nucci Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 (edited) Didn't they make a push in the 90's for MLB? Triple A standards, the Bison's park is nice! Even better in comparison 20 plus years ago. I'd be an instant fan if the Bisons became an MLB club.....I just don't think it'll ever happen. Bob Rich had a blank check for a Major League team. The problem was filling it out and signing it....and turning it in Edited May 9, 2016 by nucci Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 (edited) What I think happened was the MLB Expansion fees were given and Rich got sticker shock and the push for MLB faded.... Miami and Colorado got the teams. I believe it was between Buffalo, DC, and Denver for 1 team (while Tampa, Miami, and Orlando were vying for a guaranteed Florida team). Made it past a pretty significant cut too of Sacromento, nashville, New Orleans, Phoenix, Charlotte (may be missing one or 2). The Bisons were drawing insane numbers those years. It was really cool. In the long run, that is about the point that MLB salaries (and all sports) took off. MLB is the last holdout of capped leagues. The team would have likely been relocated already. The Ballpark now, believe it or not, is one of the oldest in AAA baseball! (feeling of oldness) Nowadays, there really aren't many good markets vying for eventual expansion. I know Charlotte and Montreal seem pretty motivated. The economics of both WNY and MLB will need to change before Buffalo would be considered. Count me in for seasons though, as well as attending 50-60 games. I will always hope for an MLB team. Would be a great institution downtown. Too bad there is no way to gracefully build a multipurpose stadium for MLB and NFL. I would loveit if MLB had a huge strike/lockout and the whole thing crumbled and they went to a relegation/promotion system throughout MLB and the minors. Edited May 9, 2016 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy10 Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Also, wasn't Pilot Field (or whatever the hell it's called now) originally built with expansion into an MLB-sized stadium in mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 (edited) Yes, the design was basically a pop-top roof to add a larger 3rd deck. Also I believe there would have been seats added in right field. edit: 41,000 seats http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-11-25/sports/9011250060_1_pilot-field-city-of-buffalo-erie-county http://www.citylab.com/work/2012/07/they-built-it-mlb-never-came/2509/ http://articles.latimes.com/1991-02-15/sports/sp-1061_1_fact-major-league-baseball Edited May 9, 2016 by May Day 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Early 90s Pilot Field was the place to be! That was great. Of course, it was in anticipation of the coming MLB team. Count me in for seasons for an MLB team, also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saxum Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Nowadays, there really aren't many good markets vying for eventual expansion. I know Charlotte and Montreal seem pretty motivated. The economics of both WNY and MLB will need to change before Buffalo would be considered. Count me in for seasons though, as well as attending 50-60 games. I will always hope for an MLB team. Would be a great institution downtown. Too bad there is no way to gracefully build a multipurpose stadium for MLB and NFL. I know a retired architect who asked to design a combination NFL/MLB stadium; he did the workup on it for customer (not full design, just concept) and paid for it but later he was told they did not get the contract. He occasionally shows it which included such things as "partial glass open dome to allow natural light", "rolling seat sections" and "detachable moving camera towers'. It was designed so it could go from baseball to football or back in 48 hours if necessary for baseball playoffs which overlapped with football season. Beautiful concept for a natural grass stadium although entire field was not all grass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 thats interesting.... the 'rolling seat sections' are key. The problem is, to fit both sports, you have the seats too far back for spots for football.... and for baseball you end up with a ton of foul territory (and often a temporary wall in left field). The circular multis of the 60s-70s were awful (Vets, 3 Rivers, Riverfront) and that design will never come back. I would be very interested to see an architect's plan for a 2015 version of a feasible multi-use stadium that provides good sightlines and aesthetics for each sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saxum Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 I am not an architect but that was one of the key parts of the plan. He actually had specifications are part of slides with engineering notes on weight, tolerance and replacement times, I found the glass curved partial dome walls more interesting to allow light but not completely closed. The stadium design was definitely not "normal" since areas behind benches were not straight but more rhombus shaped.with more distance behind the bench at 50 yard line than at 10 yard line. Some of it was grass and some was turf with the rolling sections all going down tracks in turf area, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammered a Lot Posted May 12, 2016 Author Share Posted May 12, 2016 3-4 fields? I dare say that would be enough to run training camp. Russ on WGR yesterday said 1 perhaps 2 fields. The grass practice field they now use is 170 yards long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heitz Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 (edited) Russ on WGR yesterday said 1 perhaps 2 fields. The grass practice field they now use is 170 yards long. For the baseball team these guys ^^^^ are talking about? Also, did Russ confirm that they're going to remove the Bills logo on the ADPRO Sports Training Center and replace it with a giant Rolling Stones logo? Edited May 12, 2016 by Heitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammered a Lot Posted May 20, 2016 Author Share Posted May 20, 2016 People I know who work in the natural gas industry have told me that the general public is only aware of about 1/2 of pegulas holdings/net worth... He could make another sale any time, similar to the one made when he bought the team. I'm hearing $7-10 Billion from a very reliable source. And on a side note work has started on the new practice field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I'm hearing $7-10 Billion from a very reliable source. And on a side note work has started on the new practice field. But by all means, Pegula's pissed at Whaley for losing the services of Shaq Lawson for the first 1/4 of the season. Wasting money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristocrat Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 I'm hearing $7-10 Billion from a very reliable source. And on a side note work has started on the new practice field. The numbers forbes have just don't make sense. They don't take into account any profit and investments he made previous to the sale of his company or any increase in wealth since the sale. I've always thought he's in the 10 bil range or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Quint Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 But by all means, Pegula's pissed at Whaley for losing the services of Shaq Lawson for the first 1/4 of the season. Wasting money! Rumor has it that Pegula has consulted with the Shah himself, and recovery time is more like 3-4 months. Something stinks in the front office at OBD, and for the first time in a long time, we cant blame it on Ralph! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saxum Posted May 20, 2016 Share Posted May 20, 2016 What surprises me is they have not put a new hospital on land they bought for the hundreds of players on injured reserve and PUP lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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