Sprindale Minor League Sports Complex and Minor League Baseball Stadium

[Mith242]

Look for a public announcement from the Wranglers organization soon after the referendum is passed...if it is passed. Until then, regardless of what the media reports or fans speculate, they'll probably stay mute.

Another good question is what to rename the team. Should it be Springdale blank? Northwest Arkansas blank? It'd make a good contest.

If I was to guess I would think they'd go for Northwest Arkansas in the name. I'd think they'd want as much support outside of Springdale that they can get. It's obviously for Springdale but I think it needs to have a more regional influence to be successful.

[Aporkalypse]

Look for a public announcement from the Wranglers organization soon after the referendum is passed...if it is passed. Until then, regardless of what the media reports or fans speculate, they'll probably stay mute.

Another good question is what to rename the team. Should it be Springdale blank? Northwest Arkansas blank? It'd make a good contest.

NW Arkansas seems too long but Springdale is too specific to a small piece of the regional fan base. Maybe "Ozark" would be a good idea.

If it does pass and we don't hear anything from the Wranglers for a while, things will get very antsy. Very antsy. Thats' a big investment without a definite commitment.

[mcheiss]

I still like the sound of the NWA Rollbacks!!

[Arkansawyer]

I think that's where all of this gets muddled. Nobody involved with the team has stated any potential move. Although I think this may be in part because they don't want to lose their fan base during the time before the stadium is done. But I think some people are a bit concerned, worried that this isn't a done deal at all. The link bobhazor posted mentions that Wichita has an option that they can buy out the team if it moves before their contract expires with the city. Making the whole thing even more complicated.

I understand that several variables will determine if the team moves, but I was wondering who he thought hadn't been asked how they feel. It's certainly not the management, who has been in contact with Springdale officials. It's not the players, who have contracts with an MLB team and only briefly play for a minor league team. In any case I don't see the feelings of anyone in the organization as being important. It's a business decision. Having said that, I'm sure the owners and players would be happy about having a new ballpark.

NW Arkansas seems too long but Springdale is too specific to a small piece of the regional fan base. Maybe "Ozark" would be a good idea.

If it does pass and we don't hear anything from the Wranglers for a while, things will get very antsy. Very antsy. Thats' a big investment without a definite commitment.

"Northwest Arkansas" would be an awkward name. I can't think of another team that's named for a region of a state. The "Springdale" option, on the other hand, is too exclusive for an interdependent metro. I bet y'all would go for "Arkansas" if the Travelers didn't already have it. An interesting fact is that the Travelers claim to be the first team in professional sports to take on the name of a state.

[bobhazor]

Here's a little more info on the new developements in the Wrangler's possible move from 5newsonline

http://5newsonline.com/Global/story.asp?S=5057574

I agree that Northwest Arkansas Anything is a mouthfull, but I do not agree that calling the team the Springdale Anything would take away from the regional appeal of a team. Plus, couldn't there be the Arkansas Travelers and the Arkansas Anythings? Or is this against the rules? Look at the Giants and the Jets.

[mcheiss]

Why not just NWA?

It's short, sweet, and everyone pretty much knows where NWA is.

[KJW]

Why not just NWA?

It's short, sweet, and everyone pretty much knows where NWA is.

This region needs a NAME!

(Up in NW Indiana region, where the Chicagoland suburbs are, some residents refer to themselves as "region rats", though that's a LOT different region than we have here...

"Intro-DUCINNNG your 2008 REGION RATS..." Naah, doesn't have a ring.)

[Mith242]

Yeah I guess there isn't anything keeping them from just using the term Arkansas. Although I do think they teams who use a state name tend to be in the same city or at least the same general MSA. It would nbe nice to have a nickname for this area of the state. I always liked Arkadia, playing off Arcadia of course but with a k for more of an Arkansas emphasis.

[Aporkalypse]

Why not just NWA?

It's short, sweet, and everyone pretty much knows where NWA is.

Outside the area, NWA stands for a vulgar 90s gangster rap group.

I like the "rollbacks" as well.

However, as the Little Rock hockey franchise found out, the UA protects its trademarks aggressively. If "razorblades" wouldn't go over, I wonder about "rollbacks".

[Spartan]

When I hear NWA I think of the National Weather Association, and NW Airlines....

[Aporkalypse]

I read today where Rev Floyd from Springdale's 1st Baptist Church opposes the stadium now after finding out that it will be selling beer.

I have the feeling this will fail.

[Mith242]

Yeah he had initially supported it. Then he retracted his support because he didn't know alcohol was going to be sold there. To me that seemed somewhat obvious. Otherwise it probably would have been built in Benton County instead. I'm not sure what effect Floyd will have on it but I admit I'm not so sure on it's chances of being voted in. Some of the Springdale people I've talked to don't seem impressed with the whole setup. But of course I guess what matters more is how many people will go out and vote for or against it.

[KJW]

I read today where Rev Floyd from Springdale's 1st Baptist Church opposes the stadium now after finding out that it will be selling beer.

I have the feeling this will fail.

Don't know about that. This area isn't LA or NYC, but it doesn't seem like a "buckle of the Bible belt" either, sadly.

[Aporkalypse]

Don't know about that. This area isn't LA or NYC, but it doesn't seem like a "buckle of the Bible belt" either, sadly.

NWA is one of the most conservative areas in America, IMO, especially if you exclude Fayetteville.

I don't think that decision will affect many voters, but even if it's only 5% I think it will be enough to sway an already dubious election. A lot of people up there will vote against ANY tax and others are afraid it won't get a Texas League team and will sit empty. I hope it passes but Floyd's rescinded endorsement will probably have a small but important effect.

[mcheiss]

I read today where Rev Floyd from Springdale's 1st Baptist Church opposes the stadium now after finding out that it will be selling beer.

I have the feeling this will fail.

Man, I hate these super conservatives, why can't people be open to change. It's not like they have to buy the beer at the baseball games.

[masons_dad1]

IMO the only reason there's so much hype about a baseball team coming to NWA is because everyone sees all these much needed, long overdue, improvements being made to our roads and some new residential and commercial developments then all of a sudden everyone thinks NWA should have what all the other medium sized metros out there has. It's envy gone to the extreme. We may as well be wishing for Disneyland to be built in our little string of small towns which will never happen.

[Mith242]

NWA is one of the most conservative areas in America, IMO, especially if you exclude Fayetteville.

I was about ready to contradict you until I got to the second half of that sentence.

Man, I hate these super conservatives, why can't people be open to change. It's not like they have to buy the beer at the baseball games.

I almost wonder if he didn't really care that much at the beginning when he supported it but finally realized it would cause problems down the road if he did support it.

[KJW]

NWA is one of the most conservative areas in America, IMO, especially if you exclude Fayetteville.

I don't think that decision will affect many voters, but even if it's only 5% I think it will be enough to sway an already dubious election. A lot of people up there will vote against ANY tax and others are afraid it won't get a Texas League team and will sit empty. I hope it passes but Floyd's rescinded endorsement will probably have a small but important effect.

Hope you're right on the conservative part, Pork (at least in terms of this debate).

BTW, Dr. Floyd (who seems a very good, nice man) is for the ballpark itself.

[Aporkalypse]

Hope you're right on the conservative part, Pork (at least in terms of this debate).

BTW, Dr. Floyd (who seems a very good, nice man) is for the ballpark itself.

This article was linked on a blog from the Arkansas Times...

Arkansas town woos Wranglers

BY JOANNA CHADWICK

The Wichita Eagle

In less than a month, Springdale, Ark., will hold a referendum on extending a one-cent sales tax to build a $33 million baseball stadium that would seat 6,000 by the 2008 season.

Wichita's minor-league team could be the new tenant.

Springdale city officials have said that a Double-A team has expressed interest in moving to the city if a stadium is built.

Wichita's Wranglers were identified as the team last month by Perry Webb, Springdale's Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He told the newspaper that he wanted Bob and Mindy Rich, who have owned the Wranglers since 1989, to go public with their interest before the July 11 vote.

Building a stadium is considered a way to make Springdale, the home of Tyson Foods, a regional destination.

Jon Dandes, the executive vice president of the Wranglers, who is based in Buffalo, N.Y., could not be reached Monday.

If the tax passes and the Riches agree, the Wranglers would have to break the lease with the city of Wichita and agree to a lease there.

The Wranglers, the Double-A farm team of the Kansas City Royals, have a contract with Wichita that goes through the 2009 season.

A provision of the contract says that if the Wranglers break it, the city has 30 days to buy the team at fair market value.

The city might consider that.

"We are doing our own research, too," said Jessica Johnson, marketing director for the city. "We're not at a point where we could say what we're going to do. We're not there yet. It's been a matter of discussion, and we've been talking about it internally."

She added that the city considers the Wranglers a vital part of the downtown revitalization that includes the arena.

"We feel that our Wranglers are so important to our community, and this is a sports town," Johnson said. "Losing them is not an option for us."

Messages left for Webb and Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans were not returned Monday.

Minor-league baseball has a strong history in Wichita, though there have been some gaps.

After the Wichita Braves' last season in 1958, the Triple-A Wichita Aeros played at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium from 1970 to 1984, when the team was sold to the Riches and moved to Buffalo.

Wichita was without a minor-league team until the Double-A Pilots were moved to Wichita from Beaumont, Texas, for the 1987 and 1988 seasons. The Riches bought the National Baseball Congress and the Pilots, which were renamed the Wranglers for the 1989 season.

In 2004 the Wranglers were rumored to be moving, that time to Springfield, Mo. It didn't happen.

That they are the subject of another move isn't surprising. They have been last in the eight-team league in attendance since 2003.

That's what Wranglers general manager Eric Edelstein points to whenever he hears rumors of a move, saying that as long as Wichita ranks last, such will persist.

Currently the Wranglers draw an average of 2,709 fans per game. Only three of the 30 Double-A teams draw fewer fans than Wichita, whose stadium seats more than 6,000.

The Arkansas Travelers, who play in Little Rock, are seventh in the Texas League, averaging 3,210.

But they are building a new stadium, so they're not in danger of leaving.

When the Travelers' new stadium opens, Wichita and Tulsa will be the only teams in the Texas League with stadiums built before the 1990s.

Lawrence-Dumont Stadium was completed in 1934, Drillers Stadium in 1981.

Bill Valentine, the Travelers' general manager, said Monday that he hadn't heard anything about the Wranglers' potential move, except what he's read on the Internet and in newspapers.

Springdale is in the Ozarks about 200 miles northwest of Little Rock, between booming Bentonville, Wal-Mart's corporate headquarters, and Fayetteville, home of the University of Arkansas.

"It wouldn't have any bearing on the Arkansas Travelers," Valentine said. "They would probably outdraw us; they are an up-and-coming area, and they don't have any professional sports."

[masons_dad1]

^^

That's quite a potent article. It says a lot about the rumors that have been floating around and the fact that Wichita will put up a fight to keep the Wranglers. If they break their contract before 2009 then the city of Wichita can opt to buy the team which prevents Springdale from getting them. It'll also make it pretty darn hard for the owners to up and sell the team knowing Wichita will do anything to keep them.

In short... Springdale getting the Wranglers ain't gonna happen.

[mcheiss]

I still think the Wranglers are coming to NWA.

[jdevers]

^^

That's quite a potent article. It says a lot about the rumors that have been floating around and the fact that Wichita will put up a fight to keep the Wranglers. If they break their contract before 2009 then the city of Wichita can opt to buy the team which prevents Springdale from getting them. It'll also make it pretty darn hard for the owners to up and sell the team knowing Wichita will do anything to keep them.

In short... Springdale getting the Wranglers ain't gonna happen.

You're making a huge assumption, that Wichita COULD buy the Wranglers. There aren't that many community owned teams in the country and most of the ones that do exist have been around a long time. Think about this for a second. What is the fair market value of a double A baseball team? It is hard to get bond issues passed for things like road construction and library upgrades, how easy will it be for a city of 353K (MSA 584K) people to all band together to buy a team with just around 3,000 people in attendance per game. Their average is HALF full, in a small stadium. I would imagine 75% of the town has never even WANTED to go to a Wranglers game and only around 15% ever have gone. Then the bond issue would really need to cover not just the buyout of the team, but a new stadium as well, or at least substantial improvements to their current facilities.

The city might try a stock selloff and hope some weathy people are fans of the team, but that is a tossup too.

I'm not saying it cant happen, just that because Wichita has the option to buy the team doesnt mean they will or have the will to.

[Aporkalypse]

You're making a huge assumption, that Wichita COULD buy the Wranglers. There aren't that many community owned teams in the country and most of the ones that do exist have been around a long time. Think about this for a second. What is the fair market value of a double A baseball team? It is hard to get bond issues passed for things like road construction and library upgrades, how easy will it be for a city of 353K (MSA 584K) people to all band together to buy a team with just around 3,000 people in attendance per game. Their average is HALF full, in a small stadium. I would imagine 75% of the town has never even WANTED to go to a Wranglers game and only around 15% ever have gone. Then the bond issue would really need to cover not just the buyout of the team, but a new stadium as well, or at least substantial improvements to their current facilities.

The city might try a stock selloff and hope some weathy people are fans of the team, but that is a tossup too.

I'm not saying it cant happen, just that because Wichita has the option to buy the team doesnt mean they will or have the will to.

One thing important to consider is the city population of Wichita alone is large - it is nearly the size of the NWA MSA and the same as St Louis or Tampa and quite a bit larger than Orlando or Salt Lake City. That gives them a large tax base to work with.

There was another article at the Wichita Eagle titled "It may take $10 million to keep Wranglers) but I didn't read it. You always wonder if the owners, who apparently are Wichita residents, want a better stadium and are using this to do it.

[masons_dad1]

You're making a huge assumption, that Wichita COULD buy the Wranglers. There aren't that many community owned teams in the country and most of the ones that do exist have been around a long time. Think about this for a second. What is the fair market value of a double A baseball team? It is hard to get bond issues passed for things like road construction and library upgrades, how easy will it be for a city of 353K (MSA 584K) people to all band together to buy a team with just around 3,000 people in attendance per game. Their average is HALF full, in a small stadium. I would imagine 75% of the town has never even WANTED to go to a Wranglers game and only around 15% ever have gone. Then the bond issue would really need to cover not just the buyout of the team, but a new stadium as well, or at least substantial improvements to their current facilities.

The city might try a stock selloff and hope some weathy people are fans of the team, but that is a tossup too.

I'm not saying it cant happen, just that because Wichita has the option to buy the team doesnt mean they will or have the will to.

I based my conclusion on the fact that Wichita said "losing the Wranglers is not an option." That tells me that the city will do whatever it takes to keep them. Raising $10 or $20 million wouldn't be too hard for a city that size to do. The U of A raised a billion dollars and they had less money to draw from. That may not be a good comparison, but I'd say the odds are definitely in Wichita's favor. Also, what Apork said about it being a ploy by the owners to get a new stadium built is also quite possible. In fact, NWA may have just been used by the owners to get what they want.

[KJW]

I based my conclusion on the fact that Wichita said "losing the Wranglers is not an option." That tells me that the city will do whatever it takes to keep them. Raising $10 or $20 million wouldn't be too hard for a city that size to do. The U of A raised a billion dollars and they had less money to draw from. That may not be a good comparison, but I'd say the odds are definitely in Wichita's favor. Also, what Apork said about it being a ploy by the owners to get a new stadium built is also quite possible. In fact, NWA may have just been used by the owners to get what they want.

I'm wondering if some other people will get what they want here, as well.

One of these articles had someone quoted saying words to the effect of "If (Springdale) doesn't build this ballpark someone else (in NWA) will."

And "someone else" could end up, if demand is as intense as has been suggested in these articles, building the stadium in a county we all know which at present is quite "dry".