The Henderson 51s?
Like New Orleans, and other cities where real estate in prime tourist areas is pricey, Las Vegas may have to seek a cheaper land deal in a friendlier suburb.
Henderson, approximately 10 miles south of the city, might be a better possibility for a new stadium.
"The city of Henderson has been great," Logan said. " There's a real sense of community there that doesn't exist anywhere else in Southern Nevada. We've been working closely with their city manager, Phil Speight, trying to identify sites. Henderson has been helping us try to find solutions. (Mayor) Jim Gibson has been up front and helpful. That's all you can ask (for).”
Logan sounds like a man with several plans, albeit one who doesn't want to show his cards before he's sure he has a winner.
A Major-Minor League City or A Minor-Major League City?
Logan agrees with Goodman on one thing: He believes Las Vegas can be a major league city.
"We'd love a major league baseball team here," Logan said.
The realities behind the glitz of Vegas are that it is still an economy fueled by gambling. More importantly, one of the biggest wagering businesses is the casino sports book.
Major League Baseball, a sport with a vested image in clean play that still wrestles with enforcing strict gambling rules put in place after the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal, is very sensitive to the vulnerabilities of players who rub elbows with career gamblers.
MLB has floated proposals for Puerto Rico, D.C., Charlotte, and Portland, but no real significant attempts for Sin City.
Logan doesn't feel that the fact Las Vegas is a gambling mecca will be as much of a problem as it might have been a decade earlier.
"With the proliferation of gambling everywhere, I don't think there's the phobia that might have existed 10, 15 years ago," Logan said. "If Las Vegas continues to grow at its current pace, it should be a major league city.”
There have been many minor league franchises in baseball, basketball, hockey, and football that have graced the facilities of Las Vegas. No major league has had a team there. If it is such a logical fit, why not?
Part of Logan’s optimism may also be fueled by visions of a multi-million dollar payday similar to the buyouts during MLB’s expansion into minor league cities in the early ‘90s.
"When it happened in Phoenix, the Firebirds had an indemnity clause and the Colangelos paid $10 million. This is our territory, and if it would happen here, it could be $12-15 million. We still own the franchise and could take it somewhere else."
Those Vexing Numbers
The crowds of a few thousand showing up for 51s games don’t back up the argument for a major league franchise, just as low attendance for Portland’s AAA Beavers dampens that dream.
Logan fears that the mayor’s use of baseball as a political grandstand could damage any future Major League Baseball may have in Vegas. Allowing baseball to go dark after two decades could put a cold, wet bucket of reality on Mayor Goodman’s baseball dreams.
"His (Goodman's) statements (about not supporting minor league baseball) certainly don't help,” Logan stated. “Oscar doesn't get it. He wants us to be a major league city, but we have to demonstrate a willingness to build a facility."
Several messages left by MLN in an attempt to contact Mayor Goodman for his comments on this story were unreturned.
His objections to allocating public funds for a minor league stadium have been well documented in the local media.
Goodman was quoted in the Review-Journal in July, saying: "Cashman is a great place for our fans to watch minor league baseball," refusing to validate both the Dodgers and Logan’s extensive list of the stadium’s deficiencies.
He is also on the record stating that he won't be intimidated by the Dodgers' threatened pullout, nor will he be held hostage by 51s demands.
The Clock Is Ticking
Refurbishing Cashman Field is not cost effective, though the complex is already paid off.
It has been estimated that it would take at least $25 million to do a remodeling job, while the price tag on a new stadium is estimated around $30-35 million.
The past will tell us that if nothing is done soon, then baseball in Vegas will most likely be done also.
Albuquerque, among many other towns, faced a similar problem with the old Sports Stadium, which was built in the late 1960’s and outdated by the 1990’s.
It was a facility whose list of problems was at least as long as Cashman’s. The team’s unexpected sale forced the issue of whether the community wanted baseball to continue. Their answer was a resounding yes, but the political issues of financing and location nearly scuttled the sport’s comeback several times.
Pacific Coast League President Branch Rickey certainly does not want to see history repeat itself in this situation.
"Las Vegas is very valuable in terms of it being a terrific city,” Rickey said. “It’s a welcome member in every sense. It's a tradition in our league. Have we lost franchises in the past? Yes. No one would want to lose Las Vegas. Clearly, we have concerns in Las Vegas with its facility and its ability to cater to teams and fans. We know that (fans in) Las Vegas will support it if done right."
The 51’s GM agrees whole-heartedly with the outlook of the PCL Prez.
"I'm convinced it can work in Southern Nevada if the right kind of facility is built here," Logan said. "We've made this thing go for 21 years."
Unfortunately for the fans in Las Vegas, the mayor is not on the same page.
So Logan and minor league baseball are finding themselves looking south towards Henderson, searching for a cozy place in the ‘burbs to call home.
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