Friday, September 12, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Report: Cashman Field not adequate

51s' ballpark lacks several necessities, MLB study says

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

The Las Vegas 51s, who are campaigning for a new stadium to replace aging Cashman Field, received a boost Thursday when a confidential major league report termed the club's home stadium inadequate for Triple-A baseball.

Cashman Field is out of compliance with several standards in the Professional Baseball Agreement, which covers relations between major league and minor league clubs, according to the report by David C. Evans, obtained by the Review-Journal from a major league source.

Evans' report found Cashman was below the PBA minimum standards for size of the home and visitors clubhouses, quality of the playing field, size of the home training room, manager's office space, bathroom facilities, dugouts and equipment storage areas.

In his report, Evans wrote, "Cashman Field may have been acceptable in the 1980s; however, it is no longer an acceptable AAA ballpark."

51s president Don Logan, who has led the team's quest for a new park, declined comment other than to say the report supports what he has been saying for more than a year.

Bill Bavasi, director of player development for the parent Los Angeles Dodgers, said in July the Dodgers would sever their working agreement with the 51s after the 2004 season if a plan is not in place for a stadium to replace Cashman.

Bavasi said Thursday that Evans' report proves the Dodgers weren't making unreasonable demands.

Because Cashman does not have either an indoor hitting or pitching area, players often have to forego specialized instruction, Bavasi said. That creates a competitive imbalance because players with other franchises can get that type of work.

"There are certain standards that must be maintained and that's what we have been pointing to," Bavasi said.

"Our goal is simply to get our Triple-A players in a facility similar to what other Triple-A players compete in. There are so many parks now that have things Cashman doesn't have, and that's putting us at a disadvantage as we try to develop our players and get them ready for the majors."

The home clubhouse at Cashman is 810 square feet, according to Evans' report; the PBA minimum standard calls for 1,000. The visiting clubhouse, the smallest in the Pacific Coast League, is 650 square feet, 100 less than the minimum.

The report was critical of the playing surface, noting numerous holes in the turf. It also was critical of Cashman for having what it termed "trip hazards," sprinkler heads that are not recessed deep enough in the ground.

Of 16 areas surveyed in Evans' report, only the foul poles at Cashman were determined to be in compliance with the Professional Baseball Agreement.