Manchester May Get Minor League Baseball

By David Darman on Wednesday, January 29, 2003.

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The city of Manchester is planning to build a six thousand-five-hundred seat stadium for minor league baseball.

And the owner of the Lowell Spinners Baseball team has purchased another minor league team that may play in Manchester as soon as 2004.

But at least one issue could still derail the Manchester baseball project.

NHPR's David Darman has more.

Lowell Spinners owner Drew Webber says he bought the New Haven Ravens because he wants to own another minor league team. And though league rules prevent Webber from saying heï¿½ll move the team to Manchester, he says Manchester is an appealing place to put his new team. 15 03 ï¿½Its very close to where I am in Lowell, which some would say, what are you doing, what are you competing with yourself for, and the way I see it, its such wonderful, wonderful baseball country here, with such a thirst for minor league baseball, Manchester officials are eager to have the team play at a new stadium. Plans call for one to be built along the Merrimack River, where Singer Park now sits. Bill Jabjiniak runs Manchesterï¿½s downtown revitalization program. He says the stadium is part of a bigger, one hundred million dollar development project. Plans include a hotel, condominiums, the stadium, and retail and office space. Jabjiniak says the development will help draw more people downtown, and increase the cityï¿½s tax base. 29 27 weï¿½re taking a parcel that doesnï¿½t generate a tax dollar, for the city, and putting it on the tax rolls. And it really feeds into what is happening along elm street, the verizon, and some of the other private developments going on. And we havenï¿½t seen that kind of private investment in downtown in years. 29 44 Manchester officials say tax receipts and revenues will more than pay for the project. But there is a chance the minor league team wonï¿½t end up in Manchester. The team has to get clearance from several entities before it can take the field. Maybe the most crucial approval has to come from the Boston Red Sox, the local major league franchise. James McEacharn, (Mcketherin), Eastern League President, says the Red Sox have concerns, centered on reaching their Hampshire fans through their cable television channel NESN. 03 48 nesn is part of their group, when they purchased the red sox, part of the purchase price was allocated to nesn. As we all know, the rising cost, the limited seating capacity in fenway, they want to make sure that they are financially viable. And its not to say they will not give permission. They certainly have been open and receptive to discussing it. 03 119 If the team does end up in Manchester, it will join one other minor league team in the state that has been here for six years. The Nashua Pride play in Holman Stadium in Nashua. The Pride average about eighteen hundred patrons a game. Todd Marlin is Pride General Manager. Marlin cautiously welcomes another minor league team to New Hampshire if it eventually moves to Manchester. 23 10 ï¿½so, I definitely think thereï¿½s plenty of room, for a number of different teams, but again to have 3 teams, within 45 minutes of each other, it creates different challenges. 23 40 The Red Sox have not yet mentioned when they will decide on the Manchester situation. And city officials still have to float the idea by the Board of Alderman, and secure financing. Still, officials are confident theyï¿½ll have the team playing in Manchester in 2004.