Buffalo Bisons preview
It's a whole new ballgame for Bisons
Mr. Met and Buster Bison team up for what looks like an exciting season
The Buffalo Bisons have had only one offseason that comes close to the whirlwind they've been on since last September. That was in the winter of 1987-88, when they were moving out of their cramped old offices on Delaware Avenue and taking their operation downtown to gleaming Pilot Field.
More than two decades later, the ballpark is still a jewel even as it heads into its fourth name. But the switch from Dunn Tire Park to Coca-Cola Field is just one small change in a winter full of them.
It's a whole new world in Bisonland.
Let's start with the major-league affiliation, which is new for the first time since 1995. Gone to Columbus after 14 years are the Cleveland Indians, who put nine playoff teams and three league champions in Buffalo during what was a golden era in the city's 123-year history of professional baseball.
Enter the New York Mets, who were in Buffalo from 1963 to '65 and come here after a two-year stint in New Orleans. It's a big year for the new parents, who open Citi Field on Monday night against San Diego and are trying to wipe out the memory of back-to-back collapses in the National League East.
With the Mets comes a new logo, colors and uniforms that take the Bisons away from the green scheme they've used since 1998 and switches them to Mets blue, orange and gray.
"It's been hectic but a very good hectic," said Mike Buczkowski, the Herd's vice president and general manager. "The new affiliation, the Coca-Cola Field change, everything that goes along with a new logo change.
"It's been exciting. The Cleveland Indians were nothing short of tremendous for us for 14 years but if we needed to make a change, the New York Mets were an ideal change. We've enjoyed being part of the New York Mets buzz already."
The ballpark itself has a new address. Out is 275 Washington St. In is One James D. Griffin Plaza, in honor of late mayor who was instrumental in getting the stadium built.
"We feel it's going to be a great environment for our prospects," Adam Wogan, the Mets' director of minor-league operations, said when he was in town over the winter for the unveiling of the Bisons' uniforms. "It's a major-league city, great facilities and our players will be able to learn more about dealing with the pressures of fans and media that they'll need to know when they get to New York."
Mets spur sales
The move to the Mets is going to mean a lot more media exposure for the Bisons and the team hopes that translates to increased sales. Buczkowski said sales for merchandise on the team's Web site for the first three months of 2009 has already surpassed that of all of '08, largely because of the new logo as well as orders from the New York City area. Bisons souvenirs are expected to be sold at a stand inside Citi Field.
All but 25 of the Mets games are available in Buffalo on SportsNet New York and SNY announcers will certainly talk about player movement on a daily basis; Buffalo fans could not see Indians games because the Tribe foolishly included Western New York in its blackout zone. SNY, in fact, will televise five Bisons games from Coca-Cola Field.
The New York newspapers will regularly follow the Bisons and there are literally dozens of fan-produced blogs that chat up the Mets and their prospects.
"The alerts I'm getting about this article on the Internet or that article about the Bisons has gone up 300 percent and that's fun for us," Buczkowski said. "We can't wait for the day there's a former Bison who's a star in New York, like a David Wright, a Jose Reyes."
Locally, the team is expanding its reach with a 37-game television package on Time Warner SportsNet. On radio, all games will continue to be on WWKB but all Sunday games will also be on WBEN and there will be a game of the week on WGR.
Mets all-Wright for Kaleta
Buczkowski said season ticket sales are down slightly from their normal 4,000 range due to the recession but sales of mini packs are up. There will be plenty of curiosity seekers checking out the new affiliation on an individual-game basis and Mets fans will make the trek west from all over New York, especially on weekends.
That kind of traffic didn't exist with Cleveland. Most Tribe fans were content to check out the farm by driving only a few miles to Double-A Akron. The Bisons figure to cast a much bigger net with the Mets in the house.
Sabres forward and Angola native Patrick Kaleta is one fan who's had the best of both worlds. He's grown up as an Indians fan and a Mets fan.
"Either way was great for me," Kaleta said. "I liked when the Indians had Manny [Ramirez], David Justice, Omar Vizquel, Sandy Alomar and all those guys. This will be interesting, a little change. I'll be down there checking out some games."
Kaleta said his father has no split loyalty: He's an unabashed Mets fan.
"My brother and I take my dad to a Mets game every year for Father's Day either at Shea or somewhere else," said Kaleta, whose trip last year was to Pittsburgh.
"My dad grew up as a Mets fan. I fell into it through him. How do you not like a David Wright? He's my favorite guy. It should be interesting to see what they have here."
Rivalries change
With the Mets comes a new twist on the Bisons' rivalries. The 16 games against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, which commence with a four-game series that starts here Monday, are suddenly a Yankees-Mets Baby Subway Series. And the 16 meetings with Lehigh Valley are now the Triple-A version of Mets versus Phillies.
A key rule will also be affected by the switch. After everyday use of the designated hitter the last 14 years because they were with an American League affiliate, the Bisons will now use the DH only in games against current AL affiliates.
So pitchers will be hitting in the 56 games against National League foes. The double switch will thus be part of new manager Ken Oberkfell's arsenal, another new twist in a season full of them.
"We're 22 years in [to the ballpark's history]," Buczkowski said. "We're starting to hear from fans who used to come as kids who are now parents bringing their kids. Now we have a second generation. ... Put the Mets into the equation and it's really getting people to take notice of us again."
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