CEO OF ZAPPOS AND THE HOWARD
HUGHES CORP. ARE COMPETING TO
BUY THE LAS VEGAS 51s AAA LEVEL
BASEBALL TEAM

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh plans to revitalize
the existing Cashman Center ballpark, a
10,000 seat stadium close to downtown, thinks
the team will succeed there and has already
planned to buy the old Vegas city hall for his
firm's headquarters.

The Cashman Center includes a convention center, a
theater, meeting rooms and parking and is owned by
the Las Vegas Convention Authority, although the
56 acres beneath it are owned by the City of
Las Vegas.

It is leased for one dollar a year to the Convention
Authority.

The Authority charges the 51s baseball team annually
$300,000 to rent the stadium. No matter who purchases
the team, the buyer will have to navigate a complicated
maze of public and private bureaucracy to close a deal.

A prospective buyer would also need approval from the
Pacific Coast League. The buyer would also own the
rights to operate ticket sales, concessions, parking and
merchandising.

A source familiar with Hsieh's vision said the CEO
doesn't buy into the belief that the 51s need an expensive
new stadium to succeed.

It would make it easier for fans to ride buses or stroll
the seven blocks between the Fremont Street Corridor
and the stadium.

Hsieh doesn't want Vegas to follow in the steps of Reno.
The Reno Aces ballpark, opened in 2009, is costing the
Reno Development Agency about one million annually
in debt payments and is soaking up revenue from car
rentals and other taxes.