51s ready to extend deal with Dodgers

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing an agreement for a two-year extension of their player development contract with the Las Vegas 51s, general manager Don Logan said Monday.

Much of the Dodgers' player development staff is in Las Vegas this week for department meetings, and Logan said he hopes to have an extension done in about a week.

Triple-A teams have a set financial agreement with major league teams to prevent bidding wars for marquee franchises or affiliations. But the Dodgers do have some bargaining chips with Las Vegas, primarily the state of the 51s' home stadium, 21-year-old Cashman Field.

It appears as though the 51s and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Cashman Field's landlord, have agreed to put enough Band-aids on the situation to get a two-year extension. The team's workout equipment, previously stored in a service corridor adjacent to the clubhouse, has been moved to an established weight room. Logan confirmed Monday that in that corridor, an indoor batting cage will be constructed to provide a respite for ballplayers in hot summer months.

In fact, the weight room is just one of many upgrades that have seemingly spontaneously appeared at Cashman Field over the past two weeks. A radar gun was installed during the 51s' most recent road trip, and even the signs near doors that said "STARS LOCKER ROOM," still up after the franchise changed nicknames in 2001, were replaced to say "51S LOCKER ROOM."

51s manager Terry Kennedy said Cashman Field isn't far off from being an acceptable place to play baseball.

"With a few things, this could be a habitable place until we get a new yard," he said. "We got our weight room -- there's a lot of little things we use as a pro team every day. This would have been a good day to hit inside."

The temperature at Cashman Field at the first pitch was 108 degrees Monday, and the temperature was above 113 degrees during batting practice, between 4:15 and 5:15 p.m.

It was so hot, the visiting Nashville Sounds, fresh off an eight-hour bus ride from Tucson, elected not to take batting practice before Las Vegas' 10-inning, 5-4 win Monday night.

"There's a lot going on right now," Logan said. "This is the time we're going to discuss it."

Still, Dodgers vice president and interim farm director Kim Ng said these are only temporary solutions to a larger problem at the Triple-A level.

"We need to be given strong assurances of a new stadium and an upgraded facility for next year," Ng said. "They're not up to the standards they really should be -- the standards we as a high-caliber organization have."

Talks for the 51s to get a new stadium have stalled while Major League Baseball considers Las Vegas as a possible relocation home for the Montreal Expos.

Ng said that temporary solutions would have to be sufficient while the 51s wait for a new park and the Expos saga rolls on.

"It's going to have to be," she said. "I don't see ground broken as of Aug. 9, 2004."

Dodgers farm coordinator Terry Collins, who managed the Albuquerque Dukes to the 1987 Pacific Coast League championship and served five years as that team's manager, said he has been pleased so far with Las Vegas as the Dodgers' top farm city.

"It's been great," he said. "Obviously, there's always going to be an issue because it's Las Vegas. You're wary about the players after the game, but that's everywhere, not just here. The field's in good condition. The clubhouse is smaller but it's fine. This is the minor leagues."

The Dodgers were affiliated with Albuquerque from 1972-2000, when the Dukes moved to Portland and the affiliation shifted to Las Vegas. There was speculation that the Dodgers might seek to return to Albuquerque, or possibly move to Tucson, but those teams re-signed with Florida and Arizona, respectively, leaving the Dodgers with few options.

Ng said timing has become important as the season approaches the homestretch.

"There are certain major league rules, dates that things have to get done by," she said. "We're getting into the red zone and working at it pretty hard."