| | | ATTN: RUSH/CONFIDENTIAL
Mr. Michael Heisley
c/o Vancouver Grizzlies
A301 - 770 Pacific Blvd. West
Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 5E7
Dear Mr. Heisley,
With three weeks remaining before you have to inform Commissioner Stern of your decision as to where you want to move your Vancouver Grizzlies for the
2001-02 NBA season, I am a bit concerned that from your list of candidates -- namely New Orleans, Louisville and Anaheim -- you have somehow
omitted one of the best prospects.
|  | | Hey, Michael: Check out this view of downtown Vancouver, Wash., as seen from the top of the I-5 bridge! |
I tried to reach you by phoning the team's offices Thursday, but apparently no other potential cities are being recognized. That's why it's almost embarrassing that such a shrewd businessman as yourself would look past this most obvious choice. Um, like, duh ... Is anyone home, McHeisley?
It's Vancouver, silly. As in Vancouver, Wash., (Slogan: A Colorful Past, A Bright Future). Or, more meaningfully, the first Vancouver -- founded 29 years before your current Vancouver.
Unbeknownst to you, Mr. Heisley, the Mayor of Vancouver (Wash.), Royce E. Pollard, officially threw the city's name in the bidding war for the Vancouver Grizzlies, releasing the following statement to ESPN.com's Page 2 at 8 a.m. Friday morning. "The NBA came to the wrong Vancouver," Pollard said. "They obviously lost a page of the directions when setting up in 1995. They were supposed to turn south from Vancouver, B.C., and go 304 miles to Vancouver, Wash. We feel that now is the perfect time for Mr. Heisley to rectify this unfortunate and costly error."
How the Grizzlies made this error is hard to imagine, since the two Vancouvers are hard to mistake for one another.
"They're much larger than us," said Kristin Hartleib, a lifetime resident of the original Vancouver, which has approximately 150,000 people in the Greater Vancouver area, as opposed to British Columbia's Vancouver, which has closer to 600,000 people within the city limits. "And when I visited the other Vancouver, they had this flashing green light," she said. "I wasn't really sure what do on that."
|  | | Michael, you've got to admit players would love to visit Fort Vancouver, a National Historic Site in the area. |
The advantages of relocating the Grizzlies to Vancouver, Wash., are many. As you can imagine, not having to change the jerseys, the team nickname, the logo and team stationary will save a boatload of cash.
Sure, there are no Grizzlies in the state of Washington, as far as we know. But as Bill Stewart, a resident of nearby Portland (Ore.) notes, accuracy has nothing to do with nicknames. "We haven't seen any Grizzlies running through downtown Vancouver (Wash.) lately," Stewart said. "But I'd assume that there aren't too many of them running around in their downtown Vancouver, either." And, as Mr. Stewart was too polite to mention, there aren't all that many jazzmen running around Utah, either.
Also, I've learned that Gaiser Middle School in Vancouver, Wash. uses the nickname Grizzlies. So, clearly the locals will accept a team with that moniker.
Mr. Heisley, this Vancouver is clearly a great basketball town. Clark College draws 300 to 500 people a game at their O'Connell Sports Center (cap. 1,104),
and it gets even better when the team plays Lower Columbia in the NWAAC.
"NBA players would really enjoy playing in a 6,500 seat arena," said Greg Jayne, sports editor of The Columbian, a Vancouver (Wash.) based daily with a circulation of 60,000. "It'd really be a sellout, unlike the Blazers, who give away tickets and claim a sellout."
A proposal is currently on the table -- OK, it has been on the table for more than 15 years -- to build a 6,500-seat arena in Vancouver. It would be just six to eight miles away from the Rose Garden, the home of the Trail Blazers. Blazers owner Paul Allen would undoubtedly encourage the NBA to waive territorial rights fees, given that Allen's Charter Communications is headquartered in Vancouver, Wash.
|  | | You still want a beautiful waterfront, Mr. Heisley? Well, the Ilchee Statue overlooks the Columbia River. |
The players would love working in the original Vancouver. First of all, there's no state income tax in Washington, so the players would immediately be making 10 percent more than a player playing for the same salary on the nearby Blazers, according to Steve Burdick, manager of economic development for the city of Vancouver.
Furthermore, the location is perfect for the kind of off-the-court activities NBA players seem to so enjoy. "When a player breaks the law, he will find himself only a relatively short drive from the border," said David Carter, principal in the Sports Business Group, a sports marketing firm. "The good news is it will finally give the city the national exposure it wants. The bad news is that it will now be on 'Cops' all the time."
"There are hoards of tattoo parlors," added Theresa Baer (no relation to Grizzly Baer), editor of the Vancouver Business Journal. "I'm serious. There
might be four in the downtown area alone."
Plus, the city does offer lodging for visitors.
"We would be ready to host some All-Star games and perhaps the NBA Finals -- if our Grizzlies can make it," Jayne said. "But I don't think David Stern would like staying in the Shilo Inn in Downtown Vancouver," even though it offers coffee in the lobby and a free USA Today daily. "It's not quite what NBA people are accustomed to."
In conclusion, Mr. Heisley, I think you should reconsider your choices before it's too late. People will all laugh at you and the NBA in a couple years when the New Orleans Mardi Grasses, the Louisville Kentucky Derbies or the Anaheim Tourists are forced to move yet again. Vancouver, Wash., is a sure-fire, can't-miss NBA city that has enormous growth potential.
After all, a survey conducted by Sprint Business in February 1999 ranked Vancouver (Wash.) the 39th "most productive city in America." Now ask yourself, how productive was New Orleans, Louisville and Anaheim in 1999? 'Nuff said.
Respectfully yours,
Darren
Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, did not receive any compensation from the city of Vancouver, Wash., for this piece. He can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com.
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