Letter to the Editor: "The downstaters' bane will be our blessing"

Buffalo News 

March 18

Dear editor, 

Baseball spring training is upon us. While this is always an exciting time of the year, this summer holds particular promise for WNY fans. Not only will the nation's top prospects and future stars converge on the Queen City for the Triple-A All-Star Game, but the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees will play home games in Rochester, Batavia, and at our own Coca-Cola Field.

Despite Buffalo's proximity to Toronto and its Blue Jays, few will doubt the city's substantial Yankees fan base. While its Scranton stadium is renovated this summer, the organization's displaced Triple-A affiliate will play thirty-seven home games in Rochester, seven in Batavia, and six at our Coca-Cola Field.

All summer, fans will be a short drive away from witnessing the power pitching tandem of the Yankees' Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos -- two of the top pitching prospects in the game. Also, given the team's advanced age, fans can count on the inevitable injury/rehabilitation assignments of a few Bronx Bombers. The downstater's bane will be our blessing.

This is not the first time our city has played host to the Triple-A All-Star Game. Twenty-five years ago, Coca-Cola Field -- then Pilot Field -- was the site of the very first edition of the event. On that balmy July evening in 1988, a sold-out crowd saw Steve Finley and the American League narrowly defeat Sandy Alomar Jr.'s National League squad, 2-1.

The names on this year's Triple-A All-Star rosters will probably not jump off the page to most professional baseball observers. This, however, should not detract from the significance of the event. Since 1988, the Triple-A All-Star game has featured more than 70 future MLB All-Stars. Odds are that a few participants in this year's event will reach the majors and become household names.

Matt Kaiser

Amherst