one last thing…remember the one legged kid first posted on here last friday and featured in the ticker on monday?

well he caught nick swisher’s second pitch at the cell tonight

two more pics of adam bender

note swisher’s excellent control in the second pic (first pitch)

Greenie said:

just imagine the reaction if Selig announced that this year’s winners of the International and Pacific Leagues (AAA) would be promoted to the Major Leagues next season.

Pande-freakin-monium.

Personally I’d be rooting for the Portland Beavers and Durham Bulls…

Not so easy.

Helps if teams have a) ownership with deep enough pockets to pay expansion fees and that existing owners would approve, b) operating capital to run a major league team, including the hefty and immediate increase in payroll, c) a modern stadium with both the capacity and corporate luxury boxes to generate necessary revenue from same or d) a community willing to build one quickly, e) a market deemed large enough to sustain a major league team, f) no proximity to existing teams or funds to pay any territorial infringement fees (for example, Reds owners would shit if a team went into Louisville; likewise Mariners re: Portland).

And that’s the short list.

I could be wrong, but I believe that’s done in European soccer leagues (EPL, if I’m not mistaken). If a team stinks it up they get demoted to a lower level, while another gets promoted to take its place.

If MLB chooses to expand (which I would support), these are the cities that I believe could handle a MLB team successfully:

—————-

The “Expos” Options (Cities that were on the table in ‘04 for relocation of the expos, minus the international options):

Portland, Oregon- Already has one major team, however I feel that it is too close to Seattle/SanFran/Oakland to be able to pick up fans quickly and some fans will arguably have too strong ties to switch to a new team.

Las Vegas, Nevada- Large City, Large Tourist Draw, however there are many problems with this one, particularly legalized sports betting and the competition for residents’ entertainment budget. Baseball has always been anti-gambling (duh) and it is unclear weather a baseball team could pull people away from their craps tables and conventions for an attraction one could find in many other cities.

Norfolk, Virginia- Still Viable, has a decent population, and would fill in a gap in the mlb map.

Northern Virginia- Not going to happen, to close to DC, Baltimore to have a large fan draw.

New Jersey- As much as I love my home state, I would still root for the Yanks if there was a NJ team, and I feel that most others would root for their current allegiances too, and would further crowd an already crowded region (Yanks, Mets, and Philies hats are seen in almost equal numbers here, although I think the yanks have a slight lead).

—

The Domestic Options:

Boise, Idaho- Fills in a Gap in the MLB Map, opens up to a new group of fans, however may not be large enough to maintain a team.

Salt Lake City, Utah- One of the more viable options. Fills in a MLB map gap, has a large population, and the Olympics have shown that the city has a large sports draw.

Omaha, Nebraska- This one is really just about filling in a gap and drawing in new fans, however I don’t see it happening.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- Fills in a Gap, and I could really see this panning out and drawing lots of new fans due to the lack of major sports in the city, and it has the population to maintain a team.

New Orleans, Louisiana- Probably one of the best options, has a sizable population, and can maintain a team as the saints have shown.

Indianapolis, Indiana- Colts have shown it can maintain a team, however the area is cluttered with many MLB teams.

Louisville, Kentucky- One I really want to see happen, fills in a gap, has a population to maintain a team, and who can deny how awesome it would be to have a team called the Louisville sluggers?

Nashville & Memphis, Tennessee- Only really about filling in a gap, I don’t see it happening.

Montgomery & Birmingham, Alabama- Could really happen, with large populations, they could sustain a team easily, however the market may be cornered by the Braves.

Charlotte, North Carolina- Panthers have proved this could work, and would fill in a significant hole in the mlb map.

Buffalo, New York- I could actually see this happen, even though lately the Bills have had a hard time drawing, their minor league team still draws large crowds, and even though the argument of too many Yankee/Mets/Red Sox fans to draw fans could be made, I think it’s located far enough from any of these cities to actually create its own fan base. And if it does happen the team has to be called the wings. How awesome would that uniform be?

—

International Options:

San Juan, Puerto Rico- Would love to see this happen, and the Expos Games there in ‘03 and the WBC have proved it can handle baseball

Vancouver, Canada- I Would LOVE to see this. May be encroaching on Mariners Turf, but it time for a second team to return to Canada, and Vancover would be a great place to have this happen.

Montreal, Canada- I know what you’re thinking: we just left. But hear me out. If the city can promise to build the new stadium, and the team can be properly managed, baseball could thrive again in Montreal.

Mexico City, Mexico- Doubt it will happen, but its still an Option

Monterrey, Mexico- Was on the table for the Expo’s move. Rich city with a baseball desire, but doubt it happens. It will be a while before MLB Expands south of the border.

—————-

Looking at all this, These are the six options I would like to see/think are most viable:

1. New Orleans
2. Vancouver
3. San Juan
4. Louisville
5. Buffalo
6. Salt Lake City

Thoughts on this?

Either way, I think that it is clearly time for MLB to expand to 32 teams, and keep the leagues even.

Greenie said:

just imagine the reaction if Selig announced that this year’s winners of the International and Pacific Leagues (AAA) would be promoted to the Major Leagues next season.

Pande-freakin-monium.

Personally I’d be rooting for the Portland Beavers and Durham Bulls…

Not so easy.

Helps if teams have a) ownership with deep enough pockets to pay expansion fees and that existing owners would approve, b) operating capital to run a major league team, including the hefty and immediate increase in payroll, c) a modern stadium with both the capacity and corporate luxury boxes to generate necessary revenue from same or d) a community willing to build one quickly, e) a market deemed large enough to sustain a major league team, f) no proximity to existing teams or funds to pay any territorial infringement fees (for example, Reds owners would shit if a team went into Louisville; likewise Mariners re: Portland).

And that’s the short list.

i’ll grant you the cincinnati/louisville fight, but portland is too far away to be “territorial” for the mariners, they have the rest of washington (and probably idaho too) but i need to work in 5 1/2 hrs, so i should be saying goodnight now.

well he caught nick swisher’s second pitch at the cell tonight

just imagine the reaction if Selig announced that this year’s winners of the International and Pacific Leagues (AAA) would be promoted to the Major Leagues next season.

Pande-freakin-monium.

Personally I’d be rooting for the Portland Beavers and Durham Bulls…

Not so easy.

Helps if teams have a) ownership with deep enough pockets to pay expansion fees and that existing owners would approve, b) operating capital to run a major league team, including the hefty and immediate increase in payroll, c) a modern stadium with both the capacity and corporate luxury boxes to generate necessary revenue from same or d) a community willing to build one quickly, e) a market deemed large enough to sustain a major league team, f) no proximity to existing teams or funds to pay any territorial infringement fees (for example, Reds owners would shit if a team went into Louisville; likewise Mariners re: Portland).

And that’s the short list.