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choose one

Buffalo	12 votes
Syracuse	14 votes

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 04 2008 05:54 AM

Where would you prefer the mets AAA team to locate? Please discuss the merits of these fine cities of the empire state, appearing to be the choices for the mets next year.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 06:09 AM

Syracuse, only because it's closer to Queens. But as long as they're in the International League I'll be happy, because it will allow me to see them play in Allentown.

smg58 Sep 04 2008 06:14 AM

Syracuse, simply because it's closer. (On a purely selfish note, I wouldn't mind seeing Citibank Park in Central Islip make a pitch for them. Watching future Mets would have much more appeal than watching past Mets. Last month I saw Fonzie, Everett, and the rest of the Ducks get beat by Jose Lima. How depressing.)

metirish Sep 04 2008 06:58 AM

Never been to either City but I'm thinking Syracuse is more appealing , it's closer and everything I have read about Buffalo is depressing.

MFS62 Sep 04 2008 07:03 AM

Buffalo, because: 1) My mother's family is from Buffalo 2) I can get 1520 AM on my car radio at night. And that's the station that broadcasts the Buffalo sports teams (college and pro). 3) I root for UCONN, so I can't bring myself to root for a team with "Syracuse" across its chest. Later

soupcan Sep 04 2008 07:09 AM

Syracuse, because: 1) MFS62's mother's family is from Buffalo 2) It's a helluva lot closer than Buffalo 3) I'm a Syracuse alum, so it makes it easier to root for a team with "Syracuse" across its chest.

Methead Sep 04 2008 07:13 AM

Syracuse is pretty depressing too, but yeah, it's closer to NYC and the ballpark is relatively new (10 years old). Plus if we all take a roadtrip up there, we can totally crash at my folks' place.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 07:20 AM

Both Syracuse and Buffalo are former Mets AAA affiliates. They were in Syracuse in 1962 (sharing their affiliation with the Washington Senators) and the Buffalo Bisons were a Mets farm club from 1963 through 1965. I just checked on MiLB's web site, and it seems that the Syracuse team is still called the Chiefs. I thought I had read that they changed the name to "SkyChiefs." Either I'm remembering wrong or they recently changed it back. (I much prefer Chiefs to SkyChiefs.)

Farmer Ted Sep 04 2008 07:24 AM

There was buzz in Buffalo about an expansion team at one time. I think it was Florida and Colorado that won out that go-round. The stadium there, apparently, can expand to about 35,000 if need be.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 07:25 AM

This is from the website of a Syracuse TV station: ="WSYR, Channel 9"]Schumer: Syracuse, Buffalo battling over Mets AAA team Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - It's very likely we will see the Mets’ AAA team in upstate New York next season -- but there's no guarantee that means Syracuse. Senator Chuck Schumer spoke with Mets owner Jeff Wilpon Tuesday night about the team’s plans for its minor league team, and while Schumer says there’s a 90 percent chance the Mets will relocate upstate, Syracuse is in a close fight with Buffalo for the Mets. Come April 9 next year -- Opening Day -- the Chiefs would love to start the season with the Mets as their affiliate, but they can't officially do anything about that quite yet. "I got the feeling he thought both were very desirable, and that they hadn't come close to making up their minds yet -- hopefully something good can happen," Schumer says. For people in central New York, that would mean the Mets landing in Alliance Bank Stadium. On Tuesday, the Chiefs officially informed Major League Baseball it would be shopping for other affiliations, likely bringing an end to a three-decades long partnership with the Blue Jays. That relationship has produced very few winning teams on the field, which is why many people here are eager to latch on to the Mets. New York's senior senator says he's been making a pitch to the Mets to come to Syracuse since late spring. "I represent both [Syracuse and Buffalo]; originally Syracuse was the first to contact me -- I made a strong pitch for Syracuse," Schumer says. According to Schumer, it's very close between Syracuse and Buffalo. Major League rules prevent the Chiefs, and any other minor league team, from officially talking to the Mets until September 18.

Methead Sep 04 2008 07:25 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I thought I had read that they changed the name to "SkyChiefs.") Yes, they had changed it... I didn't even notice they changed it back.

Fman99 Sep 04 2008 07:36 AM

Methead wrote: ="Benjamin Grimm"]I thought I had read that they changed the name to "SkyChiefs.") Yes, they had changed it... I didn't even notice they changed it back. That is a new change for 2008. Chiefs is much better. I voted for Syracuse, as I live 10 minutes from the ballpark and would love to have the Mets' AAA squad here in town. Buffalo is New York's armpit.

Frayed Knot Sep 04 2008 07:37 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Sep 04 2008 07:42 AM

Is Buffalo even "in play"? I guess technically they all are since most agreements are for two seasons and run out after the even years, but it seems to me that they've been the Cleveland affiliate since ... like forever and I don't know if there are any rumblings of a divorce (as there apparently is with Toronto/Syracuse). And just the fact that pols (Schumer and others) have been touting Syracuse while never mentioning Buffalo makes me think no one is thinking of western NYS as a target. On edit: Article above makes it seems like maybe they are - Buffalo is certainly the bigger market although the AAA team will always be a smaller fish in a bigger pond on account of the two major league sports franchises in that town. - Not sure how the stadium issues factor into things. - Syracuse seems like it's got a better shot at being part of 'Mets country' based on being closer to NYC and further from other ML cities (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Toronto) while Buffalo always seemed to me to be almost more part of the near mid-west than 'upstate' - I knew someone who always used to refer to Buffalo as the "city of basements". Never quite sure what he meant by that. - Felix Unger's brother Floyd lives in Buffalo where he runs a gum company. Felix's idea for including opera cards with the gum didn't go over too well. #10 in the series: Mimi get Tuberculosis

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 07:39 AM

I remember the episode when Felix and Oscar were in Buffalo and one of them looked out the window of the hotel and commented on how many bowling alleys there were.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 04 2008 07:40 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 04 2008 07:43 AM

It's my understanding that Buffalo is a better organization historically, and certainly it draws better than Syracuse. It is also more historically Met-ly than Syracuse, as one of the org's first outposts although I would be shocked if anyone in the Mets org even knows that. Their park is old, is the drawback with them, and the Mets' recent use of AAA as a dumping ground for 30something suspects probably means they are not the best tenant out there for AAA. edit-- The Injuns officially told Buffalo to suck it yesterday, so its in play for sure. The Mts will go, I predict, where it makes them the most $$ and/or costs the least. Not sure which that is?

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 07:42 AM

This was posted on Tuesday: ="WGRZ, Buffalo"] Indians Sever Ties With Buffalo Bisons In a move about as shocking as a sacrifice bunt with a runner at first and nobody out in the late innings of a tie game, the Cleveland Indians officially severed their ties with the Buffalo Bisons, which almost certainly means the Indians AAA operations will soon be located in nearby Columbus. No surprise at all here, as the Cleveland Indians officially notify Major League Baseball of their intention to sever ties with the Buffalo Bisons after 14 seasons, all but certainly to move their AAA affiliation to nearby Columbus, Ohio. Ironically, the Bisons stumbled through their worst season as Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate in 2008, finishing 11 games below .500 and over 20 games out of first place in their division. Although Cleveland must officially wait until September 15th, when MLB officially informs all parties of teams and locations available. Not only is Columbus moving into a new downtown ballpark in 2009, its also expected that SportsTime Ohio, the tv home of the Tribe, will broadcast Triple-A games from Columbus as well. Where does this leave Buffalo? Toronto and Syracuse are splitting, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Blue Jays are headed for Buffalo. A Bisons source tells me the team is concerned about some anti-Toronto sentiment regarding the Bills games there, which might actually result in the Bisons going with the NY Mets. We probably won't know until September 18th, when clubs can officially begin negotiating. Quiet negotiations, rest assured, are already underway.

soupcan Sep 04 2008 07:42 AM

As a student at SU from '83-'87 there was always a very large portion of the student body that hailed from the NYC area - especially Long Island. Having a ready-made base of transplanted Mets fans in Syracuse as a result would be a great thing for the team.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 04 2008 07:43 AM

Of course they are out of school for the majority of the season.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 07:44 AM

I would think that the Blue Jays would rather be in Ottawa than in Buffalo, but the Ottawa franchise folded a year ago and was replaced in the International League by Lehigh Valley. Could Ottawa be resurrected? And if it is, would that mean the end of Buffalo?

seawolf17 Sep 04 2008 07:45 AM

No, Utica is the armpit of New York. Buffalo's pretty bad, though. I voted Syracuse selfishly also -- a lot easier for us when we're up visiting family.

soupcan Sep 04 2008 07:50 AM

Most of them sure, but a lot of kids did stay through the summer. I remember going to more than a few games a year.

Centerfield Sep 04 2008 07:52 AM

Syracuse. Being from Oswego and all.

AG/DC Sep 04 2008 08:06 AM

Newburgh is the armpit of New York. I'm going with Buffalo. There's more other tourism around there, with the Falls and Toronto within driving distance, a more accessible airport, and it's the gateway to the Midwest when driving cross country. Buffalo, next stop Erie, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Gary... Wait, who stops in Gary? Can Rochester not be considered a candidate?

metsguyinmichigan Sep 04 2008 08:14 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 04 2008 08:16 AM

I voted for Syracuse because "Buffalo Bisons" is a really, really dump name. (And I realize that there is a difference between a buffalo and a bison.) Gary. Shudder. Of all the times I've made the trip between Grand Rapids and Chicago, I can tell you that I've never once stopped in Gary. The Skyway goes right through downtown, and there's a ballpark right there....but we always keep driving.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 08:16 AM

Farmer Ted wrote: There was buzz in Buffalo about an expansion team at one time. I think it was Florida and Colorado that won out that go-round. The stadium there, apparently, can expand to about 35,000 if need be. I think there was also talk, many years ago, about the Expos relocating there.

soupcan Sep 04 2008 08:16 AM

metsguyinmichigan wrote: (And I realize that there is a difference between a buffalo and a bison.) There is? What's the diff?

metsguyinmichigan Sep 04 2008 08:19 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 04 2008 08:22 AM

Buffalo Bison What everybody calls a buffalo is actually a bison. I learned this the hard way.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 08:19 AM

In America, there's no difference. The animal that's native to North America is a bison, but we call them buffalo. The true buffalo are the European variety, the animals we call water buffalo.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 04 2008 08:25 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 04 2008 08:27 AM

The Chiefs changed the name, but went to a train motif to avoid any PC Indian issues.

soupcan Sep 04 2008 08:25 AM

metsguyinmichigan wrote: What everybody calls a buffalo is actually a bison. I learned this the hard way. My curiousity is peaked.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 04 2008 08:30 AM

soupcan wrote: ="metsguyinmichigan"]What everybody calls a buffalo is actually a bison. I learned this the hard way. My curiousity is peaked. Not that exciting. When I was a kid, we had a trip to that animal place that used to be out the island (might still be there, but I've forgotten the name. ) We had to pick an animal and study it for a couple hours. I picked a bison -- it didn't do a hell of a lot for those two hours, I tell you -- and got marked down big time for calling a it buffalo and not a bison.

Centerfield Sep 04 2008 08:30 AM

Me too. Did you call refer to a Buffalo as a Bison at a bar? Some of them get really touchy about that.

soupcan Sep 04 2008 08:33 AM

="metsguyinmichigan"]Not that exciting. When I was a kid, we had a trip to that animal place that used to be out the island (might still be there, but I've forgotten the name. ) We had to pick an animal and study it for a couple hours. I picked a bison -- it didn't do a hell of a lot for those two hours, I tell you -- and got marked down big time for calling a it buffalo and not a bison. Boooo. I was hoping it had something to with these big honkin' horns.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 08:35 AM

Yeah, really. The "hard way" would definitely involve getting gored, at least a little.

Fman99 Sep 04 2008 08:51 AM

AG/DC wrote: Newburgh is the armpit of New York. I think Buffalo, then, is the salty grundle of New York State.

seawolf17 Sep 04 2008 09:06 AM

I'd love Rochester, but I know they're pretty happy with the Twins. (Don't know how reciprocal the feeling is.) Compared with Syracuse and Buffalo, though, it's heaven. Rochester's something of a Yankees town, FWIW. Always kinda drove me nuts. Not to say the Mets couldn't win them over. The team logo is buffalogically correct, however.

metsguyinmichigan Sep 04 2008 09:49 AM

See? Now there you go. They would lose all kinds of points in Mr. Ludwig's class. Just like me.

G-Fafif Sep 04 2008 09:55 AM

They're both a million miles from here, but I tend to think everything above Riverdale is upstate. Voted for Buffalo because I have a friend, originally from Long Island, up there whom it would make very happy. I visited SU twice for high school journalism conferences. Bought one of my all-time favorite t-shirts there, an orange going through a net, the orange saying Syracuse in Sunkist lettering. Man did I wear that thing to death. If Syracuse wins, prepare to hear how the Mets are grooming their Chief prospects.

seawolf17 Sep 04 2008 09:55 AM

I know it's a hoof, but it kinda looks like he's wearing pumps.

G-Fafif Sep 04 2008 11:01 AM

Metphistopheles (my Buffalo-based friend) gives an informed take on Bisons vs. Chiefs [url=http://community.livejournal.com/metphistopheles/2008/09/03/]here[/url].

metirish Sep 04 2008 11:10 AM

seawolf17 wrote: I know it's a hoof, but it kinda looks like he's wearing pumps. True ,and very gay.

Methead Sep 04 2008 11:33 AM

"Its stadium is also smaller, far more sterile, possessed of artificial turf..." Wikipedia claims they switched to real grass last year. I don't know for sure though.

Centerfield Sep 04 2008 11:35 AM

seawolf17 wrote: I know it's a hoof, but it kinda looks like he's wearing pumps. Shouldn't his hands also be hoofs as well?

seawolf17 Sep 04 2008 11:38 AM

Centerfield wrote: ="seawolf17"]I know it's a hoof, but it kinda looks like he's wearing pumps. Shouldn't his hands also be hoofs as well? No, it's too hard to hold a bat or throw a curveball.

soupcan Sep 04 2008 11:38 AM

Methead wrote: "Its stadium is also smaller, far more sterile, possessed of artificial turf..." Wikipedia claims they switched to real grass last year. I don't know for sure though. [url=http://onondagacountyparks.com/parks/alliance/]Yup[/url]

Farmer Ted Sep 04 2008 01:30 PM

Buffalo stadium review: http://www.ballparkreviews.com/buffalo/buffalo.htm Syracuse Stadium review: http://www.ballparkreviews.com/syracuse/pc.htm

Nymr83 Sep 04 2008 02:07 PM

i guess i'd rather be closer in Syracuse, but either one is a big improvement over New Orleans.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 02:22 PM

I wonder who's going to lose the musical chairs game and end up in New Orleans? Cleveland appears headed to Columbus. Toronto looks like it will be looking for something else. (Maybe they'll get Buffalo.) Who's currently in Columbus? Is it Washington? I bet they get New Orleans.

Nymr83 Sep 04 2008 02:23 PM

maybe they should move the new orleans team to a city that nobody considers "losing" the game, because i can't think of an MLB team that would want to be stuck there

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 02:30 PM

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The New Orleans franchise can relocate to Ottawa, restoring baseball to that city and the Blue Jays can play there. Then the Nationals could get Buffalo. I think it wouldn't look good for Organized Baseball to abandon New Orleans, though. They probably get public relations points for staying there and being part of the recovery. But that doesn't make it any better for the team that ends up stuck there.

sharpie Sep 04 2008 02:40 PM

New Orleans' population is still much larger than somewhere like Syracuse. I'd rather travel there than either Buffalo or Syracuse.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 02:42 PM

It wouldn't be inconvenient for the Astros. I bet there are a lot of Houston fans in New Orleans.

Farmer Ted Sep 04 2008 05:00 PM

Would still like the Mets to cut through the muckety red tape and move the AAA team to Brooklyn and add 5,000 more seats.

AG/DC Sep 04 2008 05:51 PM

I'd guess that there'd be a third big-league team before a AAA team. Maybe the Yanks would agree if they could upgrade their area team, but that would just underscore their failure. Yanks should have set up their local A team in Hoboken. Jersey, Sinatra, drunken entitled post-college mooks, organized crime --- got the Yankees all over it.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 06:17 PM

Farmer Ted wrote: Would still like the Mets to cut through the muckety red tape and move the AAA team to Brooklyn and add 5,000 more seats. If I lived in Brooklyn, or anywhere really, I'd rather have a AA team near me than a AAA. Double A has prospects, Triple A has a lot of retreads and hangers-on.

Frayed Knot Sep 04 2008 06:20 PM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It wouldn't be inconvenient for the Astros. I bet there are a lot of Houston fans in New Orleans. Houston had their AAA club there for a number of years until the Nolan Ryan owned Round Rock, Tx (suburb of Austin) team upgraded themselves from AA to AAA status. Now with Ryan in the front office of the Rangers club Round Rock might shift to them - along with AA Corpus Chisti which he also owns - leaving Houston to do some off-season scrambling. New Orleans can't just decide to up and go to Ottawa especially since those are different leagues. It would create an imbalance in both. If the Mets wind up somewhere in the Int'l Lg it means that someone there now has to wind up in the PCL.

DocTee Sep 04 2008 06:24 PM

New Orleans would make sense for Houston or Atlanta, I suppose. Montreal should have a AAA squad.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 04 2008 06:26 PM

I was thinking that Ottawa could be a PCL team.

Frayed Knot Sep 04 2008 06:31 PM

I can't imaging that the PCL would approve of that. Think of the travel. Atlanta is one of the few teams that actually owns their AAA team and they announced months ago that they're abandoning Richmond, VA and moving the team to ... Atlanta! A suburban county near Atlanta actually some 20-30 miles outside of town.

cooby Sep 04 2008 07:33 PM

why are they moving?

AG/DC Sep 04 2008 07:57 PM

DocTee wrote: Montreal should have a AAA squad. Montreal should have an unaffiliated squad.

Fman99 Sep 05 2008 06:31 AM

="DocTee"]Montreal should have a AAA squad. Montreal was a AAA squad.

themetfairy Sep 05 2008 07:18 AM

="Fman99"] ="DocTee"]Montreal should have a AAA squad. Montreal was a AAA squad. Jackie Robinson played on the Dodgers' Montreal farm team before coming up to the big leagues.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 05 2008 07:27 AM

If I could go back in time and revise history, I would have given two of the 1969 expansion teams different names: I'd call the Montreal franchise the Royals, and the Kansas City franchise the Monarchs.

soupcan Sep 05 2008 08:01 AM

Benjamin Grimm wrote: If I could go back in time and revise history, I would have given two of the 1969 expansion teams different names: I'd call the Montreal franchise the Royals, and the Kansas City franchise the Monarchs. This a fun exercise that we've done before. What should the expansion teams been named? Colorado Rockies - Denver Bears Florida Marlins - Miami Marlins (just might get my wish on this one - name change to 'Miami' is supposedly one of the new stadium conditions) Arizona Diamondbacks - Phoenix Rattlers or Rattlesnakes Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays - for some stupid reason I liked Tampa Bay Manatees. No idea why, I know it's a bad, if not worse, than the actual name. San Diego Padres - Perfect Los Angeles Angels - fine. Houston Colt .45s/Astros - Houston Rockets Toronto Blue Jays - if Blue Jays are indigenous to Toronto, fine. Seattle Mariners - I like this one a lot.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 05 2008 08:06 AM

I'm with you on the Denver Bears. I would have named the Arizona team the Phoenix Firebirds. (That was the name of their AAA team. I think it was a Giants affiliate.) It looks like Toronto's old minor league team was called the Maple Leafs, so I can understand why they didn't stick with that.

AG/DC Sep 05 2008 08:09 AM

Relocated/Renaemed teams -- Washington Nationals is fine but the look isn't doing it for me. That may be because nothing is doing it for me. Texas Rangers - fine. Minnesota Twins is too much of civic compromise, at two levels. Something mid-western like Millers or Pioneers or Plainsmen or Ingalls Family.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 05 2008 08:11 AM

The minor league team that played there was the Minneapolis Millers. "Lakers" is a great name for a team from Minnesota. I'm guessing the NBA team hadn't yet vacated to Los Angeles when the Senators arrived from Washington?

MFS62 Sep 05 2008 04:23 PM

Farmer Ted wrote: Buffalo stadium review: http://www.ballparkreviews.com/buffalo/buffalo.htm Syracuse Stadium review: http://www.ballparkreviews.com/syracuse/pc.htm Thanks. I remember when the Buffalo team played in old War memorial Staduim. It was a football field jury-rigged (anyone use that term any more?) for baseball. Like the L.A. Colliseum, it had a very short left field line with a high screen. IIRC, Pirate (then) minor leaguer Bob Veale had a game there in which he struck out 15-17 batters in around 7 innigs and gave up 7 runs on cheap homers over that screen. The new park looks a lot better suited for baseball. Later

Frayed Knot Sep 10 2008 07:56 AM

From A. Rubin's blog: - "The Daily News has learned that [u:114e26a19b]the Mets are trying to buy a portion of the Syracuse franchise[/u:114e26a19b]"... but if they don’t succeed Buffalo’s facility, which averages nearly 9,000 fans a game, is more attractive than the one in Syracuse.

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2008 04:35 PM

More from Rubin: Triple-A Buffalo is expected to announce its new affiliation at a press conference next Monday. While nothing is official, I’d wager that’s where the Mets are relocating from New Orleans. Syracuse seems like a pretty dysfunctional situation from this distance.

MFS62 Sep 17 2008 09:51 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 17 2008 10:03 AM

Verifying that they'll be shufflin' off to Buffalo: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/mets_pick_buffalo_over_chiefs.html Later

metirish Sep 17 2008 10:03 AM

Those were the days Eliot .

Fman99 Sep 17 2008 10:12 AM

MFS62 wrote: Verifying that they'll be shufflin' off to Buffalo: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/mets_pick_buffalo_over_chiefs.html Later This stinks. Of course Buffalo routinely draws twice the attendance to their AAA park than Syracuse does and our scoreboard is shot. It doesn't matter -- the Mets' best prospects always play more in AA and a Buffalo affiliate means regular trips to Syracuse. In the past Norfolk only came up here once per year.

soupcan Sep 17 2008 10:23 AM

Boy, the Mets are sure doing a good job in forcing their fans to try to look on the brightside of things these days aren't they?

themetfairy Sep 17 2008 11:31 AM

I'm fine with it. It might prompt me to visit Buffalo one of these years. My dad's family is from there, so it would be a good excuse to check out my family history. Buffalo is also convenient to Niagra Falls and Toronto, both of which are great places to visit. And Buffalo in the summer is a big improvement on New Orleans! Road trip anyone?

soupcan Sep 17 2008 11:36 AM

themetfairy wrote: Road trip anyone? To Buffalo? You must be high.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 17 2008 11:46 AM

When it comes to places worth visiting, New Orleans has it all over Buffalo. But if I ever decide to take the kids to see Niagara Falls, I might make a point of doing it while the Bisons are playing at home.

Valadius Sep 18 2008 12:56 PM

]Source: Indians tap Columbus for new affiliate By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 21 minutes ago CLEVELAND (AP)—The Cleveland Indians have agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Columbus Clippers, who will be the club’s top minor league affiliate. The agreement with Columbus runs through 2012, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized. An announcement could come as early as Friday. The deal was first reported on The Columbus Dispatch’s Web site. The Clippers, who were the New York Yankees’ Triple-A team from 1979-2006 and Washington’s the past two years, are opening a new $55 million downtown ballpark next season. Huntington Park is located in the city’s Arena District, just down the street from where the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets play. Columbus played its last game at 76-year-old Cooper Stadium last month. Cleveland recently broke ties with the Buffalo Bisons, who served as the Indians’ top minor league team since 1995. The New York Mets are reportedly close to finalizing a deal with Buffalo. Cleveland’s move to Columbus has been expected for months. With a team in the state capital, the Indians will now have four minor league teams in Ohio. They already have affiliates in Akron (Double-A), Lake County (Class A) and Mahoning Valley (Class A).

Met Hunter Sep 18 2008 02:13 PM

I say move to either Buffalo or Syracuse, then move the NYPenn team to that city and move the AAA team to Brooklyn.

Farmer Ted Sep 18 2008 02:24 PM

Buffalo is cool with me. Good lakefront entertainment spots. Of course, early season is not weather-friendly.

Frayed Knot Sep 18 2008 02:50 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 18 2008 02:54 PM

Met Hunter wrote: I say move to either Buffalo or Syracuse, then move the NYPenn team to that city and move the AAA team to Brooklyn. This has been discussed here before but it seems to get brought up all the time. Promblem is the Mets can't simply do that. The ownerships in Buffalo and Syracuse are the ones who have membership in the Int'l League, not the Wilpons. The road to pull off what you're suggesting involves a lot of steps and outside approvals. They would have to: - Find someone willing to sell them a AAA franchise and buy it - Expand the park in Brooklyn so it meets Int'l Lg standards (if possible) because it doesn't now - Strike an agreeemnt with the Int'l Lg to make Brooklyn one of their teams (they control who's in their league the same way MLB does) and, if granted, move their newly-owned franchise there And even then I don't think they can do it without permission from the Yanx of all people because I believe NYC territorial rights cover the ability to control both MLB and MiLB teams in this area. The Mets & Yanx basically granted each other the right to allow NY-Penn lg teams here because both benefitted the same. Don't think the Steinbrenners would look too fondly at a AAA in Brooklyn. I'm also not sure if the Wilpons would be into it either. They might thing that giving fans a close-to-MLB option nearby would have an affect on attendance in the big park.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 18 2008 02:53 PM

Triple A is, in many ways, not a terribly interesting level. If I were in Brooklyn I'd be coveting the AA franchise in Binghamton instead of the AAA franchise in Buffalo. (Not that that's necessarily any more likely to happen.)

Met Hunter Sep 18 2008 05:22 PM

I wrote that because I'd heard that was the Yankees plan once they landed the Scranton rights. Move the team to S.I. The loophole being that they wouldn't need permission because they already had minor league approval. I guess it's not that simple. But I also agree that I'd rather see AA caliber ball.

Valadius Sep 18 2008 06:09 PM

AA sounds better to me as well. AA ball mostly features guys on the verge of making it, all in their 20s. AAA is a mix of guys almost there and 35-year-old retreads. AA is far more exciting.

Frayed Knot Sep 18 2008 09:11 PM

Met Hunter wrote: I wrote that because I'd heard that was the Yankees plan once they landed the Scranton rights. Move the team to S.I. The loophole being that they wouldn't need permission because they already had minor league approval. I guess it's not that simple. I suspect that any rumors of moving AAA to Staten Island either came from the type of bragging Yanqui fan who thinks rules don't apply when it comes to his team or from the type of paranoid Met fan who sees pinstripes around every corner the same way Joe McCarthy did with communists. 'Minor Legue Baseball' is one big umbrella organization but it's made up of a bunch of different leagues operating independently and on different levels so teams can't just unilaterally decide to cross from one to the other.

G-Fafif Sep 18 2008 11:26 PM

A minor league article in every sense of the word from a Syracuse columnist [url=http://www.syracuse.com/poliquin/index.ssf/2008/09/a_baseball_confessional_plus_t.html]here[/url]. ]I must report that I remain disappointed that we here in Syracuse appear to have lost the New York Mets' Triple-A club to Buffalo. To that end, I compiled for today's editions of The Post-Standard 25 reasons why the Mets seem to be on the verge of making a grave mistake. As a public service, then -- and ever hopeful that the Amazins will come to their senses -- I repeat those 25 reasons why the Mets should choose us (Syracuse) over them (Buffalo): 1. We haven't lost a single Super Bowl. They've lost four of them. 2. Because we had the world premiere of a big-time Hollywood flick right here in our town just last week, and they didn't. 3. How good of a baseball city can Buffalo be? The world champion Boston Red Sox were founded there, but in 1901 they took a quick look around and bolted for the Commonwealth. 4. Tom Cruise, the world's biggest movie star, lived in Syracuse. The guy who played Boss Hogg on TV lived in Buffalo. 5. Our NBA team, the Nationals led by Dolph Schayes, won a title before it left for Philadelphia. Their club, the Braves led by Marvin Barnes, didn't get a sniff before defecting to San Diego. 6. In the early 1900s, Syracuse's Gustav Stickley made his first chair, no doubt a comfy work of art. A few years earlier, Buffalo's Alfred Southwick had invented the electric chair, which was so, um, ineffective that after its initial use a bystander said, "They should have used an axe." 7. Us: Ernie Davis. Them: O.J. Simpson. 8. Have Leo DiCaprio and the ever-fetching Bar Rafaeli ever strolled, hand-in-hand, along a Buffalo boulevard? Well, they did in Syracuse just last year. 9. Ben Schwartzwalder went 151-93-1, and in 1959 his Orangemen won the national championship. Hank Bullough went 4-16, and in 1985 his Bills drew 21,831 for a home game against the Jets. 10. Because Bobby Mills III, a character in "A Chorus Line," never mentioned Syracuse. But he did say, "To commit suicide in Buffalo is redundant." 11. If the Mets choose to come to Syracuse, they could play America's pastime that much farther away from Canada, eh? 12. Our face: Vanessa Williams. Their face: Fred Smerlas. 13. The Alliance Bank Stadium groundskeeper, Wes Ganobcik, treats every blade of grass inside the joint like a favored child. Meanwhile, after a drizzle over there at Dunn Tire Park you can catch carp in the outfield. 14. Us: Erie Canal. Them: Love Canal. 15. Because the Mets would be replacing that loser, Toronto . . . which means we'd love them even if they only played .500 ball. 16. While president of the United States, Bill Clinton, who could have vacationed anywhere, did so during two breezy summers along the shores of Skaneateles Lake just west of Syracuse. He never did consider Tonawanda, Cheektowaga or Lackawanna. 17. The Syracuse basketball team won the national championship in 2003 and the Syracuse lacrosse team won the NCAA title in 10 different seasons. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Wings and the Buffalo Stampede used to play in now-defunct roller hockey leagues. 18. Felix Cavaliere left Syracuse and formed a band called The Young Rascals. John Wayne Bobbitt left Buffalo and formed a band called The Severed Parts. No, really. 19. Otto, the symbol of Syracuse University, and Mr. Met, New York's big-headed mascot, look like they were separated at birth. Sort of. If you squint. 20. Our 22nd & 24th president, Grover Cleveland, romped as a fair-haired lad in Fayetteville, a leafy suburb just east of Syracuse. Our 25th president, William McKinley, was shot in Buffalo. 21. The Flutie Curse, which has kept the Bills out of the playoffs for all of this 21st century -- or since the boobish Wade Phillips benched Doug Flutie for no good reason against Tennessee in that lost 1999 postseason game -- might unleash termites on the Mets' bats. 22. Us: The New York State Fair. Them: The Erie County Fair. 23. Come to Syracuse and the Mets would be an hour or so north of their Double-A club playing in Binghamton. Go to Buffalo and they'd be an hour or so north of 600,000 gallons of radioactive waste buried in West Valley. 24. Who knows? This Destiny USA thing might work out, which means that some day there might be a mall kiosk with the Mets' name on it. 25. Finally, we have the International Mask & Puppet Museum, and they don't.

Frayed Knot Sep 19 2008 06:49 AM

I wonder if Chuckles Schumer, considering that he made a fairly big show out of championing Syracuse as a way to move the Mets to NYS, will take credit for their arrival even though I don't believe he ever mentioned Buffalo? Knowing the unusually strong and scientifically unexplainable magnetic attradtion between the Senator and TV cameras I suspect he might. Mets announced that they've re-upped their agreement with South Atl Lg affiliate Savannah, GA for their Low-A team. I believe all the other affiliates have already been extended so, aside from awaiting the offical word on the AAA shift, the rest of the lineup will be the same for the next two years.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 19 2008 06:51 AM

Kingsport goes on and on and on...

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 19 2008 09:45 AM

Baffalo News reporting this is a done deeleeo

Benjamin Grimm Sep 19 2008 09:50 AM

I'm glad. (I would have been equally happy with Syracuse.) I like the trend that's developed where teams try to get their affiliates as close to home base as possible. Any word on the fate of the Zephyrs? The Mets' stay in New Orleans (two years) is their shortest Triple A affiliation since they spent one year in Syracuse in 1962. (And that team was shared with the Senators.) The other short stints were three years in Buffalo (1963 through 1965) and Jacksonville (1966 through 1968). Useless fun fact: Three of the Mets AAA cities were, or would become NFL cities. (Buffalo, Jacksonville, New Orleans)

Valadius Sep 19 2008 10:42 AM

Last I heard, the Nationals were likely candidates for the Zephyrs.

bmfc1 Sep 19 2008 10:44 AM

Today's [u:1d5c5f0865]Washington Post[/u:1d5c5f0865] ("Mets Salvage Split") says that the Nationals are looking at Syracuse: -------------------------------------------------------------------- Principal owner Mark Lerner, President Stan Kasten and Bowden toured the facilities of the Syracuse Chiefs yesterday and discussed the potential relocation of their Class AAA team. Washington will likely know its fate toward the end of the weekend. Syracuse officials tomorrow will give a similar tour to the Florida Marlins, who are also looking to relocate. Washington had been affiliated with Columbus, which yesterday signed a deal with the Indians. The Nationals believe that Syracuse makes sense because the city is along Interstate 81, same as Harrisburg, Pa., the Class AA affiliate. Also, the Chiefs play in the International League, which would required less travel than the Pacific Coast League. Other potential landing spots for a Washington affiliate participate in the PCL.

Valadius Sep 19 2008 11:19 AM

You know what? Syracuse getting the Nationals makes sense. They could even rename the team the Syracuse Nationals.

Frayed Knot Sep 19 2008 05:33 PM

]Any word on the fate of the Zephyrs? Assuming the finality of the Mets move to Buffalo and the similarly impending Dodger shift from Las Vegas to Alburquerque, three AAA cities remain open and three teams waiting to sit in one of those chairs when the music stops: Las Vegas -- New Orleans -- Syracuse Marlins -- Nationals -- Blue Jays so two East teams will wind up with a PCL team and one of them with a far west squad.

Frayed Knot Sep 22 2008 11:31 AM

Washington hooks up with Syracuse Florida with New Orleans Toronto to Las Vegas