A Question About Salisbury & The Delmarva Shorebirds

[htownterp]

Sounds like it would be a great fit in Greenville. You could always go the Independent League route as well.

[Phil A. Delphia]

I think if any town made an investment of $20 million or more on a minor league baseball complex, they'd want to land more than an independent. Having said that, want you want and what you can get are two different things. An independent owner might be happy enough with using the nearly 60 year old vacant stadium down in Kinston. They're not as concerned about inadequate training facilities as the parental MLB teams are.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

I've been to Greenville. I'd bet it can support a Sally team, or if not, a team in one of the lesser leagues.

[Phil A. Delphia]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

I've been to Greenville. I'd bet it can support a Sally team, or if not, a team in one of the lesser leagues.

Putting a SAL team in Greenville would fill in a geographic hole in that league, making travel for all teams tighter.

Wilmington, NC voters are about to vote on public financing for building their own stadium to bring the Lynchburg team there. The Hillcats are willing to sell if the Braves will find a replacement team as part of the deal. Lynchburg realizes they may have to drop out of the Carolina League and join the SAL or the Appalachian League, the latter of which may be better suited for their situation. Hagerstown also has a desire for a new stadium to avoid losing their team to Winchester, Va. Team movement and stadium building tend to happen in clusters. I'm hoping Greenville's leaders will get the groundwork rolling at a little faster pace for downtown revitalization. We'd be better off being prepared to accommodate potential investors than just have a conversation with them.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by Phil A. Delphia

Putting a SAL team in Greenville would fill in a geographic hole in that league, making travel for all teams tighter.

Wilmington, NC voters are about to vote on public financing for building their own stadium to bring the Lynchburg team there. The Hillcats are willing to sell if the Braves will find a replacement team as part of the deal. Lynchburg realizes they may have to drop out of the Carolina League and join the SAL or the Appalachian League, the latter of which may be better suited for their situation. Hagerstown also has a desire for a new stadium to avoid losing their team to Winchester, Va. Team movement and stadium building tend to happen in clusters. I'm hoping Greenville's leaders will get the groundwork rolling at a little faster pace for downtown revitalization. We'd be better off being prepared to accommodate potential investors than just have a conversation with them.

Interesting reading. Worth noting that Salisbury's stadium is not downtown but east of town (putting it closer to beachgoers, however). I do not think it was publically funded, but I'm not sure.

[Phil A. Delphia]

I've been through Salisbury several times and even once attended a Shorebirds game; but that was way back. Darnell McDonald was the top prospect back then!