the writing on the wall. The Marlins are only using us, San Antonio, etc. to get their new ballpark built in Miami.

[okieopus]

Okay as much as I would like to see a MLB team here I think it's important to realize that this is a calculated publicity stunt from Fallin. She is showboating for her upcoming race for congress.

All she did was write a letter to the team. Lot's of cities do that. She just happened to issue a press release about it and the media bit. Metro is right.

[Patrick]

I agree with several comments here. We can get 20,000 out to see 40 or so NBA games, or 60,000 to see a handful of football games, but getting 30,000-40,000 fans out every night for 70+ games.....I just can't see that happening in OKC. Plus, we don't even have the facility for it. I hate to sound anti-major league, but let's stick with one major league sport at a time here. We have the facility for NBA or NHL. Let's go with that for now. If our city continues to grow, then maybe we can discuss building a MLB or NFL stadium later.

[floater]

I still think it's flattering being a candidate for any major professional team. Remember, we used to be on the same plane as the Hidalgos, Quad Cities, and Yakimas.

But I agree, it's not going to happen. I don't want it to happen. The only team I want is the Hornets. It's like we've grown together, they as a team and us as city. Not even another NBA team will do.

The Hornets reflect the city so well. It's not glamorous, but it is humble and hard working. It doesn't get much respect from the others. They are young and hungry. Character seems to be a requirement on the team.

[El Gato Pollo Loco!!!]

As much as I would personally love to see Major Leauge here, I don't see it as fesable at the moment. Maybe wait a couple of years with the Hornets (or whatever team actually decides to come/stay here, as I agree with Midtowner and other about the leverage thing). As far as the NHL, that's a pipe dream and not because of OKC, but the league.