By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
It was a test run and the Cashman Field turf stayed sturdy through three pre-season soccer matches before the venue switched back to a baseball field for Las Vegas’ Big League Weekend, which brings the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians together for two spring training games this weekend in Sin City.
“Overall, it handled it pretty well,” Cashman Field head groundskeeper Collin Doebler said of the venue’s turf hanging in there through a trio of Las Vegas Lights pre-season soccer games. Today, the Cubs and Indians play a spring game, while the Lights of the United Soccer League play their franchise opener in Fresno, Calif.
“The goal mouths (in front of the first base dugout and in left field) are always a concern because they get the most wear and tear,” Doebler said.
The Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League and the Lights will share Cashman in 2018, but the Triple A ball club moves into a new Summerlin ballpark in 2019 so the Lights will have the downtown venue all to themselves next year. The Lights are responsible for converting the baseball field to a soccer pitch and back to baseball.
51s President Don Logan agreed the Cashman turf did well, and noted the temporary turf that was rolled out to cover the infield for the soccer field turned a little soft and moved a bit.
The two co-tenants are ready to share their common home. The Lights play their first regular season home soccer match Saturday, while the 51s inaugurate the 2018 season with their home-opener April 5.
“Everybody wants to support each other,” Doebler said.
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Who could have predicted this for Las Vegas: Major League Baseball vs. the National Hockey League on a Sunday afternoon in March.
1 p.m. is the starting time for both the Cubs and Indians in a pre-season game at Cashman and the Vegas Golden Knights and Calgary Flames for a face-off at T-Mobile Arena
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Figure about 30,000 fans between both venues — about 18,000 at T-Mobile Arena and some 12,000 at Cashman in downtown Las Vegas Sunday.
One of Las Vegas’ great baseball products, Kris Bryant, held court with reporters at 12:15 p.m. at Cashman.
Bryant mentioned that it’s easy to get spoiled with the Cubs appearing in three consecutive National League Championship Series — including winning the 2016 World Series.
The strapping Bryant fielded mostly fluff questions and happily offered pleasant answers.
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This is the final year for the annual Big League Weekend to be held at Cashman. Howard Hughes Corp., the Summerlin master developer that also owns the Las Vegas 51s, is building a $150 million ballpark next to City National Arena in the western Vegas ‘burbs in Summerlin.
Howard Hughes is getting a nice $80 million payout from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) in a naming rights deal to help pay for the 10,000-seat ballpark and the venue will be called Las Vegas Ballpark.
LVCVA grand poobah/CEO Rossi Ralenkotter, the old Reds fan, was honored before the game and threw out the first pitch before the Cubs launched several home runs thanks to a mighty windy wind that was blowing out.
The LVCVA is glad to get out of managing Cashman Field at an annual loss and figures giving Howard Hughes $80 million for a naming rights deal is addition through subtraction.
Baseball is timeless at Cashman. There was Ralenkotter with the Vegas showgirls before the game, Mayor Carolyn Goodman and husband Oscar roaming the club level, the voice of Dick Calvert on the Cashman PA system and those burgers and hot dogs in the media meal room.
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