The A’s unveiled updated renderings of their planned Las Vegas ballpark yesterday that provide “new details,” including “tiered bullpens and a lounge overlooking the outfield,” according to Mick Akers of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. Bjarke Ingels Group Dir of Sports Frankie Sharpe said that the design team “considered Southern Nevada’s summer heat while adding features to keep fans comfortable in a climate-controlled space that maintains an outdoor feel.” HNTB Dir of Interiors Emily Louchart said that the six-level ballpark will be fully enclosed and will “feel more like a large arena, which aided the design process.” She added that the ballpark will have “around 20 suite box options, between 17 and 20 seating choices, and nine lounge/club spaces.” The “stacked bullpen area” will have both team’s bullpens “located in the same rectangular space but on tiered levels, surrounded by fans in the outfield.” Louchart said that the ballpark will “offer a ‘great social environment’ by allowing fans to mingle in common spaces, including at a bar behind home plate.” Akers noted the A’s also provided an update on stadium construction, and said they’re “close to breaking ground.” The team anticipates a construction schedule of 31-33 months (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/6).
WAITING FOR A SHOVEL IN THE GROUND: ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan wrote with ground still not being broken, the “lesson to be taken from their trials and travails” is that “nothing is done until shovels hit the dirt.” Skepticism about the project “persists.” The nine-acre plot on the former site of the Tropicana hotel would be the smallest footprint for any major league ballpark. The A’s intend to offer around 2,500 parking spaces -- one-third of what Clark County code mandates, with one space for every four seats. However, “flaws and all, the team is surging forward.” Not only would a groundbreaking “constitute a triumph” for John Fisher’s “maligned ownership,” it would also “serve notice to other owners that the appeal of baseball remains strong enough to close a stadium deal, regardless of the ruin in its wake” (ESPN.com, 3/6).
NEW MAN IN CHARGE: In Las Vegas, Mick Akers wrote the A’s have named former Raiders exec Mark Badain President. Badain, who worked for the Raiders for 30 years before resigning as team president in 2021, had been working for Oak View Group in its “quest to build an NBA-ready arena in Las Vegas.” The A’s previous president, Dave Kaval, resigned Dec. 31, with longtime team exec Sandy Dean taking over the role on an interim basis. Dean will now serve as vice chair and will “continue to represent the team’s ownership group and remain involved in its Las Vegas ballpark development process” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 3/6).
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