Home to the South Georgia Peanuts, the one-year-old league officially suspended operations for the 2008 season. The league, in the seven-sentence press release announcing the decision, said the reason for the suspension stemmed from basic unrest throughout the organization which left no hope of getting its affairs in order before the scheduled opening day of May 15.
Recent developments within the organization and lengthy discussions among the ownership group led to the decision that was handed down to league and team officials. The SCL’s statement, which was prepared by SCL vice president of community relations and development J.D. Hardin, said “Like many businesses caught in the economic downturn, the South Coast League has not been able to close on a sufficient amount of debt and equity financing to ensure a successful 2008 season.”
The news comes on the heels of SCL CEO and co-founder Jamie Toole resigning his post Tuesday, a move that seemed to lay the groundwork for Friday’s decision.
For some who have been a part of the troubled league during the past year, this decision wasn’t a matter of if, but when, said former South Georgia GM Keith Michlig.
”Let’s just say I’m not surprised,” said Michlig, who was fired in November over what Toole called “philosophical differences,” despite helping lead the team to the first- and second-half inaugural SCL Championship. “There’s been talk and rumors and rumblings about this for some time out there, and really, I guess I am surprised that they held on this long.”
The suspension of league operations does not, however, mean the SCL has folded, says Hardin, who was alerted to the decision by majority league owners Pete Ferro and John Costello on Friday morning. Hardin also said that before the call, he knew suspending operations was a “distinct possibility,” but refused to believe it until he heard it straight from the source.
“We all held out hope, and I think because we were so close to the season beginning, we felt like we could still be playing ball come May,” said Hardin, who said he is awaiting word on the employment status of league employees.
“So now, an evaluation process begins on where we go from here and who the owners want to keep on to help rebuild the league for 2009,” Hardin said. “And that’s something I want to make clear to everyone: We may have suspended our operations, but we have not folded, and we plan to return next year. If we were going to close up shop altogether, (Friday’s announcement) would’ve said just that.”
As for what this means for the city of Albany -- which has seen four minor-league baseball teams come and go since the Albany Polecats rolled into town in 1992, remains to be seen, said city manager Alfred Lott on Friday.
“Well, we (at the city) were hoping for the best, but I can’t say I’m surprised,” said Lott, who plans to discuss the decision Monday with city attorney Nathan Davis and other officials.
“As of right now it’s tough to react to this because we’re not sure what’s going to happen. We believe this is a baseball town and we believe baseball is good for this city, so the news is disappointing. We hope they recover.”
Lott said the city and the SCL have a “termination clause” in the three-year contract which was signed in 2006 and expires this year. The clause, according to Lott, includes a $10,000 penalty payment to the city.
Yet, it could be awhile before Albany — or any of the SCL’s other four markets in Macon, Anderson, S.C., and Aiken, S.C.— sees a dime, says Hardin, who called the SCL’s overall debt in those cities and Albany “quite considerable.”
“I don’t know what the exact figure is right now combined, but I know it’s an issue we’ve been trying to resolve all year, and now we have the time to do that,” he said. “I hope these markets can understand this decision was made not to get out of paying any of those debts, but rather so that we can get that outstanding money owed squared away and so we don’t go further into debt trying to force a season that wasn’t fiscally responsible in any shape or form.”
“All we can do from here, really, is look to 2009.”