Las Vegas - 01/19/01 - When the Los Angeles Dodgers call Sculley this season, it may not be Vin. In a modern world where the word "tradition" has eerily vanished from professional baseball's official dictionary of terms, the AAA Pacific Coast League franchise in Las Vegas ends eighteen years as the Stars to begin life as the Las Vegas 51s.
The 51s (Short for Area 51, the worst-kept top secret airforce base where supposed UFO experiments took place.) are no longer a farm team of the San Diego Padres organization, either. Many of the contracts with the farm teams expired in 2000. At this year's winter meetings of major league baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that their farm team would now be the 51s.
The Dodgers, who had the most storied farm system in all of baseball, had their AAA affiliate in Albuquerque for more than a quarter century. When Bob Lozinak, the owner of the Albuquerque Dukes franchise, announced the sale of the team to Portland, Oregon, last year, the Dodgers re-evaluated their relationship with the organization.
Why the Padres would give up one of the most desirable venues in the PCL might be explained best by Executive Vice President and Padres General Manager Kevin Towers. "As a native Oregonian, I am eager to begin developing the future of this franchise in my home state, and showcase our big league talent the next four years in various exhibition games."
The synergies between the L.A. market and Las Vegas are a good match. "Whenever the Stars would play the Dukes our [attendance] numbers would go way up," noted Chuck Johnson, spokesperson for the new 51s.
Why the switch? "It was a good time for a fresh start," says Johnson.
Another good reason may be marketing. "In a town like Las Vegas, where you get the best of every kind of entertainment, you have to work that much harder to bring people out to minor league games," noted Johnson.
Merchandising surely is another. Mandalay Sports Entertainment, which has owned the franchise for three years, has its roots in Hollywood mogul Jon Peters love for profitable entertainment ventures.
Mandalay's properties in entertainment cities from Las Vegas to Lake Elsinore, California, are legendary merchandising and marketing units. The name change and new logo will give the team a healthy boost in souvenir revenue.
Sources at the Pacific Coast League were unavailable for comment, but it is believed that this is the first team with an extra-terrestrial theme.
So watch out, beavers, lions and sharks. E.T. has arrived home.
