DMEXER

I think he thought it was spanish because of the "o". lol San Antonio's metro population is 2 million.

So is May 15th still an important date? May 15th is important only in the sense that it is the date that the Judge needs a commitment from the Fish in order to place the stadium referendum on the November ballot. Actually sometine in August is the deadline to put it on the November ballot. May 15th is the deadline Wolff is giving the Marlins to commit to an MOU so that the couty caget everything together to get the vote on the ballot.

fishfan where did you get those HH market stats from? dude ORlando got a bigger market than San Antonio if it wasn't for Duncan and parker going out with Eva Longoria the place would be a fill up station on your way to California English, please.

A roofed stadium would cost about 40-50 million more.

Quit taking Marlino so serious. The guy is just joshin' ya.

The only other area I would want it would be downtown, but I'm not so certain as far as how much that would work, unless people truly are serious about re-vitalizing downtown San Antonio, which aside from new tourist traps, hasnt happened. Re-vitialize? San Antonio isn't run down... lol But I get what you mean, improve on it. And don't worry, work is well underway on that. With the Pearl redevelopment, River reach (both Museum and Mission), Main Plaza proposal, etc, downtown SA is in a zone. These are going up in the east end of downtown on the other sid eof 37 near Sunset Station. These are just the tip of the iceberg in downtown residential highrise construction.

There are probably many more illegals in Miami than in San Antonio. There def. is.

I dont really see what actual property value or cost of living has to do with anything, in the sense that a nice big house in an urban/suburban area the price wont differientiate a whole lot. A house like that is $500K+ 75 miles outside of Chicago, so what? Apples and oranges. Those homes aren't 75 miles outside of San Antonio. I explained to Marlino that the avergae price for homes being built in San Antonio in the next ten years would be $200,000 - $300,000 because he made the joke about future growth an illegals. Point being... illegals ain't buying those homes. lol

This is what you get for 200-300k in San Antonio.

Unfortunately, the study also found that 98% of those new residents will be illegal immigrants with little money and less interest in baseball. :lol :lol Do you live in South Florida? Yes, but I taught in the McAllen area for 2 years a while back. Lost 7 IQ points during that period of time. McAllen?? Guy, that is the deep valley, do not even put San Antonio in the same sentence with McAllen. Sans Corpus and South Padri Island, the Valley is very very poor. Also, never put Harlingen or Brownsville in the same sentence as San Antonio... never! And I know you were joking with that 98% illegal comment, but just to inform you, there are almost 100,000 homes planned for San Antonio in the next 10 years, the average price for those homes is in the 200,000 - 300,000 range.

Like I told you ignore them. They will be gone once the marlins finalize their stadium plans down here. If they get a stadium deal down there, great! No problem. But right now everything's up in the air and it seems you can''t discuss or debate with us in the mean time. No offense bro, but you are in the minority on a Marlin's message board if you want to make us believe that San Antonio is the best place for our Marlins. Where on this forum have I tried to make San Antonio the best option? I haven't. All that article says is San Antonio can support another professional team. No where in this post have I even made the attempt to say San Antonio > Miami in terms of economy, population, stature.

Unfortunately, the study also found that 98% of those new residents will be illegal immigrants with little money and less interest in baseball. :lol :lol Do you live in South Florida?

Sounds like somebody is a homer. A homer? What are you, 11?

Really amazing that they actually study trends. You know that typically tells you nothing of the future. I'd much rather believe in data and concepts of sports markets from the 1960s and 1970s. No, go back to Texas you dummy. you texas people, you have to realize that the only way you get a team is if south florida doesn't finalize a stadium deal with the marlins. they are staying here if they get a stadium. if they don't, then that's a different matter. LOL... you dumb that down for us Texas people? Guy, let me dumb it down even more for you. The Marlins are going to whichever city gives them a stadium. Whether its Miami, South Florida, San Antonio, Portland, Green Bay, Death Valley, Neverland, or Provo Utah. if you want to include such a large region, miami has over 5.1 million people. it's huge. Yes, Miami does have over 5 million in its ginormous CSA. Like I showed you, from Jupiter to Homestead, its over 100 miles in distance, and all that is considered Miami's CSA. My man, if this area you speak of exists, why isn't it considered a metro in the same context as every other metro area in the nation? The Census defines MSA's and CSA's. San Antonio probably won't get a CSA until probably 2010. Ya, I'd rather take the word of the professionals whose job is to make these kinds of decisions/measurements... Do you even now how these kinds of decisions are made by the professionals at the Census? No, yet you run your mouth. My hobby and future employment is in city development. SA/Austin will never be considered a single MSA untill both cities grow out towards Johnson City. Actually, that would be a CSA. And it will happen. I'd say by 2010. The main qualification for a CSA is commuting. How many people commute from city A to city B and vise versa, or in the case of an CSA, how many people commute from MSA A to MSA B and vise versa.

Who in sams hell wrote that? I think my 7 year old cousin could have written a better article. Jeez. Hovering around 1.3 million people in Bexar County, Bexar County: 1,518,370 1.1 million of them in San Antonio proper, San Antonio proper: 1,236,249 no one in the know still considers the city ready for a Triple-A club, let alone a major league franchise. No one in the know? His mother? and Ryans to contend with. The same ones that just last week gave their names in support of a team. The Alamo City is in the super-market of the Houston Astros, Oh god please. Super market my a--! Is there a small fan base here for the Astros? Sure. But please... don't make me laugh.

why are you measuring homestead to jupiter? you realize that homestead isn't on the table and it's way way waaaaaaay south. Because Homestead and Jupiter are part of Miami's CSA population. also, the studies you cite talk a lot about how the city is growing and will be capable of supporting another professional team. it won't be ready in four years. and what if those projections are off? that's a big gamble. Well, the region they're talking about now already has close to four million people as we speak.

Shaq-Man, did you happen to miss this? The San Antonio data is strong by itself

Trying to compare the south to the northeast... that's funny. But really, do we really want to get into the measuring game?

San Antonio Can Support A Major League Team Posted By: Mandi Bishop This story is available on your cell phone at mobile.woai.com. The future's so bright. San Antonio leaders say the city could easily support another major league team. News 4 WOAI has obtained a study that shows the city's growth makes now the right time. Between this report and Fortune magazine's favorable ranking of San Antonio, Mayor Phil Hardberger says we should be seen as a major player for any team looking to relocate, especially the Florida Marlins baseball team. Mayor Hardberger says San Antonio is definitely a contender. "A very serious contender. I think our chances are excellent. It's not a certainty and there are other towns that have something to offer other than San Antonio, but I really have a feeling that the Marlins are making serious consideration of San Antonio." And why not? A new economic report shows San Antonio's employment rate is expected to go up 3.4% annually, San Antonio's income should go up by 8% each year and our population will increase 2.7%. For our neighbor's up North, Austin's employment rates are expected to increase 2.7% annually, personal income will go up 6.9% and population will grow at a rate of 2.4%. What that means for us is, when combined to form the I-35 region, there will be more than 2.2 million jobs that create 245 billion in income and nearly 5 million people to entertain by the year 2015. Hardberger adds, "We are the third fastest growing city in the United States. That's pretty good...and we are the fastest growing city in the state of Texas." We asked Mayor Hardberger what are our chances of disappointment are, like what we saw when we tried to lure the New Orleans Saints to town. He says one indicator that we'll have success this time is that the owners of the Marlins have invited him to sit with them on opening day in Houston next week. http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?...CB-DF06A8AB0881 -------------------------------------------------- The Mayor and Judge Wolff will hold a press conference for later today to discuss the studies findings. -------------------------------------------------- Sports teams may cheer for S.A. Web Posted: 03/29/2006 12:00 AM CST Travis E. Poling and William Pack Express-News Business Writers A new long-term economic forecast for the San Antonio and Austin areas is being touted as proof that the region can support two or more major league sports teams. Although Bexar County officials who commissioned the study say they will use the data for long-range planning, it comes at a time when the county and the city are looking to land Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins and perhaps a National Football League team. The report by Jon Hockenyos, managing director of Austin economic consulting firm TXP Inc., analyzed possible growth patterns over the next decade for the 39 counties within a 100-mile radius of San Antonio. The population of the region, which includes Austin, should increase by about 1 million in the next 10 years, and the number of jobs should climb by half a million, according to Hockenyos' projections. "This shows that we are at the cusp of a major economic expansion," County Judge Nelson Wolff said. "Looking to the future, we know that we have the capacity to support two or more major league clubs in our town." Wolff is offering a deal to the Marlins, now in South Florida, of $200 million in tax revenue toward a new stadium in the San Antonio area. The money, which voters would need to approve, would come from an extension of the hotel and car rental taxes now paying for the Spurs' AT&T Center. The Marlins estimate a new stadium in San Antonio will cost $310 million, not including a retractable roof or the cost of land. But any sports team that might look to San Antonio as a new home needs proof of a regional fan base, disposable income and a strong corporate base to pump up sponsorship and luxury suite revenue. The study found population in the region should increase to 4.92 million by 2015 from an estimated 3.99 million this year, or 2.3 percent a year. The number of jobs is forecast to increase 2.8 percent annually to nearly 2.2 million, up from 1.7 million this year. Total personal income could increase 7.2 percent annually to $238.9 billion from an estimated $128 billion this year. Hockenyos' report says recent growth in the regional economy, mostly along the Interstate 35 corridor from San Antonio to Austin, has led to 478,000 net new jobs, or 3 percent above the previous year. In contrast, national employment grew 1.5 percent. "Growing appeal of the region as a site for expansion and relocation of both people and firms helps San Antonio/I-35 consistently perform 'above the line' relative to the U.S. as a whole," the report said. San Antonio's "economic roll" includes the new Toyota manufacturing plant and suppliers, the selection of Fort Sam Houston as the new headquarters of U.S. Army South and new high school work force academies that help produce skilled workers. Wolff said the study grew out of discussions about four or five months ago when the city was trying to lure the New Orleans Saints to town. Officials sensed the area was on the brink of a major economic expansion but needed an analysis to prove that those feelings were correct. "We wanted a better idea of where we were headed" in the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area, the judge said. "It's an exciting time to be here, and this data shows it." Wolff said the purpose of the study, in part, was to show Major League Baseball that San Antonio could support a second major sports team, such as the Marlins, who've expressed interest in San Antonio as they seek a new stadium deal in South Florida. The study clearly demonstrates that San Antonio could support a second professional team, the judge said. By describing how much the regional economy will grow over the decade, the report also shows that in addition to the Spurs, two additional major league teams ? baseball and football presumably ? could be sustained by San Antonio in the near future. If baseball still is three or four years away from opening here, at best, the region should be financially strong enough to host a third professional team shortly after that, Wolff said. The San Antonio data is strong by itself, but additional information from Austin and other booming communities along I-35 should prove the region's long-term economic strength, Wolff said. "I think we're right on the cusp of having both of them," he said. Wolff said that aside from its value in the discussion over the Marlins, the study should help the county understand its economic prospects in the coming decade and guide decisions about infrastructure improvements. County and city leaders will meet with Marlins officials at their season opener Monday against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/sto...h.12d91050.html

Makes me wonder why the owner of the Marlins would invite our Mayor, DA, County Judge, and four other county leaders to the Marlins opening game.

Wolff: Convincing MLB Owners Key To Marlins' Decision SAN ANTONIO -- Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff told KSAT 12 News on Wednesday that San Antonio has the appeal to draw the Florida Marlins professional baseball team to the city. However, Wolff said it might be more difficult convincing other Major League Baseball team owners. League officials would need an agreement by the Marlins and three-quarters of the owners' signatures to complete the move. "We're 200 miles or so away from Houston. We're 300 miles from Dallas," said Wolff. "So, we're not in their territory. Now, that doesn't mean they'll support us, but we hope they would." Wolff said that if San Antonio lives up to the Marlins' expectations, they could come back asking for a memorandum of understanding, another positive sign. "The owner of the Marlins would have to be able to gain the confidence of the other owners to be able to do this," Wolff said. "We're still a few weeks away from that." Wolff said Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria is inviting the entire commissioner's court to the team's game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in early April. http://www.ksat.com/news/8195336/detail.html

City and county forming teams to lure Marlins Web Posted: 03/17/2006 12:00 AM CST Tom Orsborn Express-News Staff Writer Anticipating that Major League Baseball will deem San Antonio a viable market, Bexar County commissioners directed county staffers Thursday to assemble a negotiating team for relocation talks with the Florida Marlins. Also Thursday, County Judge Nelson Wolff and Mayor Phil Hardberger set a meeting for March 31 with the San Antonio Sports Foundation, the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and other business groups to discuss plans to attract the Marlins. "We want to make sure we get the community behind this and approach it with a common purpose," Hardberger said. Wolff has offered a stadium-financing plan to the Marlins that calls for the county to pay two-thirds of the cost for a $300 million ballpark. The county would raise $200 million by extending the hotel/rental-car taxes used to build the AT&T Center for the Spurs on the East Side. Voter approval would be needed to extend the taxes. The deadline to call a November election is August. "We are trying to get things in position and be ready should baseball give the Marlins the green light," Wolff said. "We don't want to waste any time because time will be precious." Wolff said the negotiating team probably would consist of five members. He said the candidates could include David Morgan, the county's executive director of information services and a former negotiator for the city of Dallas, and some of the county attorneys who negotiated the lease agreement with the Spurs. "We could also have the (four) County Commissioners involved on a rotating basis," Wolff said. The Marlins informed Wolff on Tuesday it could be "weeks" before the team and MLB decide whether to pursue more serious negotiations. Wolff said the decision could hinge on MLB's analysis of the San Antonio market, which a recent BizJournal.com study indicated would be hard pressed to support a second professional team. But a national sports marketing expert who served as a consultant on relocation to the NFL's Cardinals, Raiders and Rams suggested the Marlins are seriously considering moving to San Antonio, which has an expanding corporate base but is the 38th-ranked television market. "I believe strongly that it is absolutely worth San Antonio's time and effort to continue with this pursuit of the Marlins actively and aggressively," said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based Sportscorp Ltd. "If I was advising San Antonio on this project, I would advise it use these weeks to focus on all the major components needed to make the deal happen. I wouldn't wait and be passive." The county's financing plan helps San Antonio's cause, Ganis said, but Wolff and other leaders shouldn't stop there. "They need to line up broadcasting deals, mobilize a civic group to start marketing tickets and come up with a public-sector guarantee of ticket sales," Ganis said. "The more certainty that can be put on the table, the more likelihood the Marlins will come." Wolff said the plans Ganis spoke of would be discussed at the March 31 meeting. "We'll meet and then set smaller meetings to explain to the various chambers what needs to be done," Wolff said. "When the Saints were here last fall, we had one big meeting with the chamber and business leaders and then it kind of fizzled out after that. We want there to be good follow through with this." The New Orleans Saints spent last season in San Antonio because of Hurricane Katrina. In September, leaders from the private and public sectors met with Saints owner Tom Benson for breakfast to discuss ways to market the team's three home games scheduled for the Alamodome. The meeting attracted 200 people, including some of the city's leading CEOs, and one participant referred to it as a "mini pep rally." Wolff and Hardberger are banking on the Marlins creating similar excitement. "This effort is picking up speed and, hopefully, we will have a more favorable outcome this time," said Hardberger, referring to the Saints returning to Louisiana despite indications from Benson and other team officials that they were considering permanent relocation to San Antonio. http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories...s.1cb69fbb.html

S.A. baseball in wait-and-see mode with Marlins Web Posted: 03/15/2006 12:00 AM CST Tom Orsborn Express-News Staff Writer Saying Major League Baseball needs more time to determine if San Antonio is a viable market, the Florida Marlins told Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Tuesday that it could be "weeks" before he learns whether relocation talks would continue. In a conversation with Marlins president David Samson, Wolff said he learned baseball and the Marlins are doing a joint market analysis of San Antonio. News of the study comes six days after Wolff offered the team a deal that called for Bexar County to cover two-thirds of the cost for a $300 million stadium. "I knew (an analysis) had to be done at some point," Wolff said. "I'm glad it's going to be done up front before we waste a lot of time negotiating (a memorandum of understanding) that might not be approved (by MLB). "I'm still cautiously optimistic we are going to get to the next step. But the next step is a big one, and I want (the Marlins and MLB) to be comfortable taking it. Baseball has to give the Marlins a red light, a green light or maybe a caution. It's not just what the Marlins want. It's what baseball will agree to." The Marlins declined comment. A MLB spokesman said its involvement with the World Baseball Classic has prevented officials from taking a close look at Bexar County's plan to spend up to $200 million, contingent on voter approval, to build an open-air stadium. "We are not in position to make a comment until we study the proposal," said Rich Levin, MLB vice president of public relations. MLB has allowed the Marlins to explore relocation, but the team has not applied for permission to move. Relocation requires the approval of three-quarters of baseball's owners. Wolff speculated MLB needs a couple of weeks to learn if there is support among the owners for the Marlins to move to San Antonio. "(Samson) doesn't want to run down here and make a deal and then have Major League Baseball say, 'Sorry, you can't move,'" Wolff said. "It has to be a tandem decision." Wolff plans to generate money for a stadium through an extension of the hotel and rental-car taxes used to build the AT&T Center. He said he would call a November election if the Marlins agree to a memorandum of understanding and find local investors. Samson, stepson of Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, visited San Antonio in December. Wolff said he expects Samson and other team officials to make another visit soon. In the meantime, Wolff said he's ready to help the Marlins and baseball with their analysis. "They are going to look at everything from the stadium deal to the city's corporate base to what kind of cable television deal they can get," Wolff said. FSN Florida, which is affiliated with Fox Sports Net, recently received exclusive rights to televise Marlins games in South Florida beginning this season. The cable channel declined to reveal the amount it is paying the Marlins to televise as many as 150 of the 162 games. Such deals typically generate millions for teams. The Los Angeles Angels, for example, reportedly have negotiated a 10-year contract with Fox Sports Net that could be worth as much as $500 million. "A cable deal could be the thing that moves this thing along or stops it," Wolff said. "It wouldn't make sense for the Marlins to come down here and spend any time looking around without knowing that piece of the puzzle." The Marlins are looking to move because stadium talks in South Florida have stalled. Marc Ganis, a national sports marketing expert, said the speed in which the county submitted a stadium proposal is impressive. "It shows San Antonio can get things done," Ganis said. "Think about this from the Marlins' perspective: They have been working for three years to get a stadium deal in South Florida, and then San Antonio comes up with something in no time. It demonstrates the can-do attitude San Antonio has." But Ganis questions whether a quality ballpark could be built for $300 million. "The good news is construction costs are relatively modest in that part of the country," Ganis said. "The bad news is bells and whistles such as scoreboards, seats and concession equipment are usually bought from other markets, and you don't get reductions on those items. "But the biggest number is for concrete, and you can get that at a lower cost in Texas." http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories...s.127cbae4.html

In terms of urban density San Antonio is at 3,255 (2000) while Miami is at 4,408 (2000). Not too huge of a difference. I'm not quite sure how that helps your argument, as the website you quoted those numbers from also pins the Miami "urban area" population at 4.919 million, compared to San Antonio's 1.328 million. An easier way to understand why it's ridiculous to even compare the two would be to look at two scaled images, side-by-side. (credit: Google Earth) On the left, the only inhabited portions of Dade/Broward counties (i.e., not covered by swamp/wetlands) are highlighted. On the right is Bexar county. on the left: 1050 sq mi.; 4+ million population (link) on the right: 1247 sq mi.; 1.49 million population (link) It's not even close. Is there a difference between swamps and wetlands as opposed to military installations? San Antonio has five of them and believe me they all take up a lot of land, esp Camp Bullis in far north San Antonio.

That site in San Antonio looks like the Joe Robbie site. Just a spur(sic) off the highway. It won't do at all. Doesn't look like a "destination" site, and the only foot traffic might be some illegals who just crossed the border passing by. Doesn't Bexar county have some downtown site to offer? Tex...is there anything downtown available? Nice one idiot. Sorry, I don't see why this idiot brought up "illegals." Anyway, that isn't a spur, it's Wurzbach Parkway, a hybrid freeway, and it does run through the Quarry, however just south osoutheast of this picture is Interstate 35. Also the area of this quarry is very middle class/upper middle class.