Oklahoma, OK?

[Vic Sage]

It was a one-horse town... and then the horse died.

[Gwreck]

Vegas is official, per Burkhardt tweet.

[Frayed Knot]

Gwreck wrote: Vegas is official, per Burkhardt tweet.

I'm surprised that Moe Green agreed to sell.
On the other hand, maybe not so surprised.

[ashie62]

The Mets AAA Manager in Vegas should be Wally Backman

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Apparently the Mets AAA pitching coach Mark Brewer won't be making the move.

Reading up on Vegas, the stadium is a steamy shithole which city officials would like to replace with something else.

With the 51s' home stadium of Cashman Field outdated and lacking amenities of other Triple-A facilities � players take batting practice in a small cage adjacent to the parking lot and there is a lack of proper rehabilitation equipment, among other shortcomings � aligning with Las Vegas comes with a risk.

[batmagadanleadoff]

A "steamy shithole" of a AAA stadium for the Mets new farm team? Why am I not surprised? At least they'll still have a AAA affiliate.

[Vic Sage]

http://lv51s.milbstore.com//store_contents.cfm?store_id=31&dept_id=-1&product_id=14162

but they have cool merchandise! I prefer aliens to hairy bovines.
And i'm sure any players that had played (and lived) in Buffalo will be THRILLED to be so close to the Vegas strip instead, even if the stadium sucks.
Although i'm sure the hitters will he happier than the pitchers.

[Frayed Knot]

Vegas officials would like to replace the stadium except that Vegas got caught up in the whole wealth via borrowed money and artificially inflated real estate values worse than most places and apparently the city fathers didn't put away enough of their graft money into a rainy day fund, so now they can't.

The deal is for the minimum two years so, as in New Orleans, they're going to ride it out there for the time being and see how the landscape looks down the road.
It's not an ideal situation, but also not a major obstacle. And besides, just think of how much incentive NYM AAA players will have to get away from the lousy facilities an into the big leagues now!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

What's happening is that the city is reluctant to extend the lease for the park as requested by a group trying to buy the team. This wouldn't impact the Mets if they were to get away in 2 years but the story leaves you with the impression that baseball isn't thought of too fondly there and that they know the issue is a substandard park.

[G-Fafif]

Cashman Field was once Major League, literally.

In 1996, the Oakland A's called Cashman Field home for the first six games of the regular season due to construction delays in their home stadium. The games marked the first time ever that a Major League Baseball season opener was held at a minor league park.

[metirish]

From the comments section of the 51s site announcing the deal

BrooklynDave1 This is cheap baseball for a cheap owner family who does not want to go out and spend the money on quality players. It is tough these days being a New York Mets fan. Thank you for this lame product you call baseball. The Mets need to make Wally Backman their manager instead of Terry Collins. Brian Krysz Folks get ready for losing, boring, baseball thanks to MLB lamest GM Sandy Alderson

BrooklynDave1 , come join us here at the CPF.

[Edgy MD]

I may be wrong, but I think we've had Brooklyn Dave back at the MOFo.

"Cheap" isn't really the way it is. If I remember BD correctly, he played that song a lot, but the owners spent themselves into a corner. Foolish, uncreative, shortsighted, too loyal to MLB, too stupid with Madoff, too in bed with Madoff, unappreciative of the asset the team is, dishonest with the fans, dishonest with themselves. --- these are all much fairer criticisms. Now they're forced to be cheap, but getting stupid in combating that label is arguably what got them in this mess.

[Frayed Knot]

'Bay Ridge Dave' was likely the MoFoite you had in mind.
He became even more of a presence (and even more of an idiot) after this place split off.


Anyway, whoever he is, the move to Vegas has nothing to do with "cheapness" unless you want to take the indirect path that being forced to reduce payroll at the major league team is causing minor league affiliates not want to deal with them. Except that it's not like this team is much worse than the ones that were finishing below .500 with near MLB-high payrolls throughout much of the 2000s and, if anything, a de-emphasis on the ML payrolls should be reflected in a more build-from-within model that would benefit their minor league clubs in the years to come.
That he sums it all up with the standard Backman comment just adds to the lack of imagination here.

[Frayed Knot]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: What's happening is that the city is reluctant to extend the lease for the park as requested by a group trying to buy the team. This wouldn't impact the Mets if they were to get away in 2 years but the story leaves you with the impression that baseball isn't thought of too fondly there and that they know the issue is a substandard park.

I wonder if that means that the group trying to buy the team is doing so with the intention of keeping it in Lost Wages or moving it elsewhere.
Either way, I've never been convinced of the idea of LV as a major league quality baseball town. It has nothing to do with the whole gambling question that supposedly haunts all the sports leagues either, I just think the population is too new, too transplanted, too transient, and would be too otherwise distracted - hell, the city is built on distraction - to ever build a true fan-base big enough and loyal enough to support a top sports team, particularly for an everyday, summer sport like baseball. And now that the 'fastest growing US city' bloom is off the rose and its economy exposed as largely built on speculation (again, that whole purpose of the city thing) there is even less to recommend it.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Yeah, apparently the lower level team in Reno is more successful.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

This is likely to be a transitional arrangement like NO, right? How long is the deal for?

[Edgy MD]

Two or four years. I think AAA agreements tend to be for two years and the Las Vegas one definitely is.

It may be transitional, but both organizations will act otherwise.

[Guest The Second Spitter]

Cool.

Get your 51's glow-in-the-dark baseball now.



The "LV" logo is shit, but the "Alien Head" is the shit, especially the Stars and Stripes one. The baseball stitching on the forehead kills me.

[Frayed Knot]

Yes, it's a two-year agreement.

All minor league agreements are for two years or for multiples of two. In this case they'll take the short one and see how the situation is come this time of year 2014.
The problem this time around wasn't just that Buffalo wanted a change but that they did so in a year when so few others cities (and almost none in the east) had expiring agreements.

[MFS62]

Playing in the PCL can be an ego boosting experience for hitting prospects and ego deflating experience for pitching prospects.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

MFS62 wrote: Playing in the PCL can be an ego boosting experience for hitting prospects and ego deflating experience for pitching prospects.

Especially so when Vegas is your home stadium from what I understand.

[Edgy MD]

The Mets Transaction Log wrote: 10/04/12: New York Mets recalled Kirk Nieuwenhuis from Las Vegas 51s.

I guess that makes it all real.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: 10/04/12: New York Mets recalled Kirk Nieuwenhuis from Las Vegas 51s. I guess that makes it all real.

What's the philosophy on that. I saw that recalled some guys from Binghamton too. what's the difference which roster they're not playing on this winter?

[MFS62]

Its the start of "Firm Up Your 40 Man Roster Before the Rule V Draft" Time.
It is the second favorite season of year for baseball fans. (Well, maybe tied with second with the free agent signing and trading seasons.)

Later

[Ceetar]

MFS62 wrote: Its the start of "Firm Up Your 40 Man Roster Before the Rule V Draft" Time. It is the second favorite season of year for baseball fans. (Well, maybe tied with second with the free agent signing and trading seasons.) Later

Those guys are already on the 40 man.

I guess it's probably just notekeeping "these guys are going to major league camp" etc.

[Chad ochoseis]

The Second Spitter wrote: Cool. Get your 51's glow-in-the-dark baseball now. The "LV" logo is shit, but the "Alien Head" is the shit

It took a while, but I just made the connection between the team name, the alien logo, and Area 51.

[Ceetar]

http://theropolitans.com/2012/09/mets-move-triple-to-las-vegas-inherit.html

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Holy shit-- is that Jar Jar Binks? Are we going to be following/rooting for a team with Jar Jar Binks mascot-age?

[Edgy MD]

Cosmo, a fan favorite of all ages, returned to Earth and completed his 12th season as the the Mascot for the Las Vegas 51s (2001-12). Cosmo is a survivor of a spaceship crash who spent time at "Area 51" and was a baseball phenom on his home planet of Koufaxia.

Cosmo makes numerous appearances at elementary schools, businesses and charity functions. For more information regarding Cosmo, call the 51s office at (702) 943-7200.

PERSONAL: Cosmo loves hot dogs, Cracker Jack and popcorn. His favorite music includes Elton John's "Rocket Man," David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust," Styx's "Mr. Roboto," and the Space Jazz Trio. His favorite movies and TV shows include Men in Black (I , II & III), all episodes of the Star Wars saga, Lost in Space and Star Trek.

[metsmarathon]

is that a knockoff jar jar binks? ugh!