RunInRed 16,458 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Sources: SEC will keep Baseball Tournament in Hoover for next 5 years.@jimdunaway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunInRed 16,458 Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 How Birmingham kept the SEC tournament, a pretty interesting read... HOOVER, Alabama -- Before Thursday's announcement that Hoover held on to the SEC Baseball Tournament, City of Hoover Executive Director Allen Pate sought out SEC Commissioner Mike Slive to shake hands."This is the toughest negotiator you'll ever find," Pate said as Slive smiled sheepishly. A five-year extension will keep the tournament in Hoover through 2016. But not before the first open bidding on the tournament provided some anxious moments for Hoover officials and a new list of improvements to Regions Park. The one-year process took much longer than expected and coincided with the Birmingham Barons' announcement last November of eventually moving to a downtown ballpark. By 2016, Hoover will have been the SEC Tournament host for 19 consecutive years. That's longer than the SEC's current 17-year run in Atlanta with the football championship game. Hoover can breathe easier. Memphis is left wondering how any city can pry baseball from the SEC's home base. "As the incumbent and being very competitive with other bids, Hoover's track record led us to the decision that we made," Slive said. "We were very pleased and flattered by the attention we got from a lot of other communities." Memphis and Jacksonville were considered the most competitive challengers. Bids also came from New Orleans, Montgomery and Duluth, Ga. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Alabama Sports Foundation CEO Gene Hallman confirmed Hoover will pay more. "As we should," Hallman said. "You had three parties at the table -- the city of Hoover, the sports foundation and the SEC -- and none of the three wanted the event to leave. At the same time we all had limits on what we could do. I think the definition of a good deal is when you all more or less reach your limit and decide it's a deal, and I think that's pretty much what happened." Kevin Kane, CEO of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Memphis offered a $1 million bid that he believes surpassed Hoover's guarantee. He said he was "extremely disappointed" and sensed the SEC had a strong comfort level with Hoover, especially due to its RV parking lot and nearby batting practice facilities. "The fact that the league office is in Birmingham probably doesn't hurt things," Kane said. "No disrespect to the facility in Hoover, but it's no AutoZone Park. It's not even in the same realm." Read more: http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/05/how_hoover_kept_the_sec_baseba.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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