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Post by TheDeuce on Aug 15, 2012 23:58:28 GMT -6
These days new NFL stadiums cost, oh, about $1 billion dollars (makes me laugh when the Bombers say our $190 million stadium will be "state-of-the-art"). {snip} Well, which art are we discussing the state of? It will be a state-of-the-art CFL stadium from all the information that I've seen. Have you seen any information to the contrary? Will it be a state-of-the-art NFL stadium? Nope. And it doesn't need to be. Nor has anyone claimed it would be. m.
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Post by lukemiguez on Aug 27, 2012 19:54:27 GMT -6
These days new NFL stadiums cost, oh, about $1 billion dollars (makes me laugh when the Bombers say our $190 million stadium will be "state-of-the-art"). {snip} Well, which art are we discussing the state of? It will be a state-of-the-art CFL stadium from all the information that I've seen. Have you seen any information to the contrary? Will it be a state-of-the-art NFL stadium? Nope. And it doesn't need to be. Nor has anyone claimed it would be. m. Worth noting the issues related to scale in comparing NFL stadia to CFL stadia. Larger venues (70k attendence+) tend to be disproportionately priced when compared with smaller venues (~40k) and costs can run up incredibly fast with size. This is also why Hockey arenas won't push into the 25-30k attendence range to cater to a different financial dynamic (more attendence with lower average ticket price), the costs of building a 30k capacity arena is just way too large to make the economics feasible long term. The Bombers' stadium can be just as "state of the art" as an NFL stadium even with the disproportionate difference in price tags attached.
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Post by wolfmannick on Aug 27, 2012 21:52:37 GMT -6
^ See MTS Centre for NHL comparison on the subject
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Post by wolfmannick on Sept 4, 2012 10:47:51 GMT -6
Expos Fans at Blue Jays Game
They came from Vancouver and California, from Sherbrooke and Montreal. They came to reminisce and root one more time together.
Organized by the Montreal Expos Facebook fan page, 200 Expos fans gathered in section 240 of Sunday's Tampa Bay Rays versus Toronto Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre. With the game being secondary, the fans proudly wore their Expos gear, in the hopes of garnering media attention and to show the baseball world that passion for the game lives on in La Belle Province.
Former Expos manager and longtime front office executive Jim Fanning was among the supporters in the section. Donning an Expos cap, the current Blue Jays consultant travelled to the game from his London, Ontario home. Fanning made time for each and every fan who wanted to chat or take a picture with him.
Other noteworthy Expos fans in the section included journalist Rich Griffin, a former 23-year Expos public relations employee. Others included baseball author and journalist Jonah Keri, as well as hip hop artist Annakin Slayd.
The highlight of the day was when a former Expos player on the field acknowledged the crowd. Rays third base coach Tom Foley, a former Expos player from 1986 to 1992, succumbed to the cheers for him and tipped his cap and waved to the Expos fans in attendance.
The media also took note of the happenings in section 240 on this day. The Rays' television broadcast team actually featured the Expos fans on their telecast and profiled the Expos careers of both Foley and Rays bench coach Dave Martinez. Tampa Bay is much maligned in attendance at the moment and Montreal has been recently written about as a potential worst case alternative for the franchise.
To view a video on the day from an Expos fan on hand click here:
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Post by floatyghosthat on Sept 10, 2012 9:11:15 GMT -6
The media also took note of the happenings in section 240 on this day. The Rays' television broadcast team actually featured the Expos fans on their telecast and profiled the Expos careers of both Foley and Rays bench coach Dave Martinez. Tampa Bay is much maligned in attendance at the moment and Montreal has been recently written about as a potential worst case alternative for the franchise.Any more info on this?
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Post by mikecubs on Sept 11, 2012 4:55:50 GMT -6
^^^This is from last fall. What's next for Tampa Bay Rays?Owner Stuart Sternberg frustrated by much more than season-ending loss to Rangers In September, Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg watched his plucky team, the one with baseball's second-lowest payroll, pull off one of the most dramatic comebacks in history to reach the postseason for the third time in four years. On a gorgeous October afternoon Tuesday, Sternberg walked inside the Rays' 20-year-old domed stadium for a possible elimination game. Even with blue tarps spread across sections of seats, the game drew about 6,000 fans under capacity. Sternberg then watched his team's season end with a 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers. And while liquids sprayed in the Rangers clubhouse down the hall, a very, very frustrated Sternberg stood in the middle of a very dry and very quiet Rays clubhouse. " I am frustrated this year," Sternberg said of losing to the Rangers for the second consecutive year. " We've replicated last year [on the field] and our attendance numbers were down 15 percent and our ratings were down. The rubber has got to meet the road at some point here. When you go through the season, you control your own destiny, if you win out. We're getting to the point where we don't control our own destiny. This is untenable as a model going forward."Sternberg made no threats nor speculations, but it's never good to hear owners talk about rubber hitting the road.Michael Lewis and Hollywood made "Moneyball" about the wrong team. The franchise that has overcome every obstacle over the past decade is the Rays. Despite needing Groupon to stay within budget, they have reached the postseason three times, won the AL East title twice and played in a World Series the past four years. And yet only Oakland drew fewer fans this season (1.5 million)." When I came in here in '05 and '06, I saw the stars, and I was confident that we could put a winning product on the field -- and I was told by you guys and others that all we needed was a winning team," Sternberg said. "Well, we won. We won. We won. And we won. And it didn't do it."The Rays won the first game of this series 9-0 when they started a rookie who was pitching for the Durham Bulls one month ago. They lost the final three by four total runs. The difference in Game 4 was Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre, who tied the postseason record with three home runs. The Rangers signed Beltre to a five-year, $80 million contract last winter. That's almost twice the entire Rays payroll ($42 million). His average salary ($16 million) is as much as every Ray who was on field for the first pitch combined. "[The Rangers] thump. They pitch the ball. They have some pitchers who've improved and they went out in the offseason and during the season and spent and spent and picked up some players," Sternberg said. "You go back a couple years and their attendance and ours was identical. And they're a different franchise this year. They won. [Attendance] went through the roof." It probably doesn't make Sternberg feel any better that the Rangers were bankrupt last year, either. The Rangers went from that bankruptcy to new ownership and their first World Series in club history. Unlike the Rays, they also were able to parlay that World Series into robust attendance and popularity. Although their payroll is still a middle-of-the-road $92 million, they're advancing to the American League Championship Series thanks to a potent offense; deep, underrated pitching; and excellent defense. According to the Cot's Baseball Contracts site, the Rays' payroll is lower this year than it was three years ago. And it's $30 million lower than last year. This made for an interesting scene after the game. Rangers minority owner Nolan Ryan stood outside the Rangers clubhouse, so low-key it was if they had just won a game in June rather than a postseason series. He talked about the versatility and veteran presence Beltre gave them and about what lay ahead. "We've got a ways to go yet," he said. "This is the first step." Meanwhile, Sternberg talked about how the financial decisions made in the past couple years limited the Rays this year. He says he would make those decisions again but admitted wondering how more money would have helped."When you're sitting here at this point and you lost by a run, you know another X dollars might have changed things," Sternberg said. "Three or five million wouldn't have changed things necessarily but 15 to 30 might have. That's where we were. And for the foreseeable future that's what we've got." The Rays have been pushing for a new stadium for several years. That is not a popular agenda at any time, but particularly not during a crushing recession." You can look at us and potentially Oakland as the only teams in that respect," Sternberg said. "And Oakland by hook and crook will have a situation clearer well before we will, and we will be the last man standing. Or in this case, lying down."Despite Sternberg's frustration, the Rays actually are in better shape this winter than last. Unlike last year when they lost Carl Crawford, three other All-Stars and much of the bullpen, the core of this year's team (other than perhaps B.J. Upton) is expected back. Plus, Matt Moore is a promising arm to join a rotation that led the league in ERA. They will be competitive again next year. But how long can the Rays continue to produce talent and stay within their budget?
"I don't have all the answers to it, but we've answered any questions stadium related, market related, economy related, area related, sport related," Sternberg said. "Whatever you want to say, there are 29 other teams passing us like we're going in reverse right now. Except on the field. And at some point that changes. …" To a team, winning solves ills. And we are four years into winning and we're no better off right now."espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2011/story/_/id/7059990/tampa-bay-rays
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Post by mikecubs on Sept 11, 2012 5:10:13 GMT -6
Here is more Cromartie laying the groundwork for MLB's return to Montreal It's an effort that won't pay off any time soon, but former Expo Warren Cromartie says he's meeting with local business owners to bring Major League Baseball back to Montreal. MLB teams don't move very often -- in the last 30 years, the only team to move was the Montreal Expos, ironically -- so obviously an attempt to bring in a team would be historic. And while there are no teams seeking a move right now, we're guessing at some point Oakland and Tampa will talk move if new-ballpark efforts fail. Plus, MLB certainly likes to have another market in the pocket while new ballparks are being discussed -- even if it's not used, the threat of franchise movement must be taken seriously -- and with cities like Charlotte, Las Vegas and San Antonio lacking in any credible MLB efforts, MLB really needs Montreal as a stalking horse. We've heard former Expos broadcaster Rodger Brulotte discuss a potential ownership group coming together last year, and now we have former Expo Warren Cromartie stepping up to say locals are still talking about a team. Montreal went from being a good market to a bad market to potentially a good market again, if the numbers are true. And while Montreal was probably never as bad a market as argued by MLB in the Expos' final days -- Jeffrey Loria pretty much salted the market before the MLB purchase of Les Expos -- it's very much true that the economic outlook in Montreal is much brighter than it was during the team's final days at the Big O. It won't be cheap to bring MLB back to Montreal. Start with $500 million or so for a team, add in another half-billion or more for a new ballpark, and you're in for a billion before a single pitch is thrown. Add to that the difficulty of convincing MLB owners to give Montreal another chance, and you're talking major feat. (Countering that: the media landscape in Quebec is totally different; money from a 24-hour sports network may end up bringing back the NHL to Quebec City, so extrapolate from that.) Not impossible, but certainly very, very difficult.ballparkdigest.com/201208305461/major-league-baseball/news/cromartie-laying-the-groundwork-for-mlbs-return-to-montreal
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 1, 2012 9:28:25 GMT -6
Expos fans still clinging to MLB dreamThey were loud, proud, colourful and yes, optimistic. The roughly 200 Montreal Expos supporters in section 240 at the Rogers Centre during Sunday's Blue Jays game for the Facebook-inspired get-together, were in a celebratory mode despite the sombre reality that it has been nearly eight years now since their team left town for Washington. Many had made the trip from Montreal, while others had travelled from as far away as Calgary and Denver. All of them were there to reminisce on what was, while others remained hopeful of what might yet be to come. "To me, this is beginning of hopefully something that in the long run we'll all be happy for, which is the return of the Expos," said Annakin Slayd, a Montreal native and creator of the popular Expos YouTube tribute video, Remember. "The way I see it is, there's a lot of work to do, but our job as fans, and for me being one of the representatives of those fans, is to show everybody that although the team doesn't exist, the fan base is still there and Montreal still loves its baseball. "Counter to what people usually associate with us, Montreal is a baseball city and it's our job to show people we're still here Slayd traces the recent surge in Expos nostalgia back to two summers ago and Andre Dawson's induction into the baseball Hall of Fame. The event is what inspired Slayd's video, which he says took 50 hours to produce, record and edit, with much of the footage coming from old Expos VHS tapes he found in his basement. "Pedro Martinez told me at a charity event he has the video on his phone," said Slayd. Earlier this summer, Slayd, along with former Expos player Warren Cromartie organized a reunion weekend in Montreal for members of the 1981 Expos playoff team. Among the contingent that weekend in Montreal and in section 240 on Sunday was Jim Fanning, the skipper of the 1981 squad and the first general manager Expos franchise history. "The banquet, golf tournament and clinics, it was jammed," Fanning said Sunday of the reception that received in Montreal. "It was just incredible. That really hit home to me. There was so much excitement over this group of guys coming back." At Rogers Centre on Sunday, many of the Expos fans in attendance seemed excited to see the man responsible for bringing the likes of Rusty Staub and Ken Singleton to Montreal. "I've shook hands with just about everybody," said Fanning, a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and a newly minted Canadian citizen. He had learned of Sunday's event a few days earlier from his son. On Sunday morning, the two drove up to Toronto from their home in London, Ont. "He said, 'Dad we have to go.' I said, 'Obviously we have to go." Cromartie, whom Fanning drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 1973 draft, is currently in Montreal trying to put a group together to bring Major League Baseball back to the city. While supportive of his former player's initiative, Fanning is also sceptical. " You got to get a stadium," Fanning said. "You really have to have the city and province on your side. They've got to really put up the money. I don't know if there's any more (former team owner Charles) Bronfman's there or not. Guys that can pay the bills."But should Cromartie get a foot in the door, Fanning said he'd be more than happy to help pry it further open. "If (Cromartie) were to call me and say, 'I'm going to meet with the mayor of Montreal next Friday, would you come with me?' I'd say, I'll walk over there. I am in a position now that I can say what I want to," he continued. "I can tell them how they blew it the last time when they didn't put out a little bit of money for that province and that city to build that ballpark right downtown." Montreal came close to a new downtown ballpark in the early half of the past decade after current Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria purchased controlling interest of the Expos in 1999 from Claude Brochu. Soon after, Loria announced plans to build a new 35,215-seat, downtown open-air stadium at a cost of $200 million.
But when the municipal and provincial governments balked at the amount Loria asked them to kick in, he let the option on the downtown land expire. Many believe the Expos future in Montreal expired that day too.But for Slayd, who hopes to make Sunday's get-together an annual event in Toronto, the Expos aren't dead, they're merely in hibernation until a well-intentioned and well-heeled backer sees proof that baseball can once again thrive in the largest city in North America currently without a Major League franchise. " Our hope is that somebody is sitting out there with a lot of money, who is a passionate baseball fan, who maybe doesn't think that the time is right, right now, but is looking and watching the progress," he said. "This is what we're trying to do, show somebody that may be watching, look, we're here and we're ready to support baseball in Montreal." www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2012/09/03/expos_nation_event_rogers_centre_blue_jays/
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 1, 2012 9:36:39 GMT -6
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Post by wolfmannick on Oct 1, 2012 17:49:38 GMT -6
^ Both cities need a new ballpark for a team to be there long term. Montreal as far as I know has no plans of building one and Tampa dosen't have the money. Montreal should get a media investor in an ownership group and stadium if they want a realistic shot at keeping a team longterm.
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Post by phillymike on Oct 1, 2012 18:18:53 GMT -6
Make it into a baseball stadium/waterpark/planetarium!! That'd work!!
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Post by mikecubs on Oct 12, 2012 4:16:10 GMT -6
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Post by mikecubs on Dec 22, 2012 9:59:01 GMT -6
Rays ballpark proposal at Carillon Business Park withdrawn by developer Developer Darryl LeClair threw a monkey wrench into planning for a Tampa Bay Rays ballpark by taking a proposal at St. Pete's Carillon Business Park off the table. Indeed, it's only been a few months since LeClair unveiled renderings of a unique ballpark to be located in northern St. Petersburg, a facility set amongst Mediterranean Revival office buildings and apartments in an existing business park. True, there were plenty of issues with the plan -- the total ballpark site would be 17 acres, and there is a distinct lack of parking close by -- but as far as we know it was still in plan: neither the city nor the Rays had rejected it. But to announce yesterday that the offer was off the table...well, that's just unusual. It takes years and years to get a Major League Baseball ballpark built, and patience is required. (Just ask the very patient Tampa Bay Rays front office.) To give up only two months after a public debut -- even if behind-the-scenes work had started months before -- is truly amazing, even though LeClair's plan was little more than a set of renderings and a vision: no funding plan, no firm construction plan. "It has been an intense year,'' LeClair said recently. "I am going to tell our team, 'Enjoy the holiday season. Relax. And next year we are going to start aggressively pursuing other options for the Carillon holdings."To the degree we can pursue opportunities that will preserve the stadium footprint, we will." Now, this doesn't mean a ballpark deal at the site is totally dead. But it's certainly on life support, with only a faint heartbeat present. www.ballparkdigest.com/201212115909/major-league-baseball/news/rays-ballpark-proposal-at-carillon-business-park-withdrawn-by-developer
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Post by mikecubs on Dec 22, 2012 10:01:20 GMT -6
The Rays did the right thing by rejecting this. The only hope for a weak market like Tampa is a downtown stadium in Tampa Bay. St. Petersberg is just too far from the population base.
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Post by mikecubs on Dec 22, 2012 10:04:52 GMT -6
NFL to Toronto takes a major blow. Bills reach $271M lease dealThe Buffalo Bills aren't going anywhere any time soon, and the team's CEO, Russ Brandon, guaranteed it Friday. "Guaranteed," Brandon said at a hastily called news conference, announcing the Bills had agreed to sign a new 10-year lease with the state and county to continue playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium. This is a monumental day for us," he added. " The Buffalo Bills are right here in western New York, where we're going to be for many decades to come."It's a $271 million deal, of which $130 million will be committed to upgrading an aging stadium that opened in 1973. And the agreement includes a commitment to put aside funds and establish an advisory group to explore the potential of building a new stadium for the franchise.Just as important, the agreement includes a provision that essentially locks the Bills in for the next seven seasons. The franchise would have to pay $400 million if it decides to leave before 2020. The team then has the option of buying out the remaining three years of the lease for $28 million. "This is an investment that the state is making. It's an investment in the Bills. It's an investment in western New York. And I'm proud to make that investment," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, speaking via a satellite television hookup from New York City because stormy weather prevented him from flying upstate. A memorandum of understanding with the terms of the agreement was signed Friday, with the actual lease still to be finalized. It's subject to review by the NFL and during budgeting by the state and Erie County. The deal was reached before the Bills' existing 15-year lease expires at the end of July. And the price tag for renovations is significantly lower than the $200 million Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz projected it would be when talks first began last spring. In a breakdown of costs provided by officials, state and county taxpayers are on the hook for $226.8 million for the duration of the lease. That includes a series of annual payments for annual capital and game-day expenses. Of that total, the state and county are committed to making a one-time payment of $94.5 million next year for stadium upgrades, which will include getting new scoreboards, widening concourses and building a new plaza. The Bills' share for those upgrades will be $35.455 million. "Those that would criticize the state and Erie County for investing taxpayer money to keep the Bills here would be the same ones criticizing if the Bills left," Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy said. "If we were to lose them, that would be a shot into the morale of this community and this state that could not be understated." The deal comes at a time when fears were again being raised about the long-term stability of a team based in the United States' 56th largest television market, and in a Rust Belt region. The Bills often have been mentioned as being a target for relocation. Another issue is the status of the team's Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson, who turned 94 in October and whose health is slipping. Wilson spent about a week in the hospital in late August because of an undisclosed illness. Though committed to keeping the Bills in Buffalo during his lifetime, Wilson has not made any commitments regarding the team following his death. He has made it clear that he intends to have his heirs sell the franchise, opening the possibility of the team being purchased by someone interested in relocating the team. Brandon said Wilson's loyalty to Buffalo has never wavered, and he took offense when asked what might happen to the franchise once Wilson dies. "The question becomes tiresome. I understand it, but it's become tiresome," Brandon said. "Mr. Wilson's loyalty is unmatched as any owner in professional sports. And I think we should be here today to applaud him." Wilson was not present for the announcement. He hasn't made a public appearance since attending the Hall of Fame induction ceremony festivities in Canton, Ohio, in early August. Brandon previously dismissed discussions of the Bills' need for a new stadium, saying the team was committed to continuing to play at its current home. He's now open to the possibility of a new venue. "We're going to look at the potential of a new stadium in the next decade or so, and see if it makes sense for our community," Brandon said. With the New York Giants and Jets both playing in New Jersey, the Bills are the NFL's only team based in New York. It's estimated that the state annually earns $20 million in taxes from the Bills. "This is a forward-looking agreement that thinks about not just today," Poloncarz said. "But it's also forward-looking so that we do what's necessary so that at the end of this 10-year period, we're not just wondering, 'What do we do now?' " The agreement includes a clause limiting the Bills to playing one annual home game and a preseason game once every two years in Toronto. That's similar to the five-year agreement between the Bills and Toronto-based Rogers Communications to have the team play north of the border. The two sides have been in negotiations and are close to renewing the agreement. espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8769320/buffalo-bills-reach-agreement-ralph-wilson-stadium-lease
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