The Official Mesa Miners thread

[Brian in Mesa]

Originally Posted by azsouthendzone

Bad news. I've gotten word from a pretty reliable source that the Mesa Miners, and probably the whole GBL is gonna fold at season's end. Say it isn't so.

The GBL is continuing...without Mesa, if the news I've heard today is true.

Sounds like Mesa will disappear, regardless of how the playoffs turn out.

Next year, there will be a team in Reno, the Silver Sox...managed by Les Lancaster.

Oh well, we had a blast THIS season, and it's not over yet.



Go Miners !!!

Win it all !!!

Force them to get rid of the champs !!!

[azsouthendzone]

That sucks. But I thank them for:

[nathan]

Can't say I'm surprised. There were barely 100 people at the game I went to.

[azsouthendzone]

The San Diego Surf Dawgs used a six-run third inning explosion and held on to defeat the Mesa Miners, 9-6, to capture the 2005 Golden Baseball League Championship. Marcus Jensen went 4-for-5 for the Miners, the Arizona Division Champs. Victor Hall added three hits and drove in three runs for the Miners.

San Diego catcher Cody Clark was named the Most Valuable Player of the GBL Championship Series. Clark went 3-for-5 and scored twice in the deciding game.

SAN DIEGO - 9 16 0
MESA - 6 13 2

WP - DONOVAN GRAVES (1-0)
LP - JON UHL (0-1)



RIP Miners...2005-2005

[Brian in Mesa]

in the deciding game

There needs to be one more game.

Lamest tourney ending ever.

Double-elimination until a final winner-take-all game.

Completely removes the advantage of coming from the winner's bracket.

Mesa was 2-0 and San Diego was 2-1. San Diego, coming from the loser's bracket, should have had to defeat Mesa twice.

Instead San Diego and Mesa played two games total and split them, yet San Diego is given the championship...



It was set up perfectly for a Labor Day afternoon championship game too...

[Yuma]

THAT BLOWS!

I agree. Whoever made up those rules is an idiot!

Also, pulling the plug on the Miners after one season is lame...

[Brian in Mesa]

Mesa wants Miners

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 8, 2005

Even though the team drew dismal crowds and lost in the league playoffs, the city wants to keep the Mesa Miners baseball team at Hohokam Stadium next year.

Stadium manager Dave Dunne said Wednesday the Miners are a good source of revenue during normally slow months, with the team spending about $70,000 to rent the ballpark for its inaugural 2005 season.

"It's kind of a rare find for us here," Dunne said, to have a regular customer for the high-end facility during the summer.

The stadium is used by the Chicago Cubs for spring training. This year, the city and the Golden Baseball League agreed to a five-year contract for use of the stadium, but it can be terminated by mutual consent once a year in October.

The Miners have closed down their downtown Mesa office, let most of their staff go and denied rumors that they planned to leave the city.

Dunne said he would attempt to mediate a settlement to an apparent dispute between the Miners and the stadium concessionaire during a meeting Tuesday with the league officials, who own the Miners and the other seven teams.

In an attempt to help the team succeed, he said Mesa agreed not to take a cut of concession revenue for the first two years, leaving the Miners and Cactus Concessions to make their own deal.

"We'd like to have them stay. We're hopeful it can be worked out," Dunne said.

The new league started play this summer and won the Arizona Division with a 53-40 record, losing Sunday in the league's playoff finals to the San Diego Surf Dawgs, 9-6, in Long Beach, Calif.

Despite the team's success, the Miners were last in attendance, drawing 46,643 fans for the season and an average of 915 fans per game, according to unofficial league statistics through Aug. 30.

The league's other Valley franchise, the Surprise Fightin' Falcons, had the second worst attendance, drawing 49,057 fans or 981 per game.

"They're re-evaluating the Phoenix market. I know they're very disappointed," said Mark Coronado, community and recreation services director for Surprise.

Coronado said he's meeting Golden Baseball League officials on Monday, but he expects the Fightin' Falcons to return for 2006.

"All indications are that they're coming back," Coronado said.

Dave Kaval, the league's chief executive officer, said no decision has been made on whether the Miners will return to Mesa or move and that all franchises are under review.

But he said the Miners' lack of concession revenue "is really the big issue in Mesa," because minor league teams generally receive 35 percent of revenue from concessions.

Kaval said the Mesa concessionaire also was difficult to work with during the team's first season.

Dunne said he was not a party to the Miners' deal with Cactus Concessions, but that concessionaire Greg Zimmerman told him the Miners received about $5,000 in revenue during 2005.

[Brian in Mesa]

League re-evaluates Mesa, Surprise team profits

Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 7, 2005

A new independent baseball league billed as cheap family entertainment will re-evaluate the profitability of all its franchises, including the Mesa Miners, who finished last in attendance, and the Surprise Fightin' Falcons, who didn't draw much better.

The Miners received no concessions revenue at Hohokam Stadium in 2005, a big blow because minor league teams typically rake in 35 percent of their revenue from concessions, said Dave Kaval, Golden Baseball League chief executive officer and co-founder.

"That really is a big issue in Mesa," Kaval said, and may decide whether the team can be profitable in Mesa.

Although the league has a three-year plan to make money, "every team has to stand alone and be profitable long-term," he said.

Despite coming within four runs of winning the league's first championship on Sunday in Long Beach, Calif., the Miners finished last in attendance, averaging 915 fans per game and 46,643 for the season, according to unofficial statistics through Aug. 30.

The Surprise team drew slightly better at about 981 fans a game, and 49,057 for the year, but Kaval said the team raised more advertising revenue. The Surprise team played at Surprise Stadium.

Kaval said he will meet with Dave Dunne, Hohokam's stadium manager, and other Mesa officials on Tuesday to review the concession issue and discuss the team's future.

But Kaval said the league is focusing on possibly expanding from eight to 10 teams in 2006 and it's too early to say if the Miners will relocate.

"It's completely unfounded at this point," Kaval said. "We're spending the next two months re-evaluating all of our markets."

The independent league was launched this year by California investors including TV's Pat Sajak. Investors own all the franchises. It differs from many minor leagues with teams affiliated with Major League Baseball franchises.

The league bills itself as affordable family entertainment, offering $5 tickets and other promotions to lure fans.

"We're trying to create the Number 1 choice for a family outing," Kaval said.

The Miners won the Arizona Division, posting a 53-40 record under Manager Les Lancaster and reached the playoff finals over the Labor Day weekend, but lost, 9-6, to the San Diego Surf Dawgs.

[Brian in Mesa]

Here's where we see if the GBL wants to tough it out through a bad concessions deal, or fold up their tents and leave like a circus.

Confronted directly with the question of them leaving Mesa for Reno - both founders said the statement was unfounded. We'll see if they can be trusted or not.

There is a strong core of diehard Miners fans who want the team to stay, want to get tickets for next season, and want to help the team draw bigger crowds and make more profits. They'll either embrace us or dismiss us.

Unfortunately, I think my sources are 100% right on this issue. I believe Mesa is done and there will be a new team in Reno managed by Les Lancaster. If my inside info is correct, I can already tell you who they'll name as GM.

[azsouthendzone]

Honestly, I'm not sure if Minor league sports can survive in PHX. We can barely support out major 4 and ASU. When I won the TV, I went to the park literally with a feeling that I was gonna win because there really wasn't much competition. The game againts rickey Henderson had a decent crowd but other than that it was empty except for about 30 friends and family. The Miners also have to really work on the game day experience. They would have an organ play maybe a couple of times a game on a tape. Try 100 times game. There were times when it was so quite it was surreal. They can do things better, they just don't have the right people in place to do it.

[Brian in Mesa]

Just heard today that Mesa, Surprise, and Japan are all gone in 2006.

League schedule comes out at 11...

[maddogkf]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/azet...denleague.html

Mesa, Surprise no longer in Golden Baseball League

Exits leave six teams for 2006 season

The Golden Baseball League announced today it is suspending operations of its two Valley teams for the 2006 season with hopes of returning to Mesa and Surprise by 2007.

Mesa Miners and the Surprise Fightin' Falcons were the league's worst performing clubs at the gate, and the situation was further complicated by a “challenging situation” involving concessions revenue in Mesa, said league CEO Dave Kaval.

“That just made it very difficult to approach break-even in that market,” Kaval said.

Kaval said the contract with the city's concessions operator in Mesa expires next year, at which point the league hopes to return.

“Hopefully if that gets sorted out, we would like to return,” Kaval said.

With the Mesa situation untenable, the league was down to seven teams. Kaval said the GBL had been working on replacing Mesa with another “western region” team, but when they were unable to iron out those details, they suspended operations in Surprise to avoid having an odd number of clubs.

The league would like to add amenities such as a misting system in both Mesa and Surprise to help combat the summer heat.

“We're looking at this as an opportunity to continue to work with them to bring them back for the 2007 season in a stronger position for the city of Surprise and the GBL,” said Mark Coronado, the city's director of community and recreation services. “We're not looking at this as, ‘They're gone.'.”

In a statement issued by the league, Hohokam Stadium Manager David Dunne said the city and facility “look forward to working with the GBL to bring back the Mesa Miners in 2007.”

The GBL operated with eight teams during the 2005 season, with all the teams owned by the league.

Also being eliminated in 2006 is the Japan Samurai Bears, a traveling team. The league will field a team in Reno in 2006.

[Ryanwb]

RIP, this thread

[Diamondback Jay]

Sorry to bump an old thread here, but what's the probability of the Miners ever making a triumphant return?

[Brian in Mesa]

Originally Posted by Sun Devil Jay

Sorry to bump an old thread here, but what's the probability of the Miners ever making a triumphant return?

Still not likely, but who knows with this league.

They wrap up their first Winter League, a 4 team league that has played games every day in Yuma since mid-January and features coaches from the Summer League, on February 16th.

-----------------------------------------------

Here are the 2007 teams:

Chico Outlaws
Nettleton Stadium, Chico CA

Fullerton Flyers
Goodwin Field, Fullerton CA

Long Beach Armada
Blair Field, Long Beach CA

Yuma Scorpions
Desert Sun Stadium, Yuma AZ

Reno Silver Sox
Peccole Park, Reno NV

St. George Roadrunners
Bruce Hurst Field, St. George UT

2007 schedule