The Herald Mail has just caught onto the possible sale of the Hagerstown Suns,so time for a few words from us on the topic.
First off,anything that can help the aging Municipal Stadium can do nothing but help things.
It seems like the prospective new owners can help that happen.
I lay little fault for that at the feet of Mandalay as they have tried to do what they could through the years and the city of Hagerstown deserves much of the blame for the stadium issues.
I recall talking to Suns management last season and hearing plans that would have been really nice upgrades,but none of them occurred and that was too bad.
Having some local members of the ownership group could help relax some of the constant concerns of the team moving away.
I have always felt that the city (and county to an extent) have never appreciated having a team in the area and some of the decision makers need to have a reality check-this team leaves,one wont be coming back as the Frederick Keys can and would block any team from entering what would instantly become their territory.
That would be excellent business for the Keys,but bad for fans here and perhaps new ownership with local connections could be helpful in working with the city in ways that Mandalay never could.
Sometimes things need a shakeup and seeing a new face across the negotiating table might help in that regard.
However,reading this doesn't exactly make me think that the City Council has any plans of helping the team very much.
Any of these individuals that are anti-stadium will not have to worry about my vote and to any local politicians that are against renovation or a new facility,please stay away from the field.
Nothing is worse than officials spouting off against the teams needs and then strutting out to throw the first pitch with a new Suns cap on like they are a long time fan.....
What's old can always become new again and baseball in Hagerstown just needs some TLC from people that care,from people that care about the community and perhaps more people involved in the front office with local ties and a passion for not just baseball,but Hagerstown baseball.
Employees that want to work for the Hagerstown Suns and not just use the Hub City as a steppingstone to the next market.
Those are the type of people that can really make a difference in generating a turnaround for the franchises with fresh ideas for a product geared towards a fan base that they know and care about.
In my opinion,the legacy of Mandalay's ownership of the Suns will be mixed.
It is hard to give too much credit to a group that only bought the team to attempt to move it (They failed in an attempt to grab the Greenville SC market),but at the same time,attendance improved under their reign and some improvements were made to the stadium on their watch.
The management changed a handful of times and I had mixed experiences with them.
I think Bob Flannery was a good man that always had time to listen even when he may have disagreed with something I wrote or said. Kurt Landis may have been a bit sillier in his promotions than I cared for,but was trying to revitalize a market that was weakening by the day and must be given an tip of the cap for trying things.
Will Smith was not the type of GM that I would have liked and I disagreed with many of his decisions,but he did manage to keep the team afloat,so that is something at least.
In any event,let's give Mandalay a great deal of thanks for hanging in there long enough for the team to stay alive and give the new ownership group full support for changes that have to be made.
Good luck to them and thanks for believing in Hagerstown Baseball.....
Look for a post with suggestions if the sale is finalized....
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