Single A ball is coming to Bowling Green, KY, Reds Affiliate?

[Jharb74]

I've been informed by a couple of people in the Dragons front office is that Chattanooga will kick and scream if the Reds pulled their AA team from there.

I'd rather play Akron, Altoona, Erie, Reading, Binghamton etc. rather than head to Iowa.

I agree, those teams you listed are closer and may make for better rivalries.
But the affiliate world is a cut throat business. Much like the big leagues, if you don't have a state of the art stadium that's less than 10 years old, you better be working on getting one. Unless you have a really old stadium that has a rich history like a Fenway or Wrigley.

Some teams get a new affiliate almost yearly. The Nashville Sounds have had a bunch just within the last 10 years. Of course they have an old run down stadium that will probably cause their death after this year.

Then again you could be like most of the Braves farm clubs, and name your team the Rome Braves, Richmond Braves, etc. So when the team changes affiliation you have to change your team name.

[JaxRed]

In another affiliation rumor, I was speaking with a gentlemen who works for the Columbus Clippers and he said that they hoped to attract either the Reds or the Indians as their major league affiliation when they move into their new stadium in 2009. He noted that their contract with Washington ends that year and he believed that the Indians and Reds AAA affiliate contracts ended that year as well. Is this info correct? I don't know anything about the Reds contract with Louisville, but I would think Louisville would be a better location for the Reds...

Contracts are for 2 year increments and they expire after even years. That is why there was a flury of activity after 2006. But the Bats and Reds signed up for 4 years. Their contract runs thru 2010.

[JaxRed]

I've been informed by a couple of people in the Dragons front office is that Chattanooga will kick and scream if the Reds pulled their AA team from there.

I'd rather play Akron, Altoona, Erie, Reading, Binghamton etc. rather than head to Iowa.

You got some bad info. Chattanooga wanted to end their affiliation after 2006. Castellini himself had to go to Chattanooga and convince them to stay with Reds. And that whatever percieved issues they had would be solved.

[Joseph]

You got some bad info. Chattanooga wanted to end their affiliation after 2006. Castellini himself had to go to Chattanooga and convince them to stay with Reds. And that whatever percieved issues they had would be solved.

Maybe there is truth that Dayton will move up to AA and Bowling Green then becomes low A?

[JaxRed]

Reds are already making overtures to Vero Beach should the Sarasota deal falll apart. Doesn't mean it will come to fruition.

But Reds now own the Sarasota High A team, so they could just move it to Vero Beach. The current VB team (Devil Rays) moves after this season

[JaxRed]

Maybe there is truth that Dayton will move up to AA and Bowling Green then becomes low A?

No. Just doesn't fit for wide variety of reasons. If Chattanooga decides to dump Reds (and very well may not happen, Castellini likes stability), then the mostly likely spot for Reds may be Jacksonville. (Which is why I follow this closely).

Jacksonville AA team is affiliated with Dodgers, and they are moving their farm teams out west. Vero Beach and Columbus, Ga ended in 2006. Spring Training leaves after 2008. Only Jacksonville is left.

So Dodgers probbaly go to Texas league, leaving Jax open for Reds who would need new city.

[Joseph]

So any insight into who the Bowling Green team may be an affiliate for? It's "known" it's an A ball team, everything else is just whisper and rumor.

[Reds Freak]

Contracts are for 2 year increments and they expire after even years. That is why there was a flury of activity after 2006. But the Bats and Reds signed up for 4 years. Their contract runs thru 2010.

Thanks for the info Jax, I never knew that. Looks like Cleveland will be the target for Columbus which makes more sense.

[Jharb74]

So any insight into who the Bowling Green team may be an affiliate for? It's "known" it's an A ball team, everything else is just whisper and rumor.

I guess we should just be happy that a team is actually coming to BG!

[Joseph]

I guess we should just be happy that a team is actually coming to BG!

Thrilled to death that they are, but if it's a Reds affiliate I'll be signing up for the season ticket packages they have to sell. If it's not, then I won't. I don't think I can root for a Met's affiliate for example.

[TC81190]

Surprised that Chattanooga would end its Reds affiliation, its been the Reds' for years. Although Dayton as the AA club and Bowling Green would make more sense to me.

[M2]

If Bowling Green were in eastern Kentucky it might work in the Carolina League, but since it's not, high A doesn't look like a good fit.

In a perfect world it would be nice if the Reds could own both Louisville and Columbus, though I suppose shifting down to AA wouldn't appeal to either of those clubs.

[SandyD]

If BG is getting a new team, there must be another SAL team folding. Any idea which that might be, and who it's affiliated with?

[Jharb74]

If BG is getting a new team, there must be another SAL team folding. Any idea which that might be, and who it's affiliated with?

Word on the street is that it's the Hagerstown Suns. Ballparkwatch has reported that they are having trouble coming to terms on a new ballpark and have a current run down one.
Again, this is all water cooler talk in Southwest, KY.

Oh, and they are a Nationals affiliate.

[MrsHammer]

I also live in southcentral Ky and would be thrilled to have minor league baseball here. However, I'm not convinced this is a done deal yet....it is my understanding (from local media) that the whole downtown redevelopment project isn't set in stone yet. I think the group that wants to bring the team to town still has to present a detailed, completed development plan to the city by the end of this month. That would include financing details, solid contractor agreements, and realistic timeline for all projects involved (which not only include a ballpark, but several other projects as well). After following how the Nashville Sounds project basically collapsed at that point in their plans, I won't hold my breath until everything has been signed on the dotted line.

I also read that Mr. Solomon (who is the person that would own the team) had to extend his option to purchase the team by 30 days because the plans here weren't final yet. I think he has until the end of June now to exercise that option. That leads me to believe that he wasn't confident enough of the plans at the original deadline to go ahead and make the purchase. However, assuming that everything does fall into place, I'm leaning toward thinking that moving the Hagerstown Suns is the most plausible of the rumors floating around. They are already in the South Atlantic League, have a crappy stadium with no apparent plans to get a new one, and Mr. Solomon's current business dealings are all focused in the that general area of the country, which could make sense that he would have the option on that particular team. Granted, the Nationals aren't the closest major league team to this area, but it is still not implausible from a geographical standpoint.

I'm very curious to see how things pan out.