Jump to content

First Horizon Park - Home of the Nashville Sounds


RemarkableHomes

Recommended Posts

At some point in my life time (I am 29) I fully expect Nashville to have a pro Baseball team.
With the way Middle Tennessee is growing I feel like we could totally support 3 pro franchise within the next 20 years.
In terms of sports dollars in this city there is a dead period from spring to fall, baseball could fill that void.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Is there a precedent for either an MLB or NFL stadium being upgraded from a minor league facility in the modern era? I don't think it would be as easy as renovating the stadium from minor league to MLB. And honestly it seems like a pretty cheap way to do it. Any MLB team relocating is going to want a new stadium as part of the deal. And what would happen to the Sounds?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well, technically the Rays stadium was built for an MLB team, but it was built spec to attract one. and is small, so I would almost count that.

 

Yes but isn't Tropicana Field (or whatever it is now) considered an eyesore? 

 

If you were going to build it to attract an MLB team you would have to drastically overbuild it as far as the Sounds are concerned. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes but isn't Tropicana Field (or whatever it is now) considered an eyesore? 

 

If you were going to build it to attract an MLB team you would have to drastically overbuild it as far as the Sounds are concerned. 

yes, it is considered an eyesore and inadequate.  and yes I agree we would need to over build

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guys -- the idea is that you build the stadium footprint in a way where you can add grandstands and decks without having to find a completely new site. If an MLB team eventually came, it would still probably cost a couple hundred million dollars (easily) to upgrade it. But the point is you wouldn't (necessarily) have to start from scratch, or acquire new land. This isn't about building a spec stadium to MLB standards. That would be ludicrous and a helluva lot more than $40-50 million.

 

Think about it this way. LP Field was built in such a manner where the end zones could be filled in for another 20-30,000 seats if need be. They could've built that stadium shorter and had it completely filled in if they had wanted to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Think about it this way. LP Field was built in such a manner where the end zones could be filled in for another 20-30,000 seats if need be. They could've built that stadium shorter and had it completely filled in if they had wanted to.

Ah, but you are forgetting this. Memphis was one of the final contenders for being the new home for the Oilers, but their proposal was to renovate the liberty bowl. The team went to the city that was willing to build them a brand new stadium.

My point is this. MLB teams DO NOT move into renovated minor league stadiums. It just doesn't happen. Also, I think the point has been convincingly made clearly that Nashville is, at a minimum, a decade away from being MLB ready. It's one thing to convince a team (and a league) to move into a brand new modified minor league stadium, and yet another to convince them that a 10-20 year old stadium is sufficient.

I really wish that we could shift this thread away from dreamland and focus on the proposal at hand.

I for one love the sulphur dell site. I think it could be the catalyst that that area, and the Sounds, need to succeed. I just hope that this doesn't drag out for another 5 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Article in NBJ this morning on how building a minor league stadium almost never works out economically

 

If this thing gets built I really hope it's with very minor public investment. We've got the Titans and Predators (that's a lot for a city our size). IMO only so much public money (not everyone is into sports...) should be used for "entertainment" purposes that will likely not have a net beneficial economic impact

 

Mass transit, infrastructure, and street scape/green space improvement with the funds please

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, but you are forgetting this. Memphis was one of the final contenders for being the new home for the Oilers, but their proposal was to renovate the liberty bowl. The team went to the city that was willing to build them a brand new stadium.

My point is this. MLB teams DO NOT move into renovated minor league stadiums. It just doesn't happen. Also, I think the point has been convincingly made clearly that Nashville is, at a minimum, a decade away from being MLB ready. It's one thing to convince a team (and a league) to move into a brand new modified minor league stadium, and yet another to convince them that a 10-20 year old stadium is sufficient.

I really wish that we could shift this thread away from dreamland and focus on the proposal at hand.

I for one love the sulphur dell site. I think it could be the catalyst that that area, and the Sounds, need to succeed. I just hope that this doesn't drag out for another 5 years.

 

 

Memphis also botched their proposal to the league for expansion a few years before that by forwarding the name, Hounddogs, which the NFL admitted that they never liked.  Instead, Mr. Dunavant, who headed the Memphis contingent applying for a franchise should have used the name, Kings (which would have been allowed for football) in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Elvis, and ancient Memphis, Egypt, the Egyptian capital where the pharaohs lived. Partnering with Presley Enterprises, Mr. Dunavant stubbornly held to the Hounddog name and (ridiculous) logo. 

Edited by MLBrumby
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although the idea of getting an MLB team is very appealing, I'm not sure I would want them in a expanded Minor League Stadium, especially one with such a relatively low budget. However, I am a huge fan of the site and I hope that this can really get the North Capitol area rolling. It's been such an ignored area recently minus Germantown. 

 

Memphis also botched their proposal to the league for expansion a few years before that by forwarding the name, Hounddogs, which the NFL admitted that they never liked.  Instead, Mr. Dunavant, who headed the Memphis contingent applying for a franchise should have used the name, Kings (which would have been allowed for football) in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Elvis, and ancient Memphis, Egypt, the Egyptian capital where the pharaohs lived. Partnering with Presley Enterprises, Mr. Dunavant stubbornly held to the Hounddog name and (ridiculous) logo. 

As a bonus, here's a photo of the Memphis Houndogs proposal for those curious, complete with Elvis hair! :shades: -

 

EX_MEM_93_zps3be81967.jpg

Edited by henburg
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good God...that was a serious proposal?  The Hounddogs?  How embarrassing.

 

Normally I would make some comment about how stupid of an idea that was, and that would be the exact reason why said locale would be shunned by the professional sports world...but this took place in the 90s, when that kind of gimmicky dogsh** was popular.

 

You have to give a free pass to Memphis when this was some of what you saw during that era:

 

95-96-Ana-alt-Karpa-frt.jpg

 

8a_lg.jpeg

 

CoyotesJersey.jpg

 

StLouisBluesAlt96.jpg

 

 

 

There have been even more gross violations in the minor leagues.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Discussion about what to do with the Greer Stadium site once the team moves...

 

From The Tennessean

 

An amateur baseball field. A place for Civil War re-enactments. An extension of a developing arts district. A mixed-use development.

If the Nashville Sounds leave 35-year-old Greer Stadium for a new ballpark north of downtown, there won’t be any shortage of ideas about what the city should do with the land Greer sits on two miles south of the city’s center.

 

I vote for Soccer Stadium.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like the idea of a soccer stadium, maybe we can bring the Metros back in the new NASL and finally give them a proper home. 

 

Agreed!  I also love that idea.  The team always got great support here and was one of the originals if I'm not mistaken.  I'm very disappointed that the team folded, particularly since they had just signed a three year sponsorship deal with Fifth Third bank to upgrade the facilities for the team to move up a level. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed!  I also love that idea.  The team always got great support here and was one of the originals if I'm not mistaken.  I'm very disappointed that the team folded, particularly since they had just signed a three year sponsorship deal with Fifth Third bank to upgrade the facilities for the team to move up a level. 

 

There's professional soccer teams? :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In St. Pete, that's what they've done. A minor league stadium used ( part time) by the TB Rowdes.

Exactly, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the New York Cosmos did this as well, and I think that soccer could be a great fit in Nashville. Believe it or not, soccer is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing sport in America with the MLS gaining 5 expansion teams in the last three years alone, and more are still on the way. Plus, Nashville has had a good history of supporting the sport with the US Soccer exhibition games held at LP Field and the fact that up until they folded last year, the Metros were the longest continuously running team in the USL. Not to mention that currently there are no MLS teams in the Southeast and Nashville could take advantage of a completely ignored market.

 

This couldn't happen immediately of course, but if a stadium is built at this site and the team can gain enough support in a league like the NASL or the USL, then I think that this could be a very viable option for Nashville down the road. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the U.S.?

 

Don't tell me you've been living under a rock all this time to not know professional leagues like MLS and NASL exist.

 

Converting Greer into a soccer stadium wouldn't be a bad idea at all. Look at Portland when they got an expansion team in the Timbers. They converted their old baseball stadium into use as a soccer venue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Soccer seems like a good option to me.  I don't know anything about the requirements in terms of seating, dimensions, etc, but assuming that all of that is OK, then I could see soccer being a good fit for Greer.  The site is a little bit hidden but is actually quite accessible.  It would be good to keep something there that would attract families to work with the Adventure Science Center and Fort Negley.  And it would support the continued emergence of the 8th Ave retail corridor and the Wedgewood Houston neighborhood.

 

Apparently, the vintage baseball team is currently playing in Bicentennial Park in Nashville and at Carnton Plantation in Franklin, so they must be good where they are.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.