Camden Yards is getting a face lift - MLB

Camden Yards — the flagship of the new era of ballparks — has been undergoing some minor renovations over the past couple of years. The team announced the latest round yesterday:

At the request of the Orioles, the club level and upper deck at Camden Yards will be furnished with wider seats that will be more comfortable for fans. In addition, sightlines for fans on both of those levels will be improved, as new, less intrusive railings will be installed, enhancing the view of those sitting in the first few rows of both levels, as well as fans sitting in and around upper deck equal access and companion seats.

The effect of this — other than just giving O’s fans more butt room — will be to cut seating capacity down by 2,319. Which isn’t a terribly big deal because the O’s rarely if ever draw sellout crowds anymore, and room for 45,971 is likely adequate.

Another effect: making me feel old. I still think of Camden Yards as “new.” In reality, there are only a handful of parks that are older. You got Fenway, Wrigley, Dodger Stadium, Anaheim, Oakland, Kauffman, Rogers Centre, U.S. Cellular, Tropicana Field and whatever the hell they’re calling the Marlins’ stadium this week. Really, that’s the list of venerable ballparks. One of them will fall off that list in a couple of years. Another two — The Oakland Coliseum and the Trop — will eventually if there’s any justice in the world. Crazy.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.