May 16, 2006
No Team in San Antonio, Yet
FishStripes notes the end of the San Antonio deal to host the Marlins. He also notes that MLB is now very interested in putting a team in the Texas city:
If a deal can't be struck in Hialeah, San Antonio will most likely be the front runner for the team's new home.
Okay, that isn't altogether a shocker though I can think of three better locations. But what is surprising is: since when did Major League Baseball start being upfront with possible relocation cities?
I can't remember ever seeing this before.
All I can conclude is San Antonio played this like masters. Putting up an offer - setting a deadline and being open if MLB and the Marlins really want to move to the city in the future.
I must say: well done San Antonio.
Indeed. Unlike Portland or Vegas, San Antonio refused to be used as a pawn and put a legitimate deal on the table. It appears that MLB respects that.
Update: Sorry, I forgot to include the link before.
How well do the San Antonio Missions draw? I find it hard to believe a city could jump from a AA market to a major league market.
Indeed, Nick. Maybe we should wait to see how Kansas City does it first.
Where's your source for this quote? You forgot to link it.
I think San Antonio would make a great MLB city. It's the eighth biggest metro areas in the country, & the fans will instantly have rivalries in Dallas and Houston (mirroring the local sports basketball rivalries already cemented in place).
Forgot to point out...San Antonio is also one of the fastest growing cities in the past 15 years (22.3% increase), so it has a future of population to support major sports teams. Only 7 other cities in the top 50 populated areas have higher growth rates in that period.
it ain't just the number of the population, or miami would sell out. the population of san antonio is "growing" but it ain't rich people. they got ONE billionaire and no large major companies. not much of a corporate sponsor.
also the media market is very low along with the income level and that counts. if yall think that folks from austin gonna deal with all the traffic to come 2 hours south to see a ball game you nuts, especially because most people with $$$ in the austin metro area live north to waaaayyyy north of downtown.
the missions draw a couple thousand a game. maybe. if that.
san anton is a BAD idea...
and forget the "rivalry" there is no rivalry
Hm, I tried posting this earlier, but it didn't take. Anyway, I was going to correct Devon. San Antonio is the 8th-biggest city in the U.S. within its city limits, but for its metro area, which corresponds much closer with its market size, it is only 30th.
Here is the relevant Census table for the year 2000, which makes it a bit out-of-date by now. Nevertheless, it shows larger metro areas without MLB franchises at #20 (San Juan, PR), #23 (Portland, OR), #25 (Sacramento), #28 (Orlando), and #29 (Indianapolis).
The largest with no major-level sports franchise is Norfolk/Virginia Beach at #31, but right behind it at #32 is Las Vegas, which has been growing at a breakneck pace and is probably several notches higher by now.
The smallest MLB metro area is Milwaukee at #27. The smallest for any major sports franchise is, of course, Green Bay, Wisconsin, at #156.
re: San Antonio & baseball expansion
I have a plan which would solve (1) baseball's expansion problem into Latin America and (2) the nation's immigration problem.
(1) We annex Mexico and make it a territory of the United States. Baja California can be admitted as a state immediately; the rest of the country can be administered as a territory and can be voted in as states slowly like the old west.
(2) All of the teams in the Mexican League will be admitted to major league baseball as the Mexican Division and their winners admitted to the playoffs under a seeding system.
(3) Interleague play will require our teams to play in Mexico.
(4) We also annex Western Canada, including Britishing Columbia and Alberta, the western provinces with all the oil and mineral wealth, and admit them to statehood right away. We give them baseball franchises and expand the western divisions to include Vancouver, Calgary & Alberta.
(5) The borders wil be much shorter this way and we will have a supply of cheap labor.
(6) When castro dies, we annex cuba again, as we did in 1898. We also make Puerto Rico a state and give them a baseball team.
(7) This plan in 25 years will lead to the americanization of central and Latin American and lead to the downfall of communist sentiment in these regions and the expansion of the US to a nation of 1 billions of peoples. The MLB leagues will expand to nearly 60 teams and we will have the entire canadian and latin american talent bases plus all of the latin american fans.
--arthur john kyriazis
--philly