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On a muggy, 91-degree evening, a crowd of 400 baseball fans stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Bob Gibson, George Brett and the Oracle of Omaha.
They listened to a line of dignitaries praise the new partnership between the Omaha Royals and Sarpy County.
Royals President Alan Stein took to the outdoor podium on a plowed cornfield west of Papillion and asked the crowd to pause, close their eyes, and visualize a new lake past the yet-to-be built left-field stands.
“Imagine the smell of hot dogs and popcorn,” Stein told the hushed audience. “Can you hear George Brett and the crack of a bat?”
Then, Stein said three words those gathered for the groundbreaking wanted to hear:
“Let's play ball,” he said to a cheer.
Wednesday's ceremony marked the culmination of an 18-month courtship between the Royals and Sarpy County. The groundbreaking took place near 120th Street and Nebraska Highway 370 — about four blocks east of the actual destination for the future 6,000-seat AAA baseball stadium.
Warren Buffett, a part-owner of the Royals, said the Royals made the right choice by partnering with Sarpy County to build their own more fan-friendly ballpark.
“You could not get the same feel in a 23,000- or 24,000-seat facility,” Buffett said, referring to the new downtown Omaha stadium. “It will work.
“I guarantee it.”
Buffett said both the Royals' stadium and the new Omaha ballpark can coexist and prosper.
“It's a perfect situation,” Buffett said. “It's two different audiences ... so there is no reason it's not going to work.”
Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Gibson and Brett also gave ringing endorsements to the Royals' decision to keep playing in the metro area, after a more than four-decade relationship with Omaha.
Brett said the team might need drop the “Omaha” and call themselves the “Sarpy County Royals.” But, he said, “It's still in Nebraska.”
Like Brett, Gibson drew rousing applause. While most in the crowd knew about his long-standing ties to Omaha, he said, “Most of you don't know, that for over 40 years of my life, I've lived in Sarpy County. To see something like this is wonderful.
“I think it's really important to have major league-affiliated baseball in this area.”
On June 1, the Sarpy County Board in a split vote selected the 310-acre farm parcel near Papillion as the future site for Royals baseball. Sarpy County's plan to fund the ballpark is not simple. At least 15 revenue streams are under consideration, with some untested financing mechanisms underpinning the project.
Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said Wednesday's ceremony should convince the skeptics that the Royals are coming. He said the Royals-Sarpy partnership would have decades of positive effects on the state's fastest-growing county.
“This is a huge milestone for us,” Polikov said. “That's why we are making such a big deal ... even after a year or a year and a half, you still talk to a lot of people who think this is not going to happen.”
Polikov said the purpose of the stadium project is twofold: Bringing more economic development and family entertainment to Sarpy County and the greater Omaha area.
“Today, we are breaking new ground, but the best is yet to come,” Sarpy County Board Chairwoman Joni Jones said. “I hope to see you all in 2011, when it's time to play ball at the Sarpy County field of dreams.”
Watching Royals baseball west of Papillion will be fun, but it may feel strange at first, said one long-time Omaha Royals fan who lives in Papillion.
“I have been going to Royals games since the early 1980s,” said Tom Berry, who brought his 6-year-old son to the ceremony. “I am going to miss Rosenblatt Stadium, and the memories I have of the place.
“But it's staying in the Omaha area. If the Royals disappeared to become the Memphis Royals, I would be very unhappy.”
Berry said the location of the new stadium has its pluses and minuses. It's more convenient for him, he said, but less so for many Omahans.
“But still, I will be coming to this stadium — and not to TD Ameritrade (Park).”
Contact the writer:
444-1056, john.ferak@owh.com
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