New Downtown Baseball Stadium, AAA Club, and Associated RE Development

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Part of me wonders if 6500-7000 fixed seats is enough. A quick Google search of other AAA ball parks tells me that's right about average, though.

Perhaps they can do with the ball park what they should have done with IBA and build the place to allow for future expansion.

[C0|dB|00ded]

"Part of me wonders if 6500-7000 fixed seats is enough."

It's not.

Maybe they'll be smart and provide for temporary capacity expansions on the outfield fence area. Don't get your hopes up as you know as well as anyone how scared Wichitan's are of progress.

"10,000 for baseball and 15,000 for basketball?? In the same CITY??? WHERE WILL I PARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????????????!11111113 #^%r


T


...:cool:

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

LOL.

I'm not going to support it if I can't park within 10 feet of the entrance.

I won't walk more than ten feet to attend a game or a concert. But by God, if they have a sale of KU shirts at Walmart, I will gladly park blocks away and waddle my fat ass through a crowd of people for a chance at a $5 shirt supporting a team from a school I never went to.

[ShockBand]

I know the current fad is outlandishly stoopid team names, like the Trash Pandas or the IronPigs or the Yard Goats, but I really hope Wichita avoids doing that. In fact, I hope the fad dies a miserable death all over the country sooner rather than later.

So no on Sky Raisins?

[ShockBand]

We could salute Delano history and be the BoozeNScrews.

[C0|dB|00ded]

"Soiled Doves"

https://pocketsights.com/tours/place/Running-of-the-Doves--12107

T


...:cool:

[SHOCKvalue]

Found this feasibility study from back when San Antonio was going from AA to AAA (I believe):

https://www.mysanantonio.com/file/174/7/1747-San%20Antonio%20Baseball%20-%20Due%20Diligence%20Report.pdf

Has some fantastic data that would otherwise take a bit of work to put together. Report is from two years ago and looks to have been put together by a consultant, so it should be pretty accurate. Looks like what we want to build is very modest from a seating capacity perspective, to put it lightly. The 6500 seat low end we're talking about building is actually less than the average AAA game attendance across the board. The 7000 seat high end we're talking about is less than what roughly half of AAA clubs manage for just average attendance. Only 6 out of the 30 AAA ballparks have fixed capacity in the general range (6500-7000) that we're going for.

We're on the low end for metro areas that have a AAA club, so none of this is that surprising. Still, wish we were going just a little larger. No one wants to live in a neighborhood where you have a 10th percentile home in size, and a 90th percentile home in cost of construction. Seems a little ridiculous.

[SHOCKvalue]

Yeah, I wasn't out to "fact" you or anything. Was just curious myself.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

No worries, you're good. But by all means, if I ever get my facts messed up call me on it.

[WstateU]

https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7WTG...5Yc0/giphy.gif

[SHOCKvalue]

Looks like we'll come in at 27th out of 30, when it comes to metro areas with a AAA club, ranked by population. Quite a testament to what Longwell and company were able to pull off here.

25. Syracuse, NY - 663K
26. Des Moines, IA - 646K
27. Wichita, KS - 645K
28. Toledo, OH - 608K
29. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, PA - 558K
30. Reno, NV - 425K

[Shock Top]

Wish we could switch club affiliations with just about anyone of these cities, but I suppose we just have to hope new ownership will do wonders for the Marlins.

[Dark Lord]

It has to be built for potential growth. What kind of soulless bastard would do otherwise?

The Fish are rebuilding, so in a couple of years they should have an OK stockpile of young guys.

[shocker_torero]

Ban me for life if you want, but I too don't want to see a name that has anything to do with the aircraft industry. Like the team in Des Moines, I personally think naming the team the Kansas _____ might be better than the Wichita ______. Why? Make it someone's team who doesn't feel personally connected to Wichita (say western or south eastern Kansas folks) too, while maintaining Wichita fans and pride.

Wichita or Kansas Coyotes
Wichita or Kansas Trail Riders
Wichita or Kansas Yellowjackets
Wichita or Kansas Gunslingers

[ShockBand]

Ban me for life if you want, but I too don't want to see a name that has anything to do with the aircraft industry. Like the team in Des Moines, I personally think naming the team the Kansas _____ might be better than the Wichita ______. Why? Make it someone's team who doesn't feel personally connected to Wichita (say western or south eastern Kansas folks) too, while maintaining Wichita fans and pride.

Wichita or Kansas Coyotes
Wichita or Kansas Trail Riders
Wichita or Kansas Yellowjackets
Wichita or Kansas Gunslingers

Kansas Ghost Riders

[SHOCKvalue]

I like Trail Riders. Goes well with the old west history and the Chisholm Trail.

I would be surprised if the name ended up as “Kansas” as opposed to “Wichita”. All this work has been done, and is being done, in order to elevate the city of Wichita, not the state of Kansas.

[shocker_torero]

I couldn’t let this one slip... the Kansas Keepers. Connection to Delano, Wichita, and arguably the most iconic thing in Wichita to visitors and locals alike. That would make for some pretty sweet swag too.

[shocker_torero]

I like Trail Riders. Goes well with the old west history and the Chisholm Trail.

I would be surprised if the name ended up as “Kansas” as opposed to “Wichita”. All this work has been done, and is being done, in order to elevate the city of Wichita, not the state of Kansas.

If I’m not mistaken, what is good for Wichita is good for Kansas and often vice versa. That’s why the governor got involved with negotiations.

[SHOCKvalue]

If I’m not mistaken, what is good for Wichita is good for Kansas and often vice versa. That’s why the governor got involved with negotiations.

The state of Kansas from a governance and bureaucratic perspective has often been antagonistic towards Wichita historically, to say nothing of the same dynamic for Wichita State.

For one, there’s been a number of times when the state was waffling on allowing the use of STAR bonds on Wichita projects, while up in NE KS they give them out like candy. I can do some googling of old news articles, if you need.

[Shockm]

I just disagree with those who think that the western, trail, cow, etc. is the way we want to present the image if Wichita. While historically accurate, it simply reinforces the image of backwards, simple folks that the world already has. Aerospace presents the forward thinking more sophisticated people that we are. Neither is wrong but we should present a more positive image.

[SHOCKvalue]

Western history is backwards, simpleton, and doesn’t present a positive image?

Okay...

[Walker]

Or we could do both. Embrace our history and the future by naming our team...Space Cowboys.

7th inning stretch, the whole crowd could sing Space Cowboy by Steve Miller Band.