Tag: umpire

The minor league season is winding down, but lots of news today:

• The Brooklyn Cyclones put playoff tickets on sale today. They have a two-game lead for the New York-Penn League wild card. Should Brooklyn reach the playoffs, they’d host game one of the semi-final series on Friday, Sept. 7th. Except for the problem that the Cyclones rarely seem to win when I go watch them, I’d like to get out to MCU Park and cheer for them in playoffs.
• The Trenton Thunder extended their affiliation agreement with the New York Yankees through 2022. What can I say? I’m not very excited about Trenton remaining tied to the Yankees for the next ten years, but I’m hardly surprised. Maybe Tony Franklin will get a promotion this winter to go along with his Eastern League Manager of the Year award so we can at least see a new face in the dugout next year.
• The Binghamton Mets renewed their affiliation agreement through 2016. Binghamton has been affiliated with the Mets for more than two decades; it’s nice that there’s some stability at this rung of the development ladder. Triple-A is a different story, with the Mets likely headed to Las Vegas next year.
• The Newark Bears will wrap up the 2012 season this weekend, with a three game series against the Worcester Tornadoes on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Before Monday’s game, they will acknowledge  Osibee Jelks, one of the first African-American umpires in affiliated baseball – a cool way to end the year.