Mayor Looking To Bring Minor League Baseball To Lubbock

Could a minor league baseball team actually be playing in Lubbock, not Wolfforth? Investors still say no, but Lubbock`s new mayor, David Miller, is looking into the idea. Lubbock was looked into as the site for a minor league baseball team for many months, but city leaders could never get anything done. Now, Miller wants to get serious about it, just in case the Wolfforth proposal falls through. "We think the location is great. Wolfforth will allow us to bring entertainment and amenities. It is the best land around," said West Texas Professional Baseball partner Rick Dykes nearly two years ago, when his investment group purchased 137 acres of land in Wolfforth for a stadium and entertainment complex. Quickly, the group began moving dirt, making a large bowl where the stadium field would go. Then, construction completely ceased. Jonathan Nelson, accused of embezzling $78-million from Patterson/UTI, owned about 25% of the land in Wolfforth. Court records say the land was bought with stolen money. The federal government instantly shut down the entire construction process until the missing loot could be recovered. Court documents show a court settlement is expected this week, then construction will start back up. West Texas Professional Baseball General Manager Clay Powell says a stadium can be built in 10 months. He also says that contrary to reports that the deal in Wolfforth is dead, it is still moving forward. Meanwhile, Mayor David Miller is making sure he and Lubbock will be ready if Wolfforth doesn`t work out. "We want to stand ready to step in, as part of the city`s downtown economic development," he says. "We want to look at AA or AAA (baseball teams), also sharing (the field) with Tech." That`s the exact deal WTPB has in place in Wolfforth. Miller says he`s putting together a task force to research the possibilities just in case. When asked why, he says, "all the good reasons ... it`s good for entertainment. Obviously, it takes Tech to the next level." An announcement on the future of minor league baseball in Wolfforth could be as early as this week.