sports in norfolk

[hoobo]

I'm wondering how low that thing will hang in Scope if they are getting the Mavs' old system. I recall an article written a year or so ago when Norfolk was debating what to do with Scope and one of the options included upgrading the scoreboard and sound system. I guess it's coming true.

As for JPJ, that place is gonna rock. My friend and I hope to go to the Gonzaga game. Construction on that thing flew. I don't think I'll miss the Clam much especially its distant sight lines.

[erdogs]

As massive as those are, anyone ever worry about one crashing to the ground! I sure hope the rafters in Scope can carry that much weight.

[Seven Cities]

Tides alignment with Baltimore Orioles becoming more likely

[hoobo]

Tides alignment with Baltimore Orioles becoming more likely

That article makes the Mets organization look like idiots. To burn bridges with Norfolk without first having an agreement with Scranton in hand is stupid. Of course, I don't think they planned on the Yanks leaving the Clippers and their new stadium. Of course, NO could end up being a good move if the Mets buy the team and move them to Hartford, which has no pro teams and only one AAA-level team (the AHL Wolf Pack).

As for the Tides' hopes, Angelos needs to sell the team or get a GM who knows what he's doing. Then again, their minor league system seems to be okay.

[Sky06]

I guess I would have like to see the Tides stay with the Mets, and I know some of you feel that the Nationals were a better fit than Baltimore. But I'm a life-long Orioles fan, and I always felt that it would make sense for the Orioles and Mets to swap their minor league affiliates, giving Rochester to NY and Norfolk to Baltimore. That would keep things geographically in line. In any case, baseball will be back at Harbor Park next year, hopefully with a better outcome.

[rusthebuss]

I guess I would have like to see the Tides stay with the Mets, and I know some of you feel that the Nationals were a better fit than Baltimore. But I'm a life-long Orioles fan, and I always felt that it would make sense for the Orioles and Mets to swap their minor league affiliates, giving Rochester to NY and Norfolk to Baltimore. That would keep things geographically in line. In any case, baseball will be back at Harbor Park next year, hopefully with a better outcome.

Well I'm a Mets fan and I'm pissed off! They have been affiliates for a long time and to do this pisses me off!

[tuffsim]

I was able to get Mayor Fraim's opinion on this and I tend to agree with him. He preferred that we stay with the Mets and his reasoning was marketing. Apparently during Mets games they do an update on how the farm teams are doing and mention Norfolk quite often. Combining the Tides affiliation with New York and the Admirals affiliation with Chicago, Norfolk was getting its name mentioned in stadiums and newspapers in two of the country's largest metropolitan areas.

If the Tides do align with a team other than the Mets, I don't think it will be the end of the world. As far as attendance and support for the Tides locally, I don't plan on seeing much of a change. Harbor Park really is a gem and it is still the best place to catch professional sports in this area.

[hoobo]

I guess I would have like to see the Tides stay with the Mets, and I know some of you feel that the Nationals were a better fit than Baltimore. But I'm a life-long Orioles fan, and I always felt that it would make sense for the Orioles and Mets to swap their minor league affiliates, giving Rochester to NY and Norfolk to Baltimore. That would keep things geographically in line. In any case, baseball will be back at Harbor Park next year, hopefully with a better outcome.

Well, now the Red Wings are even more geographically misaligned. Somehow they ended up becoming the Twins' AAA club back in 2003. But then again, that should make for a good team given the Twins' farm system.

But I think you and rus hit on something. HR Mets fans are Mets fans because of the Tides. The same way Richmonders are Braves fans. It helped the regional rivalry because both teams are in the NL and after realignment, both are in the same division. However, HR baseball fans who prefer the AL style of play appear to align with the closest team geographically which is the Orioles. Still, it might be hard to sell the O's in HR not just because of the AL, but because they are mediocre and they lack an HR connection which the Mets and Nats both have at 3B.

[urbanlife]

I am wuth rus on this one.

[hoobo]

Well I'm a Mets fan and I'm pissed off! They have been affiliates for a long time and to do this pisses me off!

It isn't the Tides' fault. The Mets are the ones who cast the wondering eye towards Scranton thus killing the relationship. They opened the door to Young & Co.'s Orioles farm club consolidation plan. I wonder if this will lead to Tides games on MASN/CSN/HTS.

[Seven Cities]

Its official. The Tides are the new Triple A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Story

[rusthebuss]

It isn't the Tides' fault. The Mets are the ones who cast the wondering eye towards Scranton thus killing the relationship. They opened the door to Young & Co.'s Orioles farm club consolidation plan. I wonder if this will lead to Tides games on MASN/CSN/HTS.

I know it isn't the Tides fault. Just venting my anger being a Mets fan. The tides are the reason for me being a Mets fan!

[hoobo]

I know it isn't the Tides fault. Just venting my anger being a Mets fan. The tides are the reason for me being a Mets fan!

I understand that. Good thing Norfolk isn't Richmond. Imagine swearing your allegiance to the Braves.

Now the Pilot is trying to spin it that it's Young & Co.'s fault. They planned it since taking over the other O's farm clubs. But there's that little fact that the Phils backed out of their Scranton contract over a month ago at which point the Mets decided to put out feelers to Scranton. None of it could be officially announced until the season ended. Of course a simple web search of minor league baseball articles is a little much for the Pilot sports staff.

[spiker3]

Mets make AAA New Orleans their affliate

Read that article and look at the bias that the Mets organization tried swinging our way. I've been a Tides fan since i moved to the area, i remember having season tickets on the first base dugout at Met Park and getting autographs and baseballs from Vince Coleman, Dave Magidan, Darryl Strawberry, in the old days when the actual Mets would play the Tides. I've been a Mets fan specifically because of the Tides. I don't think my allegiance will change because of this, and i'll still support the Tides. But if i owned an organization that received virtually no help or assistance the entire year from my major league affiliate, i'd be pissed too. The GM and AGM not one time visiting the area? The Pilot's not trying to make it look like our fault, it's clearly putting the blame on them, where it should go. They had the chance to re-up their contract, they did some piss-poor negotiations and lost their contract. New Orleans was the place that not one East Coast major league team wanted to be, and the Mets got stuck with them as a result. Serves them right. I'll still be a Mets fan after all this, but the Mets got what they deserved, and now their logistics has been screwed as a result. Imagine what will happen if Pedro tweaks a hamstring, and they have to fly in their hot shot rookie from Phoenix where NO is playing. Jet lag and etc makes it much more difficult. The entire tone of the article above just ticks me off, like we're all small market hicks and they got out for the better. The opposite it surely true, and the Mets will rue the day they let us slip away. In two years, they'll be crawling back asking us to come back. (most of the teams only signed two year contracts this year, including the Mets and O's)

[Downtowner]

So what affiliate will the tides have now? I heard it could possibly be the Orioles affiliate now but I'd much rather see the Mets AAA affiliate their simply because they have better prospects in AAA than what the Orioles have and our AAA team which is an affiliate of the Braves all they do is bring up their best prospects from AA and don't even send them to AAA thats why I wish we here in Richmond would find a new AAA affiliate.

Edited September 22, 2006 by Downtowner

[spiker3]

The Tides have officially signed with the Orioles.

So what affiliate will the tides have now? I heard it could possibly be the Orioles affiliate now but I'd much rather see the Mets AAA affiliate their simply because they have better prospects in AAA than what the Orioles have and our AAA team which is an affiliate of the Braves all they do is bring up their best prospects from AA and don't even send them to AAA thats why I wish we here in Richmond would find a new AAA affiliate.

[hoobo]

Mets make AAA New Orleans their affliate

Read that article and look at the bias that the Mets organization tried swinging our way.

Wow. That is really uncalled for. Where do the Mets get off saying that. They wanted an affliate closer to NY and one over which they could have more control on day-to-day operations. If they told the Tides they wanted to reup back in August, the Tides would've said yes. I was close to switching to an east coast team (been a Giants fan for over a decade, long story) and was debating between the Mets and Nats. Well, that closes the door on the Mets.

As for their statements about the airport, I did a little checking. Louis Armstrong International served about 4.9 million passengers in 2004 and had a 5% increase year-to-date in 2005 before Katrina. Post Katrina, the airport traffic is down about 40%. The main advantage of the airport is that because it is in the central U.S. there are direct flights to NL West teams and Milwaukee instead of one-stop/connecting flights from Norfolk. Both airports have connecting flights to West Palm Beach, the closest commercial airport to Mets spring training site in Port St. Lucie.

[vdogg]

"We probably would gone back to Norfolk but decided against it in the end because they didn't want us as much as New Orleans wanted us," Wilpon said.

New Yorks had it out for us ever since we decided we didn't want their garbage. They had to take it out on us somehow.

[Downtowner]

Well all I got to say now that you have the Orioles AAA team welcome to what Richmond has experienced losing losing and more losing simply because the Orioles AAA team sucks not to mention the Orioles themselves suck but thats simply all because of Peter Angelos and god I hope he gets out of the Orioles Franchise and stays the heck away from baseball I mean he is just god awful and I've heard that Cal Ripken could possibly take over the team. But now that the Orioles have signed with the tides I feel very very sorry for you all.

[urbanlife]

New Yorks had it out for us ever since we decided we didn't want their garbage. They had to take it out on us somehow.

Those sonsofbeotches!.......eh, I am still a Mets fan.....can't be worse then the fact that I am a Cleveland Browns fan too.

[spiker3]

PilotOnline Editorial Article

This guy really hits the nail on the head, the Mets screwed up and wound up with the bottom of the barrel and it serves them right. But thanks for the 38 years in the Virginia Beach area, full of artic weather and our regional municipal airport. Great tone to the article, deservedly.

Edited September 23, 2006 by spiker3

[erdogs]

Its sad to see this long tradition come to an end. When I was a kid the Mets got me interested in baseball. They used to be shown on WWOR all the time. That was before COX got rid of that channel. This was the year they won the World Series in 86. At that time I never made the connection to the Tides. This is what you get when you play hardball with a NY bussiness man. They usually get what they want. If they don't, they will even cut there own wrist.

[br0guy]

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2006-07 ABA Norfolk Navigators...

http://www.norfolknavigators.com

Not quite the NBADL we were shooting for.

[carolinaboy]

I can not wait to see the Navigators play the Vermont Frost Heaves! I might have to camp out to get those tickets.

Seriously, a metro of 1.7 million and this is what we get?

[rusthebuss]

It doesn't surprise me! We just can't get a break.