The Charlotte Marlins?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

It appears the team willing to relocate for the highest bidder will take it's show to North Carolina.

 

Link

 

The Marlins, continuing to explore relocation, will visit Charlotte, N.C., in February or March, The Charlotte Observer reported.

 

The report said the Mecklenburg (N.C.) County commission has agreed to explore real estate lawyer Jerry Reese's proposal to build a retractable-roof stadium as part of a $600 million-to-$700 million development featuring offices and a residential element.

[erik316wttn]

It appears the team willing to relocate for the highest bidder will take it's show to North Carolina.

 

Link

 

The Marlins, continuing to explore relocation, will visit Charlotte, N.C., in February or March, The Charlotte Observer reported.

 

The report said the Mecklenburg (N.C.) County commission has agreed to explore real estate lawyer Jerry Reese's proposal to build a retractable-roof stadium as part of a $600 million-to-$700 million development featuring offices and a residential element.

 

Yech. Charlotte is a hole. At least the part on the south side that I stayed one very long night at was.

 

*No offense meant to any Charlotte NSBB'ers*

[ToupeeOnFire]

Don't see Charlotte being able to support a MLB team. Apart from becoming the league's smallest market, they will run into the same type of problem that other teams of the "new south" - Tampa, Miami, Atlanta - already experience. The population growth of these areas are largely from northern areas, fans who maintain their allegiances to their former teams (Cubs, Red Sox, Yankees, Phillies, etc.).

 

If the Marlins are looking for a city to move to, why not New York? The New York City metropolitan area could easily support a third team.

[erik316wttn]

The NYC metro area could easily support a third team, but I think Steinbrenner has enough stroke to block another team from moving there.

[Andy]

Charlotte's been able to support the Panthers without any problems, although it remains to be seen whether the Bobcats can succeed in that town. Anything is better than Miami for the Marlins, though.

[ToupeeOnFire]

Charlotte's been able to support the Panthers without any problems, although it remains to be seen whether the Bobcats can succeed in that town. Anything is better than Miami for the Marlins, though.

 

Yeah, but football is a lot different with just 8 home games a year compared with 81 games for baseball. Cities like Kansas City, Green Bay/Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh can certainly support their football teams, but it is a different story with baseball.

[sethuel1]

The Charlins?

[stitchface]

The Charlins?

 

Charlatans. where are the expos going?

[Derwood]

right, like Peter Angelos would allow a 3rd team in that area

[Fred Hornkohl]

right, like Peter Angelos would allow a 3rd team in that area

 

Peter Angelos can go take a flying leap at the moon. He's got 1 vote out of 30. Charlotte is 440 miles from Baltimore.

[CuseCubFan69]

Charlotte needs a baseball team and hopefully they can move some of that useless school funding and put in a nice park so the future unemployed can work the concession stands there.

[NorthsideAvenger]

The Charlins?

 

Charlotte Web?

 

 

I know, I know, it was cheezy....

 

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I say move to Portland and FORCE baseball to realigned baseball. I just can't imagine the Marlins (if Portland ends up being the distanation) being allow to stay in the NL East when they are in Portland.

[Derwood]

right, like Peter Angelos would allow a 3rd team in that area

 

Peter Angelos can go take a flying leap at the moon. He's got 1 vote out of 30. Charlotte is 440 miles from Baltimore.

 

If only it worked that way. He somehow seems to strongarm his way to a bit better than a 1 in 30 vote.

[Fred Hornkohl]

right, like Peter Angelos would allow a 3rd team in that area

 

Peter Angelos can go take a flying leap at the moon. He's got 1 vote out of 30. Charlotte is 440 miles from Baltimore.

 

If only it worked that way. He somehow seems to strongarm his way to a bit better than a 1 in 30 vote.

 

Charlotte is not in "that area". Angelos has nothing to say about it.

[Derwood]

right, like Peter Angelos would allow a 3rd team in that area

 

Peter Angelos can go take a flying leap at the moon. He's got 1 vote out of 30. Charlotte is 440 miles from Baltimore.

 

If only it worked that way. He somehow seems to strongarm his way to a bit better than a 1 in 30 vote.

 

Charlotte is not in "that area". Angelos has nothing to say about it.

 

Well, he'll have something to say about it, but yes, there is a buffer zone of Virginia that will hopefully shut his pie hole

[Omar]

I'd rather have a team in Las Vegas or Portland... knocking the Colorado Rockies into the NL Central, and Pittsburgh Pirates into the NL East.

[Balsa]

I see this as entirely possible. There isn't any MLB baseball in Tennessee or Kentucky or Virginia or South Carolina. Seems like enough population in those areas...

[Yeti]

im all for this move(i live in NC and have to travel to atlanta for MLB) but i dont think it will happen and if it does it wont work, charolette couldnt support the Hornets and they're not supporting the bobcats any better. also, you gotta figure that baseball fans in this area are braves fans and wont likely change their colors that readily

[Fred Hornkohl]

im all for this move(i live in NC and have to travel to atlanta for MLB) but i dont think it will happen and if it does it wont work, charolette couldnt support the Hornets and they're not supporting the bobcats any better. also, you gotta figure that baseball fans in this area are braves fans and wont likely change their colors that readily

 

I lived in Charlotte for a couple of years. The fans there didn't have any problem with the Hornets, it was all about their owner. If he would have sold the team, they would have flourished there. It's true that North Carolina has a lot of Braves fans. But it was also true that NC had a lot of Falcons fans before the Panthers came into being, and that didn't seem to hurt the Panthers any. I truly believe that the Charlotte area could support MLB, and better than Miami did, at that.

 

edit: and I sure would love to go back to Charlotte once a year to see the CUBS play !!!

[NorthsideAvenger]

I'd rather have a team in Las Vegas or Portland... knocking the Colorado Rockies into the NL Central, and Pittsburgh Pirates into the NL East.

 

I would investigate trying to get the Brewers back in the AL. The Brewers in the NL is just SO WRONG...

[Sterling30]

Sweet Mercy! Let it be so.

 

Our land in Rock Hill, SC keeps looking better and better.

[Yeti]

im all for this move(i live in NC and have to travel to atlanta for MLB) but i dont think it will happen and if it does it wont work, charolette couldnt support the Hornets and they're not supporting the bobcats any better. also, you gotta figure that baseball fans in this area are braves fans and wont likely change their colors that readily

 

I lived in Charlotte for a couple of years. The fans there didn't have any problem with the Hornets, it was all about their owner. If he would have sold the team, they would have flourished there. It's true that North Carolina has a lot of Braves fans. But it was also true that NC had a lot of Falcons fans before the Panthers came into being, and that didn't seem to hurt the Panthers any. I truly believe that the Charlotte area could support MLB, and better than Miami did, at that.

 

edit: and I sure would love to go back to Charlotte once a year to see the CUBS play !!!

things to consider

 

in the 01-02 season the hornets had an average attendance of 11,286 the league average was 16,778. the hornets came in second in their division. not very good attendance #'s for a team that actually competed

 

now consider that NC is a huge basketball state

 

 

the panthers were new when the falcolns just sucked and the panthers charged out of the gate...easy to switch teams in that scenero, but the braves, who's fans need to be won over to make charolette baseball viable, are perenial winners where as the marlins are...gutted...i dont see the city embracing a loseing team in place of the braves.

 

again remember basketball is first in ppls hearts here

 

 

as much as i would like to see it happen and work, and yes i would love to have an easy 2 hour drive to see the cubs once a year, i just dont see it working out

[J.R.]

I see this as entirely possible. There isn't any MLB baseball in Tennessee or Kentucky or Virginia or South Carolina. Seems like enough population in those areas...

 

The northern reaches of a Charlotte team's territory, per your definition, would be populated mostly by hills, trees and hoops-loving poor people.

[wekse]

move the team to Nashville please.

[Badtz]

I live in Charlotte, and I don't see this happening. And if it does, I don't see it working out, for a few reasons.

 

First of all, they are going to have problems getting a stadium built. The city council had to basically go against the will of the people to get the Bobcats arena built. During the final years of the Hornets, there was a referendum on building a new stadium, and it was defeated. Then, out of nowhere, a couple of years later the Bobcats arena was being built. That left a lot of bitter feelings among a lot of locals, and I don't think it will be so easy for a baseball stadium to be built unless it is totally financed with private money.

 

Second, this is just not a very good pro sports town. Yes, the Panthers do okay. But that's because they are good right now. When the team is not doing well, the public support for the Panthers drops off very quickly. This is not Pittsburgh or Green Bay, where the fans love the team no matter what. The bottom line with fans around here is, going to sports is expensive, and they are not going to pay to see games unless they are going to see their team win.. and even then, it's a hit or miss proposition. Look at the Hornets.. they were actually good for their last few seasons, and they could barely pull in 5000 fans for a game. But when they made the playoffs, the stadium was packed to capacity. The Bobcats are doing a little better right now, but that's because the new stadium is very cool, and a lot of people are curious to see it and experience it for themselves.

 

And finally, Baseball is just not that popular here. I know very few baseball fans in the area. The Atlanta Braves have a following here based solely on the fact that they are geographically close, but it only shows up when the playoffs start, and even then it's not that strong.

 

For the Marlins to succeed here, they would have to be good out of the gate, and their games would have to be cheap.. otherwise, they would play a lot of home games to near-empty stadiums.