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Mayor Oscar Goodman reacts after he botches a pitch before the White Sox versus Cubs exhibition game at Cashman Field in Las Vegas in April. Goodman announced Thursday that a Major League team he was speaking with decided against moving to Las Vegas.
By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010 | 12:35 p.m.
Sun archives
- Mayor: American League baseball team looking at Las Vegas (8-19-2010)
- Mayor hints at plans for professional team moving to Las Vegas (8-12-2010)
- Mayor: Without public funding for arena, Las Vegas won't get NBA team (7-22-2010)
- Mayor skeptical about NBA ‘contract’ for proposed Strip arena (7-15-2010)
- NBA team ‘under contract’ if Las Vegas builds an arena (7-14-2010)
- Detroit Pistons moving to Las Vegas? Don't bet on it (7-15-2010)
- Mayor: Downtown Las Vegas sports arena ‘very viable’ (6-24-2010)
- Strip sports arena has very little support (6-10-2010)
A swing and a miss. That's the result of Las Vegas' most recent effort to lure an American League baseball team, Mayor Oscar Goodman revealed today.
But the city is staying in the batter's box, says Goodman, who is still hoping to score a Major League Baseball team — or a professional franchise from another major sport — before he is term-limited out of office next year.
"The discussions continued as recently as yesterday," Goodman told reporters today at his weekly press conference at City Hall.
Goodman, who has spoken about efforts to land a pro baseball team for the last three weeks at his press conferences, was up front about why the team, which he declined to name, turned down Las Vegas.
"We heard from one team that I was very interested in pursuing that our market is not big enough, our media market is not big enough and our economy is in such a state that they're not interested in considering us at this time," Goodman said.
But he said he was still pushing for another MLB team — or a professional team in another major sport — to bring a franchise to the city.
"That has not dulled my enthusiasm," Goodman said. "I'm talking to other people about it. I'm talking to other people about all sports. Because I said one of the things I wanted to do before I hung up my cleats was to get ourselves at least a commitment from a major league sports team."
The mayor said his key emissary in talks with baseball franchises has been Don Logan, who is the general manager of the Las Vegas 51s, the city's Triple-A baseball franchise of the Pacific Coast League.
"I spoke to Donny Logan," Goodman said. "He's the one who has been negotiating for me, so to speak, because of the respect that baseball has for him and his ability. He's trying to set up a meeting now with — I guess he would call him a broker - somebody who deals with teams that are looking."
Will Las Vegas continue to look at an American League team?
"Now I don't know what we're going to be talking to next," Goodman said.
Goodman said he had checked into seeing if the American League's Tampa Bay Rays might be available.
"Their lease is good until 2018. Now that's a long time, that's a long time away," Goodman said.
The mayor has said part of the discussions will involve building a climate-controlled domed 45,000-seat stadium on city-owned property downtown.
"I spoke to somebody yesterday about building a stadium and they have the wherewithal to do it, so we are pursuing it," he said. "We're still doing our research on the stadium."
Asked about the latest efforts to lure a professional basketball franchise to Las Vegas, the mayor said the ball was in the court of the Cordish Company. Last November, Cordish entered an exclusive two-year negotiating agreement with the city to develop a sports arena, a casino-hotel and an entertainment district on city owned property that includes the existing city hall and parking garage.
"I'm in a tough spot there because I can't talk to other people who want to talk to me about it, since we're in our exclusive negotiations with the Cordish Company," Goodman said. "We're trying to get permission from Cordish that I can speak with others because I've had two serious inquiries about basketball and an arena here."
Goodman said City Manager Betsy Fretwell is trying to get something in writing from Cordish that says "the mayor may not negotiate, but he can talk to people."
"I'm taking the conservative view here and not talking to anybody about it, because of our agreement," Goodman said. "But two live ones came by."
Shocker.
I dunno, biggie - there's talk goin' around about the mayor of Gabbs, y'know ...
This guy is such a dufus.
This would be both the best time and worst time for any team to consider a move to LV. I never saw it as a possibility since the demographics are not there.
Gee, I thought he already had them signed, sealed, and delivered, at least that's the way he was putting it last week.
Legalize prostitution then maybe we could get an NBA team.
No team is going to move here unless there's major concessions. First you have the taxpayers build the stadium (500 mil)then you have to give the team owners 80% of the gate and all the concessions. I didn't think the mayor has that kind of pull to get something done like that. At least he can leave his job saying "He tried".
"media market not big enough, market not big enough and bad economy"
tell me Oscar...they didn't know this 2 weeks ago, or 2 months ago or 2 years ago?
These excuses are bogus. Any team would have known right from the start where they stood in relocating here in terms of the "market".
The whole thing sounds fishy...
A swing and a miss my a$$, more like the team owner stepped up to the slot machine and dropped a couple of coins and he didn't get a jackpot so he moved to another one armed bandit to try his luck there.
Comment removed by moderator. Personal attack.
Imagine that.
Chunky says:
We should worry more about filling beds and casinos than filling stadium seats!
There may have been a time for this in Vegas and there may be in the future but not in the current economy!
That's what Chunky thinks!
The happiest mob mouthpiece in the universe was talking to the New York Yankees. (In his gin induced dreams!)
Maybe the A's are focused on San Jose after all, which I'm alright with since I like San Jose. I didn't want the Bay Area to become Giants-only because that would stink on ice.
As for Vegas, I still believe we will have a team one day. But the major casino companies need to understand that Nevada needs to diversify the economy if any sort of recovery is expected, otherwise it will be more of the same thing.
i don't want a baseball team in vegas, hated the mets and yankees back in ny.
We will never have a pro team here because we wouldn't support it. This idea has been around since I've lived here and thats since 75 and nothing. Although we did have pro soccer the Las Vegas Quicksilvers and I did see Pele play but that was a one year wonder.
Does he make all this stuff up? I think he is in the final stages of alchohalism and is halucinating.
nycbx: From what I recall, the Mets & Yankees weren't crazy about you, either.
Bush's fault.
LMAO !! Screw baseball. I'd rather watch ice melt...
Oscar Goodman is the John F Kennedy of Mayors. Kennedy had the Bay of Pigs and the Peace Corps and Goodman has Symphony Park and the Mob Museum.
What American League baseball franchise was the city talking to? Since he won't say, I don't believe there is one. Oscar, don't say anything until it really happens.
i wonder who the mystery team was
At least Mayor Goodman is trying! I'm originally from the Bay Area so don't tell me that Oakland can support a team and Las Vegas can't. LV needs to diversify!!! I don't think that we're going to get high tech companies to come here, so at least diversify with entertainment options. MLB would be a HUGE boost to the area...it's a dream but one worth pursuing. City Center was someone's dream and that $8m investment is now worth $2.5m...should we build another resort casino. However we do need other "draws" to give people another reason to come to LV and stay in the hotels. Don't be shortsighted.
Good!
Taxpayers do not need to be on the hook for a stadium. Go read what happened in Tampa. If building stadiums and having teams is so great, let the investors pay for it. But that's not how it happens. I hope we NEVER get a major league team of any kind.
Quote - ronster
"I hope we NEVER get a major league team of any kind."
---
Suppose the arena/stadium development is privately financed, would you be opposed then? If you dislike sports, that is one thing. But why shouldn't there be a team in Vegas just because YOU don't like it. Would you rather Vegas remain second fiddle to LA, Phoenix, Denver, San Diego and all other cities that have major league teams?
If you ask me, Vegas is nothing more than Reno three times over and will remain so until there is a team or two.
By the way, I am going to LA for labor day weekend and I'll be going to a couple of Dodger games while I am at it.
@JDubs
Yes. I would support relocating a team here if private money built the stadium and profits supported the team. I do like sports, but I don't believe taxpayers should fund the risk for the rich to own a team. I am very tired of covering the risk for the rich, for stadiums or bad banking decisions.
Do you know of a recent stadium build that did not have the taxpayer on the hook?
@JDubs
I hope we NEVER get a team because the stadiums are NEVER built with all private money, unless you present a case in the answer to my question above.
We could get pete rose to manage and bet on the team. We could call them the black Soxs or 8 men out.
It was all BS anyway.
A publicly funded stadium no, but the Clean Water Coalition yes. For years the valley has been supporting this coalition to the tune of $7m. The coalition has 4 employee's, managed by former County Commissioner Chip Maxfield-who draws a salary of $225,000, $300,00 to rent a office in Henderson.
Get angry about a publicly funded stadium yes, but why aren't we getting angry about the $7m a year we have been paying for the Chip Maxfield-Max Selby retirement fund. By the way, they want another $500,000 to investigate what the coalition actually does.
To everyone...you're on the hook anyway you look at it. When all these local business file BK and when people lose their house to foreclosure, what do you think happens to the debt...it just magically disappears? Really? Why do you think all these banks are failing? Every week the FDIC closes banks and the countries largest banks are really insolvent.
However, there are still individuals and groups that have money. NOW is the BEST time to build a stadium when the cost of land is cheap and I'm sure you can get construction costs for 60-70% of what you would have paid 5 years ago. It's an INVESTMENT...buy low/sell high!!! Look at the idiots that built City Center (cost $8B now worth $2.5B) and The M (investors already want out and most likely will get pennies on their dollar at sale)...built high and now will eventually end up in BK. There is no way they can service their debt loads...we're going to be on the hook for that as some of that money was borrowed from the banks!
A major league baseball team would be a great investment for the long-term. You have to spend money to make money!!!
I can understand Mayor Goodman's general approach. He wants to bring all entertainment facilities here to Vegas. The art district, the movie making, the sports center, the home improvement and furniture outlet, the support for heavy conventions. I get it, but is this the right time to build a statium? We could also use it as a race track for horses and dogs? Perhaps that would go better in Vegas? We need to use imagination here. Vegas lacks this. And he wants to clean up downtown too. That I get also. But, there are also small businesses that do make it downtown that are not "shady" Is there a way to incorporate them? For everything we change we gain something and loose something. Are we loosing too much of the old Vegas that was good about us? I hope not. No matter how crazy or outrages Goodman is, at least he is doing his best to improve the picture of Vegas here and he does love this city, more than any I have ever met here; including me.
A baseball team wouldnt be good for Las Vegas. We encourage our visitors to be awake during their stay. Its not a good match. An NBA team would be happier in Pahrump.
Now is the perfect time to build a stadium...when you can get everything for less!!! It like they're are having a BIG SALE on land and construction costs. Kind of like a "going out of business" sale.
Of course, make it a multi-use stadium. That's where you get creative. You also need corporations to buy the luxury suites and right now big corporations are sitting on a ton of cash!!! The timing couldn't be better.