Your Take: Who Should Have Gotten Coal In Their Stocking This Christmas?

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY FOR MISSING WOMAN

By KEVIN AMERMAN kamerman@leader.net
 Sunday, December 25, 2005 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





Although the Philadelphia Phillies appear to be on their way out of the
area, the general manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons sees the
glass half-full. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There will still be Triple-A baseball in the area even though the Phillies'
Triple-A team could be headed elsewhere, said Red Barons GM Jeremy Ruby. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "This may be a blessing," he said. "It hasn't been the greatest the last
few years as far as finances. ... Everything comes to an end sometime. It's a
business decision and it may be time for a change, a new look." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After next season, the Phillies are expected to end their affiliation with
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after 18 years. Reports have them moving into a new
Triple-A park that has been approved for construction in Allentown and is
scheduled to be completed by 2007. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mike Arbuckle, the Phillies' assistant general manager in charge of player
development, told the Philadelphia Daily News, "Nothing is finalized, but
after 2006, we probably won't end up with a working agreement with Scranton." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Arbuckle told The Associated Press that the Phillies are pursuing moving
the Triple-A team to Allentown. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ruby said even with the departure of the Phillies as the major league
affiliate, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties would still own one of the 30
Triple-A licenses, so they would still have a team playing at Lackawanna
County Stadium unless the counties sell that license. Red Barons Public
Relations Director Mike Cummings says it's extremely unlikely that the license
will be sold to another city. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There will be a team at Lackawanna County Stadium for years to come,"
Cummings said. "We had 18 great years with the Phillies and we hoped to have
many more great years, but apparently the Phillies want to go in another
direction. ... To have a new stadium an hour away (from Philadelphia) is
pretty appealing, I guess." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ruby acknowledged that if a major league team based more than 500 miles
away comes to the area, it might initially be a challenge to get locals to
warm up to the team. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There may be some disappointment out there because there are many Phillies
fans in the area, but it may open up very positive opportunities in the near
future," Ruby said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cummings said the team will probably keep the name Red Barons no matter
which major league club owns it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The fans are coming for the Red Barons, not necessarily for the Phillies,"
Cummings said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Allentown doesn't have a license for a Triple-A team, so it would have to
obtain one from another franchise, Ruby said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Cummings said there is "no chance" that Allentown will get that license
from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Daily News reported that minor league sources have indicated that the
Baltimore Orioles affiliate in Ottawa could move into Lackawanna County
Stadium, where the Red Barons have played since the stadium was built in 1989. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ruby said a brand-new clubhouse with state-of-the-art equipment is being
built inside Lackawanna County Stadium and it should be a strong bargaining
tool for soliciting another franchise. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said the new clubhouse will be ready for the 2006 season and will be in
"the top three in all of minor league baseball." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lackawanna and Luzerne counties jointly own the Red Barons, but Lackawanna
County owns the stadium and has appointed five board members to oversee it,
Cummings said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If Allentown obtains a team, it would likely play Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 16
times a year - eight times at home and eight games away, Cummings said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He said before the Red Barons came to the Scranton area, the Triple-A team
was in Maine, Oregon, Oklahoma and Ohio and moved often. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We gave them a home," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Triple-a Baseball Likely To Remain/ It's Being Speculated That A Baltimore Orioles Affiliate Could Move Into The Area