Minor League Affiliates

[Benjamin Grimm]

I found this while I was reading Business of Baseball's report on the DirecTV situation:

]The Toronto Blue Jays added a sixth affiliate when they joined the Gulf Coast League just months after they abandoned their team in the shrinking Appalachian League. There was a lot of speculation as to how the Blue Jays would manage their franchise with just five affiliates, but it looks like they answered the question by just switching venues. The minor league team will play at the Blue Jays' Spring Training facility in Dunedin, FL. The Appalachian League still hasn’t figured out what, if anything, it will do with only nine teams. It’s definitely going to make scheduling difficult with one team off at all times, but the idea of having a team of non-drafted players fell through when the nine teams in the league decided they didn’t want to pay for it.

I had no idea that the Appalachian League was in trouble. The Mets have been in the Appalachian League for a long time. They've been in Kingsport since 1980, and they were in Marion as far back as 1965.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Let's pool our resources and establish an independent Appy League team playing in the Jays' old stadium.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I once interviewed a coach for the Gulf Coast Mets. He said the games are all played in the day, and on the practice fields since they don't even attempt to attract fans.

[Benjamin Grimm]

What a lame league.

Why wouldn't they attempt to attract fans? I guess they estimate that the cost of having a stadium staff (ushers, vendors, etc) would exceed the amount of the gate receipts.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Gary Carter plus no fans is strange. How would he know which direction to face?

[metirish]

Edgy DC wrote: Gary Carter plus no fans is strange. How would he know which direction to face?

And Gary complained about the long bus rides when talking about weather he would want to coach again in the minors.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Let's pool our resources and establish an independent Appy League team playing in the Jays' old stadium.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Read up that park -- Calfee Park in Pulaski, Va., was a WPA project built in 1935. It's the 9th oldest stadium in the US of A and in the national refgister of historic places.

Nice setting:

[metirish]

That first picture is beautiful,looks like an old war site the front.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Spectacular! What a beautiful place!

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ladies and gentlemen, your 1977 Jackson Mets!

[stevejrogers]

="Yancy Street Gang"]Ladies and gentlemen, your 1977 Jackson Mets!

We play baseball with a fever
hotter than pepper sprouts

We've been playing in Jackson
Ever since the Mets sent us down
we're playing in Jackson
look out Jackson town...

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mike Scott is already carrying too much weight.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I really thought Greg Pittman had what it took to become equipment manager with the big club.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, he couldn't have gotten much support from Larry Prewitt, Stan Hough, and Mike VanDeCasteele, all of whom saw their major league dreams die a little death that day when Pittman didn't bother issuing them uniforms with numbers for picture day.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ladies and gentlemen, your 1981 Jackson Mets!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Rick Poe, huge dude.

Shake Moore, great name.

Dave Johnson, not thin.

Jimmy Tindel, looks for all the world like a camp counselor.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Shake Moore! Love it.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I currently have his name in the UMDB as "Stephen" Moore, but you can be sure I'll be changing it to "Shake."

[Benjamin Grimm]

Ladies and gentlemen, your 1984 Jackson Mets!

[seawolf17]

Middle row, second from the right, uni #34.

If your name is Reggie Jackson, how the HELL do you not ask for #44?

[dinosaur jesus]

Maybe his ambition was to make people forget that other Reggie Jackson.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I associate Reggie in No. 9 (A's) and his taking 44 so as to bask in Aaron's reflected glory.

[Guest Edgy DC]

E. K. Ward - Director of Transportation

The title of bus driver is nothing to be ashamed of.

Was Martin McPhail one of the Lee McPhail McPhails?

Calvin Shiraldi was a deeply tanned fellow.

[stevejrogers]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I associate Reggie in No. 9 (A's) and his taking 44 so as to bask in Aaron's reflected glory.

Well #9 was taken by Graig Nettles, who was firmly in the Munson camp and had a thing against Reggie anyway, so even if Reggie asked and promised the world he wasn't getting #9