Some Thoughts Far Away as Indy Season Launches

     While the Atlantic Leagueinaugurates the Independent Baseball season in its normal Eastern-based cities Friday night, Founder Frank Boultonand his associates must surely have growing thoughts—and perhaps a little anxiety—over what is to come 12 months from now.

       This 14-year-old league, which always has lofty goals with new stadiums and most of its players coming from Double-A circuits or higher, will have at least one franchise as far South and West as Houstonnext April.  Sugar Land, TXis a good 1,500 miles from the established franchises, and, in at least one official’s belief the newly minted Skeeterswill go a long way toward determining how quickly—and perhaps how well—the Atlantic League will do in establishing its much-discussed new division.

      Sugar Land won’t detract from Opening Night for defending champion York, PAor any of the other current Atlantic League franchises, but if early signs come true the Skeeters will keep everyone else on their toes.  Consider some developments this week alone, 52 weeks before 7,500-seat StarTex Power Fieldhosts its first official game, giving the Houston area its first bona fide minor league team in 50 years.

     The Houston Chronicle’s well known columnist Richard Justiceleft the Astros, Rocketsand Oilersalong with all of the Lone Star State’s colleges out for a day to, in effect, sing the praises of the Skeeters, publicity many Independent teams almost never get.

     Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, recently lauded as one of the top 100 hospitals in the good old U. S.of A.,was announced as a 10-year founding partner with the Skeeters, and in addition to being the official healthcare provider will sponsor a Kids Get in Free program, a children’s play area, youth skills events and at least eight clinics in the area.

     In another huge publicity push, Fox 26 sports director Mark Bermanrevealed—and the team confirmed—former major leaguers Terry Puhl, Dickie Thonand hitting standout Gary Gaettiare on the early list of managerial candidates.

Sugar Land Could Fuel Expansion                    

      Longtime Houston baseball personality Deacon Jones, a 77-year-young team ambassador, helped fill Richard Justice in on the fact the team is “about families” while team President Matt O’Brienused the platform of The Chronicle to ooze that “the worst seat you can get would be a premium seat at a big league park.  You feel the game.”

       O’Brien, formerly in charge in York, also put a ton of pressure on himself when he told Justice “we need to do Sugar Land perfect.  If Sugar Land is great that’s how Western expansion will be fueled.”  

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FOR ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT BASEBALL COVERAGE?

www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com ADDED TO www.IndyBaseballChatter.com

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  A TV Commercial, Book and Documentary

      Even when it is self-generated, media coverage can be fascinating.

      At least that is this corner’s take on the Joliet (IL) Slammers’decision to play off their nickname and the hometown’s two maximum security prisons in their attempt to win attention for the new Frontier Leagueteam.

      The Slammers’ first television commercial, already on You Tubeand set to air on an impressive list of outlets in the Chicagoarea, has a shadowy figure walking through a prison who turns out to be a player extolling the opening weekend of May 19-21.

      More traditional media coverage which touches on the Indy game includes former Westernand Central Leaguepitcher Aaron Pribble’sbook “Pitching in the Promised Land: A Story of the First and Only Season in the Israel Baseball League”and Tony Okun’s“Time in the Minors” documentary, which features the passionate dreams of two players, including Tony Schrager, who had a 54-game stint with Long Island, NY (Atlantic League)in 2006.  The Oh! Show Productionsvideo is now available on DVD.

Final Tally: 84 Indy Players in Major League Spring Training Games

      Our final count of former Independent players who got into at least one major league spring training game is an astonishing 84.  This includes 35 who were brought in from minor league camps for one or more contests.  The other 49 were on 40-man rosters or were non-roster invitees.  A list of the 35 new names is available at www.IndyBaseballChatter.com .     

        (This is an excerpt from the column Bob Wirz writes year round on Independent Baseball.  Fans may subscribe at www.WirzandAssociates.com , enjoy his blogs, www.AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com and www.IndyBaseballChatter.com , or comment to RWirz@aol.com .  The author has 16 years of major league baseball public relations experience with Kansas City and as spokesman for two Commissioners and lives in Stratford, CT.)