Minor League Baseball in the Lehigh Valley

[Marcus Garvey]

So the rumor mill now has it that the Ottawa Lynx (AAA International League) will be moving to the new stadium in Allentown, assuming it gets built. I really thought that Allentown would land the Harrisburg franchise, and Harrisburg would get the AAA team. That would have been better for the Orioles (The Lynx' parent club).

What do you Lehigh Valley residents think? The reason I ask is because you must make sure your stadium deal won't leave taxpayers holding the bag. The stadium in Tucson (AAA Tucson Sidewinders of the PCL) has been a money pit for Pima County since the day it opened. It's also used by the D'Backs and White Sox for spring training. However, the leases for all 3 tennants are so "leasee-friendly," that Pima County isn't even collecting enough money each year to cover interest on the bonds!!!! Forget about maintainance costs.

I guess the point I'm making is that PA and Allentown must be smart about their deal. It must be good for both the owners and the city. Frankly, I think Allentown could spend $15 million on a lot of other things that are hell of a lot more important than a baseball stadium. But what do you expect from a city with little to no building codes?

[ngineer]

'Professional sports' have never done well in the Lehigh Valley. Minor league baseball has had several failures, professional soccer didn't last long, the only current team--the Valley Dawgs in minor league basketball--are lucky to get a few hundred in arenas that seat anywhere from 3,000-6,000. Maybe with all the new 'Jerseyites' crossing the Delaware for cheaper land some think it's time to try again. The Reading Phillies (AA level) have done tremendously, and they draw a significant number from the Lehigh Valley--so that competition will be interesting. With the Greater Lehigh Valley approaching 800,000 people, you'd think there would be enough a base to support.

[colgate13]

I also just read that Stabler Arena is going to host indoor football next may: the Lehigh Valley Outlawz.

[ngineer]

I also just read that Stabler Arena is going to host indoor football next may: the Lehigh Valley Outlawz.

Wow--where'd you see that? Although I ran through the Morning Call pretty quickly this morning, something like that I would think would have carried a pretty good headline.