For the second time in eight months, a startup professional baseball league is taking a close look at Johnstown.
At tonight’s City Council meeting, an administrator with Old Time Baseball LLC is scheduled to pitch the possibility of basing an independent minor-league team at Point Stadium.
“What we hope to do is get support from the council to move forward with this,” said Larry Faulkner, a Virginia resident and partner in Old Time Baseball.
In October, a representative from a new organization dubbed the Atlantic Coast League contacted the city about a possible team. That squad never materialized.
Old Time Baseball’s proposal seems more organized, with league officials already having visited Johnstown and talked with city leaders.
“What we’ve told them is, we’re open to listening,” City Manager Curt Davis said.
Like the Atlantic Coast League, Old Time Baseball – which is incorporated in Delaware and has offices in Maryland – has not signed a player or scheduled a game.
But Faulkner, a retired Internal Revenue Service employee, has baseball experience and is majority owner of a Texas-based professional team in the Continental Baseball League.
He and Walter Finkelstein, Old Time Baseball’s chief executive officer, envision a mid-Atlantic league that initially would begin next year with four teams.
They are focusing on Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and possibly Virginia. They hope to have eight teams by 2011.
“From a business standpoint, it is better to start slowly,” Finkelstein said.
Administrators are planning a 60-game schedule with 30 home dates.
And as the company’s name implies, they want to practice traditional baseball with wooden bats, low prices and heavy involvement with fans.
“Our thoughts are to make this completely community-oriented,” Finkelstein said.
He added that he is impressed with Johnstown.
“No. 1, the population is right,” Finkelstein said. “No. 2, they have a facility in place, which is extremely important.”
City officials likely will approach the league’s proposal cautiously.
They have expressed concern about relinquishing any control over advertising, concession and scheduling rights at the Point after investing about $11 million in the stadium during the past few years.
And memories of the Johnnies still linger. The Frontier League team, originally dubbed the Steal, encountered perennial financial problems and last played at the Point in 2002.
Finkelstein is aware of those concerns. He said that Old Time Baseball’s teams would be centrally owned and controlled by the league, a setup that he says would ease resolution of problems or disputes.
“I’ve talked to six or seven cities so far,” he said. “I’ve gotten very positive responses from everyone I’ve talked to.”
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