KTUL: Drillers moving downtown?

[waterboy]

The loss of the Drillers from county property to county property is not the point. Its the loss of the Drillers from a potential synergistic position either downtown or within Tulsa city limits. That would be a net tax loss for the county and a tax gain for the city. But its the part the Stadium would play as leverage for other development that Tulsa would be losing with a Jenks move.

Try this on Jenks privateers. Start your own minor league team and build them a tidy, profitable little stadium to house them. Just for kicks make them a non profit like the PGA. They can drive over your privatized little bridge to get there.[]

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by Townsend

quote:Originally posted by TheTed

I've sent my email to Chuck.

Build a downtown park and we could have something like this.
[IMG]

Build in Jenks and get a park like this.
[IMG]

Well done

+1

[just_like_new]

When it comes down to it for me, they are the TULSA Drillers and belong here in TULSA.  The separation between Jenks and Tulsa may be mostly in our heads, but to a fan, what else matters?  

Only a river seperates Manhattan and Long Island, but don't try to tell anybody from the Greenwich Village that they are practically Long Islanders.  And don't try to tell Tulsans that moving to Jenks isn't leaving Tulsa.

[USRufnex]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

rufnex, couched in Swake's terms, this isn't leverage, this is extortion.

So, this new method of political "sausage making" is now considered extortion to you?  Whatsamatta? You 'fraid of a little competition?  []

When I used the word "leverage" (in my homage to Joe-Biden-debate post), I meant mostly from the perspective of the Drillers organization.

You know what they want from the city of Tulsa in a new stadium?  Concessions... and I mean that LITERALLY.  []

[Kenosha]

Of course they want us to build them a stadium.

Duh.

And we should, if we want them to move downtown.

[Rico]

quote:Originally posted by Kenosha

Of course they want us to build them a stadium.

Duh.

And we should, if we want them to move downtown.

I think he is talking about a percentage of the "real money"  you know..........Beer and Hot Dogs ....Hot Dogs and Beer.$$$$$$$

[USRufnex]

Yep, Rico got my double entendre... the Drillers' hafta have a really sweet deal on concessions at Driller Park... the current ballpark was built as Sutton Stadium in 1981, mostly from money donated by Robert Sutton, who was likely trying to liquidate his assets before the feds caught up with him and convicted him of fraud in 1982...
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A05E4D61238F931A1575BC0A962948260

quote:A Federal judge has ordered Robert B. Sutton, a former Tulsa oilman, to pay $210 million - to be shared by all 50 states - for reportedly making illegal profits on miscertified crude oil.

Judge Thomas R. Brett issued the order Monday in a $1.1 billion Energy Department suit against Mr. Sutton.

Mr. Sutton's net worth in October 1983 was $23.8 million, according to the court. His companies have filed for protection from creditors under bankruptcy law. Mr. Sutton was convicted in 1982 on two counts of obstruction of justice and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. He is now in Federal prison at Fort Worth.

All this was back in the day of the Roughnecks, who had ambitions of their own...
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sports/article.aspx?articleID=980223_Sp_b1klein

quote:"...I know in our heyday, when things were going great, we always talked about getting our own stadium. In fact, we went so far to have discussions with Oral Roberts University about building a 30,000-seat facility. We would have loved to have had a grass home to call our own."

Boy, but I can't wait for the city of Tulsa to take Kenosha up on the idea of threatening to cut off drinking water to Jenks if they give the Drillers a better deal than the city of Tulsa will offer.... and threatening suburbs by witholding light rail?  Make me laugh.  Gas prices will have to increase to $10 per gal before Tulsans even begin to learn how to carpool or take the bus... let alone light rail...

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by just_like_new

When it comes down to it for me, they are the TULSA Drillers and belong here in TULSA.  The separation between Jenks and Tulsa may be mostly in our heads, but to a fan, what else matters?  

Only a river seperates Manhattan and Long Island, but don't try to tell anybody from the Greenwich Village that they are practically Long Islanders.  And don't try to tell Tulsans that moving to Jenks isn't leaving Tulsa.

You might try it on for size first.  Try telling the New York Giants fans they really aren't a New York team, even though they play in New Jersey.  

Detroit Pistons = Auburn Hills, MI
Dallas Cowboys = Irvine, TX
...............

And someone else said the stadium is two miles from Tulsa.  Knowing the river isn't two miles wide, it would be more like two hundred yards.

And for us south Tulsa folk, a much easier drive to watch a game at a new stadium.

On the flip side, I've seen too many other sports teams and businesses threaten to leave their current location (with absolutely no intention of doing so) just so they could get some tax packages and/or new enticements to stay in the current city.  Then, low and behold, when they get their incentives, they end up staying.  Watch that happen here.  

Another tax increase for baseball?

[sgrizzle]

I predict the stadium to be a campaign promise for the river tax.

[waterboy]

Why does anyone care? The more I think about it the louder the question becomes. Other than embarrasment that an aggressive little berg that depends on us for basic needs keeps outperforming us...what?

We all know that if Jenks had to provide their own water system, their own electricity, their own jobs, etc. etc. they would collapse on themselves. No use comparing the flexibility of a small town to the complexity of a bigger city either. We can't do all they do and vice versa.

If its leverage they or the Drillers want, go fish. We'll find another sports franchise or we won't and we'll come piss beer in your sewage system when we get the hankering for baseball twice a year.

Have some self respect though. Drop Tulsa Drillers and pick your own name.

[YoungTulsan]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I predict the stadium to be a campaign promise for the river tax.

Totally agree.  I posted in the other thread a question of whether this Jenks Drillers development could just be the oligarchy trying to scare us into voting yes on the upcoming tax.  The Tulsa World has orchestrated phase one.

[TheArtist]

I don't get how the Drillers possibly going to Jenks could be used to push the river tax?  The River District would most likely go ahead with or without the dam and they would want the Drillers just as much, if not more, if the dams do not get built at this time.

[sgrizzle]

They can easily say, "if the river tax passes, private money will be spent to build a ballpark in Tulsa"

[Renaissance]

quote:Originally posted by YoungTulsan

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I predict the stadium to be a campaign promise for the river tax.

Totally agree.  I posted in the other thread a question of whether this Jenks Drillers development could just be the oligarchy trying to scare us into voting yes on the upcoming tax.  The Tulsa World has orchestrated phase one.

If you think the Tulsa World or Tulsa leadership has the ability to orchestrate such a ploy, you're living in the clouds.  If the "oligarchy" were this shrewd, would the city already be at such a disadvantage that business owners give serious considerations to cow pastures?  Give me a break.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by Floyd

quote:Originally posted by YoungTulsan

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I predict the stadium to be a campaign promise for the river tax.

Totally agree.  I posted in the other thread a question of whether this Jenks Drillers development could just be the oligarchy trying to scare us into voting yes on the upcoming tax.  The Tulsa World has orchestrated phase one.

If you think the Tulsa World or Tulsa leadership has the ability to orchestrate such a ploy, you're living in the clouds.  If the "oligarchy" were this shrewd, would the city already be at such a disadvantage that business owners give serious considerations to cow pastures?  Give me a break.

Well that cow pasture has unbeatable demographics.