"I thought fans cared more about affiliation than they actually do. "I was wrong," says Jeff Katofsky, the owner of the now-independent Northern Colorado Owlz and a vocal critic last year. While they lament their team's loss of value and worry about MLB's long-term commitment to their new leagues, they say the reorganization worked out better than they expected. Officials from teams that remained affiliated expressed general satisfaction, although some said they wouldn't air gripes publicly for fear of angering Major League Baseball.īut for the owners who lost affiliation - those who felt they had the most to lose - a number were like Davis. Eight teams that lost affiliation either folded altogether or did not play in 2021 (one because of an unfinished stadium), and some of those teams are suing MLB for breach of contract and tortious interference. Recently, we reached out to more than 50 teams to see how they fared - especially those teams that lost affiliation.įor some clubs, the reconfiguration was indeed a disaster. In 2020, before realignment, ESPN spoke to dozens of minor league officials, many of whom predicted disaster as MLB moved to reduce the number of affiliated teams from 160 to 120, four for each major league club. yes, we loved being an independent team." "You really were hamstrung as an affiliated team. "We had a great season, and we had a blast doing it," Davis says. They stayed in the Pioneer League, newly independent for the 2021 season, and won the championship. "We had no clue what we were going to do at that point."īut the PaddleHeads learned they could swim. As was the financial value that came with owning an affiliated team. The Diamondbacks had been responsible for paying PaddleHeads players and coaches, and that money was now gone. The PaddleHeads, who had been a farm team for the Arizona Diamondbacks, were now "de-affiliated," one of 43 teams jettisoned into life as an independent club. In November 2020, Peter Davis, proud proprietor of the Missoula PaddleHeads, was two years into life as a minor league baseball owner when disaster struck. 'I was wrong': Why MLB's restructuring of the minors turned out mostly better than expected “I don’t wanna have to imagine what it would be like not to have a local baseball team,” Schreck said.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser Moon, his father worries about the team’s future in Asheville. Moon wasn’t here to come back to, and that would be really heartbreaking.”Īs Noah spends quality time with Mr. We can just say, ‘Oh, he’s in Florida for the winter, he’ll be back soon,’ but someday that may not be the case, if Mr. “Right now, every day, he’s asking for Mr. “Noah’s not really in a place to understand what’s going on with the team, and that’s probably something that could make it even more heartbreaking,” Schreck said. Moon," even when it’s not baseball season. Schreck says Noah uses his communication device to ask for "Mr. “He’s got an intellectual disability and autism, and so he’s a little more limited on some of the things that he can do or enjoy, and baseball has really been the thing that he gravitates towards,” Schreck said.įor Noah, it’s not only the team, it’s also the mascot. Schreck has been taking his 9-year-old son Noah to the games since he was a baby. “A lot of us don’t live in the big cities and can’t go to major league games, and this is how we expose our kids to baseball,” Asheville Tourists fan Carl Schreck said. If this is the last season of Minor League Baseball in Asheville, a Western North Carolina family could be losing more than just a day of fun at the ballpark. Some of the updates include female staff facilities, equipment room expansion, press box expansion, field lightning improvements, and commissary and dining expansion for home and visiting teams.Ĭity staff say they are focusing attention on McCormick Field funding options that will have no impact on the city of Asheville budget or allocated capital project funds.Īccording to the team, the Asheville Tourists generate an economic yearly impact of around $9.8 million for the county and $7.8 million for the city. The costs of the required changes would amount to $30 million. If a plan and financing isn’t set up, the city will lose the minor league franchise. If a plan and financing isn’t set up by April 1, the city will lose the minor league franchiseĪccording to team leaders, Major League Baseball is requiring updates for the field. Major League Baseball is requiring updates for the field.City staff say they are focusing on McCormick Field funding options that will have no impact on the Asheville budget or allocated capital project funds.The Asheville Tourists could be approaching their last Minor League Baseball season at McCormick Field.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |