Marlins tell mayor stadium plan a must for attracting a team

Dan Kulin and Dave Mondt

Thursday, Dec. 9, 2004 | 11:09 a.m.

Top Florida Marlins officials told Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman during a private meeting Wednesday that the city needs to have a plan to build and pay for a baseball stadium to attract a major league team, the mayor said.

Goodman said there was "no discussion of relocation" of the Marlins, who are unhappy with their current stadium in Florida, during the 90-minute meeting in his office that was attended by City Councilman Larry Brown, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President Rossi Ralenkotter, Marlins Vice Chairman Joel Mael and Marlins Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting P.J. Loyello. . But there was talk of possible stadium locations -- Goodman said he wants a downtown stadium -- and discussion of whether the casinos would support a team and how the millions of tourists would affect attendance, Goodman said.

Bruce Rubin, a spokesman for Marlins Chairman Jeffrey Loria, said the meeting was "simply a social meeting, a get-to-know-you meeting."

Rubin would not say whether the Marlins will meet with other cities but said he expects Marlins and Las Vegas officials will meet again.

When asked if the meeting signaled the Marlins were looking to move to Las Vegas. Rubin said: "The Marlins are a baseball team and Las Vegas is a city seeking a baseball team."

Rubin added that it is "generally acknowledged" that Las Vegas is one of the top cities without a team.

The mayor said the meeting was "a great sign" of interest in Las Vegas, but said he "won't speculate" on whether the meeting means there's interest in relocating the Marlins to Las Vegas. Goodman said the meeting was the longest he's had with representatives from a major league franchise.

"It was very pleasant, very informative," Goodman said about the meeting. "I was trying to pick their brains, find out what Las Vegas has to do to attract a team. ... They said you have to have a stadium plan, and know how those seats would be paid for."

Ralenkotter described the meeting as a "fact-finding" visit from the Marlins representatives.

"There was no discussions of them moving, but of Major League Baseball expanding and talking about what is the potential for Las Vegas," Ralenkotter said. "Since we were part of the discussion with the relocation of the Expos, they wanted to get more information on Las Vegas, its media market and as a tourist and convention destination."

A group trying to bring the Montreal Expos franchise to Las Vegas lost out to Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

Ralenkotter said he thinks the meeting shows Las Vegas is still a "potential destination for major league baseball."

The meeting came as Goodman and Brown ready to head to the winter baseball meetings in Anaheim, Calif., this weekend, and on the heels of a glowing Sports Illustrated article that says Las Vegas will have an NBA or major league team within 10 years.

Goodman is more optimistic, and said he is working to bring a top professional sports franchise to Las Vegas by the time leaves office, which could be 2007 or 2011 if he's re-elected again.

Exactly how the Wednesday meeting came about was unclear.

Goodman and Ralenkotter said Marlins officials asked for the meeting, but Rubin said his understanding was that city officials invited the Marlins.