A Fan’s Guide Farewell
Emails often made my day. I heard from fans, from past and present players, from team radio voices, from former and would-be player girlfriends, from executives, from prospective team owners, from newspaper reporters. Over the years I received thousands of notes on a vast array of topics. A Danville fan told me about watching Butch McCord. One writer told about his mother boarding black players in Decatur. Another filled me in on a former player's troubled life after baseball. A batboy told about his continuing friendships with players who'd shared the Dubuque dugout. Pat Neshek wrote me a delightful note after his MWL summer. Bob Sprout thanked me for writing up his remarkable season, as did Bob Lawrence; both were reminded of lost friends. In the best email I ever received, a kind lady from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, told me in detail how her family became unintentional hosts to a gentle giant named Juan Salazar, and fell in love.
Minor League Franchise Continuity
I was a season ticket holder in Battle Creek. That's given me no emotional stake in the successor franchise, Great Lakes--and I rooted against the Springfield and Madison predecessor franchises when they actually existed. I've now transferred my loyalties mostly to the Lugnuts, and I root against the Loons.
Dubuque: New Ballpark
Some stories just never quite quit. Posted the following on MWLguide yesterday; thought I'd put it here, too, in case someone wants to comment....
Bay City?
The Bay City Times is reporting that a minor league team "with a major league affiliation" has approached the city about building a ballpark, probably on the Saginaw River, in time for the 2006 season. By most standards, that has to be treated as a credible rumor. What can we do with this information?
BC Yanks to Dubuque: a Quad Cities perspective
John Petrakis left delightful memories, but his teams were weak on the business side. I'd certainly hesitate before citing them as precedents in this discussion.
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