Talkin’ baseball

“The Whiz Kids had won it,

Bobby Thomson had done it,

And Yogi read the comics all the while.

Rock ‘n’ roll was bein’ born,

Marijuana we would scorn,

So down on the corner the National Pastime went on trial.

We’re talkin’ baseball (Kluzewski, Campanella),

Talkin’ baseball (The Man and Bobby Feller),

The Scooter, The Barber and The Newk,

They knew ‘em all from Boston to Dubuque,

Especially Willie, Mickey and The Duke.”

Yep, we’re talkin’ baseball again in Macon-Bibb. After a $50,000 feasibility study was completed a little more than a year ago, a study that concluded, no surprise, that a downtown ballpark would be a catalyst for economic development, with the ability to draw at least 250,000 people each year, we’re back at it again.

The study by Washington, D.C.-based B&D Venues said a new minor league stadium could generate about $171 million in economic activity and $176 million in wages over a 30-year period. There was only one little problem — well maybe two, maybe three. Though the county already owns a stadium, Luther Williams in Central City Park, B&D Ventures recommended a new stadium and selected a number of eligible sites. The cost for a 5,000 seat stadium? Oh, only about $38 million, not including land acquisition, parking or off-site infrastructure. Gulp.

Then there’s the matter of a team. Macon was looking for a Class A team and there really wasn’t one out there that didn’t have a long-term contract with the city they were already located in — and even if one could be found only a new stadium could lure them away. Macon understands this part of the equation well. Rome did just that and our Macon, now Rome Braves, took the bait in 2002. The third little problem with feasibility studies is that, at best, no matter how rosy the prospects might seem, they are still educated guesses.

The Macon-Bibb Commission is now looking at the Coastal Plain League, a group of 15 teams across the Southeast. The league has some history, its survived since 1997. The closest team is the Savannah Bananas that is owned by the same group that wants to bring a team here. Each team plays 55 games and the season runs from May through August using collegiate players.

Nothing is a slam dunk in the world of sports. The Coastal Plain League had 16 teams until about two weeks ago when the Petersburg Generals were expected to be sold to SRO Partners because the team could only generate average operating revenue of $20,400 from 2012-2015.

Luther Williams Field, whether a team comes or not needs about $2.5 million in work to the press box, concessions, dugouts, and the field. The 88-year-old stadium that has seen the likes of Pete Rose, Chipper Jones and Jermaine Dye, has seen better days. Even though it has been the perfect setting for “The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings,” “42” and “Trouble with the Curve,” it could stand some work, particularly with the other improvements that are being completed in Central City Park.

“Well now it’s the eighties,

An’ Brett is the greatest,

An’ Bobby Bonds can play for everyone.

Rose is at the Vet,

Rusty again is a Met,

An’ the great Alexander is pitchin’ again in Washington.

I’m talkin’ baseball (like Reggie, Quisenberry),

Talkin’ baseball (Carew an’ Gaylord Perry),

Seaver, Garvey, Schmidt an’ Vida Blue,

If Cooperstown is callin’ it’s no fluke,

They’ll be with Willie, Mickey an’ The Duke.”

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Talkin’ baseball."