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posted September 14, 2000 |
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posted September 14, 2000 |
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With the stroke of a pen, an affiliation that had endured through two different major league ownership groups, five club presidents, eight general managers, and nine minor league directors ended yesterday when the Arkansas Travelers left the Cardinals minor league system and signed a Player Development Contract with the Anaheim Angels organization.
Arkansas had just completed its thirty-fourth season as the Cardinals' Double-A affiliate, the longest continuous minor league association in team history. With such a historic relationship, one would think that renewing their affiliation would simply be a matter of drawing up a new contract and moving on. Such has been the case every time their agreement has come up for renewal.
But it wasn't this year.
The Cardinals organization, represented by GM Walt Jocketty, director of player development Mike Jorgensen, and vice-president of player procurement Jerry Walker, reportedly went into negotiations with one condition: the construction of a new ballpark.
It isn't the first time that the subject has been brought up between the two sides. Their current stadium is Ray Winder Field, an old-time ballpark that actually is an old-time ballpark. It has served as the home of the Travelers since 1932 and is one of the oldest parks still in use for professional baseball. There are no obnoxious sound effects for every pitch thrown or every toss to first base and no blaring rock music when the players come to bat. It's nostalgic baseball right down to the wooden grandstand seats and live organ music. (There is also a suspended press box that is only accessible by walking across a shaky catwalk and looking down at the fans several feet below, but that's another story.)
Naturally, Ray Winder Field was also the oldest ballpark in the Cardinals minor league system. The conditions for the players certainly aren't as ideal as they would have been in a modern facility. The dugouts are small and set back into the grandstand, which forced the manager to step out onto the field just to see his right fielder. The home clubhouse could also be a tight fit with twenty-five players trying to get ready for a game. It certainly can't compete with all the modern amenities of the newest crown jewel in their system, the $71 million dollar AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis.
The Travelers are a unique organization in that the fans of Little Rock own it-some 1,200 stockholders that is-and they own the ballpark. Ray Winder Field has undergone many renovations over the years but none have been financed by the city. "We have never received a penny of municipal money," Arkansas GM Bill Valentine proudly points out. "No state, county, or city money has ever been put-not one dime-into this ballpark."
As executive vice-president and general manager of the Travelers, Valentine is the figurehead of the organization and certainly its most public and vocal presence. The outspoken former American League umpire has been critical of the Cardinals farm system and its inability to produce winning seasons for Arkansas. The last time the team had a successful appearance in the postseason was 1989 when it won the Texas League championship. He came under fire recently for heckling pitcher John Ambrose from the stands while the hard-throwing righthander gave up three runs in one inning.
With the new regime of Walt Jocketty and Tony LaRussa in St. Louis, he felt that the Cardinals had abandoned much of their tradition. "They had a long succession of general managers like Bing Devine and [Dal] Maxvill and so forth, people who were Cardinals, and the minor league system [was] made up of people that were Cardinals," he recalled. "You played, then you coached, and then you managed and it was a big family. That family started to fade and now it's fading more and more because there are more and more people in this organization that don't know anything about the old Cardinals."
Valentine insists that the city is unwilling to build a new ballpark and he really doesn't think that the current one needs to be replaced. He has proposed some major renovation projects, however, such as replacing the grandstand roof, dugouts, and light towers if he can convince local businessmen to help finance them. "For two years Walt has been adamant about a new stadium," he told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "And we've been adamant for two years that we don't have the resources to build one."
As a result, the Cardinals told the Travelers' executive committee that they would explore possible affiliations with other teams. Arkansas decided to do the same, was charmed by the Anaheim Angels organization, and quickly signed a player development contract only four days after their first and only meeting with St. Louis. "The Executive Committee was very impressed by [Anaheim's] enthusiasm for the stadium, city and communities of and around Little Rock," Valentine said after the signing. He also added one parting shot: "[Their] proactive ideas should be expected of an affiliation. Each of the teams involved should work for each othermaking it a two way street instead of a dead end."
What are the Cardinals' options now for a Double-A affiliate? There aren't many. If they choose to stay in the Texas League, they are limited to the San Antonio Missions, who just recently dropped their longtime affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Missions have a newer ballpark, Nelson W. Wolff Stadium, which was completed in 1994.
It will be strange to look over the Cardinals minor league system in 2001 and not see the Arkansas Travelers in it. I will miss going to Ray Winder Field and seeing Cardinals prospects playing where thousands of other hopeful youngsters had sharpened their skills for almost seventy years. I suppose I'll also miss the rickety catwalk leading to the press box so many feet above the ground.
Well, maybe not that. Nostalgia does have its limits.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Kevin McCann is the editor of
"Cardinals
in the Bushes".
Be sure to check the site for information describing Kevin's upcoming
book on his 1999 tour throughout the Cardinals minor league system.
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