http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story...8193&ran=220340

 

By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot

? January 17, 2006

 

The man who tried to bring Major League Baseball to downtown Norfolk in 2004 is trying again, but acknowledges the odds are against him.

 

William Somerindyke Jr., whose effort to lure the Montreal Expos to Norfolk failed, said he has been in contact with the Florida Marlins.

 

The Marlins were given permission by baseball officials in November to begin exploring relocation after they failed to negotiate a stadium deal in Miami.

 

Las Vegas, San Antonio and Portland, Ore., have been tabbed by the national media as relocation favorites, if the Marlins indeed leave Florida. Marlins officials have visited San Antonio and Portland.

 

?I was told that we?re one of eight communities they are considering,? Somerindyke said. ?It?s difficult to say what the odds are that this could happen, but we?ll give it our best.?

 

The Marlins front offices were closed Monday, and officials were unavailable for comment. Robert DuPuy, president of Major League Baseball, did not respond to e-mails.

 

The Miami Herald newspaper, quoting unidentified sources, will report in today?s editions that the Marlins intend to visit Norfolk, though a meeting has not been scheduled. The team also plans visits to Charlotte; Monterrey, Mexico ; and n orthern New Jersey, according to t he Herald.

 

The Marlins play in Dolphins Stadium, designed primarily for football, that they share with the NFL?s Miami Dolphins. They blame the stadium for poor attendance.

 

The Marlins drew 1.8 millions fans last season, second-worst in the National League.

 

The team?s lease expires after the 2007 season, and Marlins? officials said they will stay in South Florida no longer than 2010 without a new stadium.

 

Somerindyke said he recently spoke with Marlins? officials, who said they would consider Norfolk even though it is just a few hours south of Washington, where the Expos moved and became the Nationals.

 

?I was told that Hampton Roads would not impede anything going on in Washington,? he said.

 

?There are not a large number of season-ticket holders down here.?

 

Somerindyke said he plans to make a trip to Florida this winter and hopes to persuade Marlins? officials to visit Hampton Roads.

 

?We have made them somewhat aware of what we did here for the Expos,? he said. ?We?re going to make them more aware of it.?

 

Somerindyke and city officials had a handshake deal in 2004 to finance a new stadium adjacent to where Harbor Park is located. It would have been built largely with rebates of state and local taxes generated on site and also with revenue streams ? a portion of the city?s meals and hotel taxes ? already dedicated for a major sports facility. Taxes would not have been increased to build a stadium, city officials said.

 

Mayor Paul Fraim reacted cautiously after speaking with Somerindyke.

 

?If Major League Baseball wants to come to Norfolk, the welcome mat is out,? Fraim said. ?But we are not going to get in a position where we are bidding against other communities for this team.?

 

He added that he doesn?t think the Marlins will leave Miami, a market of more than 5 million people.

 

?Everything we know about Major League Baseball is that they hate relocation,? Fraim said.

 

?They know it casts a certain image of failure over the league.

 

?It?s hard for me to see a scenario where they would leave Florida.?

 

Yet if they do, he added, ?we?re willing to talk.?

 

Las Vegas, with 1.7 million residents, is the nation?s largest metropolitan area without a major sports team. Hampton Roads, with 1.6 million people, is second.

 

The Marlins have struggled to draw well in spite of winning two World Series since the team came into being in 1993. They recently traded a number of high-priced players to cut financial losses.

 

Their search for a new home so far has been without success. San Antonio, about the size of Hampton Roads, seems an unlikely destination in that it already has an NBA team. T he NFL?s New Orleans Saints also might move there.

 

In a meeting with Portland officials last week, the Marlins were told that the city would not help the team build a stadium. Portland Mayor Tom Potter said that fixing the city?s public schools is a much higher priority than luring a baseball team.

 

The Nationals are having stadium problems of their own. They drew well at RFK Stadium last season, attracting 2.7 million fans. However, the stadium is old and was built largely for football.

 

The Nationals have been unable to consummate a deal with the city government to build a new stadium . Dec. 31 was the ?final? deadline for a deal to be done.

 

DuPuy wrote a scathing letter published two weeks ago by T he Washington Post accusing the D.C. Council of ?trying to walk away from the agreement that brought the team here in the first place.?

 

The city officials are asking baseball to help pay for cost overruns even though they chose the site and design of the stadium and will oversee its construction.

 

?Asking baseball to pay for overruns when D.C. government officials are in charge of the stadium?s design and construction is like MasterCard telling you to pay your credit card bill even though MasterCard gets to do all your shopping,? he wrote.

 

Baseball stadium proponents told T he Washington Times last week that for now, stadium negotiations are dead.

 

However, said Fraim: ?I believe, in the end, they will get the deal done.?

Norfolk? Isn't that the name of a tv show on the WB?

 

 

 

Anyway, I like this line:

 

?Asking baseball to pay for overruns when D.C. government officials are in charge of the stadium?s design and construction is like MasterCard telling you to pay your credit card bill even though MasterCard gets to do all your shopping,? he wrote.

Possible. They did have a good bid for the Nats earlier, with thousands signed up for seat licenses. However their TV market took a hit when Washington was granted a team and Baltimore a firm share of Virginia and Carolina TV sets.

Odds for this are 1:50 at best. It's a very very long shot. Norfolk is suitable for a AAA team (and we have one) but not a major league team, particularly one with the detriment of the Marlins.

A last ditch opportunity to keep the Nationals in Washington is about to play itself out with hiring of the former mayor of Detroit as an arbitrator to try and bring the parties together in Washington DC.

 

There is a chance the Expos/Nationals franchise may not stay in DC, however remote, and if so Norfolk may be in the running for that franchise as well. Certainly three teams in such a small geographical area is problematic.

Something that should be brought up about the Va Beach area (Largest city in the state) is that the population swells from May through September with visitors from all over the east coast.

 

Furthermore virtually half of the former Navy personnell have at one time or another thought of the Norfolk area as their home.

DC isn't drawing that many people from the Norfolk area, central VA either for that matter. I'd be a lot more willing to drive over to Norfolk than up to DC, no matter which franchise wound up there. Baltimore is barely even a factor outside of NOVA.

The Mets have a triple a team in Harbor Place that draws very well. Not because of the Mets,but because of the interest in baseball from the area. That team could easily move to N. Jersey.

DC isn't drawing that many people from the Norfolk area, central VA either for that matter. I'd be a lot more willing to drive over to Norfolk than up to DC, no matter which franchise wound up there. Baltimore is barely even a factor outside of NOVA.

 

The thought is that it will cut down on the broadcast rights contracts - a huge revenue source in today's game - a team can demand if there's two or more teams battling for control of the territory. The bond many Virginians and North Carolinians have with the Braves would also have an effect.

DC isn't drawing that many people from the Norfolk area, central VA either for that matter. I'd be a lot more willing to drive over to Norfolk than up to DC, no matter which franchise wound up there. Baltimore is barely even a factor outside of NOVA.

 

The thought is that it will cut down on the broadcast rights contracts - a huge revenue source in today's game - a team can demand if there's two or more teams battling for control of the territory. The bond many Virginians and North Carolinians have with the Braves would also have an effect.

 

Many would love to break that bond for a team of their own.

 

For a long time the Braves wwere the only game in the South, For a long time it was either the Braves or the Orioles. The truth is competition of any kind is good for the sport.

 

I would love to see the Marlins stay right where they are. If they have to go ,let them go to Va Bch/Norfolk/Chesapeake/Suffolk/Hampton/Newport News/Portsmouth/Williamsburg etc. you get the idea.

Now you're talking. The Marlins 45 minutes from me? Yeah baby.

 

 

Good point about the Baltimore franchise. They are definitely not a factor in NoVA anymore. That area has completely surrendered to the Nationals.

I would love to have them in Norfolk as they are only a short drive from my sisters house. If the Marlins have to move I want to see them in either Charlotte or Norfolk.

Aside from New Jersey, it's really the best market available now.