Angels, city start lease negotiations

[Ohtaniland]

Maybe they will sell it to Arte.

[Thomas]

The stadium needs to be useful 365 days a year to justify significant money being thrown at it. I just don't know how more restaurants, hotels, or shopping can be terribly lucrative in an area saturated with them. Even if they would make the going to the game experience greatly improved. KC seems to be the most apt comparison for option to improve the stadium. The two downsides being that:

 

Kauffman stadium was a nicer facility than the Big A prior to its renovation.

 

They were able to convince voters for significant public funding by tying it to improvements on Arrowhead as well, even if they didn't get the rolling roof to be shared between the two facilities.

 

However having seen a game there it was a very nice experience. Many of the changes they made I would love to see made if possible at the Big A. Especially the underground concessions/bathrooms located underneath the field/concourse seating about halfway down the foul lines on each side. The hall of fame they built is a must do IMHO.  Tearing down the front facade of the stadium to expand the concourses and team store is a must. It was nice being in a team store that didn't feel like a oversized walk-in closet. They also have done a good job making the outfield seem welcoming and giving additional entertainment options that was never really implemented well with the last renovations to the Big A. 

 

I can't see why they can't do a better job with seating this time to enhance sight lines a bit and offer more leg space in sections. Reducing the overall seating by a few thousand and creating scarcity probably wouldn't hurt the team's pocketbook either. I know the stadium internals are apparently rather frightening but I am hardly an expert to hazard a guess on just how difficult it would be to fix. It's either salvageable or a huge money pit but not enough information has been provided on this account.

 

But as I said I have no idea where this money is going to come from. Maybe COA coughs up some money in exchange for the right to develop the surrounding land now that the NFL is a pipedream. That could be a win win for the two sides if the development enhances the ballpark experience  Certainly though it won't be enough to cover all the costs. Naming rights to the stadium may help as well but still are falling well short of the 3-400 million required to even think about useful renovations. 

 

My own preference would be to de-Disney..um...fy the inside ballpark experience but to actually increase it on the exterior.  Not so much theme park ride or giant hats, though they may be the best place-meet-someone spot in sports, but have it match the resort theme of the resort areas. Make it feel like you are going on a mini-resort vacation. Considering the traffic you face getting there it could be useful. You will need to make your own environment like the Rangers did with their ballpark with no handy option already existing. Whatever they can do to remove the oasis in a parking lot feel it has now.  Also technology needs to be embraced with better wifi options, in house production, and in general give a reason to go instead of watching from home.  

[Chimi]

Would it be smart for the city to build a new stadium at the same location, turn the parking lot into a shopping district and then have fans rely on the new Transit Station they are putting in?  It would be easy walking distance to the stadium and whatever entertainment they could also put where the parking lots are now.  And it would bring in a lot of people to their new Transit Station.

[TroutField]

Not to hi jack the thread but I get tired of the name change debate. The only ones who should have a right to bitch about it are those that live in Anaheim...or LOS Angeles. The rest of you who bitch who don't live in Anaheim or Los Angeles sound like those who root for USC or UCLA but never went to school at either.

You can't have a favorite college team if you didn't attend that school? That makes sense...

[tomahawksu]

See, I find Kauffman to be one of the worst stadiums I have been to. I've been to Wrigley, Fenway, Petco, Dodgers, Angels, Kauffman, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Houston, Coors, and Texas. Of those, by far the best parks belong to the Padres, Pirates, and Reds. Kauffman has either two options, an amazing view, which is field level and lowest sections of the outfield, and then absolute awful, which is everywhere else. The only thing I would wish Angels stadium new or renovated to have, would be the short porch seats like the Royals have in left and right center. This is something every stadium needs. The views are great, and the closeness is amazing.

 

I have no problems with Angels stadium, but I could see the problems people have with it. The problem with a new stadium (in Anaheim) would be if it's not in the parking lot, you will have no parking which makes downtown stadiums a nightmare. To think the team would have any control over the area if it went to Irvine is laughable with The Irvine Co. around and their tyrannical approach to everything. As long as they don't move to LA, I will be happy. If it were city of Industry, that would be the best of the worst, but they need to stay in Anaheim. 

 

Unless the stadium were to be rotated 180 degrees to offer views of Disneyland, the openness of the modern stadiums is lost. Unless you want to stare at the 57 traffic, I don't know any other option.

[gotbeer]

 

Unless the stadium were to be rotated 180 degrees to offer views of Disneyland, the openness of the modern stadiums is lost. Unless you want to stare at the 57 traffic, I don't know any other option.

 

Which would then put the sun right in the batters eyes.  So that's probably a definite no.

[tomahawksu]

It was a sarcastic remark.

[Docwaukee]

I don't mind the current stadium and I don't feel like a new one would do much to get me to go to more games unless they moved closer to where I live.  As long as they don't move any further away, I'm fine with whatever. 

[Second Base]

Look at it like this, does anything the current Angel Stadium has reflect the Angels, their heritage, depict California or even show off some of the better aspects of So-Cal?  Not really.

 

1. Open her up in the OF.  Beautiful So-Cal weather, no reason to confine anything.  You need a stadium that expands a greater distance outward for more seating but lowers the seating levels to let the ball park breathe a little bit. 

 

2. There's nothing historic or significant about the fake waterfall or the greens in CF.  Scrap it.  Do a beach theme with palm trees or Orange trees out there.  If you're dead-set on keeping some green space out past CF then open it up to the public Spring Training style.  Cheap seats, chance to catch a HR. 

 

3. Slot the Big A back within the stadium or maybe atop it and give it some renovations.

 

4. Keep the shadows out of the infield for day games, no one likes that, players or fans.

 

5. Get some multi story, 5 star restaurants with a view in there behind home plate.

 

6. Design an architectural theme that reflects the heritage of the area, which is predominantly Hispanic, which would include low lying arches.

 

7. Make the OF expansive.  A trade mark of the West Coast stadiums is the fact that they're pitcher friendly, keep it that way.  

[TeemuTrout]

A problem I see with a renovation is the time it will take. All work will have to be done in 5 short months in the offseason. They could just break it up over a few seasons or move the team to Anteater park for a season. As of now, it looks like that park could hold all the fans have already have been showing up.

Play at 2,900 seat Anteater Park? If anything, they go play in Doyer land for a year or two.

[tdawg87]

What has the stadium done for us lately?

[Carlota Gonzalez]

I wouldn't mind a new stadium. I don't hate what we have, bit the newer ones are so much better.

Maybe one day people can stop the "of Anaheim" discussion and poor jokes. I really don't comprehend how people don't understand the business and financial ramifications of LA, but the contractual obligations of Anaheim simply because of sentiment.

And it's been discussed over and over again, you'd think by now they'd get it.

I bet one of Artes sticking points in negotiation is the"of Anaheim" gets dropped.

[Nowani]

I would not be surprised if the Angels left the Anaheim area. My neighbor is a lawyer for the City of Anaheim and  for years has talked about the "war" between the city of Anaheim and Arte. Three years ago he was certain Arte would have no plans to keep the team in Anaheim once the lease was up.  Talking to him recently he indicates that there hasnt really been any improvement in the relationship. His personal opinion is that he thinks the team is moving out of the LA area but he does not qualify why he thinks that but he seems pretty confident about it. I think it's a possibility but would be very surprized as I'm not sure what other market would draw as well as the OC.

[YouthofToday]

There is a 0 percent chance the Angels leave the LA area. Zero.

[Thomas]

There is a 0 percent chance the Angels leave the LA area. Zero.

Albuquerque Angels.

Book it. Done.

[mancini79]

Unless the stadium were to be rotated 180 degrees to offer views of Disneyland, the openness of the modern stadiums is lost. Unless you want to stare at the 57 traffic, I don't know any other option.

 

Easy, just move the 57 fwy.

[YouthofToday]

You can't rotate the stadium 180 degrees. There is a reason baseball stadiums point East -- you don't want players staring at the sun while at bat during day games.

[mancini79]

How about rotating it 175 degrees?

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Not sure the Angels' fan base justifies a new stadium. Ticket prices here are so low compared to bigger markets.  Minnesota's new stadium is awesome, but their attendance is down a bunch already, because the novelty has worn off a bit and the team isn't doing well.   The Angels don't have a huge amount of people that are willing to spend $50 per ticket for midweek games.  A new stadium would shift things a bit, but how much and for how long?

 

A lot of teams have gotten an immediate attendance bump from a new ballpark, but it fades fairly quickly if the team isn't really good. This happened in Cleveland. Miami is a special case because their owner is psychotic.

 

The only one of the newer parks I've gone to in person is at Texas. It's a great atmosphere for a game. Now, if they could just solve the problems with air circulation...