I'm shattered, I'm torn and tattered.

chesapeakejet · 09-22-2006, 02:25 PM

Norfolk Tides land deal with Orioles, ending Mets ties
By RICH RADFORD, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 22, 2006

NORFOLK - The Norfolk Tides will be the Triple-A farm club of the Baltimore Orioles for the next two years at least.

The last tumbler in a 10-team shuffle of affiliations between major league teams and the top level of the minors clicked into place Thursday night when the New York Mets announced that they had reached agreement with the New Orleans Zephyrs on a two-year "player-development contract."

The Mets' announcement officially ends a 38-year relationship with the Tides.

"We would have liked to have had a little suspense to it from our end," Tides manager Dave Rosenfield said. "But the Orioles were our No. 1 choice all along."

The Tides will introduce a handful of Orioles front-office personnel at a press conference at Harbor Park at 2 p.m. Monday. Probable Orioles participants would include general manager Mike Flanagan and assistant general manager Jim Duquette, a former Mets general manager.

Tides president Ken Young was flying from Las Vegas to Tampa, Fla., on Thursday night and was unavailable for comment. But the fact that Young had formed an investment group independent of the Tides and had purchased three Maryland-based minor league teams this summer, all with ties to the Orioles, had made Baltimore the favorite in the bidding for Norfolk's affiliation.

The Mets made their announcement during their game Thursday night in New York against the Florida Marlins. The announcement ended a relationship that stretched over five decades, beginning with the Tidewater Tides playing at Lawrence Stadium in Portsmouth in 1969. The Mets helped the Tides and the city of Norfolk build Met Park, which opened in 1970. Then, late in 1992, an investment group led by Young bought the team and in 1993 moved it to Harbor Park.

The Tides decided at the conclusion of this season to sever ties with the Mets and shop a limited open market, which happens every two years. It just had never happened with the Tides.

But 2006 was a season in which lines of communication were strained between the Tides and Mets. During the course of the Tides' 57-84 season, Mets general manager Omar Minaya and assistant general manager Tony Bernazard failed to make a single trip to Norfolk to check on the club's Triple-A team and its surroundings.

"They took us for granted," Rosenfield said.

The 24 hours leading up to the Mets' announcement proved eventful. Late Wednesday night, Mets management asked All-Star third baseman David Wright to call Young and lobby for the Tides to give the Mets another chance.
Young, who was out West conducting business unrelated to baseball, was shocked when his phone showed a 718 (New York) area code and a phone number he did not recognize. And he was amazed when it was Wright on the other end.

"I've got to hand it to the Mets, they're trying everything," Young said when relaying the story.

Wright's effort, however, was evidently too little and too late on the Mets' part.

All five major league teams from New York to Washington were involved in the reshuffling of Triple-A affiliates.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced last weekend that they were leaving Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and ended up in Ottawa, where they will remain for one season before that franchise moves to Allentown, Pa., in 2008.

The Washington Nationals, wanting out of New Orleans, were in what was perceived as a two-horse race with Baltimore for the Norfolk affiliation. When the Nationals realized that Baltimore was the lead horse, they cast their lot with the Columbus Clippers.

Columbus came open when the New York Yankees ended a 28-year relationship with the Clippers. The Yankees announced early Thursday that they would relocate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

That left the Orioles and the Mets.

And then there was one.

Baltimore's Triple-A team spent the last four years playing in Ottawa

This really hurts. No more watching Mets prospects here. They'll all be O's prospects. YUCK!!!

FloridaJet · 09-22-2006, 02:42 PM

Damn...Where the Mets moving to???

IM3 · 09-22-2006, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaJet

Damn...Where the Mets moving to???

The French Quarter!

Kingofqueens718 · 09-22-2006, 07:57 PM

I went to a game back in 93'...the first year of Harbor Park. I was in the Navy and stationed in Washington DC at the time. They played the Ottawa Lynx and the starting pitcher that night was Josias Manzanillo. The manager was Clint Hurdle and a few players on that team were Ryan Thompson, Fernando Vina, Brook Fordyce, Eric Hillman, Mauro Gozzo and Bobby Jones.

I still have my 1993 Norfolk Tides yearbook from that night.

FloridaJet · 09-23-2006, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ikeyman3

The French Quarter!

Go:

HVGREEN · 09-23-2006, 11:10 PM

I'm didn't know this could happen and am confused

If the Tides were the Mets AAA team and the Mets drafted players that ended up on that team, don't the Mets have the rights to those players?

BrooklynBound · 09-23-2006, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVGREEN

I'm didn't know this could happen and am confused

If the Tides were the Mets AAA team and the Mets drafted players that ended up on that team, don't the Mets have the rights to those players?

Good Lord. Yes, we just gave up all of our AAA prospects because we wanted to move.

JeffWeaverFan · 09-24-2006, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVGREEN

I'm didn't know this could happen and am confused

If the Tides were the Mets AAA team and the Mets drafted players that ended up on that team, don't the Mets have the rights to those players?

Yes. The Mets pay the players and control the players. They also pay the Tides to let their players play there and the Tides control the ticketing and all that. The Mets, like every MLB team, has contracts with their minor league affiliates (usually each contract is 2 years in length) and they can either re-up with that team or decide to move the team (and their players) elsewhere.

The Yankees have recently decided to move their AAA team out of Columbus for example.

chesapeakejet · 09-26-2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffWeaverFan

Yes. The Mets pay the players and control the players. They also pay the Tides to let their players play there and the Tides control the ticketing and all that. The Mets, like every MLB team, has contracts with their minor league affiliates (usually each contract is 2 years in length) and they can either re-up with that team or decide to move the team (and their players) elsewhere.

The Yankees have recently decided to move their AAA team out of Columbus for example.

Correct you are! The only thing that changes here in Norfolk are the players. And knowing that I'm looking at Oriole prospects (they signed a 4 year deal, those bastages!), this really sucks.

In Richmond (Braves farm team) the Braves own them outright, so it's a totally different story there.

LI2OH · 09-27-2006, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffWeaverFan

The Yankees have recently decided to move their AAA team out of Columbus for example.

yeah and it pissed me off to no end. I move to columbus a year ago and was happy I could still see the yanks on a regular basis (kind of) and then they go and move. Now they belong to the nationals. F#CK!!!!

HVGREEN · 09-27-2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesapeakejet

Correct you are! The only thing that changes here in Norfolk are the players. And knowing that I'm looking at Oriole prospects (they signed a 4 year deal, those bastages!), this really sucks.

In Richmond (Braves farm team) the Braves own them outright, so it's a totally different story there.

Sorry Ches about the move, at least the Mets keep the players. That had me scared.

Weren't the Zephyrs in Denver before the Rockies came along?

chesapeakejet · 09-28-2006, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HVGREEN

Sorry Ches about the move, at least the Mets keep the players. That had me scared.

Weren't the Zephyrs in Denver before the Rockies came along?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Zephyrs

Correct you are!

A couple of years ago, there was a group trying to get the then Expos to move to Norfolk. It would've been bye-bye Tides had that happened. Now I wish we'd get major league BB so the Tides/Orioles could take a hike.

Peter Angelos is such a tool. I can't stand that guy.

09-22-2006, 02:25 PM	#1
chesapeakejet is a geek who loves football boardgames. Schluberator & Gadfly ® Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Virginia Posts: 24,502	I'm shattered, I'm torn and tattered. Norfolk Tides land deal with Orioles, ending Mets ties By RICH RADFORD, The Virginian-Pilot © September 22, 2006 NORFOLK - The Norfolk Tides will be the Triple-A farm club of the Baltimore Orioles for the next two years at least. The last tumbler in a 10-team shuffle of affiliations between major league teams and the top level of the minors clicked into place Thursday night when the New York Mets announced that they had reached agreement with the New Orleans Zephyrs on a two-year "player-development contract." The Mets' announcement officially ends a 38-year relationship with the Tides. "We would have liked to have had a little suspense to it from our end," Tides manager Dave Rosenfield said. "But the Orioles were our No. 1 choice all along." The Tides will introduce a handful of Orioles front-office personnel at a press conference at Harbor Park at 2 p.m. Monday. Probable Orioles participants would include general manager Mike Flanagan and assistant general manager Jim Duquette, a former Mets general manager. Tides president Ken Young was flying from Las Vegas to Tampa, Fla., on Thursday night and was unavailable for comment. But the fact that Young had formed an investment group independent of the Tides and had purchased three Maryland-based minor league teams this summer, all with ties to the Orioles, had made Baltimore the favorite in the bidding for Norfolk's affiliation. The Mets made their announcement during their game Thursday night in New York against the Florida Marlins. The announcement ended a relationship that stretched over five decades, beginning with the Tidewater Tides playing at Lawrence Stadium in Portsmouth in 1969. The Mets helped the Tides and the city of Norfolk build Met Park, which opened in 1970. Then, late in 1992, an investment group led by Young bought the team and in 1993 moved it to Harbor Park. The Tides decided at the conclusion of this season to sever ties with the Mets and shop a limited open market, which happens every two years. It just had never happened with the Tides. But 2006 was a season in which lines of communication were strained between the Tides and Mets. During the course of the Tides' 57-84 season, Mets general manager Omar Minaya and assistant general manager Tony Bernazard failed to make a single trip to Norfolk to check on the club's Triple-A team and its surroundings. "They took us for granted," Rosenfield said. The 24 hours leading up to the Mets' announcement proved eventful. Late Wednesday night, Mets management asked All-Star third baseman David Wright to call Young and lobby for the Tides to give the Mets another chance. Young, who was out West conducting business unrelated to baseball, was shocked when his phone showed a 718 (New York) area code and a phone number he did not recognize. And he was amazed when it was Wright on the other end. "I've got to hand it to the Mets, they're trying everything," Young said when relaying the story. Wright's effort, however, was evidently too little and too late on the Mets' part. All five major league teams from New York to Washington were involved in the reshuffling of Triple-A affiliates. The Philadelphia Phillies announced last weekend that they were leaving Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and ended up in Ottawa, where they will remain for one season before that franchise moves to Allentown, Pa., in 2008. The Washington Nationals, wanting out of New Orleans, were in what was perceived as a two-horse race with Baltimore for the Norfolk affiliation. When the Nationals realized that Baltimore was the lead horse, they cast their lot with the Columbus Clippers. Columbus came open when the New York Yankees ended a 28-year relationship with the Clippers. The Yankees announced early Thursday that they would relocate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That left the Orioles and the Mets. And then there was one. Baltimore's Triple-A team spent the last four years playing in Ottawa This really hurts. No more watching Mets prospects here. They'll all be O's prospects. YUCK!!!

09-22-2006, 02:42 PM	#2
FloridaJet alive and still kicking All League Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,882	Damn...Where the Mets moving to???

09-22-2006, 07:57 PM	#4
Kingofqueens718 All League Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 399	I went to a game back in 93'...the first year of Harbor Park. I was in the Navy and stationed in Washington DC at the time. They played the Ottawa Lynx and the starting pitcher that night was Josias Manzanillo. The manager was Clint Hurdle and a few players on that team were Ryan Thompson, Fernando Vina, Brook Fordyce, Eric Hillman, Mauro Gozzo and Bobby Jones. I still have my 1993 Norfolk Tides yearbook from that night.

09-23-2006, 11:10 PM	#6
HVGREEN All League Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Monroe, NY Posts: 668	I'm didn't know this could happen and am confused If the Tides were the Mets AAA team and the Mets drafted players that ended up on that team, don't the Mets have the rights to those players?