Tear down mall, and build new staduim (Scranton, Pittston: loft, loan)

[The-Electric-City]

Originally Posted by go phillies

Wilkes-Barre can have its Canadians on ice skates, we'll keep America's pasttime in Scranton.

Maybe not, now The Yankees might have to move to another stadium to play the rest of the season because of the field's poor drainage system. Lehigh Valley or Syracuse.

Could this be the end of baseball for NEPA?

[NYRangers 2008]

Originally Posted by The-Electric-City

Maybe not, now The Yankees might have to move to another stadium to play the rest of the season because of the field's poor drainage system. Lehigh Valley or Syracuse.

Could this be the end of baseball for NEPA?

It's funny that the Penguins consistently outsell the Yankees and baseball is considered America's pasttime. To me, hockey is so much more exciting to watch and I guess so for a lot of other people around here.

[The-Electric-City]

I love hockey. I'm a big Penguins fan, but I also believe the city of Scranton benefits from having a baseball team. Once the Yankees are gone, then what? The only reason I'm not a full season ticket holder for the penguins is because of the drive. It's especially annoying when it is snowing. I just hope that somehow baseball can be kept in the city.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by NYRangers 2008

It's funny that the Penguins consistently outsell the Yankees and baseball is considered America's pasttime. To me, hockey is so much more exciting to watch and I guess so for a lot of other people around here.

I think its only a small minority of Penguins fans around here that actually understand hockey and its rules. That's obvious when it seems the majority of fans at the arena just cheer for fights and goals....I'm not so sure that the attendance means that hockey has more fans in this area, I think it means that hockey fans may go to more games (there are less hockey games than baseball games), and hockey is played in the winter when there's not much else to do. From working in Wilkes-Barre, it seems the Pens have a pretty big following down there, but I don't know half as many people from Lackawanna County who are big hockey fans.

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by The-Electric-City

Maybe not, now The Yankees might have to move to another stadium to play the rest of the season because of the field's poor drainage system. Lehigh Valley or Syracuse.

Could this be the end of baseball for NEPA?

No...but I think it will speed up the process of either major renovations to the stadium or building a new ballpark.

[The-Electric-City]

Originally Posted by go phillies

No...but I think it will speed up the process of either major renovations to the stadium or building a new ballpark.

I honestly hope it is an incentive to build a new stadium.
PNC Field was constructed poorly. A fairly new stadium should not need $13 million in repairs. Also, the stadium was built in a ridiculous location. It is hard to get to and there is really nothing to do within walking distance. I know it was built in hopes of developing Montage, which in a way it did. It helped develop an area full of corportaions that could have brought new life to downtown but built there instead.

[weluvpa]

Originally Posted by The-Electric-City

It helped develop an area full of corportaions that could have brought new life to downtown but built there instead.

They would HAVE NEVER moved into Scranton's downtown. Not in a million years. The only corporations that are in Scranton is Prudential and I think the JC Penny building......

Why would you open a company in a city with an oppressive mercantile tax, business priviledge tax and the second highest wage tax in the state.

What drives me nuts is that there are people that think companies will move into Scranton because the parks are nice or that they rehab'd a block of Lackawanna ave.....

Ever wonder why the surrounding business aprks are full of companies that USED TO BE LOCATED in Scranton proper?

I personally doubt that the stadium needs the repairs as much as I think that contributors to the new commissioners need kickback construction contracts.

Let them leave. The economic impact to the city of Scranton is minimal at best IMHO.

[Slammin' Scrannin']

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Let them leave. The economic impact to the city of Scranton is minimal at best IMHO.

I think this is true.

There have been numerous academic studies that measured the economic impact of professional sports teams on local economies. They invariably conclude that there is no positive impact and in fact a net-loss. At the very least, the studies conclude that constructing a sports venue and hosting a professional sports team is not the best use of public funds. These findings make sense. Think about what a crony-free, kickback-free $40 million can do for Scranton if the city spent it on its crumbling infrastructure, rehabbing storefronts, or even not accruing the debt in the first place.

[The-Electric-City]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

I personally doubt that the stadium needs the repairs as much as I think that contributors to the new commissioners need kickback construction contracts.

Have you been there recently? Everytime it rains, parts of the concourse look more like a pond. The concrete work is terrible. It has settled causing these large depressions in which water builds up. look anywhere in the concurse. You're not going to walk more than 10 feet without noticing a crack in the concrete. It's crumbling everywhere you look.
And of course, what about the field? The drainage system is so terrible that multiple games have been rained out of sunny days!

[NYRangers 2008]

Originally Posted by go phillies

I think its only a small minority of Penguins fans around here that actually understand hockey and its rules. That's obvious when it seems the majority of fans at the arena just cheer for fights and goals....I'm not so sure that the attendance means that hockey has more fans in this area, I think it means that hockey fans may go to more games (there are less hockey games than baseball games), and hockey is played in the winter when there's not much else to do. From working in Wilkes-Barre, it seems the Pens have a pretty big following down there, but I don't know half as many people from Lackawanna County who are big hockey fans.

You make some good points. I have followed the game since I was a kid and there is so much more to hockey than fights. That is only a small part of it. Since I go to at least 10 Pens games a year, I do notice a lot of knowledgeable fans. I don't know if they have been fans their whole lives or after 10 years of going they finally "get" the game. Hockey is a game that really needs to be seen live to appreciate it. Television doesn't do it justice unless it is in HD. I was glad to see that Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final drew 8 million viewers and that the Pitt Pens had more people at their parade than the Steelers. But since I'm getting off topic a little, I wish both PNC Field and the Wachovia Arena could be in a more central location so everyone could enjoy it more, but I don't really mind driving 20 minutes to a game, it really isn't that far to me.