OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post

TheEcstasyOfGold · 01-10-2014, 07:41 PM

Minnesota Twins to Greensboro 1998
Greensboro, North Carolina businessmen were hot and heavy after the Minnesota Twins in 1998 back when Selig was in his "move them or contract them" phase. A failed tax on food and beverages at restaurants is about the only thing that stopped them from moving to the Charlotte metro area where they would have played at the Knights Castle (home of the minor-league Charlotte Knights). The stadium was built in 1990 and designed to allow expansion to 40,000 seats in an effort for Charlotte to attract a major league team.

Montreal Expos to Norfolk 2004
So everyone knows that baseball finally returned to Washington when the Expos left Montreal, but D.C. wasn't without speed bumps. Baltimore really tried everything they could to keep the Expos from moving to Washington because it was in the Orioles' designated MLB media market (from Harrisburg PA to Charlotte NC). One of the leading candidates at the time then became Norfolk (while Peter Angelos was steadfastly against them moving to DC or Loudon County VA, he was fine giving up Norfolk to Charlotte), where the team was going to be called the Norfolk Steamers with a battleship for a logo, in honor of the local Navy presence. The Norfolk Steamers had actually sold over 5,000 season tickets and had letters from various corporations for 75 luxury suites to the new 35,000 seat stadium before the announcement of who would get the team. Other suitors included Las Vegas; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Florida Marlins to Las Vegas 2006
Another move that never got farther than preliminary talks, mostly to force a new stadium in Miami. Las Vegas was ready to play hardball this time, after losing out on the Expos lottery, and unveiled plans for a $420 million glass stadium (yes a glass stadium in the desert) with a retractable roof that would seat 40,000 just a block off the Las Vegas Strip. The Marlins forced Miami's hand into what has so far been another terrible idea for a city to finance a stadium and Vegas was once again bust.

01-10-2014, 07:41 PM	#18
TheEcstasyOfGold Bat Boy Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Newark, DE Posts: 1	Minnesota Twins to Greensboro 1998 Greensboro, North Carolina businessmen were hot and heavy after the Minnesota Twins in 1998 back when Selig was in his "move them or contract them" phase. A failed tax on food and beverages at restaurants is about the only thing that stopped them from moving to the Charlotte metro area where they would have played at the Knights Castle (home of the minor-league Charlotte Knights). The stadium was built in 1990 and designed to allow expansion to 40,000 seats in an effort for Charlotte to attract a major league team. Montreal Expos to Norfolk 2004 So everyone knows that baseball finally returned to Washington when the Expos left Montreal, but D.C. wasn't without speed bumps. Baltimore really tried everything they could to keep the Expos from moving to Washington because it was in the Orioles' designated MLB media market (from Harrisburg PA to Charlotte NC). One of the leading candidates at the time then became Norfolk (while Peter Angelos was steadfastly against them moving to DC or Loudon County VA, he was fine giving up Norfolk to Charlotte), where the team was going to be called the Norfolk Steamers with a battleship for a logo, in honor of the local Navy presence. The Norfolk Steamers had actually sold over 5,000 season tickets and had letters from various corporations for 75 luxury suites to the new 35,000 seat stadium before the announcement of who would get the team. Other suitors included Las Vegas; Monterrey, Mexico; Portland; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Florida Marlins to Las Vegas 2006 Another move that never got farther than preliminary talks, mostly to force a new stadium in Miami. Las Vegas was ready to play hardball this time, after losing out on the Expos lottery, and unveiled plans for a $420 million glass stadium (yes a glass stadium in the desert) with a retractable roof that would seat 40,000 just a block off the Las Vegas Strip. The Marlins forced Miami's hand into what has so far been another terrible idea for a city to finance a stadium and Vegas was once again bust.