http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~10835~2092252,00.html


New ballparks no magic financial pill

By Andrew Baggarly, STAFF WRITER



MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL commissioner Bud Selig dragged out his "new ballpark" script after touring Petco Park, the new bayside home of the San Diego Padres.

It was beautiful. It was unique. It has great sight lines. (Did Bud really climb to the top deck to find out?)

And it was absolutely necessary to sustain baseball in San Diego.

"Of course this saved baseball in San Diego, for now and generations to come," said Selig, pouncing on a radio reporter's question that was so perfect, you had to wonder if he was a plant.

"They could not continue to operate in their old stadium," said Selig, gaining steam as he found the familiar text and cadence. "The Padres could not generate enough revenue to stay in business. This will ensure the Padres can field a competitive team for years to come."

You're the owner of a small-market team? There's your answer. Hire a smart and savvy marketing staff if the whim strikes you. Invest in scouting and player development if it makes you feel good. Print playoff tickets if you must.

But, if you listen to Selig's rhetoric, none of those things can save a franchise. For that, you need to pour concrete, and get a bigger outpouring of public money to pay for it all.

Of course, a new facility would help many teams, the A's chief among them. But you would have to be awfully naive to believe a new stadium is a financial panacea for any team and a can't-miss economic development for any city.

And you'd be blind to the happenings in many other small-market teams with new stadiums, such as Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and, lest we forget Selig's own prize pony, the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Reds opened Great American Ball Park last year. For their first Sunday home game this season, they had more than 25,000 empty seats.

The Pirates opened PNC Park three years ago. Their attendance dipped from 2.4 million in 2001 to 1.6 million last year.

And in three years after opening Miller Park, the Brewers payroll has dropped from $50 million (ranking 26th of 30 teams) to $27.5 million (ranking 30th).

This season, the Reds and their fans are discovering just how short the ballpark honeymoon can last. According to figures released by the Associated Press, the Reds had a $59 million payroll in their first year at GABP. This season, it dropped to $43 million, the fifth-lowest in the majors.

Cincinnati taxpayers, by the way, contributed $250 million to the Reds' new yard.

In another year or two, we'll have to check back on those folks in San Diego.

quote:

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"They could not continue to operate in their old stadium," said Selig, gaining steam as he found the familiar text and cadence. "The Padres could not generate enough revenue to stay in business. This will ensure the Padres can field a competitive team for years to come."

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The Padres played in that stadium for 35 years. If they were unable to generate enough revenue in THAT stadium, why didn't they go out of business?

When, when, when will MLB (and I mean the leagues' leadership, team owners, player agents and players' union ALL) realize that staying in business means BOTH maximizing and increasing income AND curbing and managing expenses? It is not an "either/or", it is a "both/and"!!!