School's out. What did you expect?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Draw a circle around Atlanta. Nearest MLB teams are in DC (650 miles), Tampa (450 miles), Cincinnati (475 miles), St. Louis (550 miles), and Houston/Dallas (800 miles).
Charlotte, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Jacksonville, or Orlando would give the southeast another team that would be closer than any other existing MLB team to Atlanta.
It's not like the population in this part of the world is going to pull a Rust Belt and stagnate or shrink any time soon...
There just aren't any cities beating down the door of MLB to get a franchise. To even get MLB to open the door you would have to have a stadium deal in place or the proposition is a non-starter.
They had one brokered here ready for the Expos. It's not on the table anymore but I think one could be put together if the Marlins were serious about moving.
In fact, one of the local native american tribes has offered to build one for free in exchange for riverboat gambling rights. The current governor has said no, but he's out after this term so that could change.
School's out. What did you expect?
ATL would throw a fit if FLA moved to any of those places and HOU would do the same if they moved to NO. Plus NO may lose the Hornets and/or the Saints. The ideal move would be the metropolitan NY area but that's abput as likely as finding a Bill James Historical Abstract in Dusty's bookcase.
I don't think so. NFL competition in Charlotte, Jacksonville, Nashville, and NO. NHL competition in Raleigh and Nashville. NBA competition (if you want to acknowledge the Hawks as NBA talent...) in Charlotte, NO, Memphis and Orlando.
After California and the Caribbean, the SE is probably the next richest part of the country with respect to developing baseball talent. Only having 1 team in this part of the world just doesn't make sense.
I don't disagree but it's not like the other sports where you can pull up stakes and move on a whim. The Braves have all that competition and now they aren't going to have a fit when they get more? With all their fickle fans? All ATL needs to do is to get 4 or 5 more teams to side with them and they can block FLA from moving anywhere but Boca Raton.
Reno Marlins. Lt Dangle on Stadium patrol. In Driving range of Vegas, Sacramento, Tahoe, Carson City, and Yosemite National Park.
Actually, now that the dollar is down, baseball may be more economically viable in Montreal.
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