Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 15, 1994 TAG: 9402150196
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Despite Monday's vote, the minor league baseball team will still open its season April 7 as scheduled - it just might not be in Salem, current owner Kelvin Bowles said. But he said he hopes something can be worked out.
Council members voted unanimously to continue until after budget talks - mid-May - a decision on whether to transfer the lease on the city's stadium from Bowles to a prospective buyer.
The delay could jeopardize the sale, said Eric Morgenau, who plans to buy the franchise. Without the lease, it's unclear how a team owned by Morgenau could play on the Salem field.
"In the absence of an assignment of the lease, that season is in jeopardy," he told the council. "I haven't discussed that outcome with my attorney. It may very well put the sale in jeopardy."
A visibly angry Morgenau declined to comment after the vote, saying he wanted to consult his attorney on what the vote means to the sale, which was scheduled to go through Feb. 28.
Council members said they were confident their decision would not disrupt the Bucs' season in Salem, and they hinted that they would not be upset if the sale fell through: they are happy with Bowles' management and the fact that he is a local. Morgenau, who owns interests in other minor league teams, lives in New York.
"We weren't prepared to make a change in the owner/operator of the Salem Bucs," Mayor Jim Taliaferro said after the meeting.
A vote on the sale of the Bucs by the Carolina League, the minor league to which the team belongs, is expected to take place in the next few weeks.
Bowles and Morgenau both said they expected City Council to approve the transfer of the lease, and it was clear they hadn't explored the possibilities of a denial. Bowles said if the lease isn't transferred, he might have to remain the owner for another season. Both he and Morgenau said council's decision should not affect the Carolina League's vote.
League President John Hopkins, reached at his home in Greensboro on Monday night, had not heard about the Salem vote and did not know what the next step would be for the league.
But, he said, "There will have to be a determination before the season starts."
Council members are determined to consider the change of owner at the same time they consider whether to replace the aging Municipal Field with a multimillion-dollar ballpark to keep the team in town. The stadium in its current condition may not meet standards to be used for minor league ball after this year.
Council members want to look at the city's money situation during the budget process in May before deciding whether to commit to a new stadium. If the city doesn't build a stadium, then the question of a new owner is a moot point as far as council is concerned.
"If we're going to have baseball only one more year, why should we worry about changing owners right now?" Taliaferro asked.
Morgenau argued unsuccessfully that the issues of ownership and a new stadium were separate and that the transfer of the lease should be considered separately.
Although the question of the lease was his most immediate concern, he also told council that it would take a year to build a new stadium, meaning the city would need to decide this April in order to get one built for next season.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***