Tucson Padres Won't Move to Escondido; Moorad Likely to Sell Team

Yesterday the California Supreme Court handed down a decision confirming the California Legislature's right to dissolve the redevelopment agencies of the state. Redevelopment was one of the prime funding mechanisms used by cities to build stadiums, and the end of redevelopment money means virtually any public stadium going forward is dead.

What does this mean for the Tucson Padres? Well, without the redevelopment money the city of Escondido doesn't have the funds to undergo the project that would move the Tucson AAA team. Moorad and the Padres only bought the then Portland Beavers with the ultimate goal of moving them close to the parent club. With Escondido out of the picture, the Padres have little desire to hold the team and might look to sell.

Unfortunately right now El Paso seems to be the front-runner to land the AAA team, but if Moorad sells then that opens the door for an Arizona ownership group to keep the Padres in Tucson. It's still to early to really know what's going to happen, but we definitely know the Tucson Padres won't be moving to California unless redevelopment money is back on the table. We'll likely know more in the months to come.

5 months ago soco 38 comments 0 recs |

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There is no redevelopment money in California

but that never stopped California’s legislature from spending taxpayer money, so don’t be too surprised if at some point the money is allocated.

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Dec 30, 2011 10:15 AM EST reply actions

Nope

there’s no way that the California Legislature is going to allocate funds for a AAA team, when they won’t allocate funds for an NFL team. There’s no way that redevelopment money is coming back anytime soon. Is there a chance Escondido gets creative and takes on different types of debt? Perhaps. But the old way of doing things is dead in California and it ain’t coming back for a long time, if ever.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 10:37 AM EST up reply actions

Money talks in California politics

never count out the legislature’s ability to act in a counter-common sensical manner.

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Dec 30, 2011 10:40 AM EST up reply actions

No way

show me a time when a state legislature, even California’s, has ever borrowed money to pay for a minor league stadium. It ain’t gonna happen, regardless of how disdainful you are of California.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 11:17 AM EST up reply actions

Let me qualify

a recent example of a state paying for a minor league stadium. The closest example might be the Arizona Sports Authority that built some Spring Training facilities, but that’s different in many ways.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 11:18 AM EST up reply actions

So...

what happens if someone in California state government decides that it would be a good thing to encourage major league ball clubs to do spring training in California’s central Valley?

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Dec 30, 2011 12:11 PM EST up reply actions

I'd welcome it

but that’s because I think Spring Training is a municipal scam.

It is, however, extremely unlikely any other location is able to draw away Spring Training from Arizona and Florida. It’s like how manufacturing focused in the Rust Belt or tech in Silicon Valley. The two prime locations have such a head start that it would take a massive effort to lure away even one team, let alone enough to actually do some damage. It won’t happen in this era because it would require getting a slew of teams to move, which is tremendously expensive. It won’t happen because MLB has made an effort to consolidate further in the Phoenix Metro Area. It won’t happen because there isn’t a metro center in California’s central valley that could compete with PMA in building stadiums and offering an attractive tourist destination.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 9:06 PM EST up reply actions

The California Angels

used to Spring Train in Holister.

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Dec 30, 2011 10:06 PM EST up reply actions

Used to

is the key word. Teams have trained in Louisana and Yuma, too, but that doesn’t mean it’s coming back.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 11:01 PM EST up reply actions

And Case Grande

if my memory is right.

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Dec 31, 2011 11:49 PM EST up reply actions

You're memory is right

then Giants owner Horace Stoneham owned the “Francisco Grande” golf resort and had the Giants Spring Train there for years.

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Jan 1, 2012 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

My contempt for California state government

is righteous, and well-earned.

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Dec 30, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

But

it has nothing to do with the reality of whether or not the State Legislature pays for a AAA stadium. NFL, maybe.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 9:02 PM EST up reply actions

You're right

but it was fun to say.

sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur

by NASCARbernet on Dec 30, 2011 10:00 PM EST up reply actions

The reaction in Tucson?

A hardy “Meh”, as it will always be since everyone decided to shoot themselves in the foot when they built their shiny new Baseball Stadium/Rock Festival Venue in a not too easy to access part of town.

Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3

by Clefo on Dec 30, 2011 11:17 AM EST reply actions

I seem

to remember quite a bit of grumbling when Sidewinders left.

Tomorrow is another day.

by soco on Dec 30, 2011 11:24 AM EST up reply actions

There was, yes

Since nobody really likes it when a pro sports team bolts town in any circumstance especially after close to 40 years in town, but the attendance of the Tucson Sidewinders was pretty pathetic. I remember being at a game where me and my friends were the only people sitting down the first base line. I got to hear Brian Barden swear to himself, and he wasn’t talking in a very loud voice. Keep in mind this was in the year that they won the PCL and that weird unofficial AAA championship game.

I point at TEP/Kino/Whatever because I distinctly recall old Toros games being pretty well attended. Hi Corbett is a bit run down, but it’s located centrally, and a stone’s throw away from a shopping mall, and around where people live. That is doubly important in Tucson because you pretty much have to get around on surface streets, and the citizens, for whatever reason, don’t like driving to places that are located on the opposite side of the medium-sized city they live in for any entertainment (working in theatre, I know that to be frustratingly true).

So basically, there was grumbling, but people didn’t go to games, and I think that speaks louder.

I could be wrong though

Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3

by Clefo on Dec 30, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah

what Clefo said. There was grumbling, but really it made sense to not have a team at Kino anymore. That was/is a horrible location (and it might take me 10-15 minutes via the highway to get to it). Downtown would have been better, or a new or improved Reid Park area park (Hi Corbett).

My grumbling included the local politicians for Pima county and City of Tucson (and still does).

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Dec 30, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions

Hey

That area where Kino is is still happening. There’s like…. a gas station and an In N’ Out Burger. Totally good for drawing people in.

Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3

by Clefo on Dec 30, 2011 9:32 PM EST up reply actions

In N Out is okay

but it doesnt beat the Kino Hospital caffeteria.

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Dec 30, 2011 10:31 PM EST up reply actions

If you REALLY want class

You can drive up the road and go to whatever the hell that ratty bar type place that skins liked to go after vintage baseball games on Country Club (is it country club?)

Founder of the 'Foundation for the Advancement of Clefoing' a 501C3

by Clefo on Dec 31, 2011 10:28 AM EST up reply actions

You will have

to be more descriptive, there are a lot of those types of bars in town.

I got nothin'.

by Bcawz on Dec 31, 2011 11:50 PM EST up reply actions

Grumbling from a few dozen fans...

They won 100+ games in 06, an AAA record, won the AAA championship, and yet only drew 3000 people per game. Most of Tucson couldn’t be bothered to drive 20 minutes and pay $6 to get in ($8 for reserved seats). That made it great for those of us who liked going to ball games, but lousy for the business.

A couple years ago I visited my dad in LA. An hour’s drive through the traffic to get to Dodger Stadium, $10 or so to park, $124 for four tickets in the third deck, $8.50 for a beer, and 42,000 people showed up to watch a so-so Dodgers team play a so-so Milwaukee team.

Tucson just isn’t a baseball town. I hated it when the Sidewinders left, but I couldn’t fault the ownership for selling off the money-losing proposition.

by TucsonPete on Dec 30, 2011 11:50 AM EST reply actions