By Tim Schmitt
NIAGARA FALLS — Humor me for a minute, but a recent vacation to Cape Cod got me thinking about what can and can’t be done in the world of collegiate baseball. When I saw the Chatham Anglers (they recently had to change their name from the historic “A’s” because Major League Baseball rescinded the rights to the names of its franchises), about 2,500 showed up on a cloudy night to a field hardly as impressive as Sal Maglie Stadium. The baseball was better, perhaps, than what we see in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, but not that far removed.
The history was incredible. Evan Longoria was there just a few summers ago. Others who spent time in Chatham included Jason Bay, Ryan Braun, Mike Lowell and Thurman Munson. An elderly gentleman I later learned had been a manager at a multi-million dollar firm wandered through the crowd, passing free baseball cards to kids in attendance.
The Chatham fans can’t stand their closest rival, Orleans, and the feeling is mutual. My uncle — who houses a pair of Anglers that hail from Vanderbilt — went so far as to say the townsfolk are far more emotionally invested than the players.
My uncle is the kind of wonderfully tepid and measured guy who rarely seems fazed by anything, so to see him bark passionately about how rainstorms might wreak havoc on the Anglers’ upcoming pitching matchups gave me insight into his dedication.
Cape Cod League games clearly mean something to him.
Granted, the Cape is a gorgeous place to spend the summer, and those who do so typically have plenty of free time on their schedules, but this was so wildly different than what we’ve experienced in Niagara County, I assumed the Cape simply offered an unparalleled experience.
But then I drove home along the New York State Thruway, through the tiny depressed canal hamlet of Little Falls, and decided to jump off for a cup of joe. Since I type the NYCBL scores in most nights for our standings page, I was curious to see the field that the Mohawk Valley Diamonddawgs play at.
Wonderful Veterans Memorial Park offered a nearly identical feel to Chatham’s stadium, and I later learned that nearly 1,500 fans were in attendance that night. The stadium is adjacent to a Little League complex, much like Sal Maglie, and kids and parents scurried everywhere. It was just as overcast as the night in Chatham.
All this leads me to our very own Niagara Power. We here at the Gazette and its sister papers have been the staunchest media supporters of the team, sending a reporter to every home game for three seasons.
Since we’ve covered the team so completely, here’s an honest assessment of what we’ve seen.
First, as long as the Power continue to be faith-based, they’ll always be behind the 8-ball. Segregating players makes little sense, especially in a city that can become rightfully touchy on the issue of preferential treatment.
Cal Kern, one of the nicest and most genuine fellows you’ll ever meet, has the team hooked up with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. While it’s noble that he and his family have personal spiritual connections, it has no place in baseball. None. As soon as a sporting event feels preachy instead of community-based, and certain have over the past few years, a large chunk of the population is turned off.
If I’m Jewish, is the Power my team? How about Hindu? Or do I need to travel to another town, where my religion is the one in control of the baseball franchise? Again, this is supposed to be a Niagara Falls-based team, not an extension of a single church. That’s one of the things that makes sports wonderful. If you can perform, there’s a place for you. Regardless of size, speed, race or religion.
Kareem, Magic and A.C. Green hardly saw eye-to-eye on the topic of lifestyle, but they sure understood their value to each other on a basketball court.
And not only does the Power only welcome those who practice what they preach, they force them to pay for the pleasure. While other teams invite players to play for free, the Power forces its players from out-of-state to take a huge chunk of their time, then pay a few bucks for the experience.
It’s easy to see why their talent pool isn’t as deep as those from other NYCBL ports. Local college baseball coaches often steer their players to other teams in the league, probably because they want them to worry first about their skills, and second about their spirituality.
Finally, there’s been little connection to the long and storied history of Niagara Falls baseball. Homages to previous players who’ve played in the Cataract City have been few and far between. When Sal Maglie, Rick Manning, Bobby Thigpen, Doug Drabek and Tony Clark all spent time in your stadium, wouldn’t it make sense to honor them consistently?
The Buffalo Bisons have embraced the Western New York baseball community and rightfully so — because players and their families return to the ballpark to see such honors given out. No such effort has been made by the Power.
The effort put forth by Kern and his supporters has been tremendous, and these notes are simply given because we care about baseball in Niagara Falls too much to see it flounder the way it has.
But unless the Power figures out a way to get on even footing with the rest of the NYCBL, the days of big crowds like those in the Cape league are nothing but a pipe dream.
Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.
