This is a letter than I have put off for a long time,but finally I wanted to ask what I have wondered about for a long time-What is your league thinking?
A person that knows us mutually has told me that you are open minded to ideas,so I thought that I would offer an idea to help the league that I enjoy so much. Every year,I wait to see the following years schedule to see if things will finally change for the Hagerstown Suns and every year,I wind up disappointed in the league.
Your league loses credibility every year when teams do not appear in a city,especially when the three teams in question skip a city just happen to be three of the most powerful teams in the game (Yankees,Red Sox and Mets),but the problem worsens when teams in one division appear once in a town (West Virginia) and a team from the other division appears three times last year and twice this year.
I give credit for slashing one of those visits down from the Legends for 2013,but it diminishes your championship when a divisional rival does not appear in each city once in each half.
I have always heard of an "urban legend" that those three teams (Most prominently the Mets) refuse to play in Hagerstown because of the condition of Municipal Stadium.
I would like to think that is not the case,but seeing those teams travel further north to other cities does lend credence to that legend.
One hopes that a new stadium in Hagerstown ends the unbalanced schedule once and for all and here is an easy way to end it.
This takes a simple fix that a non-math major such as myself,worked on for about ten minutes as I worked on this letter and would allow fans in each of your cities to see every team in each half.
With 14 teams in your league,the Suns would have 13 opponents,6 inside the Northern Division with 7 outside,Hagerstown would host 2 teams inside the division 17 times (for this purpose let's make these team the closest two,Lakewood and Delmarva),the remaining four division rivals would come to Hagerstown for 16 games and the Southern Division teams would each play in Hagerstown six games of the course of the season.
Add it up and Voila-a 140 game schedule that sees each team hit town once in a half,allowing fans to see the entire league and giving your champions credibility for having played a true balanced schedule.
The Carolina League uses a template that is easy to understand,sees each of the eight teams go to the other seven cities three times over the course of the year and fans see all the teams.
The South Atlantic League is a larger league,so there are some differences,but none that cannot be overcome for the good of the league and for the fans that make it run,
I understand the price of gas for buses and all of that,but we could counter that with road swings that saw the opposite division teams hit their far flung counterparts on one trip in each half.
For example when Hagerstown goes to the Southern Division,the Suns could hit Rome,Savannah and Augusta on one shot,saving money,time and gas for the buses that makes the league go around.
Using my plan or another balanced plan restores fairness and integrity to your league and its championship and opens the door for a better fan experience for all.
Isn't that what its all about?
Thanks for the time and until next time when we tackle why your league did not release any prospect or all-star sets this past season.....
Respectfully
Shawn
Photo Credit:The Franko Blog.com
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