Decision on SWB Yanks fate delayed
The International League Board of Directors met without reaching a final decision on the fate of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees for the 2012 season, as negotiations are still ongoing between team management and potential hosts.
The SWB Yankees are in need of a new home for the 2012 season when PNC Field undergoes an extreme renovation that calls for the removal of the second deck, massive changes in the seating bowl and the installation of a new suite level. The International League Board of Directors, in Albuquerque for the Triple-A Championship Game — congrats to winner Columbus Clippers, by the way — was expected to approve a plan presented by the SWB Yankees management.
But the board was not presented with a proposal — they were merely updated as to potential arrangements, we’re told by several GMs. The issue is both simple and complicated: money. It’s simple in that the SWB Yankees management would like to see more of it, and complicated because potential hosts don’t see the team generating a lot of it — they’re not willing to put up as much money as the SWB Yankees were expecting or would like. No one is going to make a killing hosting SWB Yankees games in 2012 (it’s not as though local sponsors will pay a premium, and there’s the serious chance any tickets sold to a SWB Yankees game would come from the regular sales of the locals), and the proposals on the table reflect that. The SWB Yankees are already going to take a bath on the 2012 season, and any small measure of financial relief is not being provided by potential host teams, which include the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and the Rochester Red Wings. Adding to the complication: who covers losses during the season.
Too bad the most logical solutions, like having the SWB Yanks playing full-time in Staten Island or even Yankee Stadium, as some have suggested, aren’t feasible because of the territorial agreement the Yankees have with the New York Mets. (We’re guessing the New York Yankees would make a killing hosting the team in The Bronx; price every ticket at $10, open concession stands only in the main concourse, and bring in a whole new audience to the ballpark who normally couldn’t afford a night at an MLB game. More than one MiLB owner has suggested to us this would be the ideal solution.)
So we’ll wait to hear what is finally proposed to the International League in coming weeks. We hear there might be a surprise player from outside the ranks of the IL in a position to impact a decision as well.
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
Great scoop DiPro!
Just counteract my little comedy piece with actual news. 🙂
Your shtuff is always good Kram!
Working my way up to ballparkdigest.com credentials – lol
So, let me get this straight…..the SWB Yankees need a place to play while their stadium gets a much needed upgrade. I’m pretty sure my memory is accurate about the SWB Red Barons – now known as the LV Iron Pigs – needing a place to play while a new field was constructed, and they spent the time in Canada. Why can’t the Yankee organization figure out what to do? Why should they have to think about sharing the home fields of other teams when surely the parent org. can afford to send them anywhere they want?
Well Kathy, I believe there are a couple of issues:
1. DiPro’s read more than me, but I believe I read somewhere that the Ottawa Lynx option no longer exists.
2. The parent Yankees probably would like to keep the team rather close to home because it eases the shuttling of players up and down. I know they were in Columbus for a long time, but they’ve probably grown accustomed to having the team rather nearby.
3. But, not too close. As you’ve probably read, they can’t move too close without competeing with the Mets (nevermind that they might be able to beat the Mets, but that’s another post for another time).
4. The parent Yankees ownt the team, I believe, and likely know that they are going to lose money this year. It’s only a question of how much. As I wrote yesterday, it wouldn’t be fair for an established team to get put out, but then you have to wonder if potential hosts are also getting greedy–holding up a deal.
5. It’s ALWAYS about the money–doesn’t matter how much they have.
ooh, one more thing: The International League likely has rules about the quality of the facility that may host a AAA game. They can’t just stick them on a high school field or something. I think this is part of the problem with just going back to Ottawa.
Absolutely correct Kram. Ottawa was ruled out because it would have taken a million bucks to get it into playing shape for AAA Baseball.
I know way too much about this stuff than I need to – lol
It’s been fun speculating/talking about it and it will be interesting to see the result.
Complicating the whole matter is that the Yankees themselves are supposedly selling their portion of the AAA team to Mandalay Baseball Properties (http://www.mandalay.com/#/about/) who in fact manages the team now.
At the end of the day as we all have said it’s mostly about the money more so than anything else.
From the reaction of the IL office I believe there will be a decision soon or there will be no SWB Yankees…. We shall see.
so, um, let’s say there’s no SWB Yankees in 2012. Do I get a refund for the 2012 home games vs. SWB or does it get pushed forward as a credit for 2013? 😉