A New Ballpark Estimate

The movie “Field of Dreams” produced the catch phrase, “If you build it, they will come.” Well, maybe not.

Mission Viejo sensibly has decided to be wary in testing the “Field of Dreams” hypothesis. Last year, when the city was trying to lure a minor league baseball team from Long Beach to a new home in Orange County, Mission Viejo officials floated the possibility of a new stadium, seating 4,500 and costing $6 million.

But now that the team has played its first season in the temporary facilities at Saddleback Community College, Mission Viejo is rethinking the concept.

Last month, city officials said the new stadium could wind up seating 3,500 and costing perhaps $3 million. A switch in funding is in the cards as well: redevelopment funds rather than money from the sale of tickets and concessions.

The problem with relying on ticket sales is that they can vary dramatically from year to year, depending on the taste of fans and the fortune of the team.

The team, unfortunately named the Vigilantes, ended its first season in Orange County last weekend. It finished last in its league the first half of the season, and only a bit better the second half. That was a sharp contrast with its play in Long Beach. There, known first as the Barracuda and later as the Riptide, the team won the Western League championships both years.

Still, attendance did not shoot through the roof. For most games, fans actually attending appeared to number well under 1,000. In Orange County too the actual turnout at some games appeared to be under the announced figure, though the team said attendance averaged 2,100. The number of tickets sold usually is larger than the turnout because any number of fans may buy tickets and not show up. But absentees don’t provide Mission Viejo with a share of food sales or other concessions.

Whatever the head count, Mission Viejo hasn’t received the revenue it expected from the team’s presence. The smart thing to do is rethink the stadium, and that’s what the city has done. It will delay opening the new facility a year, but that’s a small price to pay for having a properly sized stadium that reflects a realistic assessment of how many fans will enjoy minor league baseball on a warm summer’s night.