Herd likely to align with Mets
New York appears to be front-runner
It looks like Buster Bison is getting set to greet Mr. Met in Dunn Tire Park.
Deals can’t be officially negotiated until Thursday but all signs are pointing toward the New York Mets becoming Buffalo’s new parent in 2009.
The Mets are leaving New Orleans and the New York Daily News is reporting they expect to sign a deal with the Bisons later this week that will be announced in a news conference here next Monday. Sources confirm to The Buffalo News the Mets are the Bisons’ top choice although the team denied that Monday.
“There’s no deal in place, no press conference [next] Monday,” Bisons General Manager Mike Buczkowski said by phone from Oklahoma City, site of tonight’s Bricktown Showdown Triple-A championship.
“We are not allowed to even talk to potential teams until Thursday. But given that timetable, we would like to get a new deal quickly. I would say there would probably be a press conference to announce our new affiliate on Friday or Monday.”
Tampering rules prevent teams from talking about potential decisions. But the Bisons’ choice is clearly between the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays, who are getting evicted by Syracuse after posting losing records in 23 of 31 seasons
The Blue Jays are enamored with the idea of having their Triple- A club 90 minutes away, but the Bisons are less enthused by a parent that has not won a single game in the International League playoffs since 1994 and hasn’t qualified since 1998.
The Bisons have concerns about both general managers, J. P. Ricciardi in Toronto and Omar Minaya in New York, getting fired after the season but the Mets’ recent success in Triple-A is a key factor in their choice. The Bisons made the playoffs nine times in 14 years with Cleveland, a partnership that ended this season.
The Mets made the playoffs 19 times in Norfolk, Va., their home from 1969-2006, even though their most recent championship there was in 1985. Their 2007 team in New Orleans lost to Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League finals and then finished 66-75 this year.
Because of the close proximity to its Double-A team in Binghamton, the Mets had been expected to choose Syracuse. But the community- owned Chiefs are not considered one of the better-run franchises in Triple-A so it’s believed the Mets wanted to buy out some of the team’s 3,934 stockholders and perhaps bring in their own management team.
The Daily News reported that an equity stake in the Syracuse team was the key to a deal. U. S. Sen. Charles Schumer, meanwhile, said last month at the state fair it would be a viable option to make Syracuse more attractive.
Chiefs stockholders met Friday but did not reveal any intentions to sell portions to the Mets and reportedly frowned on the idea. The Chiefs also struggle with Onondaga County politicians. Just last week, the county rejected a resolution to borrow $1.28 million to replace the scoreboard at 12-year-old Alliance Bank Stadium.
The Bisons, meanwhile, have routinely kicked in for infrastructure items, notably the $1 million cost of the Bisons Big Board in 1999 and more than $200,000 for clubhouse and workout facilities requested by Cleveland in 2002.
The Bisons also have a four-camera television operation that has aired all home games over the Internet in recent seasons. The Mets could conceivably pick up those broadcasts and show some games on SportsNet New York. Television arrangements in Syracuse are relatively spartan.
