Could the Orioles Move Out of Baltimore in 2024?

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, weams said:

I'm not sure that officially counts. But yeah. I think the beginning of the end in many ways. 

It’s there in the record books.   But putting that game aside, the lowest paid attendance in Camden Yards history was 7,915, in April of this year (hence, the “7,915” thread).   I don’t believe they’ll be under that number this year, regardless of how few people who bought tickets actually show up.

[weams]

And no, the Mike with the numbers is not me. 

[atomic]

2 minutes ago, Frobby said:

It’s there in the record books.   But putting that game aside, the lowest paid attendance in Camden Yards history was 7,915, in April of this year (hence, the “7,915” thread).   I don’t believe they’ll be under that number this year, regardless of how few people who bought tickets actually show up.

I don't expect too many walk-up sales tonight.  I think the team should get rid of prime ticket prices next year.  They should be happy to get anyone to come to any game. 

[weams]

13 minutes ago, atomic said:

I don't expect too many walk-up sales tonight.  I think the team should get rid of prime ticket prices next year.  They should be happy to get anyone to come to any game. 

I think they should have general admission seating with free admission to all after the end of the third inning. Club level excepted. 

[TonySoprano]

17 minutes ago, weams said:

And no, the Mike with the numbers is not me. 

Best guesses

[weams]

16 minutes ago, TonySoprano said:

Best guesses

Coked up Mike Tyson was unstoppable. 

[Can_of_corn]

1 hour ago, atomic said:

They had a game with zero fans.  No beating that. 

If it was just you in the stands than attendance would be at one negative fan.   

[Tx Oriole]

15 minutes ago, weams said:

Coked up Mike Tyson was unstoppable. 

Pete Townsend?

[Frobby]

7 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Same applies for tonight and there is a Ravens game on television.  Tonight will be an all time low for attendance.

 

6 hours ago, Frobby said:

It’s there in the record books.   But putting that game aside, the lowest paid attendance in Camden Yards history was 7,915, in April of this year (hence, the “7,915” thread).   I don’t believe they’ll be under that number this year, regardless of how few people who bought tickets actually show up.

11,714 tonight.    Highest of the three-game set.

[weams]

 

[TonySoprano]

46 minutes ago, weams said:

 

Move the A's there, problem solved.  They're a 90+ win team that drew about 500 less fans per game than the Orioles.

[Mendoza Line]

And struck Devers out twice. This ump is awful

[Mendoza Line]

Oops wrong thread

[spiritof66]

15 hours ago, TonySoprano said:

Move the A's there, problem solved.  They're a 90+ win team that drew about 500 less fans per game than the Orioles.

This isn't likely to happen for a while, if at all. I've posted about this in the past, but I'll summarize the reasons:

• MLB is very reluctant to allow any existing franchise to move, since that in effect would admit that baseball failed in that market. (That's especially true where the team's been there for a long time.) I believe MLB will be willing to permit a team to move that only if it can credibly attribute the abandonment of a market on an inadequate facility (or some other circumstance beyond the team's control) and can blame local and state governments for being insufficiently cooperative/generous to get to get a new stadium built. Both the Rays and the A's have moved a long way down that track.
• It's possible that MLB could allow the A's to move by saying that the Bay area just isn't big enough to support two teams. But the surrounding population is around twice that of most of the places where the A's might move, and there is a tremendous amount of personal and corporate wealth in the Bay area. Even Oakland has been experiencing a boom that seems likely to continue for a while. I'm sure many in MLB think a second team can succeed there if there's an attractive new stadium, and I doubt MLB or the owners want to enrich further the Giants, which already are baseball's fourth or fifth highest-revenue team. 
• There's been some progress in getting a new stadium in Oakland planned. Part of the problem is the dramatic runup in real estate prices in Oakland and the unavailability of sites that were at one time candidates.
• Baseball wants to expand to 32 teams, and will do that (I believe) soon after either the problems in Tampa and Oakland get resolved with new ballparks, or MLB decides it's time to give up on getting those facilities built. MLB wants to keep the most valuable expansion sites (which now appear to be Portland, Charlotte and Nashville; there may be others, and that may change) to sell to newcomers for the benefit of the existing owners.
• MLB wants to avoid a Senators/Twins or Browns/Ravens event, where an expansion team is placed in a city recently vacated by a long-term franchise. That's like having two new franchises, with the need to build two fan bases -- a problem that's exacerbated in Oakland because the Giants will poach its fans in the interim.  

[TonySoprano]

12 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

This isn't likely to happen for a while, if at all.

Quote

Still, for Portland to get a major league baseball team, the A’s and Rays have to get new ballparks funded and built, which would then allow baseball to look more seriously at expanding. Or, alternatively, one or both of the A’s and Rays could reach a breaking point with their current home, in which case Portland would be waiting with open arms. But here’s the thing: Major League Baseball doesn’t want either team to move. They’ve made that clear by dawdling about for as long as they have. They want new stadiums, not torched and empty markets. 

Here's the real key
 

Quote

In retrospect, it’s easy to see how Washington’s lack of a team was, itself, a valuable commodity to Major League Baseball. Anytime a team wanted a new stadium, all they had to do was make a knowing wink in Washington’s direction, the folks in D.C. would fall all over themselves, and, lest their team leave for Washington’s perpetually open embrace, the team’s city would fork over the money for a new ballpark. Rinse, repeat.

 

Quote

But if the Rays move to Portland, Major League Baseball won’t have Portland with which to threaten Tampa or Oakland or Phoenix, or any other city that balks at giving their team a new stadium every 15 years or so. Would Major League Baseball really give up their new Washington?

“Washington was the stalking horse for every team that wanted to extract some kind of stadium money out of their existing city. At one point I counted seven different teams that threatened to move to D.C.,” said deMause. Would Major League Baseball really give up their new stalking horse just to move a team from one small market to another?

https://theathletic.com/544947/2018/09/24/will-portland-get-baseballs-next-expansion-team-a-group-of-local-entrepreneurs-thinks-it-should/