***The Official Philadelphia Phillies 2012 Thread***

eeriepadave wrote:

Is West Chester, PA getting a minor league team?

First proposed years ago, championed by an impressive group of local civic leaders and bolstered by a feasibility study, a minor league baseball stadium to be built in West Chester is apparently inching ever closer to becoming a reality.

The Turk’s Head Stadium Alliance is meeting today at 10 a.m. to announce that a verbal agreement has been reached for a site, and that a Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies will be the main tenant.

“The Phillies will bring a team here if we can build a stadium,” confirmed Jerry Schneider, who is one of a dozen or so members of the alliance.

It is still in the early stages of a very complex issue involving many entities, and no contracts have been signed. But according to Schneider, the Phillies are hoping to have a team begin the 2013 baseball season in a new 4,000- to 5,000-seat stadium on the former Wyeth Labratories site at South Bolmar and East Nields streets. The 30-acre plot is owned by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

“We are going to announce an agreement between Pfizer and the borough for the purchase of the property,” Schneider said.

“All of these commitments right now are real, but they are soft,” added alliance member and former West Chester Mayor Dick Yoder. “There is a lot of work that has to be done. This is just the beginning.”

Former Major League Baseball player and administrator, and Turk’s Head Stadium Alliance baseball consultant Howie Bedell will preside over the presentation, which will take place at West Chester Borough Hall. Jonathan Ewald, an aide to state Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland, will reportedly attend, but no representative of the Phillies is expected.

“This is a prosperous area and it’s a great fit for a minor league baseball team,” Schneider said. “It will be good for West Chester, good for Chester County and good for the Phillies.”

Cost estimates are reportedly upwards of $40 million and will include local and state state funding. Under the plan, the West Chester Redevelopment Authority would own the stadium, with the Phillies paying rent and maintaining the facility. The Phillies currently have Class A affiliates in Clearwater, Fla., and Lakewood, N.J.

“There are a couple possibilities of which team the Phillies would bring in here, whether it would be a current franchise or a new one,” Schneider said.

The West Chester site was one of three finalists, along with the former Phoenix Steel property in Phoenixville and the site of the former Cedar Hollow quarry in East Whiteland.

The former Wyeth plot became a frontrunner in winter 2009 when West Chester Borough Council rejected a plan by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust to purchase the property and build a large, mixed-use development with a hotel, 600 residences, 300,000 square feet of retail space and 200,000 square feet of office space.

“We are convinced that this stadium would be a magnificent venue for Chester County,” said Yoder, the Turk’s Head Stadium Alliance’s secretary. “It would be very family-oriented. There are a lot of kids out there that play baseball and for the price of going to a movie, they will be able to see a minor league ballgame.”

Bedell and Schneider, along with architect Alan Adler and former minor league franchise owner Roy Jackson (who also owned 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro), met with Phillies President David Montgomery on Aug. 19 in Philadelphia. It was at that meeting, according to Schneider, that Montgomery made the commitment to the West Chester stadium project. The group also met with Dinniman.

“When you get a gentleman’s agreement at this level, it’s a pretty firm commitment,” Schneider said.

West Chester University has already reportedly expressed interest in playing some baseball games at a new venue, including the possibility of hosting PSAC or NCAA postseason tournaments.

The plans, designed by Adler, also include an indoor theater that can be used year round. The stadium would also become the permanent home of the Chester County Sports Hall of Fame.

“There is always going to be opposition,” Schneider said. “We are trying to create a situation where most everybody comes out a winner. And it’s hard to oppose something that most people are for.”

http://www.dailylocal.com/articles/2010 ... 376268.txt

This would be pretty cool for me since i live here

jamminpearls wrote:

Thank god for this team,maybe the eagles should take notes instead of trying to take there thunder away with insane moves at very suspicious times.

Johnny Abruzzo wrote:

The Jeagler wrote:

the fiance just called to say "we have a game to watch tonight, what time will you be home?"

that's a quality fiance

Nicely done. My wife has gone with me on baseball tours of all 5 California ballparks and 4 Midwestern ballparks. Our kid(s) will be brainwashed to love baseball.