Boys of Summer Return!
- Thread starter W-S HerdFan
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Brian Graham, Executive Director of the Appalachian League, said “we are thrilled that the Appy League will be returning to Huntington and looking forward to partnering with Marshall University and the rest of the Huntington community on this new team. Marshall’s new baseball facilities will provide players with one of the best summer collegiate experiences in the country and furthers our goal of making the Appy League the destination for elite college players in the summer.”
@The Real SamC will let us know.
How is the Herdzone article referring to this as "minor league baseball"?
Nice job by Spears and the AD to work this out. Being proactive and adding revenue for the school.
OK.
As predicted. I have consistently said that there are 10 groups of guys around Huntington that would love to play pretend being baseball team owners, if only MU would build them a stadium and rent it to them all summer (probably well below cost). I was right.
In fact the needs of the minor league wanna bes over the simple stadium that a college of our size and commitment needed, and their costs, was one of the reasons the stadium was delayed for 50 years. If not for Big Jim and his repurposing (100% legally, BTW) of C**** 19 money, we still would be a Square One. God Bless Big Jim.
So, what is the Appalachian League? It USED to be the bottom level of real minor league baseball, a "Rookie League" consisting of players just drafted that year, playing a short season before either getting cut or making it to Class A the next spring. MLB cut out the fat from the minor leagues back 2 years ago and dumped the Appy League. This team is the old Princeton team. The school board down there tossed them out because the costs of upkeep of the Princeton HS field they used was too large.
So what is this league today? It is a college wooden bat league for "rising freshmen and sophomores" meaning recent HS seniors and freshmen. College baseball, as you know, is over in June and the kids go out and play in these leagues for some development in the summer. Some of those league, the ones that take rising juniors and seniors, are really good baseball. And, its run by the community. Kids are not paid and live with people in town, that kind of thing. Donations.
So what is the business of Marshall Athletics? Selling tickets and raising money. And Marshall Athletics is now a landlord to, well, people in competition with Marshall Athletics for the finite amount of butts in seats in this area.
I would be more worried if it were a bigger league, but it really just isn't.
As predicted. I have consistently said that there are 10 groups of guys around Huntington that would love to play pretend being baseball team owners, if only MU would build them a stadium and rent it to them all summer (probably well below cost). I was right.
In fact the needs of the minor league wanna bes over the simple stadium that a college of our size and commitment needed, and their costs, was one of the reasons the stadium was delayed for 50 years. If not for Big Jim and his repurposing (100% legally, BTW) of C**** 19 money, we still would be a Square One. God Bless Big Jim.
So, what is the Appalachian League? It USED to be the bottom level of real minor league baseball, a "Rookie League" consisting of players just drafted that year, playing a short season before either getting cut or making it to Class A the next spring. MLB cut out the fat from the minor leagues back 2 years ago and dumped the Appy League. This team is the old Princeton team. The school board down there tossed them out because the costs of upkeep of the Princeton HS field they used was too large.
So what is this league today? It is a college wooden bat league for "rising freshmen and sophomores" meaning recent HS seniors and freshmen. College baseball, as you know, is over in June and the kids go out and play in these leagues for some development in the summer. Some of those league, the ones that take rising juniors and seniors, are really good baseball. And, its run by the community. Kids are not paid and live with people in town, that kind of thing. Donations.
So what is the business of Marshall Athletics? Selling tickets and raising money. And Marshall Athletics is now a landlord to, well, people in competition with Marshall Athletics for the finite amount of butts in seats in this area.
I would be more worried if it were a bigger league, but it really just isn't.
Sammy is still looking and waiting for the building permits to the stadium.
Introducing the Tri-State Coal Cats
The Tri-State Coal Cats will play at Marshall University’s brand-new baseball stadium.
Huntington-based Appalachian League team will go by Tri-State Coal Cats, don green and black - WV MetroNews
Team begins play June 4 at Marshall's new Jack Cook Field.
wvmetronews.com
"
Umm.
As usual, Huntington really missed a good opportunity with the name "Coal Cats." The name is awful and the logos look like they were done by a freshman graphic design student at Marshall.....maybe by a 3/5 star rated fiver designer.
It's not "minor league baseball" as Rifle pointed out... In fact, its far from it.
The Appy League is mostly kids that have played one year of college ball (and may or may not have seen the field) trying to get at-bats and innings on the mound over the summer. There's nothing wrong with it, and Im sure I will go to a few games when Im in town over the summer, but let's not confuse it with having a minor league team.
If we were going to have a true minor league team, the folks in charge should be trying to "recruit" (IE steal) the Kinston Wood Ducks. The Texas Rangers A ball team that plays in a shitty old stadium in the middle of nowhere eastern NC.
The Appy League is mostly kids that have played one year of college ball (and may or may not have seen the field) trying to get at-bats and innings on the mound over the summer. There's nothing wrong with it, and Im sure I will go to a few games when Im in town over the summer, but let's not confuse it with having a minor league team.
If we were going to have a true minor league team, the folks in charge should be trying to "recruit" (IE steal) the Kinston Wood Ducks. The Texas Rangers A ball team that plays in a shitty old stadium in the middle of nowhere eastern NC.
Even Charleston, which doesn't have a major Division I/Group of Five university with all of our sports available (some at no admission charged) to enjoy (and is 50 miles further away from Cincinnati) cannot support a minor league team. That is why the Power became the Dirty Birds, a league of has beens and more often never weres, playing in a league that pays in discount food coupons and delusional dreams.
Is it nice that Huntington is going to have a few 17-19 year olds, mostly semi-locals, playing semi-organized baseball all summer? Sure. Anything that makes the community better is fine. Its just not a big deal. Same goes for Charleston, which has players at the other end of the age spectrum, 30 to 35 years olds who think that fairy tales come true and they can make the "show" after all. I will catch a few games of each.
These things come and go, if a college wood bat league that takes "rising" juniors and seniors pops up around the areas, then that would be a good move for both Charleston and Huntington to have teams in.
If I were the powers that be, I would be looking to get the Blizard back.
Is it nice that Huntington is going to have a few 17-19 year olds, mostly semi-locals, playing semi-organized baseball all summer? Sure. Anything that makes the community better is fine. Its just not a big deal. Same goes for Charleston, which has players at the other end of the age spectrum, 30 to 35 years olds who think that fairy tales come true and they can make the "show" after all. I will catch a few games of each.
These things come and go, if a college wood bat league that takes "rising" juniors and seniors pops up around the areas, then that would be a good move for both Charleston and Huntington to have teams in.
If I were the powers that be, I would be looking to get the Blizard back.
Agreed... The Southern Professional Hockey League has shown that minor league hockey can thrive in small cities (Knoxville, Roanoke, Fayetteville NC, etc). They draw good crowds, have major sponsors, etc. Although they dont have traditional "affiliations" the teams in the SPHL have pipelines to teams in the ECHL (which is affiliated).
Essentially, it's Single A hockey just with no direct connections to NHL franchises.
As I understand it, the Appalachian League's affiliation with MLB significantly limited name and mascot options because MLB retains the rights to essentially every name and mascot ever used for a MLB affiliated team, and those involved with this Tri-State team had to come up with something completely original. It is pretty "meh" but I will go to a few games just to watch some local wood bat baseball.
Problem with this is that Huntington barely qualifies today as a "small city". Frankly, it is in reality more in the "town" category! Once it had more population than Roanoke but today has around half their pop. which is just shy of 100,000! Knoxville is much larger.
Same applies to places like Roanoke and Johnson City, Tenn, too, using the 1950 Census figures. Now check out their populations TODAY listed in the latest Census and then look at Huntington's!! Very depressing.
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