Cutting bait
The Columbus Catfish have seemingly had a fin out of the water since owner David Heller moved his minor league baseball franchise here three weeks before the start of the 2003 season.
There has been a series of almosts, of moves planned but not ultimately executed to such places as Evansville, Ind., Bay City, Mich., and Columbia, S.C.
When multi-million dollar stadium deals subject to government approval are involved, a lot has to happen before possibility evolves into finality. In the case of the Catfish, it’s obvious that they plan to be gone after their Golden Park lease runs out in Sept., 2008.
They could get snapped up by Art Solomon, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats owner who wants to put a Class A team in a new stadium Bowling Green, Ky., although there is one other South Atlantic League team up for sale. They will undoubtedly go somewhere, however.
A team employee told me on condition of anonymity Friday that it boils down to attendance. The Catfish are well ahead of last year’s pace, but still bring up the rear in the South Atlantic League. It has been a continual struggle to average more than 1,000 fans per game to a 5,000-seat stadium.
When the Catfish leave, it’s doubtful the stadium would remain empty for long. Macon and Albany lost SAL franchises, but wound up with independent teams. Even with this city's multiple minor league sports failures, another investor will come along, convinced that he has the market all figured out.
‘‘On each and every occasion that is has been in the news that the Catfish are thinking about going to Columbia or wherever, the calls start to roll in from others lining up wanting to come to Columbus and others thinking that this is a great stadium,’’ Columbus city manager Isaiah Hugley said. ‘‘Columbus will not have a problem attracting a minor league team.’’
A few changes have to happen for a minor league baseball team to be successful.
Golden Park has to be made into a social hub. I've heard from readers time and again who run off a lengthy list of excuses as to why they don't attend baseball games. There are faulty assumptions made about geography, race and crime. Having left Golden Park and the Civic Center well after everyone else has gone home, I can assure you it’s perfectly safe there at midnight.
People, who apparently have never been to Atlanta, L.A. or Washington, D.C., complain about the traffic and moan about how long it takes to get from the north end of Veterans Parkway to South Commons.
It has been suggested that attendance would be better in a new stadium on the north side of town. Not necessarily. You're always going to battle Little League ball, youth soccer and church.
‘‘It’s been kind of disappointing to see the sparse crowds we’ve had,’’ Catfish manager Jim Morrison said.
He’s the perfect sort of fellow to lend perspective to what’s going on in this community. He’s paid by the Devil Rays rather than the Catfish ownership. He’s an intelligent baseball man who has seen the game at multiple levels.
‘‘The largest disappointment is the Devil Rays have put a nice product on the field,’’ Morrison said. ‘‘I know the struggle of wanting to move, not moving. Me against you doesn’t get anything done. We go on the road and we’re playing in front of 6-8,000 people a night.
‘‘What I see in Columbus, it’s a great town. The town is clean, it looks like it’s upbeat. People care about the way things look. There are nice folks, but there’s a lot going on here too. Baseball is just a continuation of quality of life.’’
I asked one team source if local ownership represented a panacea. Catfish owner David Heller owns a political consulting firm with offices in D.C. and Miami. He has rarely been seen at Golden Park and doesn’t hold a stake in the community outside of the baseball team.
‘‘It has to be the right kind of local owner,’’ the source told me.
Somebody with connections in addition to a sound financial profile. Somebody who knows the bank presidents, preachers, politicians and potential advertisers. Somebody who can successfully reach out to Fort Benning, church groups and youth leagues and fill a stadium. Somebody who can thaw out the chilly relationship that has existed between the team, local government and an untapped fan base.
My dealings with Heller and Catfish general manager Ken Clary on Thursday and Friday say plenty about the management of the franchise and its intentions. Hopefully you read my column in today’s paper.
I gave them every opportunity to address the issue of whether Solomon had expressed interest in buying and moving the team. Their inaccessibility and the nature of their responses amounted to a confirmation that they plan to move.
The 2008 season will amount to a good-bye party, but I doubt it will be well-attended.
‘‘The Columbus market is certainly worthy of a baseball club,’’ South Atlantic League president John Moss told me recently.
Maybe so. But baseball might have to leave for a little while in order for people in this community to decide if they really want it.
5 comments:
I think you summed it up nicely.
Macon lost the Braves to Rome, and now are tops in attendance in the independent South Coast League. In fact, 4 of the teams in that 6-team league outdraw the Catfish.
I got a bad feeling that the Catfish won't be here long. But then, I've had that same feeling since 2003, when they were the Waves.
I'll just continue to be a season-ticket holder ... as long as there are seasons here.
I think an independent team might actually do better here. Much like the Cottonmouths, the local fans can adopt the players as their own.
The way it is now, just when the fans begin to bond with the team or an individual player, the player gets good and he's off to a higher level. Who can blame the players for making their #1 objective getting out of Columbus (and on to Montgomery, among other towns!). The fans have to be able to identify with the team, and like the Snakes, know they're going all out to win ballgames and not just following the developmental rules of the parent organization.
We do have a nice ballpark in a great setting on the river. People here just don't know how good they have it.
There is so little in the newspaper concering the Catfish. Yes we the article on the game, an ad for Family Fun Pack but nothing more. Why not interview the players and make them known to the people. Same as getting them into the schools and community. There is so much more the front office could do to match the product on the field.
I appreciate your responses regarding the Catfish. It's a shame attendance has been such a struggle because there's a good product on the field. The players and the manager are a joy to deal with.
The last anonymous poster raised a valid question: Why isn't there more coverage of the Catfish? I wish we had an everyday beat writer for the team, as we used to, but that's a decision made higher up the ladder.
We have a smaller sports staff than we used to -- we've dropped from 11 full-timers around 2001 to seven now. Two of them are assigned to cover University of Georgia and Auburn sports on a year-round basis.
Plus, I think our editors have been less inclined to send reporters there because of the low attendance and less than friendly behavior of the owner and general manager.
It's a shame that it has to be that way because baseball fans here lose out.
The GM could not care less about fans, press, or anyone else. He's a complete tool. To put it politely.
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