Sounds Stadium design now starting

[elguapo731]

Latest from the city paper. I personally think this is a great idea.

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cf...p;news_id=55235

Extention of October 31 is a bit discouraging but If Struever takes over the whole project the likely hood of this thing rising increases.

[elguapo731]

disregard this post, I pressed the wrong button

[Richard Lawson]

It was nice of the City Paper to follow my story on the Sounds from yesterday.

[Hankster]

I found this on Emporis. Evidendently one of the new projects Streuver Bros is plannin to build in Nashville is listed on Emporis as the Shelby building. I'm assuming this is part of the Sounds project. There's not much information on the link other than it is listed as 14 stories.

Shelby Building

[elguapo731]

April 3rd is the new "D" day for The Sounds

According to News 5 They have asked for the extension to complete financing. Apparently The Sounds and S Bros have decided to obtain a joint loan from one single bank as opposed to multiple banks for each part of the project.

Metro will decided on the extension on April 3rd.

[Richard Lawson]

April 3rd is the new "D" day for The Sounds

According to News 5 They have asked for the extension to complete financing. Apparently The Sounds and S Bros have decided to obtain a joint loan from one single bank as opposed to multiple banks for each part of the project.

Metro will decided on the extension on April 3rd.

[Richard Lawson]

I bet this deal is toast

[elguapo731]

Hmmmm, Toast....

Sorry, yes this is probably dead which will mean prob. no more baseball for Nashville. Metro won't want to give the money to update Greer and The Brewers will opt out of the commitment to the team as they have indicated they'll do if the stadium isn't built.

Yaeger doesn't apear like a good GM, nor does he appear to ba a good gambler. Don't ever sit next to him in Vegas, he just leaks bad VooDoo.

If the staduim doesn't happen I don't think Yaeger will get another GM job anytime soon. In my opininon he's single handedly botched this whole deal.

What should be built on the site will now be one of the main issues come the mayoral race later this year.

[Richard Lawson]

Hmmmm, Toast....

Sorry, yes this is probably dead which will mean prob. no more baseball for Nashville. Metro won't want to give the money to update Greer and The Brewers will opt out of the commitment to the team as they have indicated they'll do if the stadium isn't built.

Yaeger doesn't apear like a good GM, nor does he appear to ba a good gambler. Don't ever sit next to him in Vegas, he just leaks bad VooDoo.

If the staduim doesn't happen I don't think Yaeger will get another GM job anytime soon. In my opininon he's single handedly botched this whole deal.

What should be built on the site will now be one of the main issues come the mayoral race later this year.

[Resident]

I don't think its Yaeger's fault necessarily. He's just the mesenger in many respects. Al Gordon, the owner, is pulling the strings.

[Richard Lawson]

If the Brewers don't want to wait, maybe there's another team that would gladly wait for the Ballpark to be constructed

and relocate.

Thanks

[Resident]

If the Brewers don't want to wait, maybe there's another team that would gladly wait for the Ballpark to be constructed

and relocate.

Thanks

[thirdday2002]

As a Atlanta Braves fan, I have always wished that our team was a part of the Braves organization. Don't MLB teams usually try to place their minor league teams in the same region as their major league counterparts? (i.e. The Memphis Redbirds are a farm team of the St. Louis Cardinals - Which makes perfect sense!) You could probably count on one hand how many Brewers fans there are in Nashville. I know that the Braves AAA team is in Richmond, VA, but Nashville is closer, and I imagine we have more Braves fans here than in Richmond.

This whole stadium saga is so frustrating...

[Hankster]

The Baltimore Oriole farm team idea is intriguing, but I'm sure they already have a full compliment of farm teams. That means that one of their farm teams would have to move to Nashville, hopefully their AAA farm team, and that team is not owned by Cal Ripken. Does anyone know where Baltimore AAA farm team is located? Another complication is that Baltimore's AAA farm is probably not in the Pacific Coast League, as Nashville is. That would means teams would have to switch between leagues....a very dicey proposition indeed. There's no way a deal such as that could be put together easily. It would take a lot of time and a lot of negotiation.

I'm afraid the entire deal will fall through, Nashville will not get the 200 Million SBER investment, and Nashville will be without a AAA baseball team for a long, long time. If so, what a bummer and shame on the Sounds owner for being so unwilling to risk any of his money.

[southsideJ]

If the deal does fall through and we lose the Sounds (which would be tragic), this city would not be without minor league baseball for long. I am sure there will be lots of groups looking to move an A and AA club into Greer. I'm sure there will be groups with proposals for new stadiums in the metro area as well.

Nashville has always been a great baseball town--it won't be gone for long no matter what. Remember, a few years ago, Greer was home to two minor league teams--the Sounds and I think the name of the other team was the Nashville Express. Then there was the Vols and Sulpher Dell . . .

I still think there is a chance they will get it worked out--there is just too much to lose for everyone involved--including reputations (and they still have some time before April). Its funny--I never would have thought it possible, at the beginning of all this, for the Metro Council to look competent when compared with Streuver Bros.

[MidTenn1]

I still have that small flicker of hope that a Major League team could make it here, and here is how and why:

1. An American League team in Nashville (let's say the current, struggling Tampa Bay Devil Rays) would create its own market independent of the surrounding National League teams of Atlanta, St, Louis and Cincinnati. Having the Yankees and Red Sox and even the Tigers coming to town to play the Nashville Stars (or whatever) would guarantee sellouts. There are a lot of AL fans throughout the south who have nowhere to go for baseball closer than Tampa, Dallas or Chicago.

2. A stadium with a retractible roof and attached to a large hotel would also serve as a convention center. Much like Phillips Arena in Atlanta, the suites and club seats would all be on one side and incorporated into the hotel. The 'bleacher' seats would be on the opposite side and in the outfield, separate from the hotel. Keep the capacity under 40,000 as in Pittsburgh.

3. Or instead of a retractible roof, you could install a moveable field that would roll out into the open to promote grass growing (similiar to what the Mets have proposed). I like both the retractible roof idea and the moveable field, myself, as baseball was meant to be played outdoors on real grass.

4. Many of the suites and club seats would be part of hotel and convention visitor packages and reduce the need for corporate purchasing of such seats.

You would have about 100,000 sf of space under one roof, and a venue perfect for political conventions or NCAA Final Fours.

The City would use the money it was going to spend on the convention center for the ballpark and Hotel chains will beat the door down to build a hotel with additional meeting space I would suspect. There won't be as much exhibit space as originally desired, but a baseball team will put up to 2 million people on the downtown streets over a seven month stretch.

Such a facility would be totally unique and off the wall. It would be so Nashville.

[southsideJ]

oh--so they only have until noon today to strike a deal between Sounds and Struever Bros. I guess I missed that previously.

[elguapo731]

No way a true MLB team makes it's home in Nashville. Sports anyalist have beaten that one to death for the past couple years. Teams are looking for major markets. A mid-level market isn't attractive to owners especially when there are two other major league teams already in place (Preds and Titans). The Preds had trouble filling seats during the first half of the season and they were winning.

As much as I would love to see a real team in place, that's just not happening anytime soon. It's a shame too becasue Major League Baseball is so much better in person than on TV and tickets are for the most part resonable.

As for a A or AA team having a chance at building a staduim.... Hard to say, but I'd be willing to say prob not. If a AAA team doesn't want to sink the money into one a A or AA either won't or just can't (financially) make that venture.

I hope baseball doesn't leave Nashville as it is my second favorite sport, but it looks like it's on the way out. Keep us posted on any further developments Richard.

[southsideJ]

so it looks like 4pm Tuesday is the latest deadline for this thing--from the City Paper:

"We are continuing to pursue a joint development agreement that will assure the successful completion of the entire $250 million development project, including the ballpark," Yaeger said after the legislation was filed.

[Richard Lawson]

so it looks like 4pm Tuesday is the latest deadline for this thing--from the City Paper:

"We are continuing to pursue a joint development agreement that will assure the successful completion of the entire $250 million development project, including the ballpark," Yaeger said after the legislation was filed.

[Hankster]

This whole situation as it is unfolding defies logic to me. I can't understand why the Sounds ownership wouldn't bend over backwards for a deal like this. There's always risk in the econonics of a deal going South. They should own up to that and try harder to promote their product. Besides, I think the Sounds would sell out most of their games in the new ballpark, and do famously even if they have to come up with more money on their part. If they let this thing fall apart (despite what appears to be a concerted effort on SBER to keep it afloat), they will suffer miserably in my opinion. If they stay in Nashville and this deal falls through, I predict a fan backlash will occur. It's hard to describe how disappointed I am right now with Sounds management. I just hope they come to their senses in the waning hours of this deal and make it happen.

[Richard Lawson]

This whole situation as it is unfolding defies logic to me. I can't understand why the Sounds ownership wouldn't bend over backwards for a deal like this. There's always risk in the econonics of a deal going South. They should own up to that and try harder to promote their product. Besides, I think the Sounds would sell out most of their games in the new ballpark, and do famously even if they have to come up with more money on their part. If they let this thing fall apart (despite what appears to be a concerted effort on SBER to keep it afloat), they will suffer miserably in my opinion. If they stay in Nashville and this deal falls through, I predict a fan backlash will occur. It's hard to describe how disappointed I am right now with Sounds management. I just hope they come to their senses in the waning hours of this deal and make it happen.

[MidTenn1]

This is a good example of the drawbacks of having non-local ownership of Nashville's important sports franchises.

The last minor league hockey team was owned by Atlantans and they continually pooh-poohed Nashville's hopes of getting an NHL team. Their plan was to get the NHL team in Atlanta and let Nashville be the farm team. How generous. Fortunately, their plans became roadkill under the big Predators hockey truck.

These recent events won't kill baseball in Nashville. Nashville is too big of a market to see that happen. Let the sounds pack up and move to who knows where (Gary, Indiana?) and we will work with a new group to possibly build a stadium in Sulpher Dell.

[producer2]

Richard,

If you hypothsis included a new AAA team that just my be friendly to SBER (say Orioles) then I am in a greement with you. This thing is just too wierd for there not to be another explanation. I guess just stay tuned...

[Jeeper12]

I continue to hope that this deal can somehow be salvaged but after a free look for a year I don't think the city should provide anymore extensions without someone paying for them. The city needs to acknowledge that they aren't developers and will be unable to effectively evaluate the credibility of any excuse or new plan offered by either SBER or the Sounds; it's just too complicated. The only way to gain the necessary assurances that they should require for an extension would be by getting some considerable non-refundable money for each month that things get extended. $100k per month would be very reasonable for a deal this size. It's very unusual, almost unheard of, for a developer to control such a prime site for such an extended period of time without substancial risk of deposit. And I know both sides have probably incurred considerable expense but that's no different than every other major project that developers pursue; they usually have to cover both bases (pardon the pun).

I know it's becoming popular to be critical of the Sounds or take sides between SBER and the team but I think that misses the larger issue (maybe that's the point ?) that both of them bare some responsiblity for not getting the deal put together over the last year. If SBER had been successful much earlier in determining what they wanted to develop around the ballpark they should have been in a position to close on their TIF loan which the team always needed to get their loan finalized. It's hard to argue that this failure didn't reasonably frustrate the Sounds efforts to secure its own loan. I'm not suggesting that it's all SBER's fault (I'm reasonably sure it isn't) but, at this point, I think it's a distraction and unproductive to try and choose a side based upon who has done a better job spinning their version of events during the last 12 months.

Instead, the city should avoid getting in the middle and do one of two things: declare the Sounds in default and allow the team and SBER whatever cure recourse they are permitted under the existing agreement, or provide an extension if either the Sounds or SBER post $100k non-refundable for every month of additional time they need to get back in compliance with the existing agreement. If the ballpark group moves forward on that basis there is still no guaranty that it will happen but at least the city will know that both sides really believe that they are as close as they say they are. If they balk (sorry again) then we'll know that they are really just looking for a cheap option to kick the can a little further in the hopes that something will fall out of the sky.