A's moving to Vegas
 

Someday I will be telling my grandkids that "I remember a time that no sports team could come anywhere near gambling or Vegas. No, no, no. That would never happen. Totally couldn't happen. And if you believe it, they legally didn't sell weed in large stores in Vegas in those days. I'm totally serious. . . ."

Just read an article on this move, this section blows by mind:

The lack of a home for three seasons is far from the only reservation about the Athletics' move. Not only would they be leaving for a smaller media market, but the team would also remain a revenue-sharing recipient, a point of contention in recent years. The new stadium, located at the site of the old Tropicana hotel, is slated to be built on a 9-acre parcel, which would be one of the smallest in MLB. While the A's released renderings of a Las Vegas stadium, they did not include a dome or retractable roof, which would be necessary to combat the city's summer heat. With Las Vegas long believed a candidate for MLB's inevitable expansion from 30 to 32 teams, leaving behind a market the size of Oakland's, one owner said this week, "doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

Steve, you bring up a great point on another topic... the increase in sports and card gambling. My state now allows it and I feel like I am the only one who doesn't do it. Everyone else I know makes sports bets often, or buys into card raffles and razzes, or just talks about gambling incessantly. I am amazed how much this has impacted society so it doesn't shock me Vegas is getting a ball club now.

as an oakland fan could care less

The owner demanded a $400 million gift from the taxpayers, and Vegas was willing to give it to him.

Same. With gambling and box breaks I notice that people only talk about the times they WIN. I do open modern boxes for fun ($50-100) range but stay far, far, far away from casinos or handheld device gambling.

The whole thing is sad. The team deserves better. The A's owner is pathetic, and Oakland is run by activists. The right thing would have been to move the team to San Jose, but the Giants stopped that with their lawyers, so they are partly responsible for this mess. The A's desperately need a fresh start, and I have no problem with another team in the desert. They'll be a natural rival for the Diamondbacks. I'm looking forward to watching the A's in Las Vegas. I wish they could leave their owner in California.

Facebook Card Groups seem like they have been flooded over the past two years with card raffles...

I would also imagine that the Las Vegas Aviators will be looking for a new home too.

And since Colorado Springs has a vacant AAA-ish stadium, maybe there will be AAA baseball in Colorado Springs once again in a few years.

That would be nice. They have a stadium on the east side of town that the Sky Sox left after that contract was not renewed and the city built a multi sport stadium in town that is currently only being used by people that kick round balls all over the field.

Who knows, maybe there is a chance.

Time will tell.

All they lack is a professional mens basketball team,,,,,other than the Running Rebels (I kid, I kid), and they will have all 4 professional sports teams in Vegas.

Sorry women's basketball does not count at all......

I'm surprised they think there's enough of a population in Vegas for 81 home games. The Raiders only play 8 and there's a level of gambling built in to the NFL. Looks like the NHL team was 12th in average attendance. But can Vegas sustain 81 games?

When I think of Las Vegas and who's likely to be there on a game day, I would think tourists make up a large part of the NFL and NHL crowd. Will they go to a baseball game?

I live about an hour from Vegas, I am not venturing into that town for a baseball game much less anything else if I can avoid it at all. Not to mention, ticket prices to the sporting events I would consider going to, are beyond stupid expensive.

And continuing the theme. The F1 mess that has currently brought much traffic in and around the track building in Vegas to a screeching halt, has torqued off many, many companies and people in Vegas. Businesses are losing revenue, people are losing jobs, F1 and the city have basically done nothing at all to help business in and around the track. So sure, lets put a baseball stadium that really has not been thought out all that great right smack in the middle of town and screw up more businesses for the next 3 years while it gets constructed then after that is complete, even more traffic mess within the city during games.

Makes TOTAL sense! LET'S DO IT!!!!

The Mets now has a Caesars Club at Citifield. Right now its food and drink, but there has already been talk about turning in into a live betting location. Including betting on the game being played.

In case some of you don't partake, you can now literally bet on the outcome of individual ABs and pitches in a baseball game. True dat. You can bet on the speed of the next pitch.

It's really insane. I can't imagine the self-inflicted wounds this is causing people.

Someone pointed out to me today something I was embarassed I didn't know. . . .

Only the Yankees and Cardinals have more WS titles than the As. And Yankees and As are the only teams in the modern era to win three WS in a row.

Should move back to Philadelphia, and resurrect Jimmie Foxx or find a decent clone. Makes about as much sense as Las Vegas.

I'd love to see the feasibility study.

No roof? Yikes.

I lived in Vegas for 5 years, 1996-2001. I had partial season season tickets to the AAA team. No roof on that stadium, just water spray from ceilings.

People are really going to go to Vegas and kill an afternoon at a baseball game in that heat? I just don't see it. People go to vegas to get drunk, gamble, and have sex with other men's wives.

(Hat tip on the last point to Norm MacDonald)

As a Giants fan, I'm a big fan of finally having the market all to ourselves.

Going from the smallest 2-team market to the biggest 1-team market will be most welcome.

With any luck, the A's won't be outdrawn by all of the neighboring minor league teams, like they were in the Bay Area.

A decent street band would have outdrawn the As.

Yep. Five wins during Connie Mack's tenure
Three wins with Mr. October
One win with La Russa and the Bash Bros.

The A's can use their own AAA team monthly, quarterly, annual reports. Who cares about new studies. They are getting out of dodge, just like Baltimore wants to do. Memphis is the illicit affair of Mr Angelos.

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I am glad they are moving.
The Oakland stadium was a dump and the city and politics prevented a deal for over a decade.
I think the team will do fine in Las Vegas because the games will be destination games and “events” went tourists and business conventions are in town.
Plus gambling has that draw to it

That being said the owner sucks and is cheap and I wish they could get rid of him. Even with the new stadium I do not think they will spend any money for a quality team.

And of no some than the summer season will be light on attendance unless everything is in the evening and even that might be a bit uncomfortable

I get a kick out of the broadcasts during games where at the end of a commercial for it there is in fine print if you have a gambling problem call---
Ha Ha!;)

Yet, he voted in favor of the move...

Here's a question:

The A's franchise has called three cities home (Philadelphia, Kansas City, Oakland)

The Braves franchise has also called three cities home (Boston, Milwaukee, Atlanta)

The Orioles franchise has also called three cities home (Milwaukee "Brewers", St Louis "Browns", Baltimore)

I guess you could also include the Angels, as they've been known as the California Angels, Anaheim Angels, and Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim). Thing is, they've only moved once; from Los Angeles to Anaheim; so I count that as one move/two homes.

This move by the A's will be their third (fourth home).

Has any other MLB franchise called four or more cities (or even three) home?

Steve

The Orioles should be on that list.

The team played a single season in Milwakee as the Brewers in 1901, then moved to St.Louis to become the Browns until 1953, then to Baltimore.

The Nationals started in Montreal but played home games there and in Puerto Rico prior to moving to Washington.

The Dodgers began in the city of Brooklyn.

Their next home was the city of New York (in the borough of Brooklyn).

Their third home has been in Los Angeles.

They were never the "Puerto Rico Expos"; they've been the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals; so that's two cities/locations.

They've been known as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms/Grooms/Superbas/Robins/Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers; so that's two.

Steve

Thank you; I knew the StL Browns became the Balt Orioles, but I was completely unaware about them being the Milw Brewers before that.

Steve

If the ownership is not changing, they should just find a good AA park in the Midwest. That's all the seats they'll need.

Here's a great trivia question I don't think I'd have gotten, or at least not off the top of my head: what city was involved in the only two franchise moves in baseball in the last 50 years?

The Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins. Then a later rendition of the Washington Senators also became the Texas Rangers.

Hasn't there only been one franchise move in the last 50 years? Expos/Nationals.

Washington DC.

In 1972, the Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers

In 2005, the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals.

Steve

Uber rich people no longer feel any obligation to even act like they care about civic matters and their communities. You can do nothing with a sports franchine and history suggests its a rapidly appreciating asset regardless. Rich getting richer. Buy a team a sit on your ass. History suggests that a great strategy.

Well sir, if the Orioles move crime ridden Baltimore to escape from New York otherwise known as Memphis, absolutely rife with murder and violent crime, I will at the age of 66 turn cartwheels in front of your house, or wherever you say!

Absolutely. The best way to make an absurd amount of money is to be filthy rich to begin with. It also helps when the public gives them hundreds of millions to build up their real estate portfolio alongside a new stadium. And what do we get back? Ever-increasing ticket prices and local blackouts.

You are correct, sir. Make that 52 years.

There were several franchise/team moves between the Original Senators/Nationals move to Minnesota after the 1960 season and prior to the expansion Senators move to Texas after 1971, but none since until the Expos came to D.C. in 2005.

The most MLB franchise moves between cities occurred during a roughly twenty year span in the early 50s to the early 70s

Prior to WWI there were only two franchise moves
Milwaukee to St. Louis in 1902
Baltimore to New York in 1903

Missing one other: St. Louis Maroons moved and became the Indianapolis Hoosiers.

I don't believe the Baltimore "franchise" "moved" to NY. I think the Baltimore franchise folded and a new franchise in the AL (Highlanders) was created which picked up most of the Baltimore players.

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