Bob Woodward, Tempe Gazette

July 25, 2009

Mired in a horrendous slump which has apparently cost manager Cristián Vega his job (Ed. Note: See this newsflash for details), Knights GM Christopher Van Hauter apparently has become sick of being the “have-nots”.  Van Hauter has been in secret negotiations with the city of Los Angeles to move the nights to L.A. as early as 2011.  The possible move originated because of the hard work of 22-year Los Angeles Congressman Albert Spalding, who was looking for ways to attract voters in his reelection bid for a seat on the Los Angeles City Council.  Spalding printed up 35,000 cards stating the usual election promises: strengthen drug laws, improve the economy, eliminate government waste and provide adequate public transportation.  However, Spalding believed he needed one more item.

Spalding’s family has always been huge baseball fans, so why not bring major league baseball to Los Angeles?  “I didn’t know about minor league rights,” he said.  “I didn’t know you had to get a vote of the owners.  I thought you just said to somebody, ‘Come visit.  Come to L.A.’  I didn’t know how complicated it would be to bring a team here.”  However, Van Hauter was impressed by Spalding’s commitment and believes that Tempe will be calling Los Angeles home.

Professional baseball in Los Angeles has only consisted of two Pacific Coast League teams, the Los Angeles Angels and the Hollywood Stars.  In Tempe, the Knights are not as entrenched as Spalding first feared and he believes that, with a possible move, the Knights could be a champion in a short amount of time.  As early as November 2008 with the loss of Josh Emery to free agency, Van Hauter has been exploring alternatives for the broken down Knights Stadium along with boosting the team’s horrible market value.

In January 2009, Van Hauter sent a letter to Tempe city councilman Vern Law which said, “Your fertile imagination should have some ideas about enlarging or replacing our present stadium.  And if not, then we might have to explore other cities that will.”  This letter fell on deaf ears as Van Hauter never received a reply from Tempe officials, and with that he feels he has every right to move the team.  Van Hauter had selected a site in Phoenix which was located at a hub of the Phoenix transportation system that would bring in the Arizona crowds via subway and those living in the suburbs via the Phoenix Transit Railroad.  However, the town fathers keep telling Van Hauter that raising money is an impossibility, and unless the economy improves then the new stadium is a “no go”.

Councilman Spalding, on hearing the news, could not contain his excitement and informed Van Hauter that he would put a baseball stadium on the outskirts of Los Angeles on a 10-acre lot which has been abandoned for ten years.  Van Hauter showed tremendous interest in the idea and wrote Spalding in April 2009 stating that if Tempe fails to give in to his demands for a new stadium then Los Angles would be a perfect fit.  Van Hauter has commended Spalding’s hard work, stating, “He has put a lot of time and energy and money into it.  He has given it his best shot, and I think he is going to land a baseball team in the next three years.”  This reporter will keep abreast on any changes which occur with this story.