MLB Raleigh says it’s “announcing” something tomorrow.
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I’m so excited this could be the catalyst to having our bid finalized!!! We need to have everything worked out early.
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The announcement is a partnership with Sports and Social (in Cary - Fenton) for a Home Run Derby Watch party event.
That said, the bid is being worked on, but you likely wont see any announcements on that front until MLB officially opens up their expansion committee and asks for bids.
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Putting forward a package with i’s dotted and t’s crossed when the MLB is actually ready to evaluate makes a lot more sense than building a bunch of excitement early just to lose momentum before the expansion process happens.
Takes a lot of patience from everyone locally who wants to see this happen, but it feels like a much more strategic and professionally handled approach than we’ve seen in the past.
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Yep by the time they announce expansion well have an easy ride and more organized. I really think we have it in the bag. With city and county support, we are just wondering how much the stadium will cost. Probably in the billions, i’m sure some of the money Dundon has received for PNC arena upgrades could go into the stadium. We have to count IQVIA in Durham and the 2 here we have 3 Fortune 500s enough to buy all the corporate seats, this bid has us ready.
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State joins UNC. 4 ACC teams in the College World Series, to go with 4 SEC teams.
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As long as the bid is being worked on and and be ready for 2025-26 announcement were good. I hope government support still stands strong.
Having 2 teams from the Triangle in Omaha brings visibility to the support of the sport in the state and the metro.
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Anything helps for Raleigh bid for this team I will not let us lose this opportunity. I could run for office in city council and thus be one of my issues.
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No. No it will not. Nor should they want one. Baseballs is bad.
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I don’t read on the enemy, so can someone summarize it for me. Btw I was talking to MLB Raleigh people they said they still haven’t finalized a stadium site, they’re doing this thing called “Surveys”. I got mad because the two options they have for a stadium are great if they choose another option it will be difficult becasue it was difficult for downtown south to get rezoned why would it be easier to get a site like the Cargill to get rezoned? Yes we have years before expansion but I think it important that in the next year or 2 everything is finalized so ill be a smooth run i’m worried Nashville or the enemy city could but Tennesee is tough.
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Honestly I heed my warning to settle upon the options that already exist for a stadium. I believe the Cargill site, and the prison site is a bad idea. 1. Becasue the Cargill site will be given a hard time for a rezoning Downtwon South was hard to get rezoned why would it be easier on that site. The prison site is a horrible idea becasue that’s state property remember did y’all forget Steve Malik wanted his stadium on state property and the GA didn’t bat an eye on it. I advise Dundon to play it safe. @Loup20 Im concerned pretty much on the stadium I feel it important now to figure that out before everything else. Don’t make the same mistakes, I don’t want Raleigh to lose out on this.
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Not Raleigh MLB related - but baseball related. NC State and UNC both have been among the elite 8 teams to make it to the College World Series and I just spent the weekend in Omaha soaking it all in. Talk about a city that completely rallies around an event each year. The CWS is no doubt a massive economic driver for them.
The city did a truly phenomenal job of hosting all the fan bases and the thousands upon thousands of other folks from around the country who attended (and will continue to attend through next weekend).
Charles Schwab Stadium is impressive - right downtown and an easy to walk from many hotels. Plenty of room around the stadium for tailgating, pop up merch stores, and massive beer gardens with stages for bands and DJs. There’s also a good number of bars and restaurants immediately around the stadium to hang out at before/during/after games - including the infamous Rocco’s of the CWS jello shot challenge. From Rocco’s you can watch the escorted team buses arrive at the stadium to all types of applause and cheer. Even when my team wasn’t playing, I could scoop a cheap ticket before first pitch and drop into a game. They just kind of nailed the mix of everything to make it a truly enjoyable experience.
For families attending - Omaha has a world class zoo you can go to. For those looking for something else to do at night - there’s three casinos you can get to within minutes of leaving the stadium. The cops were super friendly and helpful to pedestrians making their way around from place to place.
And I have to say, there’s something about college baseball - it’s just good vibes all around from all the fans no matter if you win or lose.
From what I hear - Omaha is pretty much dead and boring the rest of the year, but they have carved themselves something special for these two weeks every year. All in all, I left super impressed by the execution of it all and hope to return.
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I’ve been for swimming Olympic Trials and for the CWS and can confirm, Omaha turns up for big events. It’s a great scene.
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It is actually admitting we are ahead of them in the NC pecking order but that Nashville is still the safest bet of the three cities.
Here is the final quote that sums up the piece…
“But as I look at it right now, Raleigh is ahead because they’ve got somebody with money, and they’ve got influential people, and they’re actually saying, ‘Yes, we want a baseball team.’”
Also, comments on IG are a small sample size, but telling. Pretty negative reaction overall from their followers (Charlotte Magazine)
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Love the article from Charlotte Magazine. The last sentence says a lot with regards to where we are right now. Quote from Charlotte Business Journal’s Managing Editor Erik Spanberg as it relates to the Charlotte or Raleigh discussion: “But as I look at it right now, Raleigh is ahead because they’ve got somebody with money, and they’ve got influential people, and they’re actually saying, ‘Yes, we want a baseball team.’”
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Now that PNC situation is done, I was wondering about the stadium obviously more of the tourism/sales tax will be involved Dundon wishes a public private relationship. When MLB in a few years how will that go I assume Dundon will have more than 1 billionaire involved.
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