The D'Backs played their inaugural regular season game
at Bank One Ballpark (BOB) last night, losing to the Rockies
9-2. In AZ, Michael Clancy reports that the "biggest
applause" during the pre-game ceremony was for D'Backs
Managing General Partner Jerry Colangelo. Colangelo earned
a standing ovation that lasted "several minutes" (ARIZONA
REPUBLIC, 4/1). Colangelo told the L.A. TIMES: "I think our
fans are happy to have a team they can call their own and
will be patient with us. They know the success we've had
with our other teams, so there's a level of confidence and
expectation" (L.A. TIMES, 4/1). Traffic reportedly flowed
"fairly smoothly," around the BOB, "with more complaints
coming from homeward-bound commuters trying to get out of
downtown" Phoenix. Also, scalpers were selling lower-level
seats last night for as much as $800 (AZ REPUBLIC, 4/1).
BIG OPENER: CNBC's Jerry Cobb reported live from the
BOB last night and said, "It is already clear that Bank One
Ballpark has done a lot for local pride, although it's not
clear how much it will do for the local economy." Cobb
reported that the BOB opens "under a cloud of controversy,"
stemming from a stadium tax which helped finance the
facility but was not approved by voters. Cobb: "Many here
saw that as a handout to a rich team and a rich owner."
Jerry Colangelo: "There is no question in my mind that this
is not a handout. I believe in private-public partnerships.
... For the [$238M] of tax money to build this, I think
we're going to give them a return ten times, twenty times,
thirty times that over a period of time." Cobb: "Because it
is part of a larger downtown revival effort, [BOB] stands a
better chance of helping the local economy than hurting it.
But there are no guarantees. And without the political will
to say no to big teams, local governments will likely
continue to pony up public funds for facilities with little
proven economic benefit" ("Business Center," 3/31). CNN's
Casey Wian also reported live from Phoenix and added the
D'Backs have already sold 36,000 season tickets and signed
longterm corporate sponsorship deals worth "about" $500M.
Wian: "Management here ... projects revenue of almost $110
million this year. The Diamondbacks are almost guaranteed
to turn a profit before they've even thrown a pitch"
("Moneyline," CNN, 3/31). In Boston, Bob Ryan calls the
franchise "a marketing marvel" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/1).
