Friday, September 19, 2008
Go for the Jays, Richmond!
The minor leagues have ended play for the year. Play of baseball, that is. Now they are playing a new game, namely affiliation musical chairs. And what is shaping up is the biggest musical chairs in years, involving six each of Major League and AAA teams. And this gives some hope to Richmond, Virginia. Richmond may yet be able to snag an AAA team, even though its ballpark is substandard. This is because Richmond is not the only AAA city around with a substandard ballpark.
In January, the Atlanta Braves announced that it is moving the Richmond Braves to Gwinnett County, which is a suburb of Atlanta. This is happening, and so Richmond no longer has a ball club. How does Richmond get one? A long-standing problem has been the ballpark, with its uneven and floody field and a stadium that has shown signs of wear.
Despite this, Richmond may be able to get another AAA ballclub anyway. Earlier I had said Richmond should watch the New York Mets, since it does not like having to partner with the New Orleans Zephyrs, since that club is so far. However, the Mets showed an interest in getting Syracuse instead. That's even closer to New York than Richmond. The Syracuse Chiefs are an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. So I said maybe Richmond should watch Toronto.
But what is evolving instead is the biggest free-for-all in years. First of all, the New York Mets have changed their aim and went for the Buffalo Bisons instead, after the Bisons were let go by Cleveland, since they wanted the Columbus Clippers instead. The Clippers were with the Washington Nationals, who now seem to be teaming up with the Syracuse Chiefs, although the deal is not settled yet, which would mean the Toronto Blue Jays have no AAA affiliate. Meanwhile the Florida (to be renamed Miami) Marlins got the New Orleans Zephyrs, so they dropped the Albuquerque Isotopes, who are going for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who abandoned the Las Vegas 51s, leaving that otherworldly team all by itself on Planet Nobody. Now that was a mouthful. And why did these said Los Angeles Dodgers leave the 51s? Because they had an inferior ballpark, that's why. Sound familiar, Richmond?
First of all, let's make a table of the switches:
It seems like the Toronto Blue Jays will have to settle for the Las Vegas 51s.
But wait. Why did the Dodgers quit the 51s? A bad stadium, that's why. So the Toronto Blue Jays are now stuck with a team that is far away with a bad stadium. So why don't they move the 51s to Richmond? They would still have an AAA team with a bad stadium, but at least it would be much closer. As part of a deal, the Jays would demand that a new stadium be constructed, probably in the winter of 2010. If the team were moved, I would recommend that the name be changed to the Richmond Martins.
There are problems with this deal, though. Richmond does not currently have a franchise, and the Las Vegas community probably owns the 51s. For Toronto to do this, they would have to buy the 51s, then move them to Richmond, which would be in the Pacific Coast League. To fix that problem would require that some PCL team be moved to the International League, or an IL team be moved to the PCL, because a league can't compete with an odd number of teams. But maybe these problems can be resolved, so give it a chance.
Now is the time to act. Richmond, Go for the Jays!
In January, the Atlanta Braves announced that it is moving the Richmond Braves to Gwinnett County, which is a suburb of Atlanta. This is happening, and so Richmond no longer has a ball club. How does Richmond get one? A long-standing problem has been the ballpark, with its uneven and floody field and a stadium that has shown signs of wear.
Despite this, Richmond may be able to get another AAA ballclub anyway. Earlier I had said Richmond should watch the New York Mets, since it does not like having to partner with the New Orleans Zephyrs, since that club is so far. However, the Mets showed an interest in getting Syracuse instead. That's even closer to New York than Richmond. The Syracuse Chiefs are an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. So I said maybe Richmond should watch Toronto.
But what is evolving instead is the biggest free-for-all in years. First of all, the New York Mets have changed their aim and went for the Buffalo Bisons instead, after the Bisons were let go by Cleveland, since they wanted the Columbus Clippers instead. The Clippers were with the Washington Nationals, who now seem to be teaming up with the Syracuse Chiefs, although the deal is not settled yet, which would mean the Toronto Blue Jays have no AAA affiliate. Meanwhile the Florida (to be renamed Miami) Marlins got the New Orleans Zephyrs, so they dropped the Albuquerque Isotopes, who are going for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who abandoned the Las Vegas 51s, leaving that otherworldly team all by itself on Planet Nobody. Now that was a mouthful. And why did these said Los Angeles Dodgers leave the 51s? Because they had an inferior ballpark, that's why. Sound familiar, Richmond?
First of all, let's make a table of the switches:
| AAA Team | Were with this Major team | who will now have |
| Las Vegas 51s | Los Angeles Dodgers | Albuquerque Isotopes |
| Albuquerque Isotopes | Florida (Miami) Marlins | New Orleans Zephyrs |
| New Orleans Zephyrs | New York Mets | Buffalo Bisons |
| Buffalo Bisons | Cleveland Indians | Columbus Clippers |
| Columbus Clippers | Washington Nationals | Syracuse Chiefs |
| Syracuse Chiefs | Toronto Blue Jays | ? |
But wait. Why did the Dodgers quit the 51s? A bad stadium, that's why. So the Toronto Blue Jays are now stuck with a team that is far away with a bad stadium. So why don't they move the 51s to Richmond? They would still have an AAA team with a bad stadium, but at least it would be much closer. As part of a deal, the Jays would demand that a new stadium be constructed, probably in the winter of 2010. If the team were moved, I would recommend that the name be changed to the Richmond Martins.
There are problems with this deal, though. Richmond does not currently have a franchise, and the Las Vegas community probably owns the 51s. For Toronto to do this, they would have to buy the 51s, then move them to Richmond, which would be in the Pacific Coast League. To fix that problem would require that some PCL team be moved to the International League, or an IL team be moved to the PCL, because a league can't compete with an odd number of teams. But maybe these problems can be resolved, so give it a chance.
Now is the time to act. Richmond, Go for the Jays!
