Nashville's Dream of a Major League Baseball Team Faces Long Wait

Issue #080

07 May

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

🌧 Columbia Weather - Scattered thunderstorms with a high of 82

⚾️ Nashville's Dream of a Major League Baseball Team Faces Long Wait

🐎 Friday Evening Horse Show at PJ Farms

🚘 Friday Night: Cruisin’ The Co-op

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

🌺 Have You Seen our Columbia Local Mother’s Day Guide? Grab it here! 

📌 Columbia’s Best Kept Secrets: Is Your Business One of Them?

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details! 

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Tuesday, May 7th

Wednesday, May 8th

Friday, May 10th

Saturday, May 11th

Sunday, May 12th

Monday, May 13th

Tuesday, May 14th

Wednesday, May 15th

Thursday, May 16th

Friday, May 17th

Saturday, May 18th

Nashville's Dream of a Major League Baseball Team Faces Long Wait

Toronto Blue Jays stadium

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has stated that Major League Baseball will not expand to Nashville—or any other city—anytime soon. During his annual meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors at MLB's offices, Manfred indicated that he expects an expansion process to be in place by 2029, near the end of his term as commissioner. Even after the process begins, additional time would be required for stadium construction or upgrades to meet MLB standards, suggesting that any new team would take years beyond 2029 to materialize.

Manfred refrained from discussing specific cities, noting that MLB's current structure requires expansion into an Eastern and either Mountain or Western time zone to maintain balanced scheduling. Nashville’s Central time zone already has eight MLB teams. Although Manfred did not explicitly rule out Nashville, he emphasized that it's not appropriate to focus on individual cities, stating that he expects multiple strong candidates in both time zone categories.

This ambiguity doesn’t entirely remove Nashville from consideration. In previous statements, Manfred has mentioned cities such as Portland, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Nashville in the United States, along with Montreal and Vancouver in Canada, and even potential locations in Mexico. He acknowledged that Nashville could be a viable expansion candidate due to its market size and other factors, but noted that each prospective city must overcome significant hurdles, such as finding a strong ownership group, assessing the market's sustainability for a new team, and securing a stadium site.

Music City Baseball, a group established in 2019 to promote MLB expansion in Nashville, has been researching these factors but has yet to secure an ownership group. Despite the involvement of notable figures like former MLB All-Star pitcher Dave Stewart, Don Mattingly, Dave Dombrowski, and Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin, the group still faces significant challenges.

Potential expansion would also involve considerable financial investment. An expansion fee could start at $2 billion, with additional billions needed for land purchase and stadium construction. Public funding for such projects may be limited, especially given the ongoing public subsidy for the Tennessee Titans' new facility, which is estimated to cost over $2 billion, with more than half covered by public funds.

Ultimately, the future of MLB expansion remains uncertain, with Nashville among several possible candidates, but no clear path to a new franchise in the immediate future.

Friday Evening Horse Show at PJ Farms

Maury County Bridle & Saddle Club is back with Friday evening horse shows. We are now one of the few area saddle clubs that has a show on Friday night.

Our shows are open, all breed events. We feature gaited and non-gaited, judged exhibition classes, in Halter, Leadline, Showmanship, Horsemanship, Performance, Pleasure/Ranch, Western Walk - Jog and Trail, and more.

Divisions to fit every age group. Speed/trial Games for our exhibitors wrap up the night with some really heated up competition. We will have great concessions offered by PJ Farms.

Go here to find the Application, Show Bill w/Rules, and Show/Class Entry form.

You do not have to be a member of Maury County Bridle & Saddle Club to participate in our shows. The community is invited to participate and to attend.

Contact Info:

Email [email protected]
Or Call/text Mark Cox (931) 797-9321

Friday: 6pm
3449 Petty Lane, Columbia

Friday Night: Cruisin’ The Co-op

If you can’t handle the wait until the next Cars and Coffee, then you’re in luck!

This Friday night at the United Farm and Home Co-op in Columbia. Bring your friends, family, and fellow car enthusiasts for an unforgettable event. See you there!

May 10, 2024

5-8 p.m.

United Farm and Home Co-op - Columbia
975 Riverview Lane

🎵 This Week’s Live Music 🎵

Credit: Experience Maury County

Columbia’s Best Kept Secret: Is Your Business One of Them? 

We ❤️ love local businesses!

We know our community is brimming with businesses that have fascinating stories and big hearts. If you're a local business owner making waves, crafting unique experiences, or simply putting a smile on our faces, we want to chat with you! "What’s Up Columbia!" is eager to shine a light on the unsung heroes of our town. Let's collaborate and let the community know what makes your business special. Send us a message, and let's celebrate the spirit of Columbia together!

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