Omaha Royals Exploring "Free Agency"
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 10:29 AM EDT
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PrintThe Omaha World Herald is reporting that talks between Omaha and the Royals have broken down, and it is becoming increasingly likely that the Royals will only be playing in Omaha for two more seasons. Omaha Royals President Alan Stein is calling it "free agency."
Frankly, I can understand the team's position. Omaha is going all out to build a new stadium for the College World Series, and the Royals are merely an afterthought. Meanwhile, other cities are purportedly wooing the team with the promise of a better financial deal, a more intimate stadium, free parking, etc. that just can't be accommodated with Omaha's new stadium (not to mention that being a co-tenant with the College World Series and Creighton University is going to be a pain).
But, growing up in Omaha with the Royals, I'm sad to see the team go. It looks like there's a chance they'll stay in the area (in nearby Sarpy County), but supposedly they've received proposals from other cities. Does anybody have any idea who these other suitors are? How do you all think this will impact the Royals fan base in the region?
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I have heard rumblings about this all summer.
In addition to Sarpy County, I’ve heard a suburb of Houston is a suitor as well as Vancouver, BC.
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
I am a bit disturbed
By so many suburbs getting into the minor league game. The Richmond Braves are moving to suburban Atlanta. Suburban Austin has a AAA team. Suburban indy league teams are popping up all the time.
I guess when I think minor leagues I think of a stand alone community where the local nine are a source of civic pride. As a child of the suburbs, I never had civic pride in the suburb. Suburbs run into each other without distinction. There is nothing to differentiate Lenexa from Merriam from Mission.
Besides, names like “Gwinnett County”, “Round Rock” and “Lehigh Valley” are stupid.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
I agree
I cannot say “Sarpy County Royals” without cringing. “La Vista Royals,” “Papillion Royals,” and “Bellevue Royals,” are not much better.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 11:04 AM EDT up reply actions
What about "Sugar Land Royals?" Sweet!!
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
by Royal Kingdom on Aug 6, 2008 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
They could just keep the Omaha name
if they’re in a suburb of Omaha. It’s common enough to put a stadium in the suburbs and name the team after the city.
Or, if they really don’t want that, “Nebraska Royals” works fine.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Why would Sarpy County want to do that?
If that is part of the deal, they might have to take it, but I think the Sarpy County people involved in this see it as a good PR thing, so leaving it as “Omaha” or just “Nebraska” doesn’t do much for their brand.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
The sales taxes
from tickets and merchandise, the peripheral business (sports bars, restaurants), perhaps a magnet for development around the stadium area.
Why would the Meadowlands want two football teams who continue to call themselves “New York”? Why would Arlington want a baseball team that merely refers to itself as “Texas”, or Oakland a basketball team that calls itself “Golden State”?
There’s money in them thar seats, even without the added civic pride.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Those are big league teams though
The trend in the minors seems to be adopting either the suburb name, or the region. Like “Gwinnett County” (Atlanta) or “Lehigh Valley” (Allentown) or “Mahoning Valley” (Youngstown) or “Round Rock” (Austin). Remember the High Desert affiliate we had? High Desert isn’t a city.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Well, Gwinnett County
is part of metro Atlanta, isn’t it? So they’d hardly name themselves after the city itself, if the parent team is the Atlanta Braves.
That said, the point of the regional names is probably to create the maximum possible fan identification rather than fans outside the main city thinking of the team as being the nearby city’s team only. But I think that to re-name the O-Royals after Sarpy County or any city therein would more likely hurt than help. Sarpy County doesn’t include Omaha in the way the Lehigh Valley includes Allentown. The city of Omaha is far and away the biggest nearby source of fans, you don’t want to alienate them, and you won’t alienate many Omaha-suburbanites by naming the team Omaha.
If they don’t keep the Omaha name, they’d likely name it after the state.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Round Rock is not a faceless suburb.
It’s further away from Austin than Olathe is from KC, and as recently as 15 years ago there was wide open nothing between Austin and Pflugerville (which now entirely fills the space between Austin and Round Rock).
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
I'm aware
that it is common practice, at least with major-league teams, but I really think in this instance, Sarpy County officials do not want to keep the Omaha name. “Nebraska” may be a compromise. I’m just basing this off of a few overheard conversations among elected officials and business people at a Chamber of Commerce event, so maybe there isn’t much to it, but I feel like there is some sentiment against Omaha in this.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions
Don't knock Gwinnett County
most of the facilities there a nicer than anything you find in Atlanta, lots of new money, but yes, the name is odd
Sure
Its a rich suburb. The facilities in Richmond are a dump. I’m sure Gwinnett can provide better facilities.
I just think its a troubling trend for smaller cities. I don’t like how suburbs have turned from bedroom communities into thinking they’re big time cities with pro sports teams, convention centers and company HQs.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Vancouver?
Wow, those cities seem kind of far away. Is that going to be a problem with KC? How much say does the parent club have?
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
I don't know how much say the parent club has, but AAA clubs tend to be
at least in the same region. The most notable exception is Marlins, whose affiliate is in Albequerque.
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
by Royal Kingdom on Aug 6, 2008 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
We have little to now say I would think
We can end our affiliation if we don’t like the distance. There is a musical chairs of affiliations every couple of years, and usually a few teams are left out having a close affiliate and have to take Edmonton, or Albequerque or Nashville. We may be stuck doing that.
We could try to get a AAA team to move to Tulsa, which currently has a AA team an infiltrate the Oklahoma market better. All in all, I’d prefer staying in Nebraska.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
From what I understand
PCL clubs have to be close to a reasonable sized airport because they travel by air. I was scratching my head trying to think of cities in the region without a AAA club but with decent airports. But, if they’re willing to go farther outside the area, that changes things a lot.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 11:22 AM EDT reply actions
Sioux City/Sioux Falls?
That’s all I’ve got, aside from Tulsa, which was already suggested.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
I'm all for that
I think we should push into the upper Midwest. Oklahoma is Rangers territory and Missouri/Arkansas is Cardinals territory. Unless we wanted to usurp Cardlinals fans in Springfield I think we should move north or stay in Omaha. Sioux City would be a nice choice. They have a strong Royals following up there b/c of the local affiliate and the proximity to Omaha.
That One Made
Sense to me, too.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I Was Thinking
More of Sioux Falls, SD.
http://www.city-data.com/city/Sioux-Falls-South-Dakota.html
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
According to Wikipedia
the two cities are considered to be one extended metro area that they call “Siouxland” which combined makes a nice sized market
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
I Think The
Sioux thought of it that way.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
is
is Souix Falls Minnesota Twins country?
I know the Dakotas have a strong Twins following. back in the day 830AM WCCO boomed Twins games all over the place. i don’t know how long they have been an affiliate, but the AM station in Yankton SD (570AM) booms Twins baseball all over western SD
by DedicatedFollowerOfFashion on Aug 6, 2008 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions
It probably is
but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to poach their fans.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
I've been following this issue for awhile
and playing downtown Omaha was never a possibility Creighton will be playing in that stadium mark my words. I think the only real prospects are Sugar Land Texas and Sarpy County.
Every fight is a food fight when you’re a cannibal.
-- Demetri Martin
Here is an
earlier article from the world herald
Vancouver; Tucson, Ariz.; and s Sugar Land, Texas, a Houston suburb, are among cities Reichard has mentioned that would be interested in the Royals.
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
Maybe some of the other old PCL cities will want teams again
Calgary
Edmonton
Eugene
Hawaii
Ogden
Spokane
Kila Kaaihue
could play in front of his home town crowd, until we call him up.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
I think it is critical
For our brand name and in terms of marketing the franchise in the four state region that we have an affiliate in Omaha. I don’t think the KC Royals have a ton of leverage here, but I hope they’re using it to convince the O-Royals to stay put, or at the very worst, go to Sarpy County.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Is the Royals' hold
on the Omaha/Nebraska/Western Iowa sports market that shaky, that the O-Royals actual presence can make or break it? If 40 years of O-Royals plus geographic proximity hasn’t built us enough fan equity to survive the departure of the AAA team (assuming it does not get replaced by an affiliate of another team immediately), does keeping them there really help?
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
I think
Having a presence there and having our future Royals stars stop in Omaha helps cultivate the next generation of Royals fans in Nebraska that will drive in for a weekend to check out the team, yes.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Very sad
that we’ve done such a bad job of marketing that 40 years of presence hasn’t produced a decently loyal fan base.
Then again, maybe the Royals are just hard to sell these days anyway.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
You always have to work at preserving your fan base
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
What have the Cubs done
to inspire loyalty like that?
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Be on WGN!
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Aug 6, 2008 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The Braves have been on TBS
but they don’t seem to have a major fan base outside the Deep South – and they’ve had winning teams, to boot.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Really?
I’ve heard people in the midwest say they became Braves fans because they were the only team on TV. And they caught a few innings while waiting for “Beastmaster II”
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Aug 6, 2008 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The Cubs Had
The right Caray; Skip was OK, but Harry was, well, Harry.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, I grew up in NE in the mid-80's and if you wanted baseball on TV
and it wasn’t Saturday, you watched the Braves, I became a fan as a result…many of my friends as well. With the new regional TV deals, I’m sure this is not the case for younger fans.
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
by Royal Kingdom on Aug 6, 2008 6:12 PM EDT up reply actions
This is just anecdotal,
but I wouldn’t be a Royals fan without the Omaha Royals. I grew up going to Omaha Royals games and the natural extension was to root for KC in the majors.
Omaha will get another team, that is almost certain. They don’t want this new stadium sitting vacant for all but two weeks a year (plus Creighton’s home games I guess). From the article: “MECA already has talked informally with another baseball league, but it was waiting until Tuesday’s meeting to make any serious moves.” I could imagine that a league like the independent American Association might work well because they play a shorter season, and so it would be easier to share a stadium with Creighton. But if they were to get an affiliated team, I can see kids growing up rooting for that team.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
...losing the team hurt's the chances of a Gordon extension!!!11
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by Matt Klaassen on Aug 7, 2008 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
There is no way that would work if the Omaha Royals were still in town.
Omaha barely supports the Omaha Royals as a fan group so I doubt they would support a independent team. I could see crowds of like 50 people if they tried to pull that off. Just use it for Creighton games and summer concerts would be good enough for me. A 30,000 seat stadium could bring in some REAL BIG acts or summer concert tours.
Every fight is a food fight when you’re a cannibal.
-- Demetri Martin
What's The Deal
With Topeka? I never hear them mentioned as a possible venue for MiLB.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
Small market with low median income
There isn’t really a minor league near them. The Midwest League is too far away and they’re too small for the Texas League.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Low Median Income?
I guess I just lived out west, but Topeka West HS was very affluent. Losing the Menninger Clinic probably hurt some.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I Don't Think
They have a suitable facility, either.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions
They'd have to build one
It is pretty common for communities to decide to build a stadium as part of bringing in a minor league team, as Springdale, AR did. The population is much smaller over 400,000 for Omaha, about 130,000 for Topeka.
This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.
by Scott McKinney on Aug 6, 2008 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions
They've Taken A
Big hit with the closing of Forbes AFB, the Menninger Clinic moving to Houston (probably Sugarland), and I gather the Goodyear plant isn’t what it used to be. The population was 140,000+ when I lived there. They did build a major league drag racing facility, though.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm from Topeka...
and from what I gather in the papers they’re focusing on trying to add an independent team to be in the same league as the T-Bones.
That seems more their speed
AAA teams need to draw generally between 7-10,000 fans a game. I don’t think there’s anyway a Topeka team could draw that much. They’re better off joining the Northern League.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
To just add
To-puke-a, is a hell hole (sorry if your from there) but there is not much there to be proud of.
by I need more Esteban on Aug 6, 2008 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Mo More Esteban
For you!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 7, 2008 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Sugar Land
I go to school at Baylor, and there are a lot of students here from Sugar Land. It’s a nice area and a large number of the people from there are pretentious assholes. Kinda like Johnson County’s reputation except way worse. One of the few things more annoying than arrogant rich people are arrogant rich Texans.
I Work In
The oilfield; that’s just as good.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
But
Is it Royals territory???
I don’t know why, but for some reason I considered going to Baylor. I really had no idea what I was looking for in a school.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
HOW HAS THIS NOT BEEN MENTIONED?
I’m not sure what the MLB rules are as far as distances between MLB & MiLB teams (or if there are any rules for that matter), but there is a pretty damn good Minor league park in Kansas City!
What about buying out the Northern League and moving the Royals affiliate to the other side of 435?
Put Them In
KCK.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Are the Royals interested
in promoting KCK over KCMO as any sort of money-spending destination, especially when Jackson County is paying so much to renovate the K?
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Wyandotte County Needs
All the help it can get; besides, it was a joke.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 7:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Didn't sound like
poster GoBabies was joking.
Maybe I just have a bad ear for that sort of thing.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Maybe He Wasn't;
I was.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Aug 6, 2008 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions
a trade
Who knows, maybe Omaha will take the T-Bones as their schedule will mesh better with Creighton’s. But then what do you call the AAA club if you move it to Kansas City? The media would be bummed because they couldn’t use the name of the AAA city as a metonym for the club.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 6, 2008 7:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Is there enough baseball interest in Kansas City to support a MLB and a AAA team?
Wouldn’t the Royals be competing with themselves? The AAA team would really suffer in that kind of competition. There’s no way a minor league team could or should compete with a major league team.
This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.
by Scott McKinney on Aug 6, 2008 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
you might be right
but I’ve been to two T-Bones games since they have come to KCK....if the O-Royals were in KCK I would probably try to get there every other week.
I know it kind of doesn’t make a lot of sense but I think it would be awesome.
by I need more Esteban on Aug 6, 2008 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions
The most logical thing for all concerned parties
Would be for the Tulsa Drillers to move to Wichita (allowing Colorado a critical inroad into Kansas), while Omaha moves to Tulsa.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
That does make a lot of sense
But RATW is right Tulsa needs a new stadium. Heck, Wichita needs a new stadium. Both would have to spend money. Ultimately it doesn’t matter anymore what the best market is, it matters who builds the nicest stadium.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
They'll probably move to sarpy county
Which is fine with me. Cuts my drive time in half.
Lincoln would be ideal since they already have an awesome stadium in place, but they’re too damn loyal to the American Association or whatever in the “F” it’s called.
Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.
Lincoln's ballpard
doesn’t meet the minimum size for the PCL
Every fight is a food fight when you’re a cannibal.
-- Demetri Martin
Plus
Wouldn’t there be scheduling conflicts with UNL Baseball?
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
They work around the CWS, that is one of their biggest beefs with Omaha.
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
by Royal Kingdom on Aug 7, 2008 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions
What is the minimum size?
I’ve been to Husker games at Haymarket park where they cram 14,000 people in there. There’s lots of berm space that could fit in a little extra seating if that is the issue, but it seems to me like the O-Royals are actually quite jealous of Lincoln’s park. It is often cited as an example of the intimate setting they want. If they want a bigger stadium, the new Omaha stadium would be perfect.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 7, 2008 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
The minimum seating capacity in the PCL is 7000-8000
I think. Lincoln seats only about 5000 actual chairbacks the berm and all that area doesn’t count.
Every fight is a food fight when you’re a cannibal.
-- Demetri Martin
Right,
and there is plenty of space to fill in a few more seats as needed. I think the bigger issue there would be sharing a stadium with UNL just as there is a problem sharing a stadium with Creighton University.
Currently UNL shares with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association. UNL’s last regular season game this year was on May 18th; whereas, the Saltdogs’ first game was on May 8th. Sharing the field for two months would be much more difficult.
by Trey Hillman's Chin on Aug 7, 2008 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm surprised Boise doesn't get mentioned more often
as PCL site. They have a pretty good population base and growing fairly rapidly. All they have now is a SS team.
We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan
I was also thinking
that Boise is due for an upgrade. But they don’t seem to be courting the O-Royals…maybe they’re holding out for a Mariners or Rockies affiliate.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
Sarpy County
currently has a committee put together looking at the feesibility of the whole thing. I am worried about the increase tax hit to the residents though. Omaha already is taxing people for the downtown stadium, the watermain system needs fixed and will have to come from somewhere. Unless there is a big push at private financing I just am not possitive that this conservative population will vote in favor of it. They do have a few things working for them the western area of the town in a younger population base and I don’t think they want to lose the Omaha Royals.
Every fight is a food fight when you’re a cannibal.
-- Demetri Martin
MO
The royals NEED a minor league team in missouri. the fan base is here, the team is here. would columbia/jeff city/booneville not be a big enough area ,population wise, for a team ? I think it would work, screw the Cardinals territory ! FSN KC airs in mid-MO
not only that its the center of all the major highways in MO so fans from all over the state would fill the seats. I would drive from Kirksville at least weekly.
by no games on tv in kirksville missouri on Aug 8, 2008 4:03 PM EDT reply actions
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