Future of the Atlantic League...

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GoCyclones!
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Post by GoCyclones! » Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:00 am

Well, when I asked Tom Cetnar whether the Bears will be around and stay in the Atlantic League next year, he gave me an empathic yes.


LOL I meant an "emphatic yes"! An empathic yes would not be good. I should really get to bed

Sharks52
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Post by Sharks52 » Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:39 pm

I'm sure the sharks sell or give out 3600 on average per game but honestly on the weeknights you could roll a bowling ball down the main concourse and not hit anybody. Most of the concessions are closed by the sixth inning and by the time the games over you have maybe two or three hundred left. No traffic jams after the games over. They do draw big on Fridays, Saturdays and of course school and camp days. Legit sellouts on weekday day games in the spring and summer. My guess is an average LIVE attendence would be 5500 on Friday, 4500 on Saturday, 3500 on Sunday, 6500 on school-camp day and 800 on weeknights, (400 in May-September and about 1000 during the summer months. About 2400 would probably be a good guess as to how many live show up on average.
I don't know about Virginia. There are factions working there to keep baseball out claiming there are already too many teams within the general driving area. A problem with the sharks in that most people I know head to Trenton or Wilmington if the distances are anywhere close to equal as it's a better overall experience and they do have the advantage of belonging to a major league organization. Those in favor of baseball in Virginia would also prefer affiliated baseball if they could get it so this Bridgeport move there is hardly a done deal, and I don't know how much more money Boulton is going to throw down the toilet on them if he can't get them out by 2011.

GoCyclones!
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Post by GoCyclones! » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:03 pm

Well, the Atlantic League moving to Loudoun, VA is a done deal. Right by the Dulles airport. It's been approved and will open in 2011. It's only a question of whether it's an expansion team or a relocation. I think it'll work out fine there. It's a booming and affluent area. Not another park within an hour. It's a great location.

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Post by dmbishop » Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:36 pm

http://www.newsday.com/news/wang-suozzi ... -1.1491997

Amid the fanfare that's come to surround every major step in the Lighthouse megaproject approval process, Charles Wang and Scott Rechler joined Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi Thursday in announcing a proposed lease to develop the 77 acres around Nassau Coliseum.

The announcement of a new 99-year lease - which would keep Wang's New York Islanders playing hockey on Long Island until at least 2030 - comes two days before the start of the hockey season and the date by which Wang said he wanted an answer on whether his Lighthouse project could go forward.

If the Nassau County Legislature approves the ground lease and the Hempstead town board approves new zoning for the site, Wang and Rechler would do a $320 million renovation of the 37-year-old Coliseum at no taxpayer expense within three years.

Image
The baseball stadium is at the very top.

Dave
Last edited by dmbishop on Thu Oct 01, 2009 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

GoCyclones!
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Post by GoCyclones! » Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:56 am

Thanks for the info. Dave. Wow, this seems like such a sweet deal, what's the hold-up? A privately financed arena especially in these economic times, this seems like a win-win. It could just be not enough politicians have been greased. What am I not seeing? Why is Nassau dragging their feet on this?

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Post by Duckfan » Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:03 am

Read that article again Dave. It's only a proposal. If Wang sticks to his guns and the County Legislature doesn't come up with an approval and zoning changes by Saturday,(they won't) the deal is dead. He has given them a deadline and in true Nassau County fashion, they're treating it like a joke. They pulled the same crap when Wang wanted to consolidate CA and build a major complex in Plainview. They jerked him around, he got pissed and moved everything to Suffolk instead. He's a very savvy businessman and won't tolerate their nonsense.
Last edited by Duckfan on Fri Oct 02, 2009 7:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by dmbishop » Fri Oct 02, 2009 12:37 pm

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nass ... -1.1491997
Lighthouse's Wang, Rechler: No more negotiating

Lighthouse partners Charles Wang and Scott Rechler said Thursday they are no longer willing to change their plans to develop the land around Nassau Coliseum.

"This is not the point to start negotiating anything," Wang said Thursday, five years after unveiling the project. "It's yes or no."

Even amid the fanfare of Thursday's agreement on a proposed lease between the developers and Nassau County, anger and frustration took center stage. Wang, Rechler and County Executive Thomas Suozzi pointed fingers at Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and the town board for delaying the project and not trying to meet Wang's Oct. 3 deadline for significant progress on the project.
Oh, I'm well aware that yesterday was not the end. That's why I put the word proposed in bold.

Ultimately, it rests on the Zoning Board of the Town of Hempstead. The Lease agreement just ends the County's part of it. Suozzi would not have made such an announcement without knowing that he had the Legislature's approval.

Dave

Duckfan
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Post by Duckfan » Fri Oct 02, 2009 6:16 pm

I guess we'll know by Monday. Given Wang's history with Nassau County Government, I wouldn't bet on a positive outcome. Miracles do happen however.

GoCyclones!
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Post by GoCyclones! » Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:27 am

I found this article about a councilwoman in Hoboken, NJ trying to get a minor league stadium in Hoboken, which would be great since it's the birthplace of baseball and just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Great place for the Atlantic League. Although in other articles I've read she seems to be really keen on getting an affiliated team and even mentioned the Red Sox Triple A team. Which makes no sense since Pawtucket is 40 minutes from Fenway and they sell out virtually every home game.

The popular local opinion seems to be against it. People act as if Hoboken is some world class city. Before the gentrification and yuppiefication of the past 10 years it was known as the birthplace of Frank Sinatra and of baseball, and that's about it. No one ever went there who wasn't from there.

http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/ ... uncil.html

BTW, got to visit the Blue Crabs' ballpark during the ALCS. Really intimate and unique ballpark. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. Kinda in the middle of nowhere but there's a lot of development there, 40 minutes from DC.

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Post by Marcelo » Wed Dec 02, 2009 7:25 pm

I have a question that may be silly but, what the heck.....I am going to ask anyway!

What is the possibility of Atlantic League having a franchise in Ottawa, Canada? There is a first class 10,000 seat stadium there, and it seems there will be no Can-Am team in Ottawa for 2010.

Would it be a feasible possibility?

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