Basically all of them. It’s infuriating becuas the 2 situations are very different. If the state was considering giving, say, me this money to build a stadium, I could see the comparison but this is an established institution in the state.
Except that that Hartford Yard Goats have a Player Development Contract with the Rockies through the 2000 season.
Well, that was a good typo. That should have read through the 2020 season.
Worcester City Council is being played. They’re falling all over themselves to give the PawSox leverage against RI. It’s sad but amusing in a “this is Worcester government!” kind of way.
Also, if memory serves, the Hartford stadium doesn't have the minimum required seating for a AAA park. And the odds of the city putting any more money into it after the debacle to get it finished is, i assume, non existent.
The minimum requirement for new Triple-A stadia is 10,000 but the proposal put forth in Pawtucket last spring only called for 9,000, so some think there is flexibility. However, the Yard Goats stadium seats 6,121 with a sell-out capacity (standing room) of 6,850, which is far short of the requirement. After looking at some video on-line of the stadium it appears that seating could be expanded without a great deal of work or cost. A grandstand level could be added in left field and there are two party areas that could be expanded to traditional seating. But in addition to arguing who would pay for the changes, they would have to buy out the remaining three years of Colorado's contract. And we haven't even mentioned the aesthetics of the redesign.
It really was Skeffington that screwed it up from the beginning. Lucchino and the rest of the group stayed in the background most likely feeling that Skeffington being a long-term RI insider could get it done. Skeffington was hell bent on a waterfront Providence stadium that would have required a lot more public investment. It couldn't have been handled much worse. Lucchino has done about as well as can be expected since he took ownership of the project after Skeffington died suddenly. The reality is RI is and always will be completely dysfunctional. Any public investment is going to be an extreme uphill battle to wage. I don't think Worcester is an option and if Boston wants to keep the team a car ride away there probably aren't many other options. I think the only state involvement will be to use eminent domain to acquire the Apex property and leasing it to the city of Pawtucket. (Possibly, but far less likely is the state guarantees bonds taken out by the City of Pawtucket. However, just the idea of "guaranteeing" is pretty much a nonstarter thanks to 38 Studios.) The Pawsox will be on the hook for all the stadium cost and paying Pawtucket for the lease. If they give up on the mini-Fenway and make it more suitable as a multi-purpose / concert venue it can be viable when combined with mixed use development on the rest of the property. Asking the state for any significant funds, even if they are backed by an ironclad lease is a dry well.
