ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 30, 1997 TAG: 9703310129
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN THE ROANOKE TIMES
The Bulls have been a Carolina League fixture for 45 years. This is their final season as a member of the Class A ranks before moving up to Class AAA.
Is there life after Durham?
That's a question people in the Carolina League hoped they never would have to ask. It's something people with the Durham Bulls organization knew would come up ever since they built a 9,033-seat stadium in 1995.
The Bulls will take their playground and all their rich minor-league baseball history to the AAA level in 1998 after 45 years in the Carolina League. The AAA Bulls won't be aligned with Atlanta as Durham has since 1980. The new Bulls will be the top farm club with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
But Durham's new association doesn't concern people in this region as much as its disassociation from the Carolina League.
``I believe it will be a big loss,'' said John Hopkins, Carolina League president. ``It was the way a lot of people identified with the league. We also look at it as something from which we'll recover.''
The most likely replacement for Durham is Myrtle Beach, S.C., where a publicly-funded stadium has been approved. Williamsburg is the next-best possibility.
Durham was a dream franchise that wouldn't fade away. It came to prominence in the movies. Parts of its old Durham Athletic Park have been used as a model for nearly every baseball stadium built in the 1990s. And it didn't hurt that right after the movie ``Bull Durham'' came out, the Braves' minor-league system became the strongest in baseball.
Although it was hinted that Durham would move up the ladder when its new stadium was in place, few believed it would happen with its ties to the Carolina League. ``We were hopeful it wouldn't turn into any action,'' Hopkins said.
Durham's departure will cost the league some of the limelight it enjoyed over other leagues, but will it make a dent at the gate? Probably not. Kinston is the only franchise that consistently noticed a bump at the turnstiles when the Bulls came to town, and that was because the two teams are natural geographic rivals.
Durham will play host to the 1997 Carolina League/California League All-Star Game.
Durham's impending departure is the biggest change the league faces this season. There are five new managers in the league and eight new umpires.
There also are new parent clubs. The St.Louis Cardinals are in Prince William, where the White Sox left for Winston-Salem. The White Sox were one of two major-league franchises with three Class A affiliates in 1996, which can spread the talent thin. Upon their move to Winston-Salem, they consolidated into two Class A teams, the Warthogs and the Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads of the South Atlantic League. Winston-Salem's old parent club, the Cincinnati Reds are out of the league.
The Cardinals are Prince William's fourth different parent club since 1984.
Durham Bulls
Affiliation (first year): Atlanta Braves (1980)
Manager: Paul Runge
Worth the price of admission: A former Parade All-America football running back and University of Georgia football signee, George Lombard will roam the Bulls outfield. Lombard, the Braves' No. 5 prospect, hit 15 home runs and stole 24 bases at Macon (Ga.) last season.
First series in Salem: April 4, 5, 6.
Frederick Keys
Affiliation: Baltimore Orioles (1989)
Manager: David Hilton
Worth the price of admission: Pound for pound, the Keys may have the top attractions in the league. First baseman Calvin Pickering (6-foot-5, 280) led the Appalachian League in home runs and RBI in 1996. Former Oklahoma two-sport star and Philadelphia 76ers draftee Ryan Minor (6-7, 225) is now a full-time baseball player.
First series in Salem: May 2, 3, 4.
Kinston Indians
Affiliation: Cleveland Indians (1987)
Manager: Joel Skinner
Worth the price of admission: Third baseman Russ Branyan was the 1996 South Atlantic League MVP. The Indians' No. 4 prospect hit 40 home runs last season at Columbus, Ga.
First series in Salem: April 18, 19, 20.
Lynchburg Hillcats
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates (1995)
Manager: Jeff Banister
Worth the price of admission: Right-handed pitcher Kris Benson, the No.1 pick overall in the 1996 draft out of Clemson, will begin the season in the Hill City. In this needy organization, catch this No.1 Pirates prospect while you can.
First game in Salem: May 13.
Prince William Cannons
Affiliation: St.Louis Cardinals (1997)
Manager: Roy Silver
Worth the price of admission: The blur rounding the bases for the Cannons is shortstop Jason Woolf. The 19-year old is the the No. 8 prospect for the Cardinals and is said to be the fastest player in the system since Vince Coleman.
First series in Salem: May 9, 10, 11.
Wilmington Blue Rocks
Affiliation: Kansas City Royals (1993)
Manager: John Mizerock
Worth the price of admission: Nineteen-year-old outfielder Carlos Beltran is the No.2 prospect in the K.C. organization. The five-tool player was the Royals' second pick in the 1995 draft.
First series in Salem: April 8, 9, 10.
Winston-Salem Warthogs
Affiliation: Chicago White Sox (1997)
Manager: Mike Heath
Worth the price of admission: Third baseman Carlos Lee was the second-leading hitter (.313 average) in the South Atlantic League in 1996. He is said to have major power potential. Mega-prospects Jeff Liefer (No.3) and Brian Simmons (No.7) also could be in the Warthogs' mix.
First series in Salem: April 22, 23, 24.
LENGTH: Long : 128 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY THE ROANOKE TIMES. 1. Salem shortstop Kyleby CNBHouser (right) will be turning double plays against the likes of the
Durham Bulls again. 2. Avalanche manager Bill McGuire has a few
choice words with an umpire last season. McGuire is back for a
second season as Salem's field boss.