DALLAS–There was more humor than drama during Minor League Baseball’s presidential election, as Pat O’Conner was unanimously elected to a second four-year term by the sport’s league presidents.

O’Conner, who was running unopposed as the Board of Trustees lone candidate, received dramatic votes of confidence during the roll call from Eastern League president Joe McEacharn, Pioneer League president Jim McCurdy and Texas League president Tom Kayser. “The greatest league in all of minor league baseball votes for Pat O’Conner,” Kayser bellowed.

In the end, O’Conner received a standing ovation before thanking everyone in attendance for their “confidence in my ability to advance this organization.”
[...] Continue Reading »

DALLAS–The Rochester Red Wings have a bit of experience operating more than one team at a time. After all, the organization just completed its fourth season running the New York-Penn League’s Batavia franchise, saving Muckdogs from bankruptcy after the 2007 season.

Rochester will up the ante in 2012 when it serves as the main home away from home for fellow International League franchise Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which is set to play its entire home schedule on the road while its home ballpark gets a $40 million rebuild.

The SWB Yankees will play 37 of their “home” games at Frontier Field in Rochester, plus another seven in Batavia. Scranton will split its remaining games among four other International League parks.

Red Wings chairman Gary Larder said Rochester is busy preparing for life as a two-team town in 2012. To accommodate the Yankees, the Red Wings are converting their visitors clubhouse into a second home for Scranton, and they’ll use the smaller staff locker room as the visitors clubhouse. The new visitors clubhouse will be a bit small, Larder said, but it was the best alternative as the team helps Scranton out of a tough situation.

Rochester is paying for the renovations, and it will cover the expenses for all of its Scranton games, as well reaping all of the revenue from those games. It’s a risky proposition, Larder said, but one he believes has the potential to be profitable.

“If we draw 800 fans a night, we’re in trouble,” he said. “But if we bring in a couple thousand we should make a profit.”
[...] Continue Reading »

DALLAS–Hundreds of minor league baseball operators crowded into an oversized conference room at the Anatole Hotel Monday morning to kick off the Winter Meetings by celebrating what made the sport so successful in 2011 amid challenging circumstances.

Minor League Baseball president Pat O’Conner, whose unopposed re-election bid will go to a vote on Wednesday afternoon, highlighted several of the highs from 2011, including: Minor League Baseball’s extension of the Professional Baseball Agreement with Major League Baseball, a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with the umpires union, overall attendance dipping just 0.5 percent as average attendance increased nearly 1 percent, and gross revenue going up about 5 percent in 2010 (the most recent year tabulated), with early indications that 2011 will see another increase.

“Our last 12 months have been filled with devastating and record-setting weather events, continuing economic hardship in our communities, high unemployment, socio-economic issues with health care and government intervention, a jittery Wall Street and gridlocked Washington,” O’Conner said. “Despite these issues, our clubs continue the good work that is minor league baseball . . .

“As we look back on the past few seasons, we can look back on remarkable progress as an organization. Now is not the time to rest on these accomplishments, but use them as the springboard to bigger and better things as a group . . . Together we have accomplished much. Together we will accomplish much more.”
[...] Continue Reading »