Yankees end 28 year affiliation with Columbus Clippers

[savafan]

http://blogs.trb.com/sports/baseball/yankees/blog/

The Yankees have informed the management of the Columbus Clippers that they intend to find a new Triple-A affiliate, the latest sign of Brian Cashman’s increased power.

Columbus has been the Yankees’ Triple-A home for 28 years because of George Steinbrenner’s connections, having grown up in the Cleveland suburbs and a longtime Ohio State supporter.

But the Clippers’ stadium is widely regarded as the worst in the International League, and although a new stadium has been in the works for a while, it is not expected to be ready until 2009.

Cashman refused to comment yesterday, but Clippers GM Ken Schnacke told The Columbus Dispatch today that Yankee officials told the team about their intentions more than a week ago.

The Yankees undoubtedly are looking to move their top-level affiliate closer to the Metropolitan area, which will help to shuttle players, in addition to significantly upgraded facilities. One possibility is Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Phillies’ Triple-A home from 1989 until this season, which will be their last. Their plans to move to Allentown after a year in Ottawa have been widely reported.

Many current Yankees stopped in Columbus, from Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera to Chien-Ming Wang, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano.

[Heath]

Aren't we signed with Louisville until 2011? Rats - Columbus would be cool.

I don't know the Indians situation - but the Indians leave Buffalo for Columbus, the Blue Jays leave Syracuse for Buffalo and then the Yanks get Syracuse.

Just a thought.

[Joseph]

Stop trying to steal the Bats being a Reds affiliate from us Kentuckians!

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Heath

Aren't we signed with Louisville until 2011? Rats - Columbus would be cool.

I don't know the Indians situation - but the Indians leave Buffalo for Columbus, the Blue Jays leave Syracuse for Buffalo and then the Yanks get Syracuse.

Just a thought.

Sounds like a likely scenario to me, depending on the contract status of those other affiliates. I also wondered if the Yanks might not try to get Albany in the mix somehow.

Columbus has always been a good place to go to a game, even though the stadium is in a tough neighborhood and it doesn't live up to AAA standards anymore. In the early to mid 90s it sure was rockin.

[Heath]

Originally Posted by dabvu2498

Sounds like a likely scenario to me, depending on the contract status of those other affiliates. I also wondered if the Yanks might not try to get Albany in the mix somehow.

Columbus has always been a good place to go to a game, even though the stadium is in a tough neighborhood and it doesn't live up to AAA standards anymore. In the early to mid 90s it sure was rockin.

They are getting a new park - Huntington Park - which will be built in the Arena District and should be ready by 2008 or 2009.

I just logged onto the dispatch.com - I'll pull some stories.

[Heath]

Top Story from Dispatch -

Yankees end relationship with Clippers
Friday, September 15, 2006
Craig Merz
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

If the Columbus Clippers are to be affiliated with a New York team next season, it will have to be the Mets and not the Yankees, their major-league partner for the past 28 seasons.

The Yankees informed Columbus Baseball Team Inc. last week that they will explore other triple-A options, possibly moving their top prospects to Moosic, Pa., in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.

The Clippers, who are owned by Franklin County, have until Sept. 30 to forge a new player-development contract. Three majorleague clubs remain unsigned for next season: the Mets, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals.

"I can guarantee we will have baseball in Columbus next season," Clippers president Ken Schnacke said. "We’re entering an entirely different era of baseball."

The planned Arena District ballpark will be a lure to a potential affiliate, Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks said.

"We are, from what I understand, much sought-after," she said.

Huntington Park is scheduled to open sometime in 2008 but possibly as late as the start of the 2009 season. The Clippers are looking for a two-year deal, but it won’t be with Cincinnati or Cleveland. The Reds (Louisville, Ky.) and Indians (Buffalo, N.Y.) have working agreements through 2008.

Schnacke would not rule out pursuing those clubs in the future.

There are 30 major-league teams and 30 teams in two triple-A leagues. The Clippers are a member of the International League.

Major-league teams looking elsewhere for minor-league affiliations have a limited pool of potential partners, International League president Randy Mobley said.

No one gets left out, he said.

Many in baseball thought the Yankees would stay put as long as former Columbus resident George Steinbrenner owned the team. However, Clippers employees can’t recall seeing either Steinbrenner or Yankees general manager Brian Cashman at Cooper Stadium the past two seasons.

Cashman issued a "no comment" yesterday when asked about the split.

He is thought to be behind the push to move the Yankees to the Scranton area because of its location, approximately 120 miles west of New York.

The Philadelphia Phillies informed the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons this year that they were pulling out to build a new stadium in Allentown, Pa. The Phillies are expected to replace Baltimore in Ottawa until the Allentown site is ready in 2008.

The other minor-league teams in the market for a major-league affiliate are Norfolk, Va., and New Orleans.

The Clippers returned pro baseball to Columbus in 1977 after a seven-year absence. They had two sub-.500 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before signing with the Yankees in 1979 for the first of three straight International League championship seasons.

Columbus also won playoff titles in 1987, 1991, 1992 and 1996 while sending future stars such as Bernie Williams, Don Mattingly, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to the parent club.

Eighteen players with the Yankees’ 1996 World Series championship team also played for the Clippers.

The status of Clippers manager Dave Miley and coaches Kevin Long and Neil Allen is unclear because they are under contract to the Yankees, Schnacke said. There are no plans to change the Clippers nickname, Schnacke said, and any color or uniform alterations likely would wait until after next season. Dispatch reporter Robert Vitale contributed to this story.

cmerz@dispatch.com

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Heath

They are getting a new park - Huntington Park - which will be built in the Arena District and should be ready by 2008 or 2009.

I just logged onto the dispatch.com - I'll pull some stories.

Yeah, I know... now I hope they have a team to fill it.

[Heath]

FAQ about the Clippers Future

ome answers
Friday, September 15, 2006

The sudden news that the New York Yankees are abandoning Columbus after 28 seasons leads to some obvious questions. Q : Why did the Yankees decide to do this? A : Columbus is nearly 550 miles from the Yankees’ home base in New York. The Yankees’ double-A team plays just down the highway in Trenton, N.J., and the Yankees probably would like their top farm team closer, too. The Philadelphia Phillies recently ended their affiliation with Scranton, Pa., one location the Yankees might target. Q : What will happen to baseball in Columbus? A : The Clippers are owned by Franklin County and will seek a new major-league affiliate. They can begin negotiations Saturday and must sign a contract by Sept. 30. Team president Ken Schnacke said the Clippers will play in 2007. Q : What major-league team will the Clippers choose? A : Three teams are currently without contracts for a triple-A team: the Baltimore Orioles, the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals. Q : What about the Indians or the Reds? A : Cleveland and Cincinnati are both committed to their triple-A sites — Buffalo, N.Y., and Louisville, Ky., respectively — through 2008. Q : How does this affect plans for a new ballpark? A : It doesn’t. Franklin County will proceed with plans for Huntington Park, and the promise of a new stadium could attract interest from majorleague teams. Q : How does the relationship between major- and minor-league teams work? A : Each of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams has an affiliation with a triple-A, the highest level, minorleague club. Terms vary, but contracts are two or four years. The major-league club controls personnel and pays salaries and some operating expenses. The minor-league club shares a portion of its ticket revenue with the major-league club and sustains itself through corporate sponsorships and game revenues.

— From staff reports

.

Interesting - I think that Washington would be the best match - would not be shocked if Norfolk wanted the Nationals as well.

[Heath]

Bob Hunter's take - Former Hamilton News Journal guy, IIRC.

COMMENTARY
Yankees’ exit from Columbus could open door for Reds or Indians in 2009
Friday, September 15, 2006
BOB HUNTER

Get out your pencil and put a circle on the calendar. On second thought, circle the whole calendar. The one for 2009.

Even barring construction delays, Columbus likely will have its new Arena District ballpark by then, and with a little luck it will have another new major-league affiliate, the one that succeeds the team that will succeed the Yankees.

Confused?

It looks more complicated than it is. Now that the Yankees are looking elsewhere for a triple-A affiliate, the Clippers need to sign a two-year deal with any team available — at the moment, the Mets, Orioles and Nationals are candidates — with an eye on ending that affiliation at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

Although that’s not an ideal scenario for a city seeking a new partnership, it gives county officials two years to make a sales pitch to the Reds and Indians organizations. Their agreements in Louisville (Reds) and Buffalo (Indians) expire after the 2008 season.

Cincinnati and Cleveland recommitted this summer, so the timing couldn’t have been much worse for the Clippers. But then, the Clippers created this mess for themselves by loyally re-signing with the Yankees year after year when the Yankees have long been rumored to be interested in a market closer to New York.

The Phillies’ decision to leave Scranton, Pa., apparently set this in motion. The Yankees love Scranton because it is only 120 miles from New York, and Scranton loves the Yankees for the same reason.

Columbus loves the Reds and Indians for their proximity, but Clippers officials have steadfastly stood by the Yankees and have been unwilling to make the first move.

That’s how we came to what amounts to a worst-case scenario: The Yankees inform the Clippers they don’t want to be here, and when the Clippers look at the two Ohio teams who would be a perfect fit, they are locked into two-year agreements elsewhere.

There is no guarantee either of the Ohio teams can be lured here in 2009, but it is incumbent on Clippers and county officials to do everything in their power to get this done.

Having the Mets or Orioles minorleaguers in town wouldn’t be the end of baseball in Columbus — the new Huntington Park is going to create excitement no matter who plays there — but a lot of local fans have been vocal about their hostility toward the Yankees and their desire for a Reds or Indians farm team.

With a beautiful new ballpark and a resurgence of interest, Columbus can make a compelling case for a change in affiliation. A smart major-league general manager would recognize that this is an opportunity to gain an edge in ticket sales, media coverage and interest over an entire region currently fairly evenly split in loyalty between the Ohio franchises.

While there might be backlash from some local fans if the Clippers align themselves with one Ohio team over the other — one excuse team officials have used for remaining with the Yankees — it has become clear there are not nearly as many people in that category as there are people who refuse to go to the park simply because the players grow up to be Yankees.

Indians fans, who have viewed the Yankees as American League rivals for years, have generally said they would buy tickets to see Reds triple-A players.

If that’s true, there should be slight bump in ticket sales in 2007.

With either the Reds or Indians in Huntington Park in 2009, the city might even fall in love with minorleague baseball again.

Bob Hunter is a sports columnist for The Dispatch

[Heath]

not to hijack the thread title - but here's a picture of Huntington Park - and get this - it faces downtown

[redsmetz]

Originally Posted by Heath

Aren't we signed with Louisville until 2011? Rats - Columbus would be cool.

I don't know the Indians situation - but the Indians leave Buffalo for Columbus, the Blue Jays leave Syracuse for Buffalo and then the Yanks get Syracuse.

Just a thought.

I think this is a perfect scenario. Louisville, IMO, is co-equal to both Indy and Columbus. I think though, the Reds are better off in Louisville drawing interest from the Kentucky, southern Indiana area. It does occur to me though that Cleveland taking Columbus might well solidify their hold now on Central Ohio (a result of their rise then coinciding with the neglect from the Schott administration).

[Unassisted]

Taking a year or two off from having minor-league baseball in town would make for a much more energetic launch of the new stadium in Columbus. It would also be a thumb in the eye of the people who opposed the idea of a new stadium.

[HumnHilghtFreel]

As posted in my other thread, I would LOVE if the Reds affiliates moved to Columbus, but as others have shown, it doesn't look like a likely scenario

[osuceltic]

The Reds should do everything they can to make this happen. They'll never lose Louisville as a market, but they could make huge gains against the Indians in Columbus if they did this. I think you'll see the Reds and Indians jockey for this with the Indians ultimately winning out, but it's too bad. Great opportunity for the Reds.

[Jharb74]

As long as the Clippers, or whatever they'll be called, still keep Dime A Dog Night. Those nights were great for starving college kids.