baseball

While baseball fans in Batavia stand a chance to lose in the potential sale of the Muckdogs, Rochester Community Baseball may just come out a winner.

It was nearly two-and-a-half years ago that RCB stepped in and saved the Batavia Muckdogs franchise from folding. RCB, which also owns the Rochester Red Wings, offered to pay off the Batavia team's debts -- roughly $140,000 -- and also operate the team on a day-to-day basis.

Naturally, that offer that was gladly taken up by the City of Batavia and the Genesee County Baseball Club.

Soon after inheriting operations, the Muckdogs poured $87,000 into repairing the field at Dwyer Stadium, which had seen plenty of abuse from both high school baseball games and youth football matches in the outfield grass.

In the first year, RCB would lose about a quarter of a million dollars. In 2009, RCB took another hit -- in the neighborhood of $120,000. That's a rough total of $370,000 that RCB willingly ate in just two years.

Though numbers for this year obviously aren't yet final, early estimates say another $120,000 deficit is within reason, taking into account inflation and the economy. All told, that would be about $500,000 in losses taken by RCB to operate the team over the past three years.

However -- and this is where things get interesting -- one contract stipulation in the original deal is often glossed over: each year RCB operated the Muckdogs, they were to acquire 5 percent ownership of the franchise, with a 10-year cap on that deal (RCB could not own more than 50 percent of the team). After this third year of operation, RCB will own 15 percent of the Muckdogs franchise.

If they drop the day-to-day operations, as is "likely" according to today's news release, they cannot gain any further ownership in the team. Thus, if the team is sold following this season, RCB will receive 15 percent of the sale price.

Since teams in the NY-Penn League are not sold at a rapid rate, the general value of a ballclub is estimated by the league's most recent sale.

In 2008, the Oneonta Tigers were sold for about $6 million (they were moved out of their hometown this winter, and became the Connecticut Tigers this summer). Though terms of that sale were never officially released, $6 million is the accepted figure whispered among the league, as reported by GCBC Board Member and NY-Penn League expert Wayne Fuller.

Thus, the sale value of the Batavia Muckdogs and every other team in the league is $6 million.

That, of course, does not mean the team will be sold for that much; however, it is in the best interest of the NY-Penn League and Major League Baseball that the team not sell for much less than that. When one team sells for less than $6 million, every team in the league will likewise depreciate in value.

If the team does in fact sell for $6 million, RCB will receive 15 percent -- roughly $900,000. With a $500,000 operating loss, that factors out to a $400,000 profit. Even if the Muckdogs were to sell for $4 million, 15 percent of that is still $600,000 -- an overall $100,000 gain for RCB.

Attorney for the GCBC, Tom Williams, says he doesn't believe RCB brokered the deal with the plan to turn a profit by selling the team.

"I think they made a good-faith effort to make (the team) profitable," says Williams, "and then they just decided that they don't want to continue on. But I think they did it with the best of intentions, and they have been very honorable all the way through."

WBTA's Wayne Fuller, a member of the GCBC Board of Directors, says that in 2007, when the Muckdogs were also in trouble, the GCBC was told that the NY-Penn League could take over the franchise if the club failed to generate sufficient finances.

The same is a possibility here -- if the GCBC and RCB fail to generate enough money to run the club, and no buyer is found, the league does have the ability to absord the franchise -- which would leave the GCBC and RCB without any money. So it's in the best interest of both clubs to sell or continue operating the team.

Williams isn't yet worried about the possibility of losing the Muckdogs to the league.

"I think that we would find something to do before that happened," he says. "We expect that we're going to get some interest in the team. If it's just flat and there's absolutely no interest, then I think we're going to have to look that and decide what we're going to do.

"But I really don't think that's going to happen...I don't think we'll have that problem."

CLICK HERE for WBTA's full in-depth report today

...(Genesee County Baseball Club President) Brian Paris says he's particularly searching for someone not connected with this area and unaware of the situation, to recognize the ballclub's worth, both financial and sentimental.

He says that sponsor could easily work a re-naming deal for the stadium as a trade for their funding. At the least, he dreams of a large corporate sponsorship that would guarantee RCB sticks around for team operations.

But that's no guarantee. And sale of the team is a very real possibility.

Tom Williams is the attorney for the GCBC and will deal with the sale. He's not yet sure what kind of a price a minor league professional baseball club could go for these days.

"($6 million is) the kind of number that I've heard," he says. "I think (speculators) might be basing those numbers on what another team sold for recently" -- the Oneonta Tigers were sold for about $6 million just two years ago (according to WBTA's Wayne Fuller), and moved to Connecticut this past winter -- "but obviously...something's worth whatever somebody pays for it. We'll have to wait and see."

There is a chance that if the team does not sell, Major League Baseball would re-absorb it and remove it from the ownership of both GCBC and RCB -- and the clubs would potentially come away with no monetary compensation from a sale, which could net as much as $6 million. Williams isn't concerned about that just yet.

"I think that we would find something to do before that happened," says Williams. "We expect that we're going to get some interest in the team. If it's just flat and there's absolutely no interest, then I think we'll have to look at that, and decide what to do.

"But I really don't think that will happen. I think there will definitely be some interest."

WBTA's own Wayne Fuller, Voice of the Muckdogs for years, member of the GCBC Board of Directors -- and generally considered Batavia’s Mr. Baseball -- is somewhat saddened by the news.

"This is something that I've known for a couple of months now," says Wayne. "The board of directors, including myself, voted (in May) in favor of soliciting offers for the purchase of the franchise. We did not vote to sell the team; only to solicit offers."

Whatever may happen, today's announcement is one that many Batavians knew was coming, but didn't want to believe. Regardless, it is now a reality that the team may leave town -- and the collective air in the lungs of the Batavia community has, at least partially, been let out.

Paris says this is not the time for that. If there were ever a time to get out and support your hometown baseball team, it's now - more than ever.

"I absolutely believe that this team could stay in Batavia," declares Paris. "I believe Batavians don't give up. I believe that we will get people to come out and say 'No, we don't want (the Muckdogs) to leave, we want them to stay. We're going to show you we don't want them to leave by coming out in numbers.'

"Furthermore, should the team be sold: nobody's going to leave it in Batavia if there isn't support. So now is not the time to remove support. Now is the time to step up and support (the Muckdogs), regardless of the outcome."

UPDATED 11:59 a.m.

With recent reports that the Rochester Red Wings are not likely to operate the Batavia Muckdogs for a fourth, reportedly money-losing season, the local owners of the storied franchise announced today they are seeking a buyer for the ball club.

Presumably, the owners, Genesee County Baseball Club, will seek an owner willing to keep the team in Batavia, though that's not yet confirmed.

Club President Brian Paris said ideally, the Genesee County Baseball Club will be able to find a buyer willing to keep the team in Batavia.

"Obviously, that's our first preference," Paris said.

But he's also hopeful that just like the miracle of the Red Wings rescuing the team at the last minute three years ago, perhaps another miracle will keep the team in GCBC hands.  What the club needs, he said, is three or four deep-pocket Western New York companies to step forward with sponsorships of $25,000 to $50,000 each.

It happens in other small markets, he said.

"That's a very realistic thought because other teams have those kinds of sponsorships," he said.

Paris said he doesn't blame the community.

"The tragic portion of this, is that we are on brink of losing the team and I think I’ve tried to be very frank with people and the media that this is what could happen if we don’t have a greater amount of support in ticket sales and sponsorship," Paris said. "I love Batavia and this is something we're just going to have to work through one way or another."

One of the team's most valuable assets is its name, Batavia Muckdogs. Little League teams across the nation have licensed the logo and name. It the team moves, it will no longer be the Batavia Muckdogs.

Paris said it's too soon to talk about scenarios involving no buyer being found, or a buyer being found and the team being moved to another city.

"I hate to be Pollyanna, a small town tree hugger, but something good is going to come of this," Paris said. "It’s going to work out. We just don’t know what it is yet."

Full press release after the jump:

BATAVIA, NY—The Genesee County Baseball Club, the not-for-profit organization that owns the Batavia Muckdogs of the New York-Pennsylvania Baseball League, announced today that it is soliciting offers from potential buyers of the team.

For the past three years, Rochester Community Baseball, owner of the Rochester Red Wings, has operated the Muckdogs under an agreement with the GCBC. The Red Wings have informed the GCBC that it is unlikely that the relationship will continue for a fourth year.

“We thank the Red Wings for these last three years, which included the memorable 2008 championship season,” Paris said. “They have indicated that they are probably going to move on, and we respect their decision.”

Paris said that the GCBC will give “strong preference” to potential buyers who pledge to keep the team in Batavia.

“Batavia has had a team in this league since 1939,” said Paris, “and we are very hopeful that we can find a buyer who appreciates the rich history, family atmosphere, great ballpark, and wonderful community spirit of Batavia.”

The NYP League, then called the PONY League, was founded in 1939 at a meeting at the Hotel Richmond in downtown Batavia. Batavia and Jamestown are the only two original PONY League cities that are still in the league.

Five Muckdogs will represent Batavia in the 2010 New York-Penn League All-Star game.

Catcher Audry Perez, outfielder Nicholas Longmire, infielder Joey Bergman and pitchers Justin Edwards and Chase Reid were named to the squad.

The game will be played Tuesday, Aug. 17, at Richmond County Ballpark in Staten Island.

Closer Jose Rada -- who is third in the league with 10 saves and has a 1.13 ERA to go with 33 strikeouts in 24 innings -- was passed over (General Manager Travis Sick said that Rada was selected prior to being promoted to Quad Cities).

Following from the Muckdogs' news release:

Perez was an undrafted free agent signing in 2006 and has started 30 games as catcher for the Muckdogs this season. He is currently batting .333 with 44 RBI’s, which is good for 7th best in the league. Perez has also been solid behind the plate this year and has helped guide the pitching staff to a team ERA of 3.77.

Bergman, a 33rd round pick in the 2010 draft, has been among the league leaders in hitting all season. Bergman currently ranks 10th in the league in hitting, with a .313 batting average, to go along with 8 doubles and 17 RBI’s. Bergman primarily plays infield for the Muckdogs but was selected as the designated hitter for this year’s All-Star team.

The Cardinals selected Longmire in the 5th round of the 2010 draft out of Pacific University. As the team’s everyday centerfielder, Longmire has enjoyed a stellar rookie season. He is currently batting .286 and his 39 RBI’s is second most in the league. He also ranks in the top 10 in both home runs (8) and slugging percentage (.503).

Justin Edwards is in his second year of professional baseball and was a 28th round pick in the 2009 draft. The left-hander is 3-2 with an ERA of 2.57, which puts him in the top 10 of starting pitchers this year. He has also recorded 42 strikeouts in his 49.0 innings of work.

St. Louis drafted Reid out of Vanderbilt University in the 41st round of the 2010 draft. Pitching primarily as a set up man, Reid is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA. He has help opposing batters to a .125 average, and has recorded 30 strikeouts in just 18.0 innings of work.

Batavia holds the third place spot in the Pinckney Division with a record of 28-21.
This marks the second time in three years that the Muckdogs have sent five players to the All-Star game. The Muckdogs sent five players to the 2008 All-Star game and sent three in 2009.

The Muckdogs rode into Brooklyn as the hottest team in the NY-Penn League. They're leaving with a three-game losing streak on their tails.

Batavia dropped the three games by scores of 4-0, 14-4 and on Friday in extra innings, 5-4.

Yesterday, the Muckdogs' bullpen spoiled an outstanding pitching performance by Zack Russell, who gave up no runs and no hits over six innings. Batavia was up 2-0 when he left the game.

Michael Reid gave up two runs in the seventh to get tagged with a blown save. After the Muckdogs scored two runs in the top of the ninth, Keith Butler gave the runs back to Brooklyn in the bottom half. Tavis Lawlor took the loss, giving up the winning run in the 11th.

Nick Longmire and Chris Edmondson each had two hits.

The Muckdogs are 3-5 since hot-hitting catcher Audry Perez was injured while running the bases on July 31. He hasn't played since.

The team's record is now 27-20 and they're 2.5 games out of first.

They now travel to Vermont for a three-game series against the Lake Monsters, who are in first in the Stedler division with a record of 26-21.

Batavia returns home Tuesday to face Aberdeen.

Baseball America -- the premier publication covering minor league and college baseball -- reports that the 2010 campaign for the Batavia Muckdogs will likely be the team's last under Rochester Community Baseball management.

"I have had discussions with (Genesee County Baseball Club) president (Brian Paris) and told him that we would probably not be interested in coming back for another year," said Silver, the president of the Red Wings. "So he is going to have his work cut out for him."

The article blames lack of community support for the situation, noting that average attendance has not risen above 1,045.

"It wouldn't take a miracle to turn it around, but it takes a certain community spirit to make something like this work," Silver said. "In a lot of communities, particularly where the population is rather small and drawing power is not the greatest in the world anyway, it becomes increasingly hard for a team to generate enough excitement and turnstile attendance unless something major happens. A small community can make it work if a team is new to them or a new stadium becomes all the buzz for several years. That may be enough to get them excited for years to come.

"In Batavia, it is real tough. We market much the same way as we do in Rochester. It's a miniature version, but it just doesn't get the same attention. People are missing out. And then the franchise disappears. And then you don't get it back. Once you lose it, you don't get it back." 

Read the whole thing.

Sorry about the darkness. 

The Muckdogs continue to rip through the NY Penn League, shredding Mahoning Valley yesterday 8-1 for the team's 12th win in its last 14 contests.

The victory put Batavia back in first place, a half game ahead of Williamsville.

Jon Rodriguez homered in his third straight game, giving him six on the year. He had three hits, two RBIs and scored twice.

Infielder Joey Bergman brought his season average back up over .300 with another multi-hit game, going 2-4 and scoring three runs.

Starter Chris Corrigan picked up his third win, going five innings and giving up one run on three hits.

The Muckdogs are in Brooklyn tonight for the start of a three-game series. After three games in Vermont, they return to Dwyer on Tuesday to face Aberdeen.

The Muckdogs five-game winning streak was snapped Sunday as Batavia split a double-header in Jamestown against the Jammers.

In a pair of low-scoring affairs, the Muckdogs dropped the first game 3-1 and picked up the nightcap 2-1.

With Williamsport beating Mahoning Valley 5-3, Batavia drops back into second place, a half game out.

In the first game, Nick Longmire supplied the Muckdogs' lone run with his eighth home run of the season in the 6th inning. Yuner Castillo had three hits. Third-year pro from Camden, Ariz., Zach Russell gave up three runs in three innings to get tagged with the loss. It was Russell's sixth start of the season. He's now 1-2, but his ERA remains a low 2.48.

In game two, corner infielder Jon Rodriquez hit his first home run of the season. Patrick Biserta, a first-year pro from Harriman, had two hits and an RBI.

Starter John Gast went three innings, giving up four hits and no runs. Matt North pitched two scoreless innings and was credited with the win, and Jose Rada, despite walking two and giving up a hit and a run, notched his 10th save of the season.

The Muckdogs are home tonight (7:05 game time) and take on Mahoning Valley. Tomorrow's game against Mahoning Valley starts at the unusual time of 11:05 a.m.

Following the two game series, Batavia hits the road for six games, returning on Aug. 10.  The next fireworks night is Aug. 13 against Hudson Valley.

Behind another strong outing by starting pitcher Andrew Moss, the Batavia Muckdogs locked up a 16-win July and their six consecutive victory to move into first place -- by one percentage point -- over Williamsport.

The Muckdogs took down the Jammers, whom they play twice today in Jamestown, 6-1.

Moss went five innings for the Muckdogs (24-16) giving up one run and four hits to the Jamestown Jammers (23-17). Moss struck out six and moves his record to 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA.

Hot-hitting catcher Audry Perez was removed for a pinch runner after smacking a double in the third inning. He did not appear seriously injured, but there is no word on the extent of his injury.

He was replaced by Roberto Espinoza, a Venezuelan picked by the Cardinals in the June 2006 draft. Though Espinoza has four years of minor-league experience, this is his first season in Batavia, joining the team in mid-July. Espinoza picked up his first two hits as a Muckdog as well as drawing walk.

Fifth-rounder Nick Longmire had three hits and an RBI raising his average to .319.

Joey Bergman and Yuner Castillo each had two hits.

Perez and DH Victor Sanchez each had two RBIs.

More pictures after the jump:

On a day when the Batavia Muckdogs picked up an important fifth-straight win in a tight Pinckney Division race, the team learned another strong arm is on its way.

Seth Blair, a first-round supplemental draft pick for the St. Louis Cardinals has agreed to terms and will report to Batavia. Blair, 21, was the 46th player taken overall in the June draft.

He was 12-1 in 18 starts this season at Arizona State University with a 3.64 ERA. He struck out 108 batters and walked 29. He won the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year award.

The Muckdogs, who have been hot in July, picking up 15 wins, are one game behind Williamsport and tied with Jamestown for second place in the Pinckney Division.

The Jammers play the Muckdogs at Dwyer tonight, 7:05 game time, and then the teams travel to Jamestown tomorrow for a twi-nite double header.

Last night, the Muckdogs kept their win streak going by scoring two runs in the 10th inning (after giving up a run in the top of the 10th) to pull out an 8-7 victory over Auburn.

Outfielder Jon Edwards, who's in his fourth stint with Batavia and has struggled since a strong 2008 campaign (helping the Muckdogs win the NY-Penn League championship), had a big night Friday, hitting a home run and driving in three runs.

Joey Bergman had two hits and three RBIs while first-year pro Victor Sanchez, playing first base, had four hits and scored three times (hitting ahead of Edwards and Bergman). Nick Longmire had two hits.

The final run of the game came on a wild pitch allowing Mike O'Neill to score from third.

In second place, a game behind Williamsport, with a four-game winning streak and a 11-3 record so far in July, the Batavia Muckdogs return home tonight to face Auburn.

Fireworks will follow the game, which starts at 7:05.

The 22-16 Muckdogs beat Auburn (15-25) in Auburn last night, 8-3.

Hot-hitting Audris Perez doubled in three runs and Joey Bergman added two RBIs.

Fifth-round draft pick Nicholas Longmire is 6th in runs scored (27), 6th in triples (4), tied for second in home runs (7), tied for first in RBIs (36), 5th in total bases (74), 1st in slugging (.578)

Perez is third in RBIs with 31 and 6th batting average (.346).

The Muckdogs feature two starting pitchers among the league leaders in ERA (Justin Edwards, 2.04, and Nick McCully, 2.31). Edwards, in his second tour with Batavia, is 3-1 for the season.

Starter Andrew Moss, who tossed seven perfect innings earlier this month, has four wins, tying him for third in the league, with a 3.54 ERA. Edwards and Moss are tied for 10th in the league with 34 Ks each.

The Muckdogs take on Jamestown at Dwyer on Saturday, and then travel to Jamestown for a twi-night double-header against the Jammers, returning home Monday to face Mahoning Valley.