01.08.13
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News for 1/8/13

The days are starting to get longer, and we’re five weeks from pitchers and catchers reporting. Huzzah.

  • The Alameda County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet in closed session today to talk about the Raiders’ lease. I wonder if they’ll also take up Lew Wolff’s recent request for an extension. [East Bay Citizen/Steven Tavares]
  • The Coliseum Authority hasn’t yet published its annual financials. In the past two years, that document has been available the first week of the year. Perhaps that will come out later today as well. The next open meeting is scheduled for 1/25.
  • The City of Oakland lost $3 million in previously used redevelopment funds to the state. That may cause a series of layoffs or other cuts. [SF Gate/Matthai Kuruvila]
  • Lew Wolff had a no-news interview in this week’s Silicon Valley Business Journal. (Note: “San Jose” has been dropped from publication title) [SV Business Journal/Greg Baumann]
  • Wolff’s real estate investment company Maritz Wolff sold another hotel last month. This time it was the Ritz Carlton in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton, MO. Price was not disclosed. In case you weren’t aware, Phil “Flip” Maritz, Wolff’s longtime partner, has a minority stake in the A’s. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tim Bryant]
  • Dodgers ownership is said to be split on whether to partner up with Fox or Time Warner on a new RSN deal that could be worth upwards of $6 billion. [LA Times/Steve Dilbeck]
  • The Mets completed $450 million of desperately needed debt refinancing and got an infusion of $160 million that is expected to be used on day-to-day operations. The team now has $700 million in debt against the Mets’ network SNY alone. More analysis of the Mets’ financial picture here. [NY Times/Richard Sandomir | Capital New York/Howard Medgal]
  • Out of the fiscal cliff bill news was an item that aroused anger: $78 million in tax breaks for NASCAR racetracks. The crux of the deal is that track owners can accelerate writing off their investments in seven years as opposed to fifteen. [NY Times/Mary Pilon]
  • Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms’ deadline seemed to come and go without an arena deal. He is expected to make a statement later today. Update 8:00 AM – Sessoms has declared the project dead for now as the city will not go to the state General Assembly to request $150 million in arena funding. [WAVY-10/Mila Mimica, Virginian-Pilot, Aaron Applegate]
  • San Diego power players including Steve Cushman are turning their attention to either a new or revamped Qualcomm Stadium at the current Mission Valley site. The new vision looks a lot like the Coliseum City plan, but with a large residential component. I think they could accomplish quite a bit at Qualcomm just by demolishing and rebuilding only the lower deck. [San Diego Union Tribune]
  • Talks are heating up to bring the Washington Redskins back to the District from the Maryland suburbs. There’s supposedly no public money to draw from as the District is running up against its own debt ceiling. That doesn’t mean someone couldn’t hatch his own Coliseum City plan at RFK. An idea being discussed is the sale of the Brutalist headquarters of the FBI, moving the Bureau out to the FedEx Field site, then taking the proceeds of land sales and development proceeds to build the new stadium at RFK. One of the people leading the charge: Marion Barry, who is on the DC City Council. [Washington Post/Tim Craig]
  • The Merc Editorial Board laments the true victims of the dysfunctional relationship between the NHL and its players, the businesses and workers near HP Pavilion. [SJ Mercury News]

More as it comes.

01.07.13
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Comparison of current (2013) CBAs

A few years ago I did a comparison of CBAs. Now that the NHL deal framework is in place, it’s time to update the table. Here’s what we have now.

MLB remains the only major pro sports league in the US/Canada that has no salary cap.

MLB remains the only major pro sports league in the US/Canada that has no salary cap. NHL cap and NBA salary floor figures are for 2013-14 season.

The untold story is league debt. The NFL is far and away the richest league, but it also has a massive amount of debt. In 2008 that figure was $9.5 billion and has only grown with the expensive new stadia in New Jersey, Arlington, and Santa Clara. MLB’s credit facility, which is meant as a short-term solution for teams, had $1 billion going into this summer and issued $300 million more since then. None of the leagues are in jeopardy because of their respective debt positions because in most cases, that debt is backed by long term TV deals. Individual teams are at greater risk due to the lack of revenue stability in weaker markets, which is frequently the case in the NHL.

Luxury tax structures implemented in MLB and the NBA have worked to reign in many free-spending teams. The NY Knicks are under the NBA’s luxury tax threshold for the first time in recent memory, and the Yankees are set to follow suit in baseball.

All of this goes to show that for all of the talk of economic parity in pro sports, there are instances of haves and have-nots everywhere. It’s unavoidable, and thanks to CBAs that will run for as long as a decade, it’s enshrined. Cheers!

01.06.13
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NHL and NHLPA reach tentative deal to end lockout (Updated)

Update 12:30 PM – Major deal points from TSN and the NY Times:

  • The revenue share split is 50-50 of HRR (hockey related revenue)
  • While the salary cap remains at $64.3 million, the salary floor is $44 million.
  • An NBA-style amnesty provision has been inserted into the CBA to allow teams to drop salaries to get under the cap. Each team has two amnesty buyouts it can use to cut high salaries.
  • To keep teams from structuring deals that would circumvent the cap, no single player contract can have a year-to-year raise of more than 35%, and the highest salaried year can be no more than 50% above the lowest salaried year.
  • Revenue sharing from rich to poor teams will grow to $200 million. (I assume this is annual.)
  • The 50-game schedule would start January 15. The 48-game schedule would commence January 19.
  • Specifics regarding pro participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia remain missing. Those are to be determined after the CBA is ratified. (My guess – owners will be very restrictive about allowing their players to go, perhaps not even allowing for a season carveout to accommodate the Games.)

Both sides heavily credited federal mediator Scott Beckenbaugh for pulling both sides away from the abyss. Until he guided the negotiations, talks were so acrimonious that it was common for one side to accuse the other of trying to screw them over or hide something whenever a deal point was brought up. It’s much akin to the recent federal fiscal cliff debate, which required both sides to come off hardline stances and let some level of common sense reign. Like the fiscal cliff talks, the actual deal came weeks, if not months later than it should have. Too bad that the people who really paid the price for the lockout are the fans. The hardcore fans will come back, somewhat begrudgingly. Will the casual fan?

======

At 5:09 AM EST, reports started to emerge out of New York that a tentative deal to end the 113-day NHL lockout had been reached. It’s not a done deal yet as there are still issues to work out, but apparently the major deal points have been agreed upon. Here’s what we know so far:

  • The CBA will run 10 years, with either side able to opt out in year 8.
  • 2013 schedule will have 48-50 regular season games, all in-conference.
  • Season will start January 19.
  • Individual player contracts are limited to 7 years, 8 for re-signed players.
  • The initial salary cap for each team will be $64.3 million.

That last point is interesting, because that’s the same figure as the 2011-12 cap. That’s a pretty big concession on the players’ part. It’s not clear yet the revenue share percentages will be. Last summer, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman projected the cap to be $70 million or higher. During the most recent negotiations, the league was not budging from a $60 million cap.

If the NBA’s post-lockout schedule is any indicator, the upcoming 48-game schedule is going to be brutal. Expect lots of back-to-back games, maybe even some back-to-back-to-back scheduling. Starting on January 19, it’s extremely unlikely that 48 games can be fit into the remaining 12 weeks of the regular season (4 games a week!). Instead, the regular season should be extended 2 weeks to accommodate more rest, with the potential for a compressed or extended Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule on the back end.

This session was, like other fruitless sessions during the fall, handled by a federal mediator. It is unclear exactly how much influence mediator Scott Beckenbaugh had on the process as opposed to the desperation of the two sides, but Bettman made sure to thank Beckenbaugh during his press briefing after the 16-hour marathon session was over.

We’ll dig into the specifics later in the morning.

01.04.13
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Virginia Beach gives Kings a Monday deadline for arena deal

Spurred by a desire to flesh out a financing plan by requesting state funds, Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms has imposed a deadline of Monday for the Maloofs to commit to move the Sacramento Kings to Sessoms’ fair city. The Maloof family, which has little cash and few options, probably isn’t happy about being put in a spot like this. Nevertheless, this may be the Maloofs’ best chance to hold onto the team while getting a new arena in the process, something that isn’t happening in Sacramento since they don’t have the funds to put up their share.

The news has piqued the interest of observers in Seattle, who are ready to pounce on the Kings if the Maloofs try to work out a deal there, or worse for them, sell. The weekend news post had an item about the Maloofs floating a $500 million asking price for the franchise. While an eyepopping number, it’s pretty close to what the franchise could fetch on the open market. If Chris Hansen were to want to finalize a deal ASAP, $500 million would probably do it (Clay Bennett paid $350 million for the Sonics-Thunder in 2006). He and his partners may even be more motivated by the NHL’s ongoing lockout, which has arguably depressed league and franchise values, especially relative to NBA properties. Better to initially pay more for the more stable sport, may be the thinking.

Meanwhile, Hansen continues to buy land in the SoDo area in preparation for an arena deal. There’s a rumor of an announcement in Seattle for next week, though it may not be substantive.

The Kings have a deadline of March 1 to apply for relocation. It’s in the best interest of the Maloofs to keep as many options on the table as possible, so a real commitment to move at this early stage would be surprising to say the least. As we get to March, however, speculation and negotiations with multiple cities will be hot and heavy. Smart move by Mayor Sessoms to try get out of a potential bidding war, but we all know that things don’t normally work that way. The Maloofs remain the wildcard, so there’s no telling what will happen next.

01.02.13
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Bringing in the fences

In an effort to get their struggling teams to hit more home runs, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres early during the offseason that they are pulling in fences in their respective ballparks. Whether or not this will actually work is up for considerable debate. Field dimensions are only one factor of many that influence a team’s HR total. As of the end of the 2012 season, we even have evidence from team that moved in fences last year, the New York Mets. In 2011, the Mets hit 50 HR at home. How many did they hit in 2012? 50.

None of the West Coast ballparks have changed their dimensions in the last decade, which allows for an nice comparison. Over the last nine years (since Petco Park opened), the numbers of HR hit by the home team and visiting teams per park have varied greatly per ballpark.

Home Runs hit in West Coast ballparks. H: Home team, V: Visiting team. Bold: First, Italics: Last

Home Runs hit in West Coast ballparks. H: Home team, V: Visiting team. Bold: First, Italics: Last

All West Coast ballparks have been historically considered pitcher friendly or neutral at best. What’s surprising is the lack of consistency from year to year for most teams. The A’s were the most consistent when it comes to giving up jacks at the Coliseum, but vary wildly from one year to the next, with the power figures acting as a leading indicator for team success. While the Padres have tracked similarly to the A’s recently, the Mariners have been straight up bad for nearly a decade. They lead the WC in HR given up at home in four of the nine years, while sustaining a gap of -139 HR hit vs. given up. The A’s are a net-positive (653 for vs. 614 against) at the Coliseum, thanks to 2012’s power surge.

No discussion of home runs on the West Coast can be had without a frank discussion of the dreaded marine layer. What we call our natural air conditioning (thanks California Current!) acts as a wet blanket for sluggers, who have frequently found the dense, moist air challenging for hitting bombs. The LA ballparks are less impacted because of their slightly inland locales, but during the April/May/September months they can be just as tough as the conditions at their counterparts to the north (and San Diego).

climate-westcoast1

Average high and low temperatures during baseball season

As for the actual field dimensions, well, we’ll just have to wait and see about that. Adjustments at Safeco Field are slight, with the biggest change happening in deep left-center.

safeco

Changes at Safeco Field are welcome, though not particularly severe.

After spending a month in San Diego in April/May, I echoed the same sentiment as everyone else that has been to Petco: It’s too big in right. No secret there. The park should play much more neutral now.

petco

At Petco, the terribly deep right field has been tamed, though right-center remains among the deepest in MLB.

In this new “dead ball” era, the real problem for the M’s and Friars is one of personnel, not fences. The M’s have a number of guys who could hit 25-30 HR annually in the near future, but they desperately need someone – anyone – to hit at least 10-12 at home. The leading basher at home was Michael Saunders with 8. Maybe the new fences will garner some badly needed confidence. What would probably help the M’s more is Giancarlo Stanton. As for the Padres, things may only get worse if Chase Headley is traded as expected before or during the season. Headley led the Pads with 12 HR at home, while no one else other than Carlos Quentin had more than 5. With the team expected to finish 4th or last in the NL West, the HR total could drop despite the dimension changes. The A’s have frequently sought out power via low-risk (financially), high-reward veterans at the end of their careers. The M’s signed Raul Ibanez and traded for Kendrys Morales, which should help with the HR numbers combined with the drawn in fences. And if you’re Brandon Moss and Josh Reddick, you have to like your chances in Seattle a little more too.

01.02.13
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Kaiser Permanente Arena review

Back of KP Arena at sunset, downtown Santa Cruz in background

Back of KP Arena at sunset, downtown Santa Cruz in background

The area between downtown Santa Cruz and the Boardwalk is mostly defined by Beach Hill, upon which numerous old Victorians sit shoulder-to-shoulder with low-slung motels and newer condos. Between Beach Hill and Laurel Street, the area is much less defined. What was once light industrial is now an odd mix of commercial, adapted warehouses, and motels (of course). It’s within that context that Kaiser Permanente Arena, the new home of the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors, fits reasonably well. It’s not a particularly handsome building as from far away it appears slab-sided and unadorned. Few windows puncture the steel cladded exterior, and upon a closer look the walls’ corrugated look is just an update on the old steel building built in the area 50 years ago. And the white roof lacks distinction. Not that anyone was expecting serious architectural character – it is, after all, a $5.6 million, temporary structure. At that price, maybe the best thing to do would be to get some volunteers to put up a mural on the Front Street side during the offseason.

Entrance and box office

Entrance and box office

The temporary basketball arena used in the London Olympics proved to be a good venue, which should’ve reduced doubts on the viability of a similar project in Santa Cruz. What raised eyebrows was the extremely aggressive timeframe to develop the arena, including fewer than three months of construction. (This picture of the arena site was taken during the summer.) It’s that operative word, temporary, that made it all possible. You see, temporary facilities can (up to a point) be built without undergoing the very time-consuming CEQA or EIR process. As a result, there were no 18 months of planning commission and city council meetings or study sessions. The public feedback process was truncated and not formalized. No new infrastructure was required. It just… happened. For good and ill, that’s how it went down. The hope here is that the team is popular enough during that time to justify a new permanent home. Such a facility will be much more expensive and require the CEQA process, but by that time it may be worth it. And while a 3,000-person arena is one or two orders of magnitude less impactful than a 25,000-seat temporary ballpark, what the Warriors and the City of Santa Cruz have successfully executed is a great example for the A’s if Lew Wolff were to consider building his own temporary facility.

Seating sections are freestanding, and the camera position is makeshift.

Seating sections are freestanding, and the midcourt camera position is makeshift.

While this is a temporary building, it was built to last as long as 10 years. The “tent” portion is limited to the roof, a tensile fabric supported by a lightweight truss system. The steel walls extend 25 feet high and are anchored to concrete footings. Three concession stands are located in the corners, while restrooms and team locker rooms are located outside in modular buildings (trailers). The main scoreboard has a small video board attached, and the scorers’ table is one of those fancy ones with electronic signage. Lighting is simple and optimized for basketball. The court is parquet and is the minimum size required. There are suites or a big fancy club. It’s bare bones. There’s a cautionary tale in doing things cheaply and quickly with the Kings and the two ARCO Arenas, but the expectations for KP Arena and the Santa Cruz Warriors are much lower. KP Arena’s capacity is half of most of the arenas in the D-League, though with average leaguewide attendance of 3,000 per game in previous seasons, a 3,000-seat arena may be just right. If anything, KP Arena may have the most in common with the Maine Red Claws’ home, the Portland Expo Building. Coincidentally, the Expo was built almost a century before KP Arena.

What's that guy in the festive hat got in his hand?

What’s that guy in the festive hat got in his hand?

I didn’t sample concessions, so I can’t say anything about those. There were no fountain drinks, so everything was served in a container. That included cans of beer, which were not opened and poured but rather served on their own. Even more unusual, there was an actual beer vendor walking around in the stands, ready to sell thirsty fans $7 cans of Coors Light or Blue Moon. I was so pleasantly surprised that I tweeted out this observation, promptly followed by this response:

I looked into ABC regulations and this appears to be correct. There isn’t really a law on the books that prohibits beer vendors in the stands, it’s just that operators are VERY afraid of losing their liquor licenses. Better to make it a little more inconvenient than to risk losing a license over some guy buying a bunch of beers and handing them to minors in plain view. An element of plausible deniability has to be assumed.

View from Section H, Row 13

View from Section H, Row 13

The game itself was better than your average D-League competition, as the Surf Dubs are a pretty athletic and cohesive unit. They dominated the first three quarters, with the lead surpassing 20 at times. Only during a typical letdown during the fourth did the Sioux Falls Skyforce climb back to within single digits. If you haven’t watched a D-League game, the best way to characterize it is that the majority of the players are 2-3 inches shorter than the optimal height for their respective positions in the NBA. That means a lot of 6’7″ power forwards and 6’1″ shooting guards. All teams have the option to take a 1st or 2nd-year player and stash him on their affiliate’s roster to give him some run. Not many fouls were called, so stoppages were kept to a minimum. Time of the game was well short of the NBA typical 2:30 running time. My game ticket, which was the cheapest tier, was $15. Better tickets were priced at $25 and $35. Courtside and the first several rows (seatbacks) were not available.

Pre- and postgame traffic was bad in the immediate area (Front and Laurel), attributable to much of the crowd staying until the end and dispersing to numerous parking lots spread throughout downtown. Most of the nearby parking cost $10. Remote lots (a mile away) had $5 parking, including the County Government Center. A trolley operated between the arena and County. I came in via the Hwy 17 Express bus, a commuter express route that runs between the Metro Center bus terminal and Diridon Station in San Jose ($5 each way, including WiFi). To gauge how bad the situation was, I went to the wharf and circled back around 45 minutes after the game ended. Traffic appeared to be at normal levels. Noise is a problem. The PA system wasn’t terribly loud inside, but when the doors are open the crowd and music get blasted out into the neighborhood. This is largely because there’s no foyer in KP Arena to act as a buffer. Once a fan gets through security, he’s practically on the court.

Postgame autograph session

Postgame autograph session

Presentation was solid. The ninja-turtle-like mascot spent less time than I expected in the crowd. There was a troupe of Warrior Girls. Lowlight of the game was the anthem singer, who started off in the wrong key, phrased the first verse in a bizarre manner, and completely forgot the second verse, forcing a nearby official to come in and get her back on track after she begged, “Help me out” into the mic. To their credit, the crowd didn’t boo her and treated her respectfully.

Twenty years ago I enrolled as a freshman at UC-Santa Cruz. Even three years after Loma Prieta, the city was still struggling to rebuild. Pacific Avenue (then known as the Pacific Garden Mall) was decimated. As one of those “weird” cities akin to Austin and Portland, Santa Cruz struggled with its need to rebuild, its counterculture element struggling against the desire of big corporate interests to enter the fray after local business were displaced, and the general lack of major amenities. Back then, if you told me that in 2012 a pro basketball team would be playing in a brand new arena near the place I got a pair of woofers for a rebuilt speaker project, I would’ve asked if you were high. Eventually, that’s what progress looks like. Bookshop Santa Cruz and other bookstores were threatened by Borders, which itself was driven into the ground by Amazon. No major department or retail chain stores came in, but there now is a Starbucks on Pacific and a Trader Joe’s on Front. The city and university have been linked more politically than fully integrated, and the D-III status of the sports program at UCSC didn’t help that. I was curious to see how the community would respond. They’ve sold out the first four home games and have sold 1,000 season tickets. Naturally, some of the fans came from out of the town, an assumption reinforced by questions I was asked by others asking for directions. It’s encouraging to see such a great response by Santa Cruz fans, who have been craving some kind of steady entertainment during the winter months. Now they’ve got it, and the team is actually pretty good. Who could ask for more?

12.29.12
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News for the End of 2012

It’s a light end of the year newswise, yet there are enough nuggets to put together a post.

  • The A’s are getting closer to a deal to play at Hohokam Stadium, the current spring training home of the Cubs. An announcement is expected to be made in January. The City of Mesa will contribute at least $15 million of the $20 million cost of renovations to Hohokam and Fitch Park, with the team and city splitting costs between $15 million and $20 million and then the A’s paying for the rest. When the announcement is made, I’ll devote a post or two to the transition and the differences between Hohokam and Phoenix Muni. [Arizona Republic/Gary Nelson]
  • For the two spring training games being held at the Alamodome at the end of March, no lower deck ticket can be had for less than $35 (plus Ticketmaster fees, natch). If you have time, watch the Alamo Bowl today and imagine what a baseball game would look like in there. Consider that the first row down the third base line will be several feet above the field.
  • Minnesota’s Hennepin County and the District of Columbia have pulled in greater tax revenues than expected for their respective ballparks. In Washington, city leaders have chosen in the past to pay for other budget items, whereas in Minneapolis they’re paying off ballpark debt early. In the case of Target Field, ballpark debt could be retired 5-10 years early – at long as the Twin Cities doesn’t turn into Detroit or Cleveland in the next decade. Or Cincinnati for that matter. [Minneapolis Star-Tribune/Rochelle Olson | Washington Times/Tom Howell Jr.]
  • Maury Brown estimates that revenue sharing for the 2012 MLB season is around $400 million. If you look at the history of teams and their relative financial status, there are usually 10-12 who constantly are on the receiving (welfare) end, including the A’s towards the higher end. By that measure, I figure that the A’s check for this year has to be in the $40-45 million range. [Biz of Baseball/Maury Brown]
  • AT&T Park is the #1 ballpark in America when it comes to Facebook and foursquare check-ins. What about the Oakland Coliseum? I mean, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum? I mean, Oakland Stadium? I mean, O.co Coliseum? Um, nevermind. [ESPN/Bill Speros]
  • Take time to read @muppet151‘s request for the Victory Court EIR. It is on point. [TwitLonger]
  • Honestly, I should add an “Oakland dog park” item to the counter. This is laughably ridiculous. [SF Chronicle/Matthai Kuruvila]
  • If you’re not working or too hungover, head to the Exploratorium on Wednesday. That’s the last day in the wonderful Palace of Fine Arts location before it moves to Pier 15. It’s also FREE.
  • The NHL and NHLPA had conference calls to set up further talks. They’re running neck-and-neck with Congress for the most dysfuctional situation right now. Here’s the current NHL proposal. [ESPN/Katie Strang]
  • The Maloofs continue to say that they won’t sell the Kings, but privately say that they would sell for $500 million. [USA Today/Sam Amick]

Unless something major happens, this is the last post of the year. See you on the other side. Until then, have a safe and happy New Year.

12.27.12
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Suggestion: Buy Used

Part of the game in the world of new stadia is the stadium improvements fund. It’s a set aside of stadium revenues from the partnership of team and city/county that is used to fix plumbing, lights, and seats. It’s also used in many cases to change other non-critical items that become obsolete over time, so that the partners can keep up with competitive venues and enhance fan experience. By enshrining the terms in a lease agreement, both sides can set proper expectations about what kind of maintenance and upgrades a venue will get over the short and long term.

To that end, the NFL stadia in Denver and Houston are getting fancy new LED displays as part of a $30 million audiovisual makeover. This makes sense both stadia are at least a decade old and display technology has advanced rapidly over the last several years. In Denver, the horseshoe shape at Sports Authority Field at Mile High means there are three boards of different sizes: one big board (27′ x 96′) on the open south end and two half-size boards in the north corners of the upper bowl. SAF@MH also lacks ribbon fascia boards, so one or two levels of LEDs are in the works there. Both the big displays and fascia boards will be capable of HD.

At least Denver’s displays are LED-based. Houston’s Reliant Stadium uses old CRT technology (like the Coliseum) and is finally moving into the 21st century with fully digital LED displays from Mitsubishi. The new displays will replace the old mix of incandescent, CRT, and static displays tucked under the stadium roof. When completed, each one will measure 52.5′ x 277′, officially longer and bigger than the center-hung boards at Cowboys Stadium (also built by Mitsubishi). Since the display is so long, only a portion of it will be used for replays, unlike Cowboys Stadium’s 16 x 9 boards. Despite that limitation, the new displays promise greater presentation flexibility for in-game information, video, and ads.

Compare that to what Raiders and A’s fans continue to live with at the Coliseum, and it starts to get depressing. Better than telling you, I’d rather show you via an infographic by reddit user dbeat.

nfl_scoreboard_sizes

Comparison of video displays in NFL stadia. Reliant Stadium’s new board will soon be the biggest. Denver’s is mid-sized. The Coliseum’s are among the smallest.

With the sad state of displays at the Coliseum and the cycle of change elsewhere, I got to thinking, What happens with the old displays? I’ve sent an inquiry into Denver’s Metropolitan Football Stadium District to find out (I’ll update here if I do). Some displays end up getting donated. Do they also get resold? LED lifespan is 50,000 hours, so unless you’re going for greater resolution the displays themselves should last the life of the stadium. Over 12 years at SAF@MH, it’s likely that the scoreboards were used only 500-1,000 hours per year.

Old displays at Denver stadium

Old display at Denver stadium

Denver would seem a prime candidate to get the scoreboards at a very good price. Why hated AFC West rival Denver? There are a few convenient reasons.

  • If the two north boards are put together into one board, the result is that each of the boards (north/south) measure 27′ x 96′. That would fit very nicely into the Coliseum’s existing scoreboard frames, which are about 40′ x 140′ not including the arched caps. Whether they’re each used as one contiguous display or split into two, it can work well while retaining static signage panels that currently populate the surround.
  • Since the both the Coliseum’s and SAF@MH’s old displays were manufactured by Mitsubishi’s Diamond Vision unit, it stands to reason that there will be some degree of interoperability.
  • Both the A’s and Raiders would welcome additional advertising opportunities on crisper displays.
  • SAF@MH’s monochrome scoreboards are also being replaced and even those would be an upgrade on what the Coliseum has.
  • As a secondhand product, the displays could be acquired at a significant discount, perhaps $1 million or less.
  • If the Coliseum is to be used for only 5-6 more years, it makes little sense to spend tens of millions on new displays.
coli-scoreboard_twilight-cropped

Current CRT video board and scoreboard system at the Coliseum

Seems like a decent idea, right? The difficulty comes when working among the Coliseum Authority, the Raiders, and the A’s. It would make sense to put something like this into a five year capital improvements plan. How it gets paid for, and how new revenues get divided, is the tough part. Divvying up signage revenue has long been a sticking point in the relationship, with the A’s getting the lion’s share of in-stadium revenue since the 1995 renovation. With all leases expiring, there’s a chance at a clean slate in negotiations. Would Lew Wolff forego an A’s-tilted ad revenue deal in order to get five fairly hassle-free years and opt-outs on a lease extension? Sounds like a deal point to me. It’s just a suggestion.

12.26.12
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Imagine a Coliseum without Mount Davis

Following up Monday’s post about Mt. Davis, here are the specifications for the Coliseum if the Raiders did not come back in 1995. The ballpark boom had begun, but the Coliseum hadn’t yet been completely overshadowed by the retro mallpark. In 1993, the Coliseum complex won a statewide architectural award. Improvements conceived by both the Coliseum and the A’s were feasible and small in scale. Compared to the $80 million $100 million $200 million renovation for the Raiders, the changes for the A’s would have been fairly modest at the outset.

4. PLANNED STADIUM MODIFICATIONS

4.1 Stadium Improvement Plan. Licensor (Coliseum JPA) and Licensee (A’s) have approved a scope of improvements to the Stadium as set forth in Exhibit C. In the event the Raiders have not entered into or agreed to enter into an agreement for more than ten years with Licensor for the Raiders’ use of the Stadium on or before September 30, 1995, Licensee shall have the right in its sole discretion by notice given not later than September 30, 1995, to cause Licensor to complete Stadium improvements as follows:

[a] Construction of up to 5,000 club seats and a related club lounge, for completion by March 31, 1996, and as more particularly described in Exhibit C. The total cost of the stadium improvements plan will not exceed $10 million. Licensee’s representatives will be included in all design, planning and construction meetings.

[b] Stadium improvements described in [a] above will be financed through the issuance of bonds. The bonds will be authorized in 1995 and sold as construction is implemented. It is understood that Licensor’s existing bonds will be deceased.

[c] Licensee shall have the right, at Licensee’s sole cost and obligation, to finance and cause Lincesor to construct such additional Stadium improvements as Licensor and Licensee shall mutually agree in connection with the construction of the Stadium improvements and finance plan described above.

[d] On or after November 1, 1995, either Licensor or Licensee may request the other to negotiate in good faith to approve, in the sole discretion of both parties, respectively, a Stadium improvements and finance plan to provide for the construction of improvements in addition to those set forth in Section 4.1[a] and [c] above, in an amount not to exceed $60 million and under financing terms mutually agreeable to Licensor and Licensee, provided however, to the extent permitted by such financing, Licensee shall recover the actual cost of additional Stadium improvements financed by it under Section 4.1[c] above. Licensee’s sole remedy for the parties failure to approve such a plan shall be the early termination rights described in Section 7.3 below.

[e] In order to provide amortization of the existing bonds issued by Licensor and new improvement bonds, Licensor’s revenue from the Stadium naming rights, club seat premium, together with ticket surcharge revenues would be deposited into an improvements construction fund beginning in 1995.

[f] In addition to stadium improvements, a stadium maintenance fund shall be established and funded by Licensor in the amount of $500,000 annually beginning in 1996 and escalated at 5% per year thereafter. Stadium major maintenance would be paid for from this fund annually. In the event that the transfer in any year is less than the required annual contribution, then Licensor shall deposit the shortfall. Surpluses in the improvements construction fund which are available for the transfer shall be used to offset prior years deficits.

Effectively, the renovation project would have only consisted of what is now known as the West Side Club, for $10 million ($1.2 million/year). Another $50 million could have been available over time, which would’ve been used to replace all of the orange seats and bleachers, redo the clubhouses (maybe the A’s would’ve taken the old Exhibit Hall space instead of the Raiders) while adding a batting cage, build more field boxes, maybe even remove the outfield stairs and move the bullpens there. New scoreboards would’ve required a new agreement and new funding.

All of that would’ve been nice for the 10-year lease that was under consideration. By the end of that lease, December 2004, the pressure would’ve been on to replace the Coliseum. Why? At the time, all of the old cookie-cutter stadia were in the process of being replaced. While Three Rivers and Veterans didn’t get any improvements prior to their replacement, Busch Stadium was made more baseball friendly after the football Cardinals left for Arizona and the Rams played half of the 1995 season at Busch. That arrangement lasted a decade, setting up a transition period until the current Busch was funded and built.

What we don’t know is whether or not Oakland and Alameda County would’ve given up on trying to get the Raiders back. My guess is that the various forces working to bring the team back (Don Perata, Elilu Harris, George Vukasin Sr., Scott Haggerty) would’ve kept trying, at least until Harris gave way to anti-stadium Jerry Brown. Who knows? Oakland by now may have completely established its identity as a baseball town, instead of dealing with two unsatisfied teams in, what Monte Poole called, “a house without distinction”.

12.25.12
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95.7 The Game to become ESPN Radio affiliate

On Christmas Eve, 95.7 The Game announced that it will become an ESPN Radio affiliate starting on January 1. In the press release, parent company Entercom touted The Game’s coverage of the NBA, BCS, MLB, all through ESPN. It’s unclear which sports radio station in the Bay Area will carry Dial Global’s NFL national radio broadcasts. Both of the KNBR stations are signed with new Cumulus property CBS Sports Radio, leaving Dial Global/NBC Sports Radio on the outs. I had opined that The Game might hook up with NBCSR because of its somewhat cozy relationship with Comcast SportsNet, and because in the spring Entercom worked a deal with Dial Global to broadcast the NFL and NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Obviously that did not come to pass.

What will change? Well, if you’re sick of ESPN’s relentless self-promotion, prepared to be sickened even more by The Game. Periodic news and score updates should carry the branding. Interview segments will frequently carry ESPN reporters like Buster Olney and John Clayton. Overnight and early morning shows from the national ESPN Radio feed will be on The Game, including “Mike and Mike in the Morning”. Other short segments like Mike Tirico’s “SportsMinute” should follow. As for the actual lineup, there are no changes to the talent. After a bit of scheduling weirdness when Eric Davis and then Brandon Tierney left within weeks of each other, the lineup appears to have solidified.

  • 6:00 – 10:00 AM: The Rise Guys: Whitey Gleason, Mark Kreidler, and Dan Dibley
  • 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM: The Pulse with Matt Steinmetz [and a rotation of co-hosts]
  • 12:00 – 3:00 PM: The Wheelhouse with John Lund & Greg Papa
  • 3:00 – 7:00 PM: Bucher & Towny: Ric Bucher & Chris Townsend
  • 7:00 PM – 12:00 AM: Guy Haberman
  • 3:00 – 6:00 AM: Mike & Mike In The Morning (ESPN Radio)

Going forward, the best thing about the schedule is that Haberman’s show runs until midnight, allowing for extended postgame A’s talk, which will be driven in large part by the team’s success. Chris Townsend continues with the drive-time slot he has richly deserved. That won’t be enough to hold the interest of those who believe local radio is one Giant suckfest, but what are you going to do? Radio and TV ratings for The Game and CSNCA correlate directly with interest in the A’s, and when the A’s aren’t winning all that’s left are the hardcore fans. We’ll see if many of the fans who came back during September and October stick around this time. One thing’s for sure – as a presence The Game isn’t going anywhere for a while. Considering the nomadic existence the A’s lived on the radio prior to The Game, we can only be grateful.

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P.S. – Logo shown is an approximation. Hat tip to Bay Area Sports Guy/Ruthless Sports Guy for picking up the news first.