Ramapo, NY, may get a Can-Am franchise in 2011

[Marcelo]

See complete news by clicking the link below

http://www.lohud.com/article/20100305/NEWS03/3050377/-1/newsfront/Ramapo-building-baseball-stadium-for-minor-league-team

[digitalballparks]

Rockland County and Orange County really need a baseball team. The old Catskill Cougars had a decent little ballpark (we filmed it for www.digitalballparks.com) but it was so hard to find and get to, it could never have been successful. Something right off the thruway or 17 though? That would be awesome. There's a lot of people in North Bergan and Rockland County. By the way... we did find the remains of the old Class B ballpark in Nyack. It's now on the site. (Just click on All Ballparks By State Index on top of the page)

Eric
President
http://www.digitalballparks.com
An online baseball stadium museum featuring over 12,000 Hi-Res photographs of ballparks from today and yesteryear.

[preeths]

Eric, great site, BTW. A terrific historical resource.

[digitalballparks]

Eric, great site, BTW. A terrific historical resource.


Thanks Preeths! I'm glad you appreciate what we are trying to do here... lots of cool stuff to come including the old Binghamton Triplets ballpark where Whitey Ford and Thurman Munson used to play (Johnson Field). Check back every week. We usually try to put up 2 new ballparks every 7-10 days.

Eric
President
www.digitalballparks.com
An online baseball stadium museum featuring over 12,000 Hi-Res photographs of ballparks from today and yesteryear.

[OttawaBallFan]

For those interested in knowing what's going on in Ramapo:

www.lohud.com/article/20100825/NEWS03/8250353/Ramapo-rejects-16-5-million-financing-plan-for-ballpark

Seems people rejected the idea of funding the building of a park. However, it seems it will be built anyway. Also mention of a Can-Am team starting play there as early as next year.

[Bonhomme2010]

Miles Wolff told a reporter in Quebec that the league would come to a decision regarding the 2011 schedule by january 4. Either 6 teams (without Ramapo and Sussex) or 8 teams (with Ramapo and a road team).

[Bonhomme2010]

From the lips of Miles Wolff in today's paper: The Can-Am league will operate 8 teams in 2011. Ramapo should be confirmed no later than monday january 10. A road team under the management of the New York State League will be added. Expect a lot of rookies with a few veterans in this road team!

[QuebecCapitalesFan]

From the lips of Miles Wolff in today's paper: The Can-Am league will operate 8 teams in 2011. Ramapo should be confirmed no later than monday january 10. A road team under the management of the New York State League will be added. Expect a lot of rookies with a few veterans in this road team!

Oh no no no no no!!!! Think Trois-Rivieres! They got a stadium, and last I checked, there is a group interested. Ramapo is too unstable right now, and Lord knows this league does not need another road team.

[Bonhomme2010]

I do most of my business in the Trois-Rivieres area.

They have a refurbished stadium (a carbon copy of the Quebec stadium). City Hall spent 7 million$ on the renovation in 2009. They have a population of 130,000. But that's about it!

They don't have any kind of local investor group. The city is economically depressed. Businesses are closing because they are mostly very low technological companies paying low wages and they can't compete in today's market! There is ZERO leadership in the area... business and political!

How would an outside investor make it a GO long term in such a depressed market?

The group behind the Ramapo project has the experience in managing minor league baseball franchises and they have the financial means to make it work! What more can you expect?

[QuebecCapitalesFan]

I do most of my business in the Trois-Rivieres area.

They have a refurbished stadium (a carbon copy of the Quebec stadium). City Hall spent 7 million$ on the renovation in 2009. They have a population of 130,000. But that's about it!

They don't have any kind of local investor group. The city is economically depressed. Businesses are closing because they are mostly very low technological companies paying low wages and they can't compete in today's market! There is ZERO leadership in the area... business and political!

How would an outside investor make it a GO long term in such a depressed market?

The group behind the Ramapo project has the experience in managing minor league baseball franchises and they have the financial means to make it work! What more can you expect?

It's heartbreaking to hear that Trois-Rivieres is on hard times right now, which is why a team could probably boost their economy. A perfect example would be Gary, IN. The city has been dead for decades, but a team over there is contributing to a city whose economy is slowly progressing, despite a low declining population, not to mention already decaying buildings and ransacked neighbourhoods. (If you've never been to Gary, but have seen the movie "I Am Legend", it's kinda like that.) I feel Trois-Rivieres, despite of what you have said, has that potential to field an Indy League team. As I mentioned earlier, the right people MUST be in place. Would this hurt the Capitales' marketing and potential to land local talent? Perhaps, but it would sure make one hell of a rivalry.

My apologies for being negative but I'm still not sold on this Ramapo deal. From the looks of this, the owners may have deep pockets, but the people just don't seem to want the park built. As for a potential road team, I feel it's a bad sign for the league, are they going to flourish or flounder? The Can-Am league has done it twice before, but I like a league where all teams have at least a city to call home. Gives it stability.

[J.J. Smith]

It's heartbreaking to hear that Trois-Rivieres is on hard times right now, which is why a team could probably boost their economy. A perfect example would be Gary, IN. The city has been dead for decades, but a team over there is contributing to a city whose economy is slowly progressing, despite a low declining population, not to mention already decaying buildings and ransacked neighbourhoods. (If you've never been to Gary, but have seen the movie "I Am Legend", it's kinda like that.)



Gary is a "perfect example" of a "city whose economy is slowly progressing"? You're kidding, right?

The Indiana legislature is in the process of changing state law which will allow Gary to declare bankruptcy because it is so hopelessly in debt. The area around the stadium is still in a sad state of decay. The population continues to decline. Areas like Gary need real jobs, not low paid, seasonal, part-time gigs for a small number of people. Sports projects and entertainment projects in general have proven to be very poor long term economic drivers over and over again. They do, however, provide a wonderful, fat payday for the insiders who are involved in getting them built. And then the rest are left to pay for it.

[OttawaBallFan]

Bonhomme said:
> From the lips of Miles Wolff in today's paper: The Can-Am league will operate 8 teams in 2011

I would agree with QCF, Ramapo's situation appear too unstable. But if Miles said 8 teams that includes Ramapo, I guess that's what it will be.

I'm very surprised by this and at this late date. I thought the Rapides officially being announced in 2007 in the last days of November was late. Can a team put everything together in just a few months? We'll find out.

As for "Think Trois-Rivieres!", how about Ottawa? We got a stadium too... Same situation I guess, no serious investors. But if there's a road team, both those cities may get some dates. The Ottawa Fat Cat owners (in an amateur league) need that revenue. In fact, this week they asked the city for a long term lease and a reduction in fees which are $108,000. I don't see this team staying by paying that lease all by themselves. My guess is asking for a long-term lease is to help improve getting a pro team - hopefully the Can Am.

[BerkshireFan]

Sports projects and entertainment projects in general have proven to be very poor long term economic drivers over and over again. They do, however, provide a wonderful, fat payday for the insiders who are involved in getting them built. And then the rest are left to pay for it.

Amen!

I love a good ballpark. But economist Andrew Zimbalist has pretty effectively demonstrated that sports facilities are lousy investments for public dollars. Sure, there's ambiguous 'quality-of-life' benefits. I even think that if a town has a ballpark, it's smarter to keep it up than to let it fall into disrepair. Nor is it always a terrible idea to build a new ballpark. But spare me the local pols and their lies about economic growth. Just tell it like it is; "wouldn't it be great to have a baseball team of our own?"

Of course what worries local pols is that the answer might be, "not at that price."

[Zeyes]

As for a potential road team, I feel it's a bad sign for the league, are they going to flourish or flounder? The Can-Am league has done it twice before, but I like a league where all teams have at least a city to call home. Gives it stability.
It gives the league stability if the franchises are stable themselves. In my opinion, a chronically underfunded ownership group with a ballpark is much more of a problem to a league seeking stability than is a road team. At least with a road club the league knows the set of constraints under which it is operating, while an unstable franchise will potentially throw a wrench into the league's plans when it's least desired.

[NJ JACKALS FAN]

According to this and another link it's official: Rockland will have a team in 2011:
http://randombaseballstuff.com/2011/01/10/rockland-boulders-join-can-am-league/