Doug Beerabelli said:Jewitt City? Isn't that in Rhode Island?
Heroin Den, not Armpit.Rovin Romine said:Willimantic should also get an honorable mention here.
I talked with a lot of people at a church carnival in Wallingford and at work this moring in EH, and like TD, I found the ovrwhelming opinion is that the Rock Cats move and new stadium is a stupid idea. Basically the two comments I heard were:Trautwein's Degree said:A fantastic post about how the residents of Hartford were screwed behind closed doors.
I was at City Hall this morning. The talk around the water coolers was overwhelmingly in opposition to this deal.
Except I think this stadium gets built and the team moves. The secrecy, swiftness, and relative completeness of the deal suggests legitimacy to me. I heard Jeff Jacobs on ESPN Radio talking about how even he hadn't heard any rumors of this prior to Monday.Papo The Snow Tiger said:I talked with a lot of people at a church carnival in Wallingford and at work this moring in EH, and like TD, I found the ovrwhelming opinion is that the Rock Cats move and new stadium is a stupid idea. Basically the two comments I heard were:
1) Baseball in New Britain is a good thing, why are they ruining it
2) I usually go to X numbr of games a year in New Britain. I will go to zero in Hartford's north end.
This whole scenario is beginning to remind me of Jeffrey Loria and the Expos in Montreal: threaten to leave, make a ridiculous demand for a new stadium, then book when cooler heads prevail and the stadium never comes to be.
A better guess than you think - it was all built with RI money. Jewett City was about stop #4 on Samuel Slater's New England Waterfall domination tour.Doug Beerabelli said:Jewitt City? Isn't that in Rhode Island?
I think what you will end up with is a college summer team, similar to teams in New England Collegiate Baseball League, or Futures Collegiate Baseball League like Brockton Rox.Trautwein's Degree said:Harford County will remain exclusive minor league territory of the Rock Cats. The stadium in New Britain will largely be unused. Their best hope is luring an independent league team.
A sad day for a struggling town.
Doug Beerabelli said:Great assessments of Waterbury. Worked there two year back in mid late 90s. Firm was in a lovely victorian mansion on Buckingham Street - Hillside area. I drove Pine St and Willow to get there, drove by many hookers with the 1000 yard stare. Our building was lovely - a former Chase family bastion, likely 8K sq feet, had a former carriage house for the many cars. And it was worth about $250K. I was scared to to venture too far out from the property, and was always nervous when being the the last person to leave at night. But Boulevard area on Hillside had some really nice places - you could see the glory of it, and what it must have been like during the time of the brass barons. My kid plays baseball games on turf fields next to municipal stadium - looks like no work has been done on it for year. The municipal golf courses aren't horrible (East Mtn and Western Hills), either and are in pretty good areas (whch of course border better towns like Prospect and Watertown).
Downtown got a lot of money, which is good, but courthouse and govt. buildings only add so much character. The Palace renovation was incredible - great venue to see shows. Town Plot, Bunker Hill are viable enclaves, with ethnic character, nice neighborhoods. CC of Waterbury is very nice, and a unique (par 69) old Donald Ross course. People who can afford to will send kids to catholic schools from elementary on up - one of our partners did that with all his kids. Some good restaurants spread throughout the city. My dad's business was in the South End, closer to Naugatuck, and I tried to avoid driving South Main into the city at night. North end is to be avoided, too. Big geographical area compared to Hartford. And that's what killed Hartford - not somehow holding onto or sucking in the surrounding suburbs as official parts of the city. Most big US cities have that component (at least non NE non colonial era ones). All the $ departs the city to go home to to Glastonbury, Farmington, WHart, Avon, Simsbury etc. at night. Waterbury has some "suburbs" built in, and more of the money stays.
If I had to live in one of those cities, I'd choose Waterbury over Hartford. Stamford and Norwalk or New Haven I'd prefer over those two, though.
As minor league franchises go, New Britain has been a success and would be an attractive site for a new team. By minor league rules, the Rock Cats, by whatever name they use when they come to Hartford, have territorial rights to Hartford County and Hampden County, the Springfield/Western, Mass., area. A franchise's "territory" goes by county line, rather than mileage between franchises.
The new Hartford team, and the Eastern League, would have the right to block another MLB-affiliated franchise from moving into New Britain, which is only 13 miles away. When the Eastern League left Norwich, Dodd Stadium became home to the Tigers of the New York-Penn League, a short-season league that begins play in June and is usually where recent college players begin pro careers.
Fox-CT, citing an anonymous source, reported New Britain officials have been in contact with another Eastern League franchise. There has been talk that the Mets are interested in moving their affiliate from Binghamton, but there is almost no chance another Double A franchise would be allowed to move into New Britain. There has already been discussion, according to an industry source, about bringing an NY-Penn franchise to New Britain, and cautious optimism that the Hartford franchise might allow it — but no guarantee.
hittery said:I don't put a huge amount of stock in anecdotal evident that people who went to games in NB won't go to Hartford, because I'm one of the people who WILL go to the games in Hartford but only went once to NB. So, there might be some balancing out with people who didn't want to schlep over to NB not having a problem going to a stadium in Hartford. I'm thinking especially of east of the river residents.
Glastonbury. Glastonbury is east of the river. What else lurks over here - I'm unsure.Plantiers Wart said:
There are people on the other side of this river?? Is that something new?
Back in the day, New Haven County had EL teams in Waterbury and West Haven. My guess is that as MiLB has become more of an industry and less of a hobby the rules governing such things as territories have been fortified, but my guess is miles are the more likely determining factor.StuckOnYouk said:Is this a minor league rule? Only one team per county or per X miles?
Remember when there were NO lanes connecting 84E with 91N, those were good times!Trautwein's Degree said:There is fucking one lane in each direction that connects 91 with 84W. This is brilliant urban planning in the event people show up.
mabrowndog said:I guess N.B. is destined to become the new Bristol.
Trautwein's Degree said:Glastonbury. Glastonbury is east of the river. What else lurks over here - I'm unsure.
Trautwein's Degree said:Glastonbury. Glastonbury is east of the river. What else lurks over here - I'm unsure.
MuzzyField said:Remember when there where NO lanes connecting 84E with 91N, those were good times!
Fred not Lynn said:I think what you will end up with is a college summer team, similar to teams in New England Collegiate Baseball League, or Futures Collegiate Baseball League like Brockton Rox.
Trautwein's Degree said:A fantastic post about how the residents of Hartford were screwed behind closed doors.
I was at City Hall this morning. The talk around the water coolers was overwhelmingly in opposition to this deal.
Ragland said, “There’s clear evidence from all around the country that sports teams do not work as economic drivers, and we’re going to have another dead end like Dillon Stadium sitting right in the middle of the city, except [the yet-to-be-named baseball stadium will have] the distinction of being completely divorced from the cultural, social and economic realities of the city which will surround it.”
There are concerns that surface lots with remain indefinitely, even when every plan discussed in recent years involves trying to reduce or remove them. Segarra said at the press conference that there would be no need for additional parking; yet, the rendering clearly shows two parking garages that are neither labeled nor explained. It also includes new buildings not described during the press conference.
The Downtown North area, which was supposedly about to be changed to be more walkable, is now going to be about, in Segarra’s words, “harnessing” the cars that are in the area. Mayor Segarra said on Wednesday that he has “worked really hard to increase vibrancy in the city, especially downtown.”
From a business perspective, there's little reason to have an indy league team anymore. Most of your fans are there for a "ballpark experience", and won't really notice a difference in level between college summer and indy pro ball...mabrowndog said:
That would all seem to leave New Britain on the outs, despite having a move-in-ready fan-friendly ballpark. Then again, perhaps the Atlantic sees it as an opportunity worth seizing. More likely, it'll become a summer league venue.
hittery said:No, it's Bridgeport. Jesus.
Is that the long term play? Build a park, use a short term tenant to pilfer public funds and then later lure a AAA team?8slim said:The other thing that I find odd... why does Hartford want a AA team? Shouldn't a former NHL city that has an AHL franchise and major college team playing there be setting it's sights on a AAA club? Shouldn't Hartford want to be in the same league as Rochester, Syracuse, Norfolk and Buffalo?
Byrdbrain said:Is that the long term play? Build a park, use a short term tenant to pilfer public funds and then later lure a AAA team?
I don't know enough of the contracts to know if that is a real possibility, just asking.
MuzzyField said:Remember when there were NO lanes connecting 84E with 91N, those were good times!
Fred not Lynn said:From a business perspective, there's little reason to have an indy league team anymore. Most of your fans are there for a "ballpark experience", and won't really notice a difference in level between college summer and indy pro ball...
...so knowing that, why own a business where you have to pay your employees when you can get one where they have to come work for you for free?