Local Commentary

Gerard Hetman

September 1

Let’s show our support for the hometown team Gerard Hetman Commentary

“THERE’S NOTHIN’ like the view from the cheap seats!”

That line comes from a 1994 song by the country band Alabama, describing life in a Triple-A baseball town. The singer recalls childhood days spent watching the local team, in a tone that looks back at better times for the franchise.

At 25 years old, as I look back on the glory days of our Scranton/Wilkes-Barre baseball franchise, so many lines in that song ring true.

Recent news that a local investment group, headed by Lackawanna County resident Dr. Steven Vale, was interested in purchasing the management rights of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees was a breath of fresh air. It came as a relief following years of corporate and political wrangling involving the franchise, combined with a decline in both attendance and the quality of the gameday experience at what is now PNC Field.

Most of all, it proved that area residents still will stand up and support a franchise that we should be proud to call our own.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons were a major local attraction in the 1990s. The upper deck of Lackawanna County Stadium was teeming with fans. Product giveaways, fireworks, concerts and special events were regular features. Crowds poured into the stadium for one of the region’s top tickets for entertainment. Long before the movie theaters and shopping centers, the stadium would roar with excitement as home runs soared out of the park.

What has upset me is that ever since the Yankees took over the franchise, things have changed at the foot of Montage Mountain.

Vale made a great point while speaking recently with members of the Lackawanna County Stadium Authority. “The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre symbol went out the door,” he said. The South Abington Township ophthalmologist was referring to the interlocking “SWB” emblem that graced the caps and batting helmets of the Red Barons from 1989 through 2006, a visible sign that the franchise belonged to the people of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.

That logo is long gone, and so are so many of the feelings and traditions that helped endear the franchise to Lackawanna and Luzerne counties. Even having “Yankees” as the official team name suggests more of a connection with the Bronx than with Wilkes-Barre or Scranton.

As you might expect, I was disappointed when Vale’s group announced last week that it was withdrawing its offer. Vale summed it up by saying that neither of the two sides involved in the current tentative agreement – the Lackawanna County Multi-Purpose Stadium Authority or the New York Yankees and Mandalay – was willing to pull out of their pact. Lackawanna County commissioners clearly think the agreement with Mandalay is the way to go in terms of keeping the franchise in Moosic, and if it works, fantastic.

But I would have felt much better about the future of professional baseball in the region if our team were in the hands of friends and neighbors, instead of out-of-town entities.

Despite withdrawing their offer, Vale and his group have made one thing clear: Some local citizens are stepping up to the plate and taking an interest in the future of our baseball team. While not everyone has the dollars that Vale’s group was willing to put up, all of us can show our pride in a franchise that our region helped to build and sustain for more than 22 years.

Are you willing to join the team?

Gerard Hetman is The Times Leader’s online content specialist. Send him email at ghetman@timesleader.com.

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