Greenville Drive Baseball

[RestedTraveler]

Thanks for the link to that article, whitehourseview!

I find two things extremely interesting about this article:

1. This quote: "I've seen it happen a lot, where a town doesn't have a real abiding interest in doing something with the club they have," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "But when the relationship ends, they decide a new stadium was a good idea after all and find a way to do it."
   
2. The fact that the article makes mention that RB3 not "made the biggest commitment to a new ballpark," but doesn't let people know that RB3 financed construction themselves...something the Braves WERE NOT willing to do.
   

[whitehourseview]

RT - I got that AJC link from Ballpark Digest, where right below it, there was an article about discussions the Richmond Braves (AAA) were undergoing with the city of Richmond. Change a few names and it was like reading the Greenville New in 2001-2004.

The A Braves are my favorite Major League team. It's almost a birthright of sons of the New South to spend summer evenings watching the Braves on TBS, but the way the Braves organization under Time Warner, has dealt with many issues has not been real pleasant.

Don't forget the Macon Braves now play in Rome thanks to a tax payer subsidized stadium there.

The Schuerholz comment is odd. I have a lot of respect for the way he has run his team over the past 16 years or so, but Greenville's Braves fans were the ones jilted by the Braves, a team that made 0% committment to it's hosts.

[RestedTraveler]

RT - I got that AJC link from Ballpark Digest, where right below it, there was an article about discussions the Richmond Braves (AAA) were undergoing with the city of Richmond. Change a few names and it was like reading the Greenville New in 2001-2004.

The A Braves are my favorite Major League team. It's almost a birthright of sons of the New South to spend summer evenings watching the Braves on TBS, but the way the Braves organization under Time Warner, has dealt with many issues has not been real pleasant.

Don't forget the Macon Braves now play in Rome thanks to a tax payer subsidized stadium there.

The Schuerholz comment is odd. I have a lot of respect for the way he has run his team over the past 16 years or so, but Greenville's Braves fans were the ones jilted by the Braves, a team that made 0% committment to it's hosts.

The Schuerholz comment is extremely odd. I can't fathom that it's simply because he wasn't involved enough to not know any better. He was plenty involved in all aspects of this decision. Here's an interesting factoid for you: did you realize that the domain name "mississippibraves.com" was registered and created on April 9, 2004? Throw that on a timeline and see what it tells you about the Braves' decision to move to Pearl, MS.

Your birthright spilled over to West Virginia, I assure you. Even though I grew up in the shadow of Riverfront Stadium and the Big Red Machine of the 70's, I spent many a night watching "America's Team" on Superstation WTBS.

I'll have a look at Ballpark Digest. Thanks for pointing that out. I already feel for what the City of Richmond is going through.

[goodbye]

This really dampens my relationship with the A Braves. I was completely sick of the dealings between City, County, and the team, but this is simply a slap in the face of everything Greenville stands for. If he would take a bit of time to read some history on the subject, he'd learn that the City was financially strapped after recently purchasing the Palmetto Expo Center. They did offer $3 million, though it would have been better had they offered a considerable amount more. Our real problem was that the County and City, as usual, couldn't agree to fight for the same cause as allies. Either way, the Braves should have been willing to provide whatever necessary financial balance was required. Now we in Greenville support a new franchise and it is one we can be proud of. The days of the Braves' domination in Greenville are over, and I am not nearly as disappointed about that as I was a year ago. Go Greenville Drive!

[Fiddlestix]

This really dampens my relationship with the A Braves. I was completely sick of the dealings between City, County, and the team, but this is simply a slap in the face of everything Greenville stands for. If he would take a bit of time to read some history on the subject, he'd learn that the City was financially strapped after recently purchasing the Palmetto Expo Center. They did offer $3 million, though it would have been better had they offered a considerable amount more. Our real problem was that the County and City, as usual, couldn't agree to fight for the same cause as allies. Either way, the Braves should have been willing to provide whatever necessary financial balance was required. Now we in Greenville support a new franchise and it is one we can be proud of. The days of the Braves' domination in Greenville are over, and I am not nearly as disappointed about that as I was a year ago. Go Greenville Drive!

Forget about city and county not showing their love. Forget about anything other than the Braves leveraging their name and goodwill in the Southeast for as much money as they could get, regardless of where it was coming from. That's the way the game is played with higher level minor league teams. And Major League, too, of course. Greenville's shot at keeping the Braves was over with when Haley Barbour -- a pal of Ted Turner and Time-Warner board member -- became Guv of Mississippi. This game was not being played at the level of Knox White or Scott Case or Dozier Brooks. It wasn't being played at the level of Steve DiSalvo. This was set in motion in the Time-Warner board room and these other "players" were nothing but road kill along the way.

[whitehourseview]

It will be a happy day for me when sports franchises no longer expect local government to finance their facilities for them, and they simply locate purely based on market forces instead of sweatheart deals from taxpayers.

[g-man430]

According to the Greenville News, the new Shoeless Joe Jackson museum will be open to the public Friday at 5:30 p.m. before the Drive's baseball game. There is no story about it, but it says this in the photo gallery posted today on their webstie of the new museum.

Edited May 10, 2006 by g-man430

[RestedTraveler]

According to the Greenville News, the new Shoeless Joe Jackson museum will be open to the public Friday at 5:30 p.m. before the Drive's baseball game. There is no story about it, but it says this in the photo gallery posted today on their webstie of the new museum.

If that's the case, then they will have done A LOT of work in a very short period of time. They were finally starting to build the foundation up underneath the home when I went to the Drive vs. Braves game the other night. That's the first sign of work I've seen in weeks.

[whitehourseview]

Wow - that would be quick for the Jackson musuem. I figured it would take at least six months to get it set up.

[RestedTraveler]

I thought it had originally been reported that they'd have it restored and open by Opening Night, April 6th?

[g-man430]

This isn't the official opening for it, this is just a public preview while work continues on fixing it up.

Edited May 10, 2006 by g-man430

[breed]

Found this and thought it might be of interest... an interview with the Drive's play-by-play person.

(I checked with Spartan on protocol for posting the text of this interview.)

Ed Jenson is the radio voice of the Greenville Drive, Boston

[whitehourseview]

I have listened to Ed Jensen call games and he is a pro and you can tell he just doing something he likes doing, not just a job.

And I like it that the internet broadcasts are so accesible, instead of the Drive waiting for the perfect low watt radio deal.

[RestedTraveler]

The internet broadcasts are great. The only thing I'd change is that I'd either add road games or broadcast the road games instead of the home games, if possible. I can go pay a few dollars and watch the home games. A drive to Augusta, Charleston (SC), Hickory, Charleston (WV), Rome, etc. is a bit more expensive.

[whitehourseview]

USA National baseball team to play Japan at West End Field, an excerpt:

The USA National Team, made up of top college players, will play an exhibition game at West End Field on July 26, Greenville Drive general manager Mike de Maine said Thursday.

A formal announcement will be made May 17 before the Furman University-University of South Carolina baseball game at 5,700-seat West End Field.

http://www.greenvillenews.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../605110359/1032

It's my long term hope that the ACC baseball tournament will return to Greenville and that events like this will encourage this. To this day, the greatest attended ACC tournaments took place in Greenville. I remeber some of those nights with not a seat to be found at the Muni.

At the very least, it's great that the Drive management is open to having college and other exhibition games at the park, since college baseball is so good in this state, probably just as good as college basketball is to North Carolina, since 4 teams are ranked in baseball from SC and Winthrop beat #1 North Carolina last night.

[RestedTraveler]

That's going to be great! I can't wait to check that out.

Did anybody catch Mercurio's walk-off grand salami today? A crowd of 4,266 for a 12:05pm Thursday Game...who'd a thunk it?

[goodbye]

I would be thrilled to death to have the ACC baseball tournament in Greenville again, but I think it is an extreme stretch to get it once again. I've heard that Fenway Park is (or could be?) where they will be playing next season, and might draw a much larger crowd than West End Field could possibly hold. I definitely want Greenville to host more college and professional sporting events than we presently do. There is no real logical reason that Greenville shouldn't host an NCAA regional or invitational tournament annually. On the same note, an NBA exhibition game or two annually should be commonplace in Greenville. Perhaps NHL as well.

[whitehourseview]

Fenway will not host next year's ACC tournament, or any in the near future. It was sort of a stretch that they could, and there were concerns about being able to draw a crowd, or that the crowd would be swallowed up by Fenway. College baseball is a sunbelt sport. Clemson is averaging over 5,000 fans per game and intends to expand their stadium to AAA quality. Boston College's stadium seats about 500 people, and there are no plans to expand.

This year, the ACC tournament will be in Jacksonville, FL. There are talks to continue to tie in the ACC football championship and baseball tournament to Jacksonville, but the baseball contract runs out this year and there are no hints that the parties have made a deal.

Since leaving Greenville, the ACC tournament has skipped around through Durham, Salem, VA., St. Petersburg, Fort Mill, SC, and Jacksonville. While in Greenville for a nine year run the tournament averaged 38,179 fans. Since then, the tournament had the average continually drop till it hit 24,025 fans the last year before it was in Jacksonville, for the five day tournament. Last year's tournament in Jacksonville was well-attended.

There have been some rumors that Greensboro, NC would really like the ACC tournament so further strengthen its ACC ties, since the league headquarters and both basketball tournaments are in Greensboro, but there has been no word. Jacksonville would like to continue to host, Salem, VA. was a disaster, if and when Charlotte can build a park uptown, they would like to host it and some have mentioned Mrytle Beach as a prime spot.

It's odd that a site has not been chosen, since the sport is so successful for member institutions of the ACC. Perennially, you can ususually find five ACC teams ranked and one or two usually make a College World Series run.

I have not heard anything about the West End Field bidding for the tournament, other than a generic hope that they can host some more college games. The NAACP boycott could also be problematic, if the ACC decides to continue to abide by that.

Edited May 12, 2006 by whitehourseview

[Fiddlestix]

On the prospect of boycotts and hosting tournaments in South Carolina:

The NCAA has taken the position that it is respecting the NAACP and Black Coaches Association objections to the "compromise" plan that moved the flag from atop the Statehouse to the Confederate Soldiers' Memorial. Until further action is taken, there will be no NCAA championship tournaments hosted within the State of South Carolina. A good history and chronology is found here, with basically no developments since the date of this facsimile letter: http://www.ncaa.org/databases/reports/3/20...agenda_s05.html

That covers only NCAA events. Not events of NCAA member institutions or athletic conferences. Has it even kept Clemson from hosting early round NCAA baseball games recently? I don't know, but I think it only applies to neutral site tournament contests, not home games played as part of any tournaments.

I am not aware that the ACC or SEC have adopted the same policy. Frankly, I can't even see how that vote would be tenable as it would fracture relationships, perhaps permanently, with schools in states that have Confederate symbols incorporated in some official capacity -- either as part of an official state display (as in South Carolina) or as a design element in a state symbol, such as a flag.

I could be wrong -- as I was once, many years ago -- but the NCAA ban is what's preventing Greenville/Furman (and any other city or South Carolina NCAA member institution) from playing host to NCAA tournament events. (Not that it matters to South Carolina (but it does matter to Georgia), but the NCAA ban wouldn't even apply to a football bowl game as those are not conducted by the NCAA.)

Skyliner mentioned above that there's no logical reason for Greenville not to be host to an NCAA tournament again very soon. I personally agree, but it wasn't clear to me if he was referring to the NCAA's (and NAACP's) illogical position or if he was just thinking it's time to bring the NCAA basketball tournament because this is a great location for it.

whitehourseview mentions an ACC ban, but it's not clear to me that one exists.

I'm not sure I've accomplished my goal, but my goal is here is to set the record straight about tournament bans and state boycotts -- or at least have someone set me straight if I missed the adoption of an ACC ban on ACC events being held inside the State of South Carolina.

[goodbye]

Thanks for the insight, fiddlestix.

IMO, the idiotic and pointless (besides being intentionally negatively inciteful) NAACP boycott causing this mess is totally illogical. If that is indeed the real reason for our not hosting major collegiate sports tournaments, then I am even more opposed to these stupid protests.

As for there being no logical reason for Greenville not to host a tournament, I meant that this is a perfect place for such events. We are a relatively neutral location, and have more than adequate facilities to satisfy the demands of the public and the members of the associations in question. Were a few tournaments to come, I believe we'd see even more improvements to the City's hospitality/tourism market. My point is that there is no shortage of eager sports fans in this area who would be overwhelmingly supportive of any major sporting events held in our city, and everyone who would visit such an event would surely be pleased it was held here. This isn't a pipedream, as you all know.

[breed]

...As for there being no logical reason for Greenville not to host a tournament, I meant that this is a perfect place for such events. We are a relatively neutral location, and...

Holy smokes... I never thought it was possible... a silver lining to our not having a big college presence in Greenville.

[GvilleSC]

Holy smokes... I never thought it was possible... a silver lining to our not having a big college presence in Greenville.

HEY! you're right!

With downtown's hotel market expanding, it makes Greenville's West End Field an even better place to host this event!

[g-man430]

6,383 at tonight's ballgame.

Edited May 13, 2006 by g-man430

[GvilleSC]

I think Greenville is in love...

[RestedTraveler]

I know I am.