MLB to Small Town America: Drop Dead

[micropolitan guy]

RIP Eugene Emeralds.

Thanks for finding this thread, I put it on the spring training thread because I couldn't find another location.

Eugene Emeralds plan to relocate after stadium efforts fall short

Professional baseball is leaving Eugene.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[DanOregon]

This really sucks. Oregon has lost Five minor league baseball teams in the last 20 years. Medford, Salem-Keizer, Portland (twice!) and now Eugene. We will be down to the Hillsboro Hops after their residents approved a new stadium.
The funny thing is - the wood bat WCL is doing great with teams in Portland (the Pickles!), Corvallis, Springfield and Bend.

 

[micropolitan guy]

This really sucks. Oregon has lost Five minor league baseball teams in the last 20 years. Medford, Salem-Keizer, Portland (twice!) and now Eugene. We will be down to the Hillsboro Hops after their residents approved a new stadium.
The funny thing is - the wood bat WCL is doing great with teams in Portland (the Pickles!), Corvallis, Springfield and Bend.

Don't forget the new Marion Berries, starting this May at John Lewis Field/Willamette U in Salem.

 

[DanOregon]

Oh, of course. Heard John Canzano talk about Medford, but they don't have a stadium that qualifies either. The Medford Rogues play in a California-based collegiate wood bat league.

 

[mpcincal]

This really sucks. Oregon has lost Five minor league baseball teams in the last 20 years. Medford, Salem-Keizer, Portland (twice!) and now Eugene. We will be down to the Hillsboro Hops after their residents approved a new stadium.
The funny thing is - the wood bat WCL is doing great with teams in Portland (the Pickles!), Corvallis, Springfield and Bend.

My first thought when I heard of this (and I remember someone, maybe in this thread and maybe it was you, Dan, mentioning it a few months ago) was they could move up to Keizer since they already had a ballpark up there. Is that feasible, or is a college wood-bat team have that much pull to keep them out?

 

[DanOregon]

I don't think that facility is MLB-approved either for some reason. And I don't understand why it couldn't be upgraded either, but since they lost their Giants affiliation there has been zero effort or talks on upgrades. They play an "independent" league thing there now, use it for high school games.

 

[micropolitan guy]

My first thought when I heard of this (and I remember someone, maybe in this thread and maybe it was you, Dan, mentioning it a few months ago) was they could move up to Keizer since they already had a ballpark up there. Is that feasible, or is a college wood-bat team have that much pull to keep them out?

A man named Jerry Walker has an exclusive lease on Volcanos Stadium. It would require some upgrading to become MiLB compliant, but that could be done much, much cheaper than building a new stadium, which the Ems wanted to do in Eugene.

The problem with Keizer is, no one wants to work with Jerry Walker. No one. Inside of baseball, and outside in the community. With good reason. So except for a very lame semi-pro league that draws about 300 fans per game, the stadium sits empty for much of the year.

The city of Keizer should demand he sell the lease, or revoke it for cause, so it can get qualified ownership to run an affiliated team again.

 

[mpcincal]

A man named Jerry Walker has an exclusive lease on Volcanos Stadium. It would require some upgrading to become MiLB compliant, but that could be done much, much cheaper than building a new stadium, which the Ems wanted to do in Eugene.

The problem with Keizer is, no one wants to work with Jerry Walker. No one. Inside of baseball, and outside in the community. With good reason. So except for a very lame semi-pro league that draws about 300 fans per game, the stadium sits empty for much of the year.

The city of Keizer should demand he sell the lease, or revoke it for cause, so it can get qualified ownership to run an affiliated team again.

Understood. Thanks for the info.

 

[Starman]

In any discussion of minor league facilities, remember "MLB compliant" is actually an utterly arbitrary set of standards imposed by the owners of Major League Baseball, Inc. for a variety of reasons, many of which have very little to do with playing baseball games. Most media stories on the topic toss out the terms "MLB compliant" or "built according to MLB specifications" as if it's got something fundamentally to do with playing the game, or that the standards are holy writ carved in golden tablets handed down from the gods on Mount Olympus.

 

[dixiehack]

Don't forget the new Marion Berries, starting this May at John Lewis Field/Willamette U in Salem.

Interview with the first Marion Berries pitcher to lose a game.

"The bench set me up!"

 

[micropolitan guy]

In any discussion of minor league facilities, remember "MLB compliant" is actually an utterly arbitrary set of standards imposed by the owners of Major League Baseball, Inc. for a variety of reasons, many of which have very little to do with playing baseball games. Most media stories on the topic toss out the terms "MLB compliant" or "built according to MLB specifications" as if it's got something fundamentally to do with playing the game, or that the standards are holy writ carved in golden tablets handed down from the gods on Mount Olympus.

Oh you are right, "MLB compliant" is total bullship and many of the requirements are totally unnecessary. But it's another way to exert control over MiLB and to push out the few remaining mom & pop owners.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Minor League teams in Arkansas no longer have to abide by minimum wage standards for players - because keeping track of the hours they were at work was too difficult.

Inside baseball: Legislature exempts minor league players from state minimum wage - Arkansas Times

A bill to exempt minor league baseball players from the minimum wage is headed to the governor. But the players' union supports it.

arktimes.com