The Mets AAA players aren't the only ones that have to get used to the Pacific Coast League. The Mets affiliation with the Las Vegas 51s also means fans have to get used to following the new league. There probably aren't that many fans worrying about being about to follow AAA baseball but that doesn't mean I'm not already thinking about it.
Today I looked at the 51s schedule for next season and was almost immediately faced with a problem I didn't even realize existed. I had no idea what most of the schedule actually meant. I wasn't used to these teams and the abbreviations used for them on the schedule. All of a sudden COL wasn't for the Columbus Clippers, as it meant the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. There was SLC and FRE and TUC. The schedule also reinforced that watching these games is going to be a major pain when they mostly start at 10 PM on the east coast.
Then the little orange video camera icon caught my eye. A new affiliation means new broadcasts and a new broadcast team. Ben Wagner calls the games for the Bisons but he's not moving with the Mets. I was lucky to find Wagner on twitter and he was nice enough to answer any questions I had about the team. Now I have to find the 51s broadcasters and hope they're as accommodating. And if they're not as open, I have to find somebody else who covers them.
But none of that is even the worst part about all of this. Playing in the PCL means I won't be able to see this team in person. There aren't any cities anywhere close to New York that they play in. This year I got lucky with the Bisons playing at Fenway and last year I actually got to see the team in their own ballpark. My family is neither old nor tacky enough to pick up and go to Vegas on a whim and there really isn't any reason to go the other cities. Does Vanderbilt have an engineering school? Does my brother want to see it? When are the 51s going to Nashville?
Well, fortunately for the three of us following the 51s all season, the deal with the Mets is only for two years. In two years the Mets will try to get back in the International League and maybe some team closer to the western half of the United States will get the Vegas team. If not, maybe some PCL team in the central time zone will be free and the Mets will be able to snatch them.
The next two seasons are going to be an adventure for the Mets and their minor league followers. Hopefully the 51s won't play too many extra inning games.
Let's Go Mets!
Today I looked at the 51s schedule for next season and was almost immediately faced with a problem I didn't even realize existed. I had no idea what most of the schedule actually meant. I wasn't used to these teams and the abbreviations used for them on the schedule. All of a sudden COL wasn't for the Columbus Clippers, as it meant the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. There was SLC and FRE and TUC. The schedule also reinforced that watching these games is going to be a major pain when they mostly start at 10 PM on the east coast.
Then the little orange video camera icon caught my eye. A new affiliation means new broadcasts and a new broadcast team. Ben Wagner calls the games for the Bisons but he's not moving with the Mets. I was lucky to find Wagner on twitter and he was nice enough to answer any questions I had about the team. Now I have to find the 51s broadcasters and hope they're as accommodating. And if they're not as open, I have to find somebody else who covers them.
But none of that is even the worst part about all of this. Playing in the PCL means I won't be able to see this team in person. There aren't any cities anywhere close to New York that they play in. This year I got lucky with the Bisons playing at Fenway and last year I actually got to see the team in their own ballpark. My family is neither old nor tacky enough to pick up and go to Vegas on a whim and there really isn't any reason to go the other cities. Does Vanderbilt have an engineering school? Does my brother want to see it? When are the 51s going to Nashville?
Well, fortunately for the three of us following the 51s all season, the deal with the Mets is only for two years. In two years the Mets will try to get back in the International League and maybe some team closer to the western half of the United States will get the Vegas team. If not, maybe some PCL team in the central time zone will be free and the Mets will be able to snatch them.
The next two seasons are going to be an adventure for the Mets and their minor league followers. Hopefully the 51s won't play too many extra inning games.
Let's Go Mets!
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