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It's about time we get a MLB team in our city
All we need is an NFL team and the whole enchilada is complete
It's about time we get a MLB team in our city
All we need is an NFL team and the whole enchilada is complete
It's about time we get a MLB team in our city
All we need is an NFL team and the whole enchilada is complete
Move the Marlins here.
Then, move the Jaguars here.
Then were set.
Move the Marlins here.
Then, move the Jaguars here.
Then were set.
dont forget an NHL team
That's right!
I'm an NBA, MLB, & NFL fan
Non-Hodgkins lymphoma?
I think we can live without hockey.
Eh...I don't know about that. Have you been to a Rampage game before? The most I've seen there is around 3500 people and that's when the military folk come. Hockey doesn't bring a huge crowd, especially in San Antonio.
I'm all for an MLB team here though. Bring It!!!!
How did I miss this thread?? Leverage pipe dream?? Maybe but it seems they are disgruntled with Florida and are truly looking to relocate. I hope it's here because watching baseball on tv suks....
Austin can have the NHL team. Austin can help support our NBA, NFL, and MLB teams and San Antonio can help support their NHL team. Oh, and Longhorns
Here's the pitch on Marlins
Web Posted: 04/01/2006 12:00 AM CST
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
A proposed baseball-specific stadium in Bexar County that would serve as a home for the Florida Marlins likely would seat 38,700 and include 69 suites, County Judge Nelson Wolff said Friday during a meeting with local business leaders.
With their first face-to-face meeting with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria just days away, Wolff, District Attorney Susan Reed and other county officials spoke to a gathering of nearly 30 people about Bexar County's plans to lure the Marlins to San Antonio.
Mayor Phil Hardberger and former mayor Henry Cisneros also were present at a meeting that was part pep rally and part strategy session for a group that included the heads of most of the area's chambers.
"There is communitywide support already being generated, and the message today was how much support can we take to the Marlins," said Duane Wilson, president and CEO of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. "We want to show them we can fill the suites, and that the community as a whole loves baseball."
Wolff said he has received 36 non-binding, oral commitments from area businesses to rent suites. That information, he said, will be passed on to Loria on Monday in Houston, where a San Antonio contingent led by Wolff, Hardberger and Reed will watch the Marlins' season opener against the Astros as Loria's guest.
The highlight of Friday's hourlong meeting hosted by the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce was a computer-generated slide show that included details about the proposed stadium and the outline for a memorandum of agreement between the county and the team.
According to the Marlins, the ballpark likely would sit on 18.2 acres, require an additional 100-140 acres for parking and include 38 luxury suites with 16 seats each.
There also would be 24 premium suites (20 seats each) and seven party suites (30 seats). The four newest ballparks in MLB have an average of 64 suites.
The presentation didn't address the cost of the proposed ballpark, the possible sites or whether it would have a retractable roof. Wolff said the Marlins told him weeks ago the stadium would cost $310 million, not including a retractable roof or the cost of the land.
Wolff's plan to pay for the proposed stadium requires the county to provide as much as $200 million, with the Marlins picking up the rest of the tab. The county's share would be generated, pending voter approval, through an extension of the hotel and car rental taxes paying for the AT&T Center.
Should the Marlins decide to enter into serious negotiations, county officials say they hope the talks would mirror their arena negotiations with the Spurs in 1999. That process began with the team sending the county a letter of intent.
The parties then entered into a memorandum of agreement, which was needed for the county to call an election.
After voters approved a 1.75 percent tax on hotel stays and a 5 percent tax on car rentals to pay $147.5 million in county bonds, a lease agreement was negotiated. The Spurs paid the rest, including cost overruns.
"That's the template we want to use," said Seth Mitc , Wolff's chief of staff.
To reach a memorandum of agreement, county officials say the Marlins must commit to the following:
A long-term presence in Bexar County.
A cap on the county's fiscal contribution.
Responsibility for construction and operation of the ballpark.
Meaningful local ownership.
Wolff said several parties have approached him about becoming minority owners in the Marlins.
San Antonio billionaire B.J. "Red" McCombs confirmed Friday he spoke last week with Marlins president David Samson in a "friendly, get-acquainted" phone call.
McCombs told the San Antonio Express-News last month he would give serious consideration to buying into the Marlins if it would help the team move to San Antonio.
Samson "just called to introduce himself," McCombs said Friday. "He said he appreciated the comment about my interest in the Marlins and that he enjoyed his discussions with Judge Wolff and that the team's interest in San Antonio was serious. There was no commitment given and none was asked.
"I think San Antonio has a great shot (at landing the Marlins). Obviously, a lot has to be done before that can be accomplished. But when you have the president of the club just calling an interested citizen saying, 'I want to thank you for making a positive comment and am interested in San Antonio,' it's a good sign."
Red was talking about all the great signs he was getting from Tom Benson a few months ago.
David Samson told me that he really enjoyed San Antonio, would make for a good market, but that the Marlins preference is to remain in South Florida.
Not really news, but.....
Miami has brought this all onto themselves.
Yeah well luckly Tags isn't the commish for the MLB.
, if Tags was the commish for the NBA he'd have the Spurs relocating right now.
Thank god that guy is retiring.
You actually spoke to David Smason personally?
Thank god for san antonio? or the business that he turned into a multi billion dollar a year company? he did what he thought was best for the NFL. Probably the right decision.Yeah well luckly Tags isn't the commish for the MLB.
, if Tags was the commish for the NBA he'd have the Spurs relocating right now.
Thank god that guy is retiring.
via email.
do it on a semi-regular basis.
Das Texan is right. The Marlins prefer to stay in south Florida. They have openly mentioned that several times. Don't be surprised if they do. Who cares if SA is used as leverage. What this has done is brought out legitimate studies about SA"s ability to support another pro team. If the Marlins don't pan out for SA there will be another opportunity. Get over the leverage arguement, already. If SA really wants another team it may take several tries. This is the first "real" shot at a team. But keep in mind there are no commitments by anyone yet on either side.
No. I'm referring to the Lone Star Brewery south of Blue Star on Lone Star Blvd as Greenberg mentions. The development you are referring to is the old Pearl Brewery just north of the SA Museum of Art. It's being developed by Silver Ventures (Kit Goldsbury).
No temporary site available. They would not play here until a new stadium is built. Probably 2010. If were lucky 2009 but I doubt it.
Loria: Marlins' talks about San Antonio move 'serious'
Associated Press
HOUSTON -- Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said Sunday that discussions with San Antonio officials about the possibility of relocating the team there are serious.
San Antonio has been trying to lure the team and county officials have offered to put up $200 million toward an estimated $300 million ballpark if voters approve extending a tax on hotel and car rentals.
The Marlins slashed their payroll to about $15 million in the offseason because of poor attendance and no progress in Loria's bid for a baseball-specific stadium. Florida plays at Dolphins Stadium, home of Miami's NFL team.
"We're still looking at all our options, but our talks in San Antonio are serious," Loria said on Sunday at Minute Maid Park before addressing his team.
Loria said several officials from San Antonio would join him on Monday when the Marlins open the season against the Houston Astros.
"I've invited them to join us to learn more about San Antonio," he said.
He remained evasive when asked whether he has any hope the Marlins can remain in South Florida, but said no negotiations are ongoing there.
"I really don't know how to answer that," he said. "I can only tell you at this moment that there's nothing going on in South Florida."
Loria doesn't think the relocation issue will be a distraction to his team this season.
"That will get settled one way or another," he said.
Loria has repeatedly said that the Marlins' would prefer to remain in South Florida, but he was less adamant about the issue on Sunday. He has said they will not remain in Dolphins Stadium past 2010.
"We're going to look at all options there and we're also going to look at some other cities," he said.
The tax proposal that Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, has offered would ask voters to extend a hotel and car rental tax approved in 1999 by 20 to 30 years to fund the stadium.
The vote could come as early as the November elections.
this is actually one of very few times i will go out and vote in a local election for the hotel and car rental tax to bring the marlins here. as long as it doesnt affect me, im cool wit it. i think the outcome of this vote will determine how interested SA is in bringin in another pro team into town.
Now that the Marlin (apparently) has talked the city/county into footing the bill for a stadium, another shoe drops:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met...s.8414f41.html
Marlins boss says S.A. TV deal crucial
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
HOUSTON A lucrative television contract tops the conditions that would persuade the Florida Marlins to seek permission from Major League Baseball to move to San Antonio, a high-ranking team official said Sunday.
For the first time since preliminary talks about a possible Marlins' move to San Antonio began in December, team President David Samson spelled out many details that would have to be met for the club to agree to relocation.
No. 1 is the team's need for a TV deal that would generate millions of dollars per season.
"(Stadium) naming rights, suite deals, season-ticket sales, corporate support without all of that there is no franchise," Samson said. "But TV revenue is the engine that keeps the train rolling."
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who is spearheading local efforts to lure the Marlins, has received 36 nonbinding commitments from area businesses and individuals to rent suites at a cost of $100,000-$200,000 a season. A proposed stadium for the Marlins in Bexar County would include 69 suites.
"I'm not trying to say suites aren't important, because that is very high on the list," Samson said. "But all those suites put together don't add up to what can be generated through broadcasting."
Samson addressed the team's relocation needs in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News before the Marlins' opener tonight against the Houston Astros. Several local leaders, including Wolff, District Attorney Susan Reed and Mayor Phil Hardberger will attend the game as guests of Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.
Loria kept his comments to a minimum and spoke mainly in generalities Sunday, but he made it clear San Antonio is the team's top relocation option.
"Our talks with San Antonio are serious," Loria said. "We like what we see and will continue this process. But like all processes it takes time, and we want to be thorough and deliberate."
Bexar County has offered $200 million toward a ballpark, which the team estimates would cost at least $310 million, if voters approve an extension of the tourism taxes paying for the AT&T Center. An election could come as early as November.
The Marlins repeatedly have said they wish to remain in South Florida, but the team says it needs an additional $100 million and free land to put together a deal with Miami-Dade County for a $400 million baseball-specific stadium. The Marlins have offered to spend as much as $212 million for the project.
The Marlins play at Dolphins Stadium, home of Miami's NFL team. It ranked near the bottom of the National League in attendance last season.
The team's lease expires after the 2007 season, but a series of one-year options would allow it to remain through 2010.
"It's overstating it to say talks have stalled (in Florida)," Samson said. "We aren't going back and forth with term sheets, but we are still having global discussions not unlike the talks we are having with Nelson."
Samson called Bexar County's stadium financing plan "an extraordinarily good start to the framework of a deal" but said the Marlins need more specifics and revenue guarantees from Wolff before committing $212 million for a stadium in San Antonio.
"When baseball examines this deal at the end of the day, it is my opinion they would not allow us to move anywhere for the same deal," Samson said. "They would want us to be in a better position."
That's where TV comes into play, Samson said.
FSN Florida, an affiliate of Fox Sports Net, recently received exclusive rights to televise Marlins games in South Florida beginning this season. Samson declined to reveal the amount Fox is paying the Marlins to broadcast as many as 150 of their 162 games.
"The biggest issue we are having right now as we go through the numbers in San Antonio is trying to figure out where we fit in the broadcast market," Samson said.
"It's the No. 1 factor we can't firmly come to grips with, and it's a huge area of compe ion between Major League Baseball teams and a huge factor in revenue sharing."
Sources said the Marlins already have had exploratory talks with Fox Sports Southwest.
"They are aware of our current situation and recognize the possibility of us moving into one of their markets," Samson said.
San Antonio is the nation's No. 37 media market. Fox Sports Southwest broadcasts Astros games to San Antonio.
Asked what would happen with the Astros and Fox if the Marlins move to San Antonio, Samson said: "It's complicated. A TV territory would have to be carved out and then monetized."
Samson said he is convinced San Antonio's impressive "growth cycle" will continue. But it's not clear whether MLB agrees, he said.
"The worst thing that can happen with a relocation is that it doesn't work," Samson said. "So baseball has to make sure about San Antonio. Beyond the honeymoon, what is the market going to look like. Is this the right move? That's critical."
But there are other factors, Samson said.
"They are looking at revenue, they are pondering the impact relocation would have on divisional alignments, they are pondering the historical significance of a relocation, they are pondering a two-time World Series-winning franchise relocating," Samson said.
"Relocation is hard in all sports. It doesn't just happen overnight. And that's not a stall tactic to get leverage in Florida by any stretch. It's just the reality of the process baseball has embraced for relocation. It's a seldom used, very burdensome process, and it takes intestinal for ude on behalf of a city and an owner to get to the end of the day."
You're right. My fault, I just saw brewery and my mind when to the Pearl.
That is a great location.
And if you could relocate those rail lines, you could probably have a light rail conttecting that site with both the Alamodome and the AT&T Center.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met...s.d7906d6.html
S.A. makes first pitch to Marlins owner
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
HOUSTON If San Antonio fails to land the Florida Marlins, the blame will land squarely on the city's ranking as the nation's No. 37 media market, county and city officials said Monday after their first meeting with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.
"The meeting went great and their interest in San Antonio is sincere," Mayor Phil Hardberger said. "But our small media market is a significant obstacle. It's there and you can't sell yourself around it."
Loria, who entertained a San Antonio contingent that also included Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and District Attorney Susan Reed at the Marlins season opener against the Houston Astros, declined to comment.
The Marlins, who enjoy what team President David Samson calls "very impressive" television ratings in South Florida, recently received a lucrative television contract from Fox Sports Network Florida.
Team officials say they aren't sure what kind of a deal they would get in San Antonio because FSN Southwest already must broadcast Astros and Texas Rangers games in South Texas.
But industry experts and sources with knowledge of the relocation talks between city and county officials and the Marlins, say the Marlins won't get a better television deal in San Antonio. Miami/Fort Lauderdale is the nation's No. 17 media market.
Samson told the San Antonio Express-News on Sunday that a rich local television contract tops the list of conditions that would convince the Marlins to seek permission from Major League Baseball to move to San Antonio.
"(Stadium) naming rights, suite deals, season-ticket ticket sales, corporate support without all of that there is no franchise," Samson said. "But TV revenue is the engine that keeps the train rolling."
But Samson also said it has been difficult to determine how much television revenue is available in San Antonio because it doesn't know what kind of territory MLB would carve out for the team. Wolff said the Marlins are considering asking MLB to include northern Mexico in the equation.
"The stadium deal we've offered will work fine and the economic forecast for San Antonio is favorable," Wolff said. "The two big unknowns are the media piece and what kind of territory MLB would give."
Said Fox Sports senior vice president for communications Lou D'Ermilio:
"The Marlins and FSN signed a new long-term TV agreement last year that makes FSN Florida the local television home of the Marlins well into this century," D'Ermilio said. "At the time the deal was consummated, both parties knew relocation was a possibility and took that into consideration. While the Marlins and FSN have had preliminary conversations about potential relocation markets, specific conversations can't take place until the Marlins and the team determine what the process and timetable can be."
Hardberger said the Marlins like the growth potential for San Antonio, which has a booming corporate base and is expected to grow in population in the next five years.
But the television problem could be insurmountable, Hardberger said.
"We are growing tremendously and our media market will grow and time is on our side, but right now it's small compared to (the Marlins) standards," Hardberger said.
Minutes before sitting down with the San Antonio contingent in a box behind the Marlins' dugout at Minute Maid Park, Samson insisted the team isn't using the Alamo City as leverage to squeeze a better stadium deal from Miami-Dade County or other municipalities in South Florida.
"If that was what we were trying to do, we have miserably failed," said Samson, referring to the team's inability to strike a deal for a baseball-specific stadium in the Sunshine State.
Wolff and Hardberger flanked Loria for much of the game. They also took turns chatting with Samson, Loria's stepson, who also spent an inning or two talking to Reed.
Other San Antonians seated in the box included Wolff's wife, Tracy; Hardberger's wife, Linda; Lyle Larson, County Commissioner Precinct 3; Seth Mitc , Wolff's chief of staff; and Ed Schweninger, chief of Bexar County's civil section.
Joel A. Mael, Marlins vice chairman, and P.J. Loyello, Marlins senior vice president for communications and broadcasting, also were present.
The Marlins say they want to remain in South Florida. But stadium talks there have slowed, mainly because the team insists it needs $100 million and free land to complete a deal for a $400 million stadium in Miami-Dade County. The Marlins have offered to pay as much as $212 million to fund the project, mainly through rent payments.
The Marlins' lease at Dolphins Stadium expires after the 2007 season, but a series of one-year options would allow the team to continue to play there through the 2010 season.
Bexar County has offered $200 million to build a $310 million stadium should voters extend the hotel and rental-car taxes that are paying for the AT&T Center.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...e.4266898.html
Baseball: Wolff ponders setting deadline for Marlins
Web Posted: 04/05/2006 12:00 AM CDT
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
County Judge Nelson Wolff said Tuesday he is considering giving Major League Baseball a deadline for announcing whether it plans to allow the Florida Marlins to enter into serious relocation negotiations with Bexar County.
The county wants to accelerate talks because it faces an Aug.15 deadline to put an item on the Nov. 7 ballot asking voters to extend the tourism taxes paying for the AT&T Center.
"If the objective is to go with a November vote, you have to get some decisions made," Wolff said. "We don't need to drag this on forever. I might tell (the Marlins), 'You just need to punt if we don't get it done by so and so a date.' I have to think of timing and things like that."
The Marlins are waiting for MLB to say whether San Antonio, which already has one major-league franchise in the NBA's Spurs, is a viable baseball market.
One question that must be answered, the Marlins say, is whether the team could gain a lucrative local television deal in San Antonio, the nation's No. 37 media market.
Wolff said the Marlins are exploring ways to increase the revenue they would receive through broadcasting rights.
"They are stretching every way to make this work," Wolff said. "We just don't know yet if they can make it work."
Wolff said the Marlins are even studying the prospects of gaining television revenue from northern Mexico.
Former mayor Henry Cisneros is prepared to assist Marlins president David Samson in that effort, Wolff said.
"He and David were going to talk about the Mexico market," Wolff said. "Henry's got a pretty good grasp of that with his connections with (Univision)."
Cisneros stepped down in 2000 as president and chief operating officer of Los Angeles-based Univision Communications Inc., ending a 31/2-year stint with the nation's largest Spanish-language television network.
Wolff, who heads San Antonio's recruitment of the Marlins, spent the past two days in Houston meeting with Samson and Marlins president Jeffrey Loria. On Monday, Loria and Samson entertained Wolff, Mayor Phil Hardberger and District Attorney Susan Reed at the team's season opener in Houston.
Lyle Larson, County Commissioner Precinct 3, also attended the game as Loria's guest. Larson said he thinks there is a 30 percent chance San Antonio will land the Marlins.
"Major League Baseball and the TV situation represent significant hurdles for the Marlins," Larson said.
Larson also speculated that Astros owner Drayton McLane would oppose the Marlins moving to San Antonio, which has long supported the Astros.
"I think Nelson needs to meet with McLane to discuss this with him," Larson said.
The Astros have declined to comment about the Marlins' flirtations with San Antonio. Tom Hicks, the owner of the state's other baseball team, the Texas Rangers, told the Dallas Morning News on Monday he would welcome the addition of a third team.
"It's pretty unbelievable that Texas is the second-largest state in terms of population and that we have only two baseball teams," Hicks said. "California has five. I think eventually we will have another team. Whether this is the time or not, I'm not sure. If the voters in San Antonio support it, we certainly would, too."
The Marlins also have talked to officials from Portland, Ore., and Norfolk, Va., about relocation. Charlotte is also on the Marlins' list, but that city's mayor told The Charlotte Observer he doesn't believe it could support a third major-league team.
"We're not ready," McCrory said. "If (the Marlins) see the same numbers we have, you question why they're interested. I want to make sure we're not being played."
The TV deal isn't really another shoe drop. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that SA is a smaller market all around than Miami. Smaller population, income, stadium AND TV market. Duh! The Marlins know that. But you have to go through the PR motions, I guess. Even the NFL and NBA have talked about Mexico. But is the MLB willing to be the first and take a risk to see if it really can generate revenue using Northern Mexico as a TV market? My gut feeling is no. Maybe if there is some creative way they can divy up the tv market SA might still have a good chance. And if SA is taken out of consideration and they still don't get a deal worked out in Miami then Marlins are butt ing themselves.
I'm glad the Wolffman is considering a deadline. It's okay if you use SA as leverage but only for so long. If you're really not interested, GTFO. Next please.
Los San Antonio Aztecs
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