Heads Carolina
UPDATE: Overtaken by events. Revised thoughts here.
In all the pre-vacation/Olympics hoopla, I missed a big story. According to Baseball America, Richmond is under consideration to receive a Carolina League (CL) franchise next year. Not an existing one, though — rather, the CL is negotiating to take in two California League (CaL) clubs, then place them in Richmond and another city within the existing CL footprint.
I’m all for it. If Richmond can’t replace the R-Braves with another AAA club, the High-A CL is probably the best option available. Geography complicates a AA alignment: Richmond would be three hours outside the current limits of both the Southern and Eastern Leagues, and though the EL would be most likely, it’s a cultural misfit and thus difficult to build fan-perceived rivalries. (Even with the International League’s more mid-Atlantic base than the EL’s New England-heavy alignment, Richmond’s IL position was still greatly aided by having a Virginia-based partner in Norfolk. Bowie, Maryland wouldn’t do that.) The CL has no such problem, with stable clubs in Salem, Lynchburg and Woodbridge.
Relocating two teams from California to (more-or-less) Carolina also addresses affiliation instability at the High-A level. Eight major-league franchises are located in the Pacific or Mountain Time Zones, but the California League has ten teams. The unlucky two Eastern/Central teams stuck with a CaL affiliate vastly separated from the rest of their minor-league system usually try to dump that affiliation as soon as possible in favor of a Carolina or Florida State League hookup.
A non-trivial problem would be the location of the second team. BA suggests that Fayetteville, NC is in discussion, but the Fayetteville Observer throws cold water on that by noting that the current ballpark is leased through 2013 to a successful team in the college summer wooden-bat Coastal Plains League, the park wouldn’t meet minor league standards anyway, and the current lease-holder would fight a forced move. Ruling out Fayetteville would leave few realistic options in North or South Carolina, and the same goes for Maryland. In Virginia, Waynesboro has been discussed as a future minor-league location (and could draw from both the Valley and Charlottesville), but the only available stadium in the state that could realistically host class-A baseball in 2009 would be UVa’s Davenport Field, where state law prohibits alcohol sales — a business-killer for the minor leagues. Could Waynesboro get a stadium done in a year, and could a franchise financially survive a dry season in Charlottesville until that happened? It may be the best option available if the move has to be made for 2009.
And I’d make a ticket multi-pack commitment right now, because it would sure beat driving to Richmond or Lynchburg.
25 August 2008 / 0 Comments / Tags: baseball