South Coast League in the news

[JoesFan]

A good article by Scott Adamson in the Anderson Independent newspaper.
There's a link on http://www.southcoastleague.com under the title "Grading the South Coast League".
Scott is obviously a SCL fan, and the article is dead on, although I don't necessarily agree that "Bad News" Backman is a positive for the league.
JoesFan

[Mr.Ed]

The article seemed a fair assesment outside of Backman's influence.
Didn't know Spartanburg was in the mix.
I didn't like the split season idea at first but it will keep fan interest in towns whose teams did not have a good first half.

[kekemortson]

By Sarah Meinecke - smeinecke@macon.com

The news that Macon Music pitcher Bryce Florie had been extended a contract by another independent league team spread fast during the first weekend of July.

Word that the former major leaguer, who also doubles as the Music's pitching coach, turned it down came even faster and may have been a bit of surprise.

Florie could have played in Newark in the Atlantic League, which has more history than the first-year South Coast League.

But heading to another independent team isn't necessarily a step up, especially when the main goal for the players is to be picked up by a major league team's affiliate.

"First of all, for us to try to get (our players) to another independent team is just moving sideways for them," Music general manager Ric Sisler said. "We don't spend a lot of time (on the independent teams). For the major leagues, we spend a lot of time on it.

"We have a two-prong strategy, and the first is to provide the best players we can find to put on the field. Second, we want to get every opportunity for our guys to get scouted and signed by a major league team."

A big part of helping a player move up to affiliated ball is the independent league's own success. Establishing a solid fan base, especially in the inaugural season for an independent league, is important.

"To date, eight players in the league have signed with (affiliated minor league) teams," said Jamie Toole, chief executive officer for the league. "In the first year (of an independent league), sometimes (major league clubs are) hesitant, and we have to prove (ourselves) to the industry."

While the league builds credibility, it relies on a networking system between its managers and their major league contacts to bring attention to the players. And while the players wait to be scouted, they are expected to take the steps necessary in their development.

"(Music manager Phil Plantier's) main goal, as was communicated to me, was about development," Music pitcher Ross Stout said. "Winning a championship would be nice, but the main goal is getting to affiliated ball. It was evident he wanted to push players on, and that was most interesting (to me)."

Getting the word out about players hasn't exactly been easy, however. As the league focuses on fan support, important recruiting tools - such as radar guns - were bypassed in the opening season's budget.

Instead, the various organizations have used statistics to draw scouts in for a first-hand look at a potential professional player.

"You can do a lot more as you move into year two, three or four, but you can't get carried away in year one," Toole said. "The number one priority is putting a product on the field and get a fan base into South Coast League baseball.

"At the end of the day, if you have video cameras and radar guns but no fan base, financially, (the league) is not going to last very long."