Landry: It is time for Lubbock baseball
There was a time Lubbock had minor league or semi-pro baseball teams. According to community author Chuck Lanehart’s three-part series, it was a hit. The Lubbock community loved the Hubbers, which was associated with the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, Denver Bears, and then the Baltimore Orioles. After several successful seasons, the Hubbers left Lubbock for Texas City in 1956 to become known as the Texas City Texans.
Professional baseball returned to Lubbock in the form of the Crickets in 1995. The club had immediate success in winning the Texas-Louisiana League Championship and returning to the Championship series the following year. The bloom came off the rose, though, when victories became fewer and a place to play was in question. After the 1998 season, the Lubbock Crickets folded and professional baseball has not returned. Then came the idea and discussion of it returning seven years ago when the San Antonio Missions’ owner David Elmore announced the team would be elevated to become the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Such a promotion would leave the San Diego Padres without a Double-A farm club and ownership had three places in mind to replace The Missions. Those cities were Lubbock, Amarillo or Wichita, Kansas.
Then came the presentation that apparently was out of left field. Led by former City Councilman David Nelson, the Southpaw Sports and Entertainment Inc., presented Lubbock's 2016 City Council with a pitch to bring a team to the Hub City. According to reports, it did not go well. It left the Council with more questions than answers, which is never good.
The small dabble with professional baseball by city leaders led to speculation that Lubbock is not that kind of town. To quote his 2017 column, highly respected A-J sports journalist Don Williams wrote, “Collectively, Lubbock sees itself as a college town, not a minor-league pro sports town…” Williams later admitted his “theory that Lubbock won’t back pro sports hasn’t been tested with any affiliated ballclubs for more than a half-century now. That might make all the difference.”
Indeed, it would. Williams wrote that baseball being “with affiliated teams, there’s the likelihood — the certainty, actually — of being able to watch minor-league players who’ll be in the majors someday” could spark community interest attending games. To put another way, the likelihood of watching good baseball is high, the community involvement of these players would be appreciated and noticed, the players would become household names, and last but not least, another revenue stream would be created.
There are lingering questions, such as where would the team play? If the city can encourage a group of investors to purchase land on the north or east side of town, this would be a great opportunity. If there is enough evidence to produce a ballpark that meets Minor League Baseball’s standards around the Berl Huffman Sports Complex, that would be a good location. At the same time, if a study can be conducted to show Lubbock’s east side could sustain a stadium, that would be the best location.
What about Dan Law Field? That presents potential scheduling conflicts but let us remember, Texas Tech baseball is only around from February until, maybe, June. Unless, Texas Tech hosts postseason play, the conflicts are manageable because Minor League Baseball lasts from April until September.
Regardless, this issue can be resolved if agreeing parties allowed for a temporary home at Dan Law Field while a permanent home is built.
Another lingering question is the necessary investment. Looking at cities similar to Lubbock that have Double-A teams, the cities own the fields and the teams pay them. Now, those are big investments for a long-term commitment but in the end, the people will get a great return.
Why do I beat this drum for baseball in Lubbock? Honestly, I hate being forced to drive two hours either north to Amarillo to watch the Sod Poodles or south to Midland to watch the RockHounds on a regular basis. Lubbock is a big enough city to attract such an atmosphere where 6,500 people a night can attend to watch good baseball. The other reason is I want my money to stay in Lubbock. With a good product such as a team affiliated with a Major League franchise, there will not be a need for baseball fans to travel to other cities – other than to support the Lubbock team on the road, of course.
The trick to getting this concept to be a reality is, naturally, politics. There must be private-public relationship. I understand why such an approach would make the reader wary of support. After all, it was the same sell for the Lubbock County Expo Center and we are still waiting on that to be built five years after voting for it. With a solid plan that leaves citizens and leaders with questions answered and not more questions, this would be something that could be popular among Lubbockites.
It is time for Lubbock baseball!
Drew Landry is an assistant professor of government at South Plains College.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Landry: It is time for Lubbock baseball