Rain delay at the Brick
We’re in what appears will be a very long rain delay out at the Brick as heavy (sheets) of rain move through the area. No word on when the game might begin.
RedHawks, MLB still a hot product
Back in the 90s, the Blazers were the toast of Oklahoma City. The club was a winner and gave fans a red meat contact sport during the long winters when the Sooner and Cowboy football machines were idle.
And so it went for a decade, until the NBA arrived and the city got a taste of big league sports. Suddenly the CHL didn’t look so sexy anymore.
And that is essentially what led us to today when the Blazers announced they are ceasing operations and Express Sports, aided by the city, are going to try to bring an AHL team to OKC.
Even though it’s still minor league hockey, the AHL, with its affiliations with NHL clubs, feels a lot more like a true farm team. It’s not the NHL, but at least it’s connected (formally) in some way.
That’s good news for the decision makers who no doubt felt the CHL Blazers (and the AF2 Yard Dawgz) don’t fit the image OKC supposedly wants to project as a “big league” city. Allowing the Blazers to re-up in the Cox or Ford Centers wouldn’t have helped the cause much.
That’s a problem the RedHawks will likely never have to confront. Pro baseball, especially at the Triple-A level, is a great product and one fans seem to enjoy. Whether they continue their affiliation with Texas or another team in the future, the stability and structure of a farm system at the highest level will bring fans to RedHawks games. And if the prospect of seeing players on the cusp of the big leagues doesn’t the ambiance of a ballpark on a summer night will. That’s how pro baseball has weathered the post steroid area fall out which has been long on media hype but short on any actual hit on attendance or merchandise sales.
Too bad for Blazers fans though. Express will no doubt do a great job with whatever team calls OKC home, but having covered a good dozen or so Blazers games over the years it’s easy to see how passionate their fans were. Blazer fans invested their time in games and their money on Marty Standish and Joe Burton jerseys.
German to the All-Star game
Third baseman Esteban German will be OKC’s rep in the Triple-A All-Star game later this month. It’s the second time the 31-year-old has been as a RedHawk, appearing in the game in 2005.
German is the best player in OKC’s lineup so it’s fitting he should go. But what’s interesting is who would go, if he didn’t?
You could look at Julio Borbon but he’s in Texas at least until Josh Hamilton gets back. Joaquin Arias has had a good season but doesn’t wow you in any one category. Max Ramirez has the potential, but hasn’t put it together consistently.
