YOUR SAY: Prerequisites for baseball to return to MAcon

With the move of the Atlanta Braves to north Georgia there will be less interest for mid-state fans to travel to one of their games. That provides somewhat of a professional baseball vacuum for us. Mercer is not an option. I doubt that enough fans would be interested in a non-alcohol venue. That also eliminates a long-shot possibility using the far west side campus of Middle Georgia State University for a shared university/professional field.

What is needed is a facility with “creature comforts” as a necessity.

1) Ample paved and safely lighted parking between right field and left field foul lines, not center field.

2) Easy and safe access to streets and highways. The old mill location on Coliseum Drive is too close to Interstate 16 which is already crowded and unsafe at daily peek travel times.

3) Quality food and beverage concessions. One does not want to walk far for refreshment or experience a long wait in line. We go to the ballpark to watch the game, not to stand in line.

4) Quality restrooms near concessions with quick in and out times. Again, we don’t pay for baseball then have to be away from the game for undo lengths of time.

5) Comfortable seating with a clear view of the field of play, no posts blocking one’s view.

6) Good ventilation, possibly many fans keeping air moving into and out of the stands.

7) A quality team for which one is likely to forsake the comforts of home and the many professional and college teams watched on HD big screens while lounging on ones sofa or recliner. When Macon was a Class A team of the Atlanta Braves the stands were filled as we wanted to see the big boys on rehab or speculate on those on their way up.

8) A location with access to the populated areas of Middle Georgia, not just Macon-Bibb. In consideration would be fans from Byron, Warner Robins, Perry, Milledgeville, Forsyth, etc.

9) Close proximity to good lodging for the traveling fans.

10) Quality team facilities, both in and out of the dugouts.

11) Where and at what cost? Possibly the Hartley Bridge area, or west of I-475 between Old Columbus Road and Thomaston Road? In any case, away from occasional flooding and heavily populated residential areas.

12) Could the stadium and field also be used for soccer and/or football?

13) A friend who is close to professional baseball and especially the Atlanta Braves suggests that the price tag for a completely new facility would cost about $25 million to $30 million.

If Macon wants a ball park it might be better financially to rebuild much of Luther Williams Field instead of doing a better job with a completely new facility.

Al Diboll is a resident of Macon-Bibb.

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 9:34 PM.