Scholarship table
From The Athletic:Baseball expansion is happening. Commissioner Rob Manfred wants it. Cities want teams. It should be a reality soon. Portland: Plans are already underway for a 32,000-seat stadium, Stephen J. Nesbitt writes. The city is in, and so are investors.Nashville: Andy McCullough reports the foundation for an MLB team is already being built — and they already have a name picked out.Las Vegas, Charlotte and others are leading candidates for new teams, too. Manfred has said he wants resolution for the Athletics and Rays, both embroiled in nasty negotiations about a new stadium, before MLB officially expands to 32 teams. But it's coming, and the A's and/or Rays could be in a new city, too.
Interesting.I think it's the Nashville Stars which was maybe the name of the Negro League team. I think there already a website.Doesn't the city of Tampa want to build a stadium for The Rays but there is the lease in St. Petersburg?
This isn’t really new. Nashville’s group for example, officially began 5 years ago as Music City baseball. And discussions and efforts started even prior to that. The Stars began as the St. Louis Giants (1906-1921) and evolved into the St.Louis Stars (1922-1931). Nashville formed the Elite Giants Negro League team in the early 1930’s. The Nashville Stars were one of many semi pro teams in a wide range of leagues from the late 1930’s to early 1950’s. mls They like the Stars name. There is now a youth baseball club there with the same name, with majority black players and coaches. https://www.mlbmusiccity.com/leadership-roster/
If expansion happens, I'd like to see minimum payroll commitments be a part of the requirements. For example, require that for its first 10 years any expansion team maintain a major league payroll in the top 50% of the league, or remain above 75% of the luxury tax threshold, or something like that. The last thing the league needs is another 2-3 teams running out rosters filled with replacement level players that together make less than any two players on top teams.
Made me think about divisional realignment, assuming that Nashville and Portland were added, and no other teams switched leagues -AL East - Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, OriolesAL Central - Guardians, White Sox, Twins, TigersAL South - Rays, Rangers, Astros, RoyalsAL West - Mariners, Angels, Oakland\Vegas, PortlandNL East - Mets, Phillies, Nats, PiratesNL Central - Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, RockiesNL South - Braves, Marlins, Reds, NashvilleNL West - Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks
I think they would stick with 3 divisions each league. From what I repeatedly hear is the Florida teams want to be the East division. It helps home attendance when your the Rays and the Yankees & Red Sox are in your division and visit x number of times a year.
True, although the new "balanced" schedule reduces the number of divisional games from 76 to 52 starting this year.
From The Athletic:Baseball expansion is happening. Commissioner Rob Manfred wants it. Cities want teams. It should be a reality soon. Portland: Plans are already underway for a 32,000-seat stadium, Stephen J. Nesbitt writes. The city is in, and so are investors.
32K would be the smallest stadium in the league. Gotta wonder why MLB would be down with that.
Nashville makes a lot of sense for baseball, Portland, eh?Vegas will have a team
25 out of 30 teams averaged less than 32,000.With the smaller stadium, a higher percentage of seats would be big-ticket items (luxury boxes, luxury box seats, etc.). Total income from ticket sales is more important than the number sold. I have to assume there would be on-site gambling facilities to generate income as well.
Portland Battered Bastards of Baseballhttps://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=battling+bastards+of+baseball&view=detail&mid=1B964DCBBAC92ECD6A1B1B964DCBBAC92ECD6A1B&FORM=VIRE
Chip Caray leaving Atlanta to be the Cardinals' top play-by-play guy:After a months-long search, longtime Atlanta Braves television play-by-play broadcaster Chip Caray is leaving his position with Bally Sports South and will join the Bally Sports Midwest broadcasting team as the lead play-by-play announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals, multiple industry sources told The Athletic on Monday. Here’s what you need to know:Caray, grandson of legendary former Cardinals broadcaster Harry Caray, will replace Dan McLaughlin, who was set to begin his 25th season as the lead television voice with the Cardinals this season.McLaughlin was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in early December. He was eventually charged with a felony persistent DWI. McLaughlin opted to leave his position with Bally Sports Midwest under a “mutual decision” later in the month.Caray will be paired with Brad Thompson and Jim Edmonds, who will alternate between the analyst role and hosting in-studio. Thompson will be the lead analyst for the majority of the 2023 broadcasts and sideline reporters Jim Hayes and Alexa Datt will return to the broadcast as well.Caray is leaving the Braves position entirely by his choice, a source said, adding that the pull of going “home” to St. Louis was strong. He was raised in St. Louis, and Chip’s parents were divorced. He told The Athletic he rarely saw his father, legendary broadcaster Skip Caray, after he went to Atlanta to work as a Braves broadcaster in 1976.