-Community—
I ilr IImMii
Emeralds General Manager Hob Urban leels the lime is right tin bringing .1 ( /.<ss l t l baseball
1 lull tn Eugene. The Emeralds are 1 urrenth Class .1,
Ems' GM feels AAA team
would survive in Eugene
Bv Kvm Gilhooly
Emerald Reporter
Although ('l.iss AAA baseball
strut k out m its first Kugene
stint. Kugene Emeralds General
Manager Boh Behan thinks the
lotto's will be a whole new
hallga me
Beban met willi the Kugene
City ('mini il last Wednesday to
ilist uss the possibility of .it
tra< ting a AAA baseball fran
i hise to the Kugene area
Behan told t ount il members
th.it major league expansion is
likely to or t nr in I'I'll! i reatmg
a "window of opportunity '' tor
t ities that \y ixh to attrai t ( lass
AAA teams Expansion yvill
i ause vy hat Beban (ailed a
"tru klo-down effei t." yy ith
newly-formed minor league
teams needing homes
Kugene s lirst experience
yyitli AAA baseball came in
mti‘1. yy hen tile I’hllailelphia
Phillies plai ed an affiliate here
Beban said the AAA i tub left
in l‘i7 1 be* ause they yy ere
losing money and didn't think
they could do any better here
Ihe community wasn't large
enough in the l‘)7()'s to support
the team. Behan said
I think times have
i hanged, he said I lie demo
graphii s m Kugene are ditler
ent and we're not as dependent
on one industry as y\e were m
the past
"In addition, tin1 Kenais
sam e of the game has come in
mii h a yy ay that a larger per
( entage of the population is ex
posed to baseball. I think that .1
AAA baseball team would sui
ceed now. espei nillv yyitli a
new fai ility
Beban said AAA teams in the
United States draw an average
of 4.200 people per game, and
the Kmeralds. whir h is a Class
A ball club, drew an average of
it .'too fans per game last year.
"We've led the nation in at
tendance three of th*' last four
years for short season Class A
baseball." Beban said
The Emeralds' present home.
t.ivii Stadium is owiird in me
Fugene 41 si haul district ami
will need major renovation d
the community wishes to at
trai t .1 AAA team Behan said
Itrhan has met yy ith si hool
district olfii nils to discuss the
possibility of renovating the
stadium to accommodate AAA
baseball, high school football
and various < (immunity events
Behan said the i ity would
need to offer potential teams .1
7 (Mill se.it stadium y\ith room
lor expansion (dvit Stadium
now seats t> .40(1, but Behan
added that mm h ol the current
seating would need to lie up
graded
Behan cited Buffalo \ew
York as an example of a city
whose ( lass AAA team has re
juvenated its doyvntoysn area
The stadium is an am hor
lor the entire redevelopment ol
the doyy ntown area her ause tile
stadium brings trallii to that
area Behan said
l lle sin 1 ess of Buffalo's I’l
lot Field is something that 1 an
he duple aled in Ktlgene he
added "We'd gel mole people
familiar yx ith the doyvntown
area and that would rejuvenate
all the business in that area
Chuck Stolsig. dirts lot of fa
i 1 lilies management for the I 11
gene 4| Sc hool Distric t said lit
is accepting design proposals
from an Inlet tural firms to c on
vert (aye Stadium to a multi
purpose stadium
d he model yve’re develop
mg would bring high sc hool
football and sot c el into the sta
diuni, and the plan includes
the single A Fmeralds Stolsig
saitl
Stolsig said design plans
would he compatible with any
future det isions to add a AAA
team, hut added that the si hool
distric t wants to maintain the
ambiance of Civic Stadium.
Bill Sloat of Fugenes Plan
ning and Development Depart
men! said any discussions
about Fugene s ability to attract
a AAA team are "very prelimi
nary," and that the city will
Heed III lilKr ,1 ( Olnpi ehele.IV e
look .il hugene'-. sports l.ti 1111\
needs before milking .im final
cIim isions
I think wh.it mmi II sim* tirst
•in* ilisi ussions i oik erning
funding .uni how ti.iscii.ilI will
lit in with othi*r projects anil
coninuinitv ni*t*ils in general
Shi.it said Hut I think there's
dnfinitek an interest out
there
Kligenethlv (aninill Member
Debra Khiman said the council
Turn to Team, Page 12
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