Nashville Ballpark: Latest -- Sounds Sold; Focus for now is on Greer Stadium improvements

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Glenn Yaeger had an op-ed piece in the June 3, 2007, Nashville Tennessean regarding the failed stadium plan.

 

Baseball Team Saw Potential in Site

 

Nothing really new in the article. Just mentions the Sounds' former desire to build on the Thermal Transfer Plant site, some other development that could go there, and the continuing search for another downtown Nashville stadium.

 

Most important quote: "What is the future of the Sounds and baseball in Middle Tennessee? The Sounds remain committed to finding a ballpark solution in Nashville, a place we have proudly called home for the past 30 years.

 

The future requires the Sounds and the city to identify a new ballpark solution on an alternate downtown site � a solution that will meet the needs of the city and baseball fans in Nashville."

[BucEbadger]

Heck to bad we could not get ******on to move up to AAA as thats a gorgeous park and its right in the middle of a ton of fans from GB Fox Cities Oshkosh Fondy could even go as far west as Point.. The fan base is their for it but i doubt it could ever happen

[Mass Haas]

Nashville Audio Chat with Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger:

 

www.nashvillesounds.com/a...207-25.mp3

[Mass Haas]

Video Report -- MLB Comes Down on Greer Stadium

[Mass Haas]

Now it's just getting nasty (from WKRN):

"Fund Dispute Between Sounds, City Heats Up"

Nashville Sounds' General Manager Glenn Yaeger notified the Major League Baseball League Thursday that the city of Nashville has not yet made its yearly contribution for maintenance at Greer Stadium.

 

"We notified them today that the city has not made its contribution for the maintenance at Greer Stadium and we don't know how that's going to impact us," Yaeger said Thursday.

 

It is no secret that the relationship between the Nashville Sounds and Nashville City Hall went sour about the time the deal fell through for a new ballpark earlier this year.

 

Now, it seems to some, including Yaeger, that the spat is costing the Sounds a quarter of a million dollars.

 

Yaeger said, "We were expecting and the city is required to make a contribution towards that maintenance and without it, it impacts our ability to play baseball here."

 

The $250,000 annual payment from Metro Government is part of the lease agreement and goes toward maintenance and upkeep. So far this year, the check hasn't arrived.

 

"We found out at 5 p.m. July 31 which was the date it was due, through a letter from Metro Legal that they were not making the payment," said Yaeger.

 

Metro Finance Director David Manning said the money wasn't paid because the Sounds haven't paid their rent and because some of the expenses the Sounds included in their report were architectural fees associated with a new ballpark.

 

Yaeger said even without those fees, because the Sounds haven't shown a profit, they're not obligated to pay the city any rent.

 

He said, "It is clear to us that we are not in a position to pay rent in 2005 or 2006 and to use that as a basis to withhold the maintenance contribution has no basis."

 

Yaeger has hoped for a new ballpark and Election Day is a day he's been looking forward to for a long time.

 

He hopes a new mayor and new administration will make baseball a priority in the cityof Nashville.

 

Manning told News 2 there is no animosity from the administration directed to the Sounds and said they simply have questions regarding the Sounds' financial statement given to the city.

 

He said, "There are some expenses in the audited report that they give to us under the lease that appear to us to be expenses that are not associated with Greer Stadium."

 

Late Thursday afternoon, Yeager sent the city an amended report that omits the costs associated with the new ballpark proposal.

 

Manning said his department hasn't had time to review the amended report.

 

***

 

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.fairviewobserver.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070802/NEWS02/708020390/1321/MTCN06

 

Metro halts funds to Sounds

City says $250,000 withheld because team may owe rent

By BRAD SCHRADE

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Metro has withheld $250,000 in maintenance funds from the Nashville Sounds, a move that the team's general manager says is "mean-spirited" and might prevent the team from continuing to play in Greer Stadium this year.

 

Glenn Yaeger said Metro lawyers notified him Tuesday that they were withholding the funds. The annual payment was part of a new lease agreement from 2002 designed to help offset the Triple-A minor league team's costs at the aging stadium.

 

"It puts us in a very difficult position to play baseball out here in Greer Stadium by not receiving that money in a timely manner," Yaeger said.

"What's the reason?" Yaeger said. "I think they are being mean-spirited."

 

Metro Finance Director David Manning said the city was simply protecting its interests under the lease. The Sounds pay the city rent based on how much money the team generates. And the latest financial documents the team submitted show that the Sounds may owe the city rent, he said.

 

"Nobody is being mean-spirited," Manning said. "The issue is one of, simply, the financials they provided us appear to us to have costs included in them that are not allowable under the lease."

 

Relations between the Sounds and Mayor Bill Purcell's administration have been strained since a deal for a new stadium downtown fell through in April.

 

Yaeger said Major League Baseball said earlier this year that Greer must be upgraded or the team may not be able to continue to play there. It's doubtful that would happen this year, with 17 home games left in the season, but he said he couldn't rule that out.

 

"It's a real possibility, if we can't find an alternative source to fund our maintenance costs, then we may have to play our home games on the road."

[princeginterhallhelms04]

I really would like the Madison idea. Another city that i thought of was green bay? Would that work? I think it would be nice to have a triple A ball club in the state..

[TheCrew07]

This whole thing is just embarrasing for everyone involved.

[JJHardy7]

I don't think Wisconsin will work...the Brewers want their teams more down south so they don't lose games to rain, snow, etc. The Nashville thing is just messy, but they won't be in Wisconsin. Too many potential games lost for guys a step away from the bigs.

[Mass Haas]

Interesting interview with Sounds GM Glenn Yeager:

 

http://www.nashvillesounds.com/news/news.asp?newsId=2490

[Mass Haas]

Honestly, it may be decades before anything associated with the Brewers and/or their affiliates is bungled so badly (comically at this point):

 

Architectural firm sues Nashville Sounds

 

The guesses as to where the Brewers' AAA team plays next year is anybody's guess. It won't be at another existing affiliated city, as Player Development Contracts don't expire until after 2008. The Brewers / Sounds pact, which extends through 2010, will surely be broken as Greer Stadium is too decrepit to host games next season, if MLB continues their say.

 

It'll probably be Greer after some patchwork repairs, but my goodness, what a joke.

[Mass Haas]

Nashville City Paper:

Sounds, city of Franklin, Tennessean open ballpark talks; team investigating suburban Nashville options

[JJHardy7]

This has been rumored down hear for awhile. The big selling point in Franklin is that there are quite a few corporate headquarters (Nissan is in the process of building a huge facility). There have been talks that they might consider building a park close to Nissan's new headquarters and making it a park that business people would take clients to, etc. It would be interesting and save the Sounds future.

[Mass Haas]

Fire at Greer Stadium, serious but could have been much worse...

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

http://www.tennessean.com...S04/712060379/1328/SPORTS

 

FIXER-UPPER

 

Minor league baseball officials ordered the Sounds to make repairs to Greer Stadium before the 2008 season. Among the fixes:

• Home clubhouse - new clubhouse being constructed
• Field manager's office - new clubhouse being constructed
• Visitors clubhouse - new clubhouse being constructed
• Visitors training room - new clubhouse being constructed
• Major league team storage - new clubhouse being constructed
• Umpire facilities - new facility in clubhouse structure
• Field dimensions - corrected
• Playing surface - outfield wall being replaced; drainage grate has been corrected
• Field lighting - all lamp fixtures were replaced Aug. 8, 2007
• Facility maintenance - developing written maintenance plan

Sounds say Greer upgrades show commitment

$1M investment won't stop talk of new stadium

 

New clubhouses behind center field and a new outfield wall are two of the renovations being made to Greer Stadium. JAE S. LEE / THE TENNESSEAN

 

By MAURICE PATTON

Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, 12/06/07

Still smarting after the failure of a plan to build a stadium on the banks of the Cumberland River, Sounds officials are pouring more than $1 million into aging Greer Stadium in a move they say proves their desire to keep baseball in Music City.

The renovations, scheduled to be completed by the time the team opens the 2008 season, are intended to bring the 31-year-old stadium closer to the standards established by minor league baseball for Class AAA facilities.

"I think that shows our commitment to baseball here in Nashville," Sounds General Manager Glenn Yaeger said during baseball's annual Winter Meetings, under way this week at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. "We know Greer Stadium is not the long-term solution to baseball, but the fact we're willing to invest a million dollars in our facility - that we don't want to be in, nor do we think we're going to be in for more than three years - really demonstrates how committed we are to making sure baseball is here in Nashville."

The Sounds, entering their 11th season as a member of the Pacific Coast League and their fourth as the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, have campaigned unsuccessfully for more than five years to get a new baseball stadium built on the west bank of the Cumberland River, south of Broadway.

A deal for the riverfront park fell apart, leaving relations strained between Sounds management and Nashville government officials.

On Wednesday, Mayor Karl Dean declined comment through a spokeswoman about the Sounds' investment in Greer Stadium or the prospects for a new facility.

Still, Sounds management and PCL President Branch Rickey III are optimistic about eventually getting a deal done.

"We have encountered this kind of difficulty in other markets and finally broken through, which means we are ever hopeful," Rickey said.

New clubhouses, wall

In the meantime, the Sounds are moving to fix problems that have been left unaddressed during the pursuit of a new home.

Among the work that has been done or will be done prior to the start of the '08 season - at the behest of the Brewers and minor league baseball - is the construction of new clubhouses beyond the center-field wall, a new outfield wall and upgrades to field lighting.

"The league has cut us a lot of slack the last five years because they felt we were making progress on a new stadium," Yaeger said. "They are now skeptical of us getting a new facility here in Nashville and so the focus now is that we need to make sure people understand that, at a minimum, we're able to provide facilities that do accommodate these Triple-A ballplayers … as we are making progress on a new stadium."

The team also is spending more than $100,000 to improve spectator restrooms and concession areas.

For the Brewers, whose player development agreement with the Sounds ends at the conclusion of the 2009 season, the situation is a challenging one.

"Obviously we'd like to have the (new) stadium built," Milwaukee General Manager Doug Melvin said. "We extended our PDA by four years instead of two (following the 2005 season) because we were led to believe it was going to get done.

"It's a shame because Nashville's a good city."

[Mass Haas]

Video link on the improvements:

 

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071206/VIDEO02/71206001/1328/SPORTS

[ReverendBrewmeister]

A couple of stories from The Tennessean regarding the Sounds' stadium issue. Appears that new ownership could be on the horizon; perhaps an end to the stadium impasse could be on the way?

 

First, a column critical of the ownership that also mentions a possible local ownership group being found for the Sounds. Would the same stadium funding deal, rejected last year, be extended to new owners?

Sounds Owner Has Worn Out His Stay

 

Second, a story on Nashville's mayor and his doubts about a new stadium.

Dean Is Skeptical on Sounds Stadium

 

Hopefully, a resolution of this could be in store. The franchise could be very valuable, as the lease on Greer Stadium ends at the end of this year. Could the Sounds end up in a new city? Richmond and Omaha are also having stadium discussions/issues. A silly season on AAA franchise location could be in the works.

 

Does anyone know whether a change in ownership and location would affect the contract the Brewers have with the Sounds?

 

 

Edit: removed note asking moderators to find original thread.

 

 

 

[dadofandrew]

Does anyone know whether a change in ownership and location would affect the contract the Brewers have with the Sounds?

 

 

Nope.

[Madtown Bomber]

It will be interested. My parents live part time around the Nashville area and as part time residents of Milwaukee have taken quite an vocal interest in this debate. A relationship between local officials and current ownership is NOT going to result in much IMO. It is going to take a solid new ownership and a rededication from the Nashville area to want this to happen. I have gotten the feeling that Nashville has more interested eye in grabbing a possible NBA or Major League Baseball team. I could be way off but that is the feeling I get when I go down there and talk to some people about this. I don't think it is a Brewers i

ssue at all.

[Mass Haas]

Something positive in this thread for a change --

 

Three-minute video tour of the Sounds' new locker room facilities

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows --

Three video links available, one going back to 2007, all posted here previously...

New clubhouse is hit with Sounds

$850K upgrade boasts comforts, long walk

By MAURICE PATTON

Tennessean Staff Writer

 

Trading convenience for comfort, the Sounds acclimated themselves to the long walk from their new clubhouses - beyond the center-field fence at Greer Stadium - to the third-base dugout during the just-concluded eight-game homestand.

 

The Sounds dressed in the 4,800-square foot facility for the first time prior to their May 1 matchup with Colorado Springs. And while they lost that game, they rebounded with three straight victories over Pacific Coast League leader Salt Lake before losing their series finale Monday.

 

"It's going to be a big benefit to us, a big boost to our morale," pitching coach Stan Kyles said of the structure, built at an estimated cost of $850,000. "It's a lot better to be in a place where you can spread out a little bit and do the things you want to do, which is prepare and think about the game.

 

"If we're going to ask these guys to eat, drink and sleep baseball, you want to have them in a situation where they can do that and be comfortable doing it."

 

The Sounds' portion of the facility was the last to be finalized. The umpires' dressing room and the visiting team's clubhouse were both ready at the April 28 start of the home stand - later than originally planned, but satisfactory nonetheless.

 

"It's been a long time coming," said Scott Martens, player development business manager for the Milwaukee Brewers, the Sounds' major league affiliate. "Last May, Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball (officials) came in and reviewed the clubhouse situation, and plans were at that time to construct a new clubhouse and have it ready for Opening Day of this season. We're disappointed it wasn't ready for Opening Day, but I think the players, staff and all were pleased at the end."

 

The Sounds' portion of the clubhouse actually is broken into a players' dressing area, a manager's office, a coaches' dressing area, a players' lounge, a laundry area and a training room as well as storage.

 

While all of those components are nicer than the previous clubhouse that was located underneath the third-base seating area - giving the players and coaches direct access to the dugouts - they're not all significantly larger.

 

"The main locker room is probably right at 1,000 square feet," assistant general manager Joe Hart said. "We probably picked up about 250 feet in the main locker area. The training room is about the same (size); the players' lounge may be a little smaller.

 

"The main thing is, the clubhouse doesn't leak any more. It's more inviting to go out there. I've noticed the players are here earlier than they were in the existing clubhouse."

 

Hart said there are some minor details, but that the building is "95 percent" complete and should be finished when the team returns for a May 15 game against New Orleans.

 

"It's something that's very workable," Martens said. "It's a step in the right direction. This is something we can work with."

 

And while the walk before and after batting practice and games might seem out of the ordinary, Greer Stadium is the seventh in the 16-team PCL with clubhouses located beyond the outfield fences.

 

"It's a breath of fresh air, literally," said pitcher Zach Jackson, who spent the 2006 and '07 seasons with the Sounds "It's nice to have something new - a change of scenery. It's a nice facility; they definitely did a great job with it."

 

And that's the viewpoint the most important to Hart.

 

"The Brewers are frustrated that it took a while to get done, but now that it's done, I think they're happy with it," he said. "You want to keep them happy up there, but you can see in talking to the players, they love it. They're the ones here using it every day."

[TooLiveBrew]

Great to hear, MH! The video didn't work for me... just stayed at 'Your video is loading' -- do you have to register at the website to view video? Of course, I could just be the only one that has this problem.

[Mass Haas]

Link while active, text follows:

 

Sounds fans endure despite stadium disputes

By STEVE SILVER and MICHAEL CASS

Tennessean Staff Writers

 

The stadium is dilapidated.

 

The team is lousy.

 

And it seems Nashville city officials and Sounds management can't help but squabble about every little development involving the aging South Nashville attraction.

 

Yet attendance at Greer Stadium has held strong. The Sounds average 5,574 fans per game, a slight drop from 2007 but well above the 4,667 of 2002.

 

"This is still really a great bargain for great entertainment," said Nashville's Kim Ray, 65, a Sounds' season ticket holder. "I love the intimacy of this ballpark... It's high-level baseball."

 

While leaning in to watch every pitch at the 30-year-old park, few fans appear to be paying much attention to the governmental soap opera unfolding between the team's owners and city leaders, whose relationship remains soured after a failed attempt to build a new downtown stadium 15 months ago.

 

In the latest drama, Sounds officials missed a July 1 deadline to give six months' notice if they wanted to extend the lease beyond its Dec. 31 expiration date. Though both sides seem to agree the lease is likely to be extended, questions remain about who will pay a possible $1 million bill to bring the facility into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

 

"We're not doing anything until they bring it in compliance with ADA," Metro Finance Director Rich Riebeling said. "We'd be very happy for them to play baseball here, but we think it's time they fulfill their obligations under the lease."

 

Riebeling said he didn't know what it would cost to make the ADA improvements, but the city expects the Sounds to pay for them. He said the Sounds asked Metro in the past to reimburse the team for $2 million in prior improvements.

 

"We, frankly, did not consider that a real proposal," he said. "The lease says they're responsible for maintaining the stadium."

 

Glenn Yaeger, chief operating officer of the AmeriSports ownership group and former general manager of the Sounds, said in an e-mail response to an interview request that he was on vacation in Europe until Aug. 3.

 

Jeff Diamond, a consultant for the Sounds, downplayed any talk of a widening rift and said talks with the city "are proceeding amicably."

 

"There's a clear understanding of both parties' desire to renew the lease," said Diamond, former president of the Tennessee Titans.

 

ADA repairs to be costly

 

Metro government's ADA Compliance Division completed a review of Greer in August 2007. It found problems with parking spaces and signs, entrances, skybox seating, Sluggers Restaurant, the Kids Zone, restrooms, concession counters, and other areas, according to a letter the division sent to Tom Cross, a Metro attorney.

 

Joe Hart, the Sounds' general manager, said he is working with a contractor to estimate the cost of ADA repairs, which he said could approach $1 million.

 

"We're trying to get a defined number," Hart said.

 

He said he didn't know whether the Sounds would agree to foot the bill and that a decision would have to await Yaeger's return.

 

Metro contributes $250,000 a year toward Greer's maintenance, with the Sounds covering any expenses above that amount.

 

The Sounds had a deal with the city to build a new stadium along the Cumberland River, but that fell apart when the team and its development partner failed to reach financial agreements about 15 months ago.

 

City officials blamed the Sounds, and it seems unlikely the team will get a new deal from Mayor Karl Dean's administration as long as the current, Chicago-based ownership group is in place.

 

Fans still turn out

Quibbling aside, the fact that attendance has held up is quite remarkable, considering the Sounds are mired in the Pacific Coast League basement more than 20 games back from the American North Division-leading Iowa Cubs.

 

Last season, the Sounds posted the PCL's best record of 89-55 and advanced to the league finals.

 

"I believe winning is the best promotion, but in minor-league baseball, it is the one thing we don't have much control over," said Brandon Vonderharr, the Sounds' executive director of business operations.

 

"We have to prepare each night, each season as if we are going to have a horrible team, because our goal is to have fans walk away from a loss still feeling like they had a great time," Vonderharr said.

 

Making sure fans enjoy their time at Greer Stadium is becoming increasingly difficult in a stadium that underwent $1 million worth of upgrades earlier this year just to meet minimum operational standards, team officials said.

 

"The ballpark in Nashville, well, you just lose that baseball adrenaline," said Sacramento, Calif., River Cats' radio broadcaster Johnny Doskow. The River Cats, who play at eight-year-old Raley Field, have led all of Triple-A in attendance since joining the PCL in 2000, averaging about 10,400 fans per game.

 

"A lot of players and a lot of people in baseball are hoping they can get a new ballpark in Nashville. It is really a great city. I always wish I could travel there more. I know the fans would come out and support the team with a new facility. Greer is just outdated," Doskow said.

 

Greer is sixth oldest park

 

Greer Stadium, which seats 10,052 people, was built in 1977 as a Double-A facility. It is the sixth oldest ballpark of 30 Triple-A homes. The five elder stadiums are either slotted to be replaced (Omaha, Neb., and Columbus, Ohio) or have been extensively renovated in the past 10 years (Portland, Ore., Tacoma, Wash., and Pawtucket, R.I.).

 

Next season, 13 Triple-A teams will play in stadiums built in 2000 or later.

 

"The stadium plays a huge, huge rule in attracting fans," PCL President Branch Rickey said.

 

"The places topping attendance charts are the places that have new facilities… Look, our fans want bright, clean, upbeat outings to the ballpark. People don't go out and buy broken down recreation equipment and they don't go to rundown movie theaters. We have to be competitive and you can only do that with high quality facilities," Rickey said.

 

The Sounds' average attendance is ninth in the 16-team PCL and 20th in Triple-A.

 

"You still can't beat this," said Old Hickory resident Kenny Hunt, 40. "I always cherish an opportunity to come to a game because I can spend time with my whole family. When that moment happens in a game when my son asks, 'Hey dad, why or how did that happen?' Well, you can't replace that bond with anything."

 

Sounds fans don't seem concerned about the age of Greer Stadium or the team's spot in last place. Average attendance this season is 5,574, just slightly less than last year's average. (JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN)

 

http://cmsimg.tennessean.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DN&Date=20080723&Category=SPORTS0401&ArtNo=807230402&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=550&MaxH=650&title=0

[Mass Haas]

We really need to hear if the Brewers are trying to escape their commitment to the Nashville market through 2010 -- what a sad mess...

 

Metro and Sounds bicker with lease set to expire

Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com

 

 

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/files/image/article/full_61984.jpg

Although the opportunity for reconciliation is still there, the Nashville Sounds and Metro could be on a course for a messy break-up.

 

Ever since the Sounds' deal for a new downtown ballpark unraveled at the seams last year, the two sides haven't been able to agree on much. First there was the 'he-said, she-said' gossip surrounding why the riverfront ballpark deal went south. Both Metro and the project's developer, Struever Bros., Eccles and Rouse, pointed the finger at the ball club.

 

The bickering came to a roar earlier this year when the Sounds went around new Mayor Karl Dean's office and filed a piece of state legislation to help fund a new ballpark. Dean rebuked the Sounds' efforts and by way of lobbying from Metro legislative liaison Eddie Davidson managed to kill the team's bill.

 

The latest Sounds-versus-Metro battlefront is the issue of Greer Stadium's compliance with the Americans with Disability Act. Metro claims the Sounds are in default of their Greer lease because of about a dozen lingering ADA compliance issues.

 

In the meantime, the deadline for the Sounds to extend the lease has come and gone and uncertainty has settled in.

 

Metro has offered the Sounds a one-year lease extension at Greer, provided the team agrees to pay for 100 percent of the cost to get the 32-year-old stadium ADA compliant.

 

So far the Sounds, who have about 20 games left in their season, have not extended the lease, which expires at the end of the year.

 

"I don't know what higher road to take," Sounds Chief Operating Officer Glenn Yaeger said. "I've said to them, 'We are willing to sign a lease, willing to contribute to ADA compliance.'

 

"They're offering us a one-year lease and they're asking us to make 100 percent of the ADA improvements. Now, play this out. Say in six months we've make all the ADA improvements and still have no long-term commitment. Then what happens?"

 

Asked point blank whether the Sounds would be playing in Nashville next season, Mayor Dean would not give a firm answer.

 

"I sure hope so," Dean said. "They didn't exercise their renewal of the lease. Long-term there will be baseball in Nashville. Nashville is a great baseball market. We have a long history of baseball in Nashville and we will continue to have baseball in Nashville. I'm a huge fan - it's my favorite sport.

 

"But at the same time, I have an obligation to make sure the city's protected and the taxpayers are protected. People who have leases with the city have to live up to the terms of the leases."

 

ADA issues remain

 

Yaeger said the team doesn't have a firm estimate for how much it will cost to move Greer into ADA compliance, but it's apparent the Sounds don't feel they should be on the hook for 100 percent of the bill.

 

The team invested $1 million of its own money into new free-standing locker rooms, which knocked two of the remaining issues off the ADA to-do list Metro submitted to the team in April.

 

Metro maintains the terms of the lease state the Sounds are responsible for bringing the stadium into ADA compliance.

 

"We want to be in Nashville, to play baseball in Nashville and to do what's right to contribute our fair share to ADA compliance," Yaeger said. "But if our lease expires and we are out of there, who's responsible for getting the stadium ADA compliant then? Metro is."

 

Yaeger points to the enlarged subsidy Metro gave the new Nashville Predators ownership group this year and the logic many officials used in supporting the deal. Yaeger said the Sounds are asking for much less than Metro gave to the new Predators owners.

 

The Sommet Center subsidy increased to $7.4 million under the agreement reached by Dean with the David Freeman-led group.

 

"They wanted to make sure [the Predators] could operate profitably, even when the Predators don't have any facility-related capital costs," Yaeger said. "What they're willing to do is subsidize their business operation.

 

"And here all we're asking for is to help us contribute to a facility, which they own."

 

Owners need to put their own 'skin in the game'

 

Although Dean insists the issue of getting every Metro facility, like Greer, into ADA compliance is important to him, it's reasonable to believe he views the issue as a litmus test for how committed the Sounds are financially.

 

The previous stadium deal fell apart following bickering between the Sounds and Struever Brothers over predevelopment costs for the $40 million-plus ballpark. If the Sounds aren't willing to foot the bill for ADA compliance, then Dean wonders what sort of partner they will be for a new stadium.

 

"Any agreement… in terms of building a new stadium will have to be a deal that makes sense for the citizens of Nashville and everyone involved will have to put some skin in the game," Dean said.

 

Yaeger counters that the Sounds have put some of their own "skin in the game," beginning with the $1 million upgrade to Greer this season. Yaeger estimated team owner Al Gordon has invested upwards of $5 million into the team's operation, many of it coming in a stadium that has become progressively more rundown with each passing season.

 

League wants baseball to stay in Nashville

 

In an interview with The City Paper, Pacific Coast League President Branch Rickey Jr. sung the praises of Nashville as a Triple A baseball market and said it's his hope the team and Metro can work out their differences.

 

Rickey pointed out it's in the best interests of both sides in the short term for the Sounds to be playing in Greer. Metro would have an empty 32-year-old baseball stadium without the Sounds as tenants and the team would seemingly have nowhere else to go.

 

"The Pacific Coast League has an abiding, unflinching enthusiasm about having PCL baseball continue in Nashville," Rickey said. "We're unflinching in that. We'll do everything we can to make sure that happens."

 

Yaeger said the team's goal is to negotiate new lease terms for Greer and then to revisit the issue of a new ballpark in Nashville.

 

But while the Sounds insist their top priority is to continue playing in Nashville, Dean has done nothing to guarantee that will happen. While he waxes poetic about the future of baseball in Nashville, the mayor remains hazy about whether that future includes the Sounds, or not.

 

"What I've asked from them, in terms of building a new stadium, would be that they come forward with a proposal that doesn't start with us finding ways to give them tax breaks or government money," Dean said. "[i've asked them to present a deal] that starts with them telling us what they're willing to invest and what they envision. They have never done that.

 

"That being said, I look forward to a long, glorious [future] of baseball in Nashville. It's one of those things that people are just going to have to speculate about."

[TheCrew07]

I'm not exactly "with it" at the moment, but this whole situation is just sad and reflects poorly on Nashville in general. How about they get past the "he said, she said" and actually get something done. I don't know if this situation is comical or sad... maybe it's just both. I'm very fond of Nashville, they do many things correctly in my point of view from a fan standpoint, but this whole crappy stadium thing is nonsense to me. Either make the commitment or don't. and move on... The Brewers have been pretty patient, but from all indications the Sounds play in the worst park in the league. Admittedly I haven't listened to any Sounds baseball this year, which is rare for me as I've always preferred Nashville and Helena in the past so I haven't heard any local commentary on the issues. but this situation has reached the point where it's basically absurd in every way.

[Mass Haas]

Negotiations to extend Sounds lease stalled

Nate Rau, nrau@nashvillecitypaper.com

 

Mayor Karl Dean and his administration are prepared not to have professional baseball in Nashville next season as lease extension talks with the Nashville Sounds have reached the point where, according to one official, there's no reason for more discussions.

 

The Sounds' lease at Greer Stadium expires at the end of the deal, leaving the team possibly without a home for its Triple A franchise. The Sounds had a deal in place to build a brand-new ballpark on the downtown riverfront, but it unraveled last year.

 

Banking on a new stadium for several years, the Sounds and Chicago-based owner Al Gordon have not invested funds into Greer for the long-term.

 

Now, Metro is asking the Sounds to invest in renovating 31-year-old Greer Stadium, which Metro Finance Director Richard Riebeling said is not up to par.

 

"The only viable option I see at this point in time is Greer Stadium," Riebeling said. "And there have got to be some improvements. It's an embarrassment. This is a first-class city with first-class facilities and Greer is not one of those.

 

"I'm not sure there's any reason for any more discussions. They've not brought us any information, any ideas and there's nothing more to talk about."

 

Sounds Chief Operating Officer Glenn Yaeger and team consultant Jeff Diamond met with the Sounds last week. Riebeling said those negotiations yielded no progress.

 

"We're not going to do a year-to-year deal and have fans go to a ballpark that is inadequate," Riebeling said. "The Sounds have allowed that facility to deteriorate. They haven't done what needs to be done at that ballpark."

 

He was not specific on what the Sounds needed to do to renovate Greer, nor did he offer a length of commitment the team was seeking for a new lease.

 

Diamond said the Sounds remained committed to Nashville and hopeful a deal could be reached.

 

"The Sounds want to be in Nashville. And we know that the fans in Nashville want the Sounds to be playing baseball here next year," Diamond said. "We're confident that we'll be able to accomplish that goal."

 

The Sounds own the right to operate a Triple A Pacific Coast League franchise in the Nashville market. But if the lease expires, then the team would seemingly be left without a stadium.

 

When the riverfront deal fell through last year, it embittered some Metro officials. Earlier this year the Sounds proposed a piece of state legislation, which would have allowed the team to collect sales tax generated by a new downtown stadium.

 

"I'm optimistic something eventually will be worked out, whether it can with this ownership group, I doubt it," At-large Councilman Charlie Tygard, who supported the stadium deal last year, said. "That's the sentiment I'm feeling from folks.

 

"I think a lot of us feel like they let us down, they can't be trusted now and if we go a year or two, the Nashville market is good enough that minor league baseball will want to be back here."

 

PCL President Branch Rickey III told The City Paper earlier this year that the league wanted to keep the franchise in place. Rickey said it would benefit both sides to reach an agreement, because the city wouldn't want a vacant stadium going mostly unused.

 

However, Riebeling confirmed Metro officials have met with Rickey "in the last several weeks" and conveyed their frustration with negotiations.

 

Metro has also called on the Sounds to get Greer Stadium into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which Yaeger has promised the team is willing to do. A letter by Metro's legal department earlier this year indicated the team still had significant repair work needed in order to comply with the ADA laws.

 

Last off-season, the team spent upwards of $1 million to build new team clubhouses and make other improvements, but Riebeling said those renovations were required by the PCL and parent club the Milwaukee Brewers and didn't improve the fan experience.