The Muckdogs need to make money and draw more fans, according to NY-Penn League Commissioner Ben Hayes, but even that might not be enough to keep the team in the city of the NYPL's birth.
Hayes said Dwyer Stadium is one of three or four ballparks in the league that is not up to professional baseball standards.
"It's not that I want them to relocate," Hayes said while visiting Dwyer for Thursday's game. "It's not something I want to happen. But it is something that, if the market is not supporting the ball club, or you have a stadium that’s not in condition for professional baseball, either one of those can end a franchise, and that’s where we are."
The infield is a particular concern, Hayes said. He said he's heard, but doesn't know about firsthand, that one team that visited Dwyer this year refused to take infield practice because the manager was concerned about the condition of the playing surface.
Minutes earlier Hayes spoke with the groundskeeper. Hayes said the groundskeeper told him the field needed to be bulldozed.
"The infield needs to be laser leveled," Hayes said. "Those things are very costly."
The local ownership group is nonprofit, Hayes noted, and doesn't have the resources to take on those kinds of improvements.
The commissioner pointed to Aberdeen, State College, Staten Island and Brooklyn as franchises with professional quality facilities. He singled out Vermont as a club that, while profitable, will need to relocate if it can't solve its ballpark problems.
Hayes agreed that it would be a shame if one of the last original franchises had to relocate.
"We considered that three years ago," Hayes said. "That was one of the top things on our minds. It's one of the last original, founding clubs in the New York-Penn League.
Unfortunately," he added, "it’s a situation where I’m not sure this club can make money. It’s losing money every year and if that’s the case, then, you know, like the other original members, those clubs will have to depart and go somewhere else."
UPDATE, Friday, 9:22 p.m.: Groundskeeper Donald Rock called to clarify -- he's concerned that some might read his comments as meaning that the whole stadium needs to be leveled. That's not what he said. He said Hayes came to him before the game and asked, "If you could do one thing, what would it be?" and he replied bulldoze the field (both infield and outfield) and level it. Rock said years of football play on the field has left it uneven. He said Hayes told him he does a great job with the field and it's in the best condition it can be under the circumstances. He said Hayes said, "The things that need to be repaired, you can't do yourself."
If the commissioner,
If the commissioner, recommends, then there is no denying. Hearing problems from the media and third party's doesn't work, like the top brass. At least he gives credible and sound analysis. This is the first time i ever heard about the field being in bad shape.
It Doesn't look good, but where still in the playoffs. Bad field, Financial woes or Low attendance.
Still good luck to the 2010 Batavia Muckdogs.
Jason D. Reese
Is this guy serious?? The
Is this guy serious?? The field isn't 'level enough'??
Hey genius! This is *MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL*!. Everything might not be up to what your spoiled brat athletes are "used to".
And people wonder why fans get turned off to professional sports? It's one thing for an athlete at the highest professional level to make salary demands, but when a tin horn 'commissioner' of a league at the lowest level of professional baseball starts making demands that's quite another thing.
Personally, I never thought that the city should be saddled with a $3 million bill for (re)building that stadium, but that's water under the bridge. Then after it was built, the parent team (I think it was Philadelphia) came in and said, "well that's nice but your light towers aren't high enough and unless you fix it we're outta here". So what did we do? We installed new towers. More water under the bridge. (by the way...where was the architect on that deal??).
Now this guy says our infield isn't "level enough"?
Hey Mr. Hayes! You need to get real. I'm glad that you don't want the franchise to leave, but comments like yours aren't likely to cause any more fans to come to the ballpark and in fact might have quite the opposite effect.
You might better have made some positive comments regarding the loyal fan support and perhaps you could have found something nice to say about our (fairly new) stadium.
You're the 'commissioner' of the freakin' league. Your job is to support ALL of the franchises. But...apparently you have other priorities.
Tradition counts for nothing.
Tradition counts for nothing. Of all the games I have been too, only one bounce was unpredictable and it looked like the ball hit a sprinkler head.
I think the more telling
I think the more telling quote from the commissioner is when he says he doesn't think the Muckdogs can make money in Batavia.
You can't argue with that. Batavians and those around us have known that this year is make-or-break to keep the team local, and attendance hasn't improved.
As frustrating as it can be, professional baseball is and always was a business.
You can't expect a local business owner to keep his store open if he's losing money year after year can you? You shouldn't expect the Muckdogs to keep taking losses then either.
"Hayes said Dwyer Stadium is
"Hayes said Dwyer Stadium is one of three or four ballparks in the league that is not up to professional baseball standards."
Is the infield the only issue that makes Dwyer not up to professional baseball standards?
What exactly is the standard?
I've said it before, our stadium is not glitz and glamour. It is a baseball field for young players to cut their teeth as they rise in the ranks of their chosen profession. Should it have all the bells and whistles of the major league houses? Would it attract more fans if it had them?
Hayes has sounded the death knell for three or four ballparks.
I will be honest, when the
I will be honest, when the Redwings organization came in and kicked Batavia Youth Football out, that put a sour taste in my mouth. They have played there for years and I did too some 20 years ago. It is awesome for the kids and community to be able to use the stadium for more than just minor league ball. I now have 2 little boys (one in youth football) and have gone to a few muckdog games this year and enjoyed ourselves. I hope that if the muckdogs don't return next year that the facilities can once again be used for the whole community and maybe youth football can go back to its roots and play where a lot of memories were made for kids and money was invested by BYF.
By the way the 50-120lb kids that played football there never played on the infield where the reported "damage" is!
Jeremy, see the remarks I
Jeremy, see the remarks I just added from the groundskeeper.
He said the whole field, not just the infield, needs to be leveled.
I am obviously a huge Batavia
I am obviously a huge Batavia Muckdogs supporter after working there for two years, and with all respect to the Muckdogs staff, I have to support what the commissioner says. I have worked in professional and collegiate baseball for numerous years and have spent days and hours at various ballparks.
Field condition is not about making sure play is fair (consider the catwalk in the Tampa Bay Rays' dome), but it is about safety for the players. These athletes are not babies complaining about conditions on the field, it is the coaches that need players to remain healthy. I have sat through hour-long rain delays with a packed ballpark to see if conditions would improve, only to have the game postponed because field condition is unsafe.
The commissioner did not say the field wasn't "level enough." He said it needs to be laser leveled, basically meaning it needs to be completely redone. With a field built as long ago as Dwyer, there has to be big improvements made frequently to keep it up-to-date.
As for youth football, the decision was correct in having them removed from Dwyer. Although the kids do not weigh enough, the grass has to be kept in specific way to be playable. No divots, rocks and stones, holes, etc. Drainage is also a big issue with the outfield that can be disrupted by having football take place there.
I personally believe hope is dwindling for the Muckdogs to remain in Batavia. Beyond starting my career in professional baseball there, I have many memories as a kid enjoying a ball game with my family and friends. The Muckdogs playing in Batavia is something for the community to enjoy and share. It will be a sad day for me when they are gone.
Thanks for the insight
Thanks for the insight Mollie. Makes perfect sense.
Well, I continued to have a small amount of hope that somehow the Muckdogs would remain in Batavia. I think the commish's comments put that hope to bed. I'll watch and support the team during their playoff run. But it'll be with a twinge of sadness, knowing that it is likely the end of the line. One of the great things about living in Batavia is going away.
Hopefully the community will be able to get its money's worth out of that empty stadium when they are gone.
This morning after reading
This morning after reading this I tried to think of one thing I do on a regular basis besides going to games at Dwyer, here in Batavia. And a side from necessary shopping, there is nothing.
There is nothing in this town for me to do.
I play hockey in Henrietta, gaelic football in the Browncroft district and other US ctiies, kickball at genesse valley, work in Henrietta, school at RIT, more hockey in Scottsville. All my regular activities are in Rochester except going to see the Muckdogs. Even th other pro sports events I'm a regular at are in Rochester (Rhinos and Amerks).
There is nothing tying me to this community other than Muckdogs Baseball. I guess all my time in Batavia will be spent in my house once again.
Were all of those activities,
Were all of those activities, except the Muckdogs, on your schedule before you purchased a home in Batavia?
If so, what did you expect out of the town you adopted as your home?
I thought of you last night, as a metter of fact, and wondered how your plans for a bakery were coming. If you were open, I would invite you to a cupcake competition I am planning for late winter.
I know the feeling Peter. I
I know the feeling Peter.
I told my wife that between the constant increase in crime and taxes, the decrease in community activities and the total apathetic feeling in the community to anything, Batavia is starting to change for worst in my mind. What I once thought quaint and full of potential, I see as sad and another chain holding it down.
There are very few entrepreneurs in Batavia and the few that are constantly tell me how hard it is to business in this town. For sale signs are popping up everywhere and very few young couples are moving in. With all respect to any older readers, developers will spend millions to open new senior homes, but residents want to abolish Youth Services (An average cost of $25 per tax bill per year).
The local government has done nothing except maintain the status quo and there has been no progress in long term planning. Batavia still has no vision whatsoever.
As for the Muckdogs? They will go, the stadium will go back to being used for youth football or High school baseball. It will not be taken care of to the level it needs to be and whatever costs do occur there will be met by Boo-Birds.
A good friend of mine, finally said enough is enough and is planning on leaving here. I hate to say it, but after my wife is done school, I think it may be time to move on for us as well.
Peter, If you moved into the
Peter,
If you moved into the city because we had baseball, then you made one of the dumbiest moves on record. You could have stayed where you were and still gone to the ball games.
So, when are you moving?
John, I moved into the city
John,
I moved into the city because of the house. Nothing else.
My sense of community developed because of Baseball. I can't afford to move right now. We might move if Chelsea finds a job that she can use her degree for.
Bea,
The bakery is in a holding pattern for now. We are both too busy with school and work and other crap to worry about opening a business in a failing town.
Kickball is something new for me, I was invited by my friend at work. I looked into joining the hockey league at Falletti but it seemed to hard to get into and after finally finding a team to play with instead of just being the guy thrown on a team that needs people, I am not going to give that up. Saturday morning hockey is with two other friends from work. I didn't mention my soccer league which is also with coworkers. Gaelic Football has a hard time getting enough guys to play in Rochester. I don't think there would be anywhere close to enough interest here to start a team that has to travel. RIT, Rhinos, and Amerks aren't going to move. Last summer I was playing soccer on Mondays here in Batavia but I never heard if that got started again this summer so thats a bust.
Phil,
I don't know if things would have even turned around if you had made it on the council. This town doesn't want to get better. Hell just go to Walmart and look at how people dress and tell me they care about anything let alone their community.
Posted by Phil Ricci; "I told
Posted by Phil Ricci;
"I told my wife that between the constant increase in crime and taxes, the decrease in community activities and the total apathetic feeling in the community to anything, Batavia is starting to change for worst in my mind. What I once thought quaint and full of potential, I see as sad and another chain holding it down."
Two words explain most of this. Rental units. Almost half of the residential property in the city of Batavia is for rent. They are too many temproary residents here with no ties to the community and are apathetic towards its future.
My family moved to Batavia about 9 years ago. We found the community quaint and full of potential, to use your words. In 9 years my taxes have gone up over 50% (well over), crime is all around my immediate neighborhood, and all the quaint small-towny things that went on around town seem to be shriveling on the vine.
I don't blame city gov't. IMO they are doing a very good job considering what they have to work with. As far as I am concerned, the downfall of the City of Batavia will be rental properties and a high percentage of transient population. Find a way to greatly increase homeownership rates in the city and the community will prosper. Unfortuantely, the best way to achieve this is with jobs. Lots of very good paying jobs. Not call center jobs and big box retailers.
I agree with a lot of that
I agree with a lot of that Mike.
Posted by Mike Weaver on
Posted by Mike Weaver on September 3, 2010 - 1:11pm
Two words explain most of this. Rental units.
I realize that some rental units are a blight. But, rental units are necessary in any community. Even planned, successful communities include rental properties.
C.M. posted:
"With renters direct-paying local taxes, rent bills that include the cost of property tax must be adjusted. To encourage landlords to reduce rent bills, a Rent Adjustment Credit for landlords who lower rent in lieu of property tax will be built into Form IT-214, Claim for Real Property Tax Credit for Homeowners and Renters."
Do you think this would help?
No Bea, I don't think that
No Bea, I don't think that would help. Having an ownership stake in your residence and community would help. There is a committment and pride involved in homeownership that is seldom evident in a rental situation.
I realize that some level of rental is expected in any community, but when the percentages of housing dedicated to rentals nears 50% it indicates to me a community that is not vibrant and healthy.
Mike, With all due respect,
Mike,
With all due respect, you have identified a problem but give no concrete suggestions for making it better.
What would you suggest?
I'm just making observations
I'm just making observations Bea. I didn't realize I needed to have a solution ready to go before I could post them.
I did mention that I think more homeownership is the solution. I don't have the answer for how that gets implemented.
I would imagine mandating
I would imagine mandating that every head of household own their home would be difficult to implement.
Home ownership is an option not a mandate or a criteria for residency. Not everyone, even those who can afford to own their own home, take that option.
Many, here, advocate less government. Yet, this sort of mandate would certainly involve more intrusion into the private lives of the residents.
If I understand your point correctly, you believe that increased home ownership would improve the quality of life in Batavia. Ownership is tied to responsibility and pride which will filter down to one's neighborhood and the city as a whole.
As in any discussion about our city, there are many factors. Home ownership is one of many that will generate civic pride.
Our readers all have different memories of Batavia, and Genesee Co., depending on their age and length of time they have lived here.
Life long residents will recall Batavia in it's heyday. Factories were working three shifts; there were small grocery stores on every corner; police still walked a beat; there was reliable public transportation; restaurants and bars were doing a booming business; and Main St. had far more shops than empty store fronts.
Due to the shortage of housing, after WW2, many large older houses were made over into multi-family dwellings to provide homes for returning military. As a matter of fact, many commercial buildings on Main St., Jackson St., and Ellicott St. converted their second and third floors into apartments.
Even in Batavia's heyday, the ratio of apartments was high. It is not something new.
The heyday has passed, but the apartments remained.
Bea, With all due respect,
Bea,
With all due respect, what does it matter what Mike suggests? Lots of people suggest things all the time on here, how many local leaders see it? Use it? Do anything?
I don't think CM's idea will change much either, although I appreciate it. Taxing people doesn't make them feel like owners, it's just another bill. A bill by the way if a renter doesn't pay will then cause more problems.
People need to own more than just a home, they need a piece of the community. Batavia does not have that. Most people use this town as a place to eat, sleep and shop. Then they leave if they want something to do.
Why would a young family want to move here, Bea? Read the comments here. Read the headlines. Knife fights, Meth labs, raising taxes, businesses leaving, community events decreasing and only one with any kind of attendance. People complain about the youth in one breath, then bitch about providing them services the next.
The only job that pays anything in this town is government work. You have to be in some kind of public union to make a decent living. The average city employee makes nearly double the average Batavian.
A mere fraction of this population gets involved in anything. The ones that do are constantly attack by those who sit off to the side doing nothing, but knowing everything.
Do I sound negative? I do. Which is sad because I am one of the most postive people you will find. I know there are answers to fix this town, but it does no good. People don't want it fixed. They just want everything they have to cost less.
With all respect, Bea, the youth keep leaving and guys like me with young families are starting to leave as well. Some of us are going to the cities, some of us out of state. We don't leave because we hate Batavia, we leave because this town is more interested in building assisted living and senior apartments than good paying jobs. No one stands for anything anymore.
Hey Bea, I'll ask you this
Hey Bea, I'll ask you this because I'm guessing that you will know the answer...When was the last time that Batavia was run by a Mayor? Either I was too young to remember or it was before my lifetime.
Phil, the average city
Phil, the average city employee does not make $60,000/ year.
JoAnne, I'm not sure when Batavia last had a mayor, but I'd like to see us have one again. The person driving the ship should be held accountable by the sailors if you know what I mean.
JoAnne, it was sometime in
JoAnne, it was sometime in the 1950's.
Edit: 1958
Chris, As of 2009, the
Chris,
As of 2009, the average city employee made $53,000 while the average Batavian made just over $27000
The source for the employee salaries came direct from city hall.
Posted by JoAnne Rock on
Posted by JoAnne Rock on September 3, 2010 - 4:17pm
Hey Bea, I'll ask you this because I'm guessing that you will know the answer...When was the last time that Batavia was run by a Mayor? Either I was too young to remember or it was before my lifetime.
Mayors of Batavia, 1902-56 (may be incomplete!)
Harvey J. Burkhart 1902-04
Harvey J. Burkhart 1915-16
Ashton W. Caney 1920
John W. Mullen 1921
Charles W. Hartley 1926-29
Charles A. Williams 1930-31
Charles W. Hartley 1932-35
James J. Mahaney 1935-39
Frank H. Homelius 1940-41
W. Elby Keyser 1942-43
Philip R. Marcello 1943-44
Judd L. Perkins 1948-53
Herman D. Gabriel 1954-56
1927 Nov 8: Charles W. Hartley (Rep), elected.
1929 Nov 5: Charles A. Williams (Rep), elected.
1935 Jan 16: Charles W. Hartley, died in office.
1935 Feb 20: James J. Mahaney, appointed.
1943 Mar 10: W. Elby Keyser, died in office.
1943 Nov 2: Philip R. Marcello (Rep), elected.
1949 Nov 8: Judd L. Perkins, elected.
1955 Nov 8: Herman D. Gabriel (Dem), elected.
http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NY/ofc/batavia.html
My memories of the last three. Mr. Marcello was a pharmacist, I believe. I went to grade school with his son.
I don't know remember much about Mayor Perkins, except I remember his name.
Mayor Gabriel made an appearance at every function happening in Batavia, invited or not. He was in tune with the pulse of the community.
As an aside, my Michigan son (yes, Phil, three of my five had to go out of state for employment) always said he wanted to come back to Batavia and run for Mayor. He felt that this is what Batavia needed to get back on it's feet.
Phil, Just to be sure, is the
Phil,
Just to be sure, is the $53,000 the average for employees taking into account the overtime for Police and Fire?
Where did the $27,000 come from?
I don't know if we should go
I don't know if we should go back to that MAYOR thing.
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John, I was given a document
John,
I was given a document that listed out all paid salaries. It could include that for all I know, but what does it matter? That is what the average person made.
The $27000 came from the department of labor if memory serves me. It worked out to 27,200 something. I collected this data last year while I was running.
The numbers could have been from 2008 as I got them in October 2009. Regardless, I sincerely doubt the ratio is that vastly different.
Last Census report has the
Last Census report has the average salary in Batavia at 30K/ year. That's the one I always use; not disputing your number, just letting you know how I got mine.
Getting back to the
Getting back to the Muckdogs.
I just called the stadium and the game is still on for tonight. They said the weather should clear by 7pm and the field is covered.
So, they suggest calling back about 6 for an update.
:)
Have a great weekend everyone, I'm outta here.
I was thinking the same thing
I was thinking the same thing Chris. There is something enticing about having candidates stand before the citizenry and state their visions for the community.
I wonder why Batavia did away with having a mayoral system?
At any rate, mayor vs. manager would be an interesting poll question.