[Lefty Noob]

According to media reports, Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is in some pretty serious talks with officials from San Antonio about relocating the team to the Texas city. "We're still looking at all our options, but our talks in San Antonio are serious," Loria told AP reporter Kristie Rieken on Sunday. My guess is that this is most likely just an attempt to garner leverage and try to coax Florida to build the team a ballpark. What do you folks think?

[pete_b]

Lefty always gets the dirt before anyone else. My opinion on it is that it might be a way to get six teams into the NL West and then get an expansion team for Florida...AGAIN, with another one on the way for three six team divisions. Don't you all think its a little unfair that the Central is the only division with six teams? OR they wanna make the Marlins a Texas American league team to even up the AL first. It could be for real.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

According to media reports, Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is in some pretty serious talks with officials from San Antonio about relocating the team to the Texas city. "We're still looking at all our options, but our talks in San Antonio are serious," Loria told AP reporter Kristie Rieken on Sunday. My guess is that this is most likely just an attempt to garner leverage and try to coax Florida to build the team a ballpark. What do you folks think?

Like that's going to happen...Texas can't even support the Rangers all that well...I wouldn't trade Miami for San Antonio potential revenue wise...

[Lefty Noob]

Like that's going to happen...Texas can't even support the Rangers all that well...I wouldn't trade Miami for San Antonio potential revenue wise...

Sorry, Gotham, I don't buy that argument.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Marlins have finished 14th or lower among the 16 NL teams in each of the past 7 seasons, and they finished 15th in all but one of those seasons. From 1999 through their World Series year of 2003, they failed to draw an average of 20,000 fans per game.

During that time span, the Rangers were ranked no lower than 7th among 14 AL teams in attendance. In their lowest drawing season, 2003, they still managed to average 25,857 fans per game. In fact, the last time Texas finished out of the top 10 in AL attendance was back in 1988, and since then they've been a top 5 drawing team 8 times.

Sure looks like Arlington fans are doing a better job supporting their club than Miami fans are of supporting theirs, don't you think? Florida may have more potential as a market, but they just don't seem to have any interest whatsoever in supporting their team. Loria can't even get his own stadium, for cryin' out loud, and his team's won 2 World Series titles in the past decade!

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Sorry, Gotham, I don't buy that argument.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Marlins have finished 14th or lower among the 16 NL teams in each of the past 7 seasons, and they finished 15th in all but one of those seasons. From 1999 through their World Series year of 2003, they failed to draw an average of 20,000 fans per game.

During that time span, the Rangers were ranked no lower than 7th among 14 AL teams in attendance. In their lowest drawing season, 2003, they still managed to average 25,857 fans per game. In fact, the last time Texas finished out of the top 10 in AL attendance was back in 1988, and since then they've been a top 5 drawing team 8 times.

Sure looks like Arlington fans are doing a better job supporting their club than Miami fans are of supporting theirs, don't you think? Florida may have more potential as a market, but they just don't seem to have any interest whatsoever in supporting their team. Loria can't even get his own stadium, for cryin' out loud, and his team's won 2 World Series titles in the past decade!

I would say that the market would support a less erratic effort on the parts of the Marlins...If you buy yourself a winner and than constantly dismantle it, you will not get a fan base that is all that constant. If you pull the same antics in San Antonio, I am sure the results will be just as disastourous, if not worse...(You don't see the Spurs jettison thier core after a win)...There is not a market in this country that would support what Florida's front office does to decimate their World Series teams...On the other hand, the Rangers (who I admit have been drawing better than I gave them credit for) at least try to go after free agents constantly...and work hard to get, and retain players of Hispanic decent...(which is a good chunk of thier base, and would be a greater chunk of the Marlin base if they managed it better...)...so at least the fan base has something to be a bit loyal to...

The Rangers aside Lefty...if you own the team would you make the move?...posturing is one thing...moving is another...

[Lefty Noob]

13 years and counting with no stadium?

Only 16,000 fans per game during a championship year?

Yeah, I think I'd move.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

13 years and counting with no stadium?

Only 16,000 fans per game during a championship year?

Yeah, I think I'd move.

Move...or move to San Antonio?...Big Difference... ...And maybe they are courting the wrong business partners...you get the drug cartel involved and you can finance a new stadium...just saying...

[Lefty Noob]

Okay, for the sake of argument, where would you move the team to if not San Antonio? Portland or Vegas seem the only other likely options, and of those three cities, I like San Antonio's chances of supporting the team best.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

By the way, since when did it become the host city's responsibility to tax its citizens for a new stadium?...Didn't Wayne Huezinga once own the team...you telling me he needed tax payers to pony up for a new stadium?... .... I don't think sports has a grip on this thing called capitalism...you might as well be a socialist state if you having the cash, can still expect the avreage citizen to shoulder the new stadium...The Marlins have in part done it to themselves...

But hey if you can sucker another city...like the White Sox once did St. Pete...more power to you...just don't defend them in the name of MLB or the average fan...

[Lefty Noob]

By the way, since when did it become the host city's responsibility to tax its citizens for a new stadium?

Not sure, really, but it has happened somewhere along the line.

I think the owners got smart and realized how vital their teams could be to the core economy of some cities - not Miami, obviously, who thanks to tourism and other sports would do just fine economically without the Marlins. But some areas would really struggle if they lost their bread-and-butter franchises, much like Cleveland did in the time when they didn't have the Browns.

In the landscape of sports today, to land a team your citizenry need to be willing to pony up the cash to at least cover most of the cost of a new stadium. Or at the very least, the politicans need to find a way to acquire said funding (ala the table gaming initiative in Pittsburgh). Not saying I like it either, Gotham, but it seems like that's the way it is these days.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Okay, for the sake of argument, where would you move the team to if not San Antonio? Portland or Vegas seem the only other likely options, and of those three cities, I like San Antonio's chances of supporting the team best.

How about Charlotte North Carolina?...Carolina is an upcoming area...the Metropolitan area is bigger than San Antonio's by 200,000...and there is no competing interest from the Rangers or the Astros etc...The Triangle Area in the North Carolina is also worth a look...its a booming area economically...the weather is nice as well...

[Lefty Noob]

Yeah, hadn't thought of Charlotte. That could work. Wonder why they haven't made a run at an MLB franchise?

[Wizard of Os]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

Okay, for the sake of argument, where would you move the team to if not San Antonio? Portland or Vegas seem the only other likely options, and of those three cities, I like San Antonio's chances of supporting the team best.

Nah, go with the fastest-growing metro area in America: Las Vega$. This is one of the most knowledgeable sports cities in the country, for obvious reasons. The weather is good for baseball there, and how many players wouldnt want to play in Sin City? Hell, the NBA'd have a team there right now if David Stern wasn't convinced the league is squeaky clean and thus taintable by Nevadans...

I'm just hoping that WHEN the Marlins do move, they'll take on the name i've been waiting for through two expansions: Ladies and gentlemen, yourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr San Antonio BLUE SOX!

(Well, i like it.)

Cheers, all.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Wizard of Os

Nah, go with the fastest-growing metro area in America: Las Vega$. This is one of the most knowledgeable sports cities in the country, for obvious reasons. The weather is good for baseball there, and how many players wouldnt want to play in Sin City? Hell, the NBA'd have a team there right now if David Stern wasn't convinced the league is squeaky clean and thus taintable by Nevadans...

I'm just hoping that WHEN the Marlins do move, they'll take on the name i've been waiting for through two expansions: Ladies and gentlemen, yourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr San Antonio BLUE SOX!

(Well, i like it.)

Cheers, all.

Vegas?..>only if Pete Rose could manage the team...