When minor league baseball teams get stoopid

[Idaho]

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/227349/3/

A squabble over how to name a stadium will mean that the Orem Owlz won't be getting much coverage from the two local newspapers that ordinarily staff home games.

The Daily Herald and the Deseret Morning News have said they will stop attending the team's minor league season, which has just started and has about 30 games remaining in Orem. The decision stems from the team's decision to not honor the new name of the stadium, Brent Brown Ballpark.

The team had threatened to pull credentials unless news outlets referred to it as the "Home of the Owlz," as the owner believes Utah Valley State College has no control over what the stadium is called during the summer.

Rather than wait to be banned, the two papers have started to collect credentials and plan on returning them to the team.

"This is a dispute between the Owlz and UVSC that has nothing to do with us," Daily Herald executive editor Randy Wright said. "The Owlz are trying to punish the media for referring to the stadium by its proper name -- Brent Brown Ballpark.

"We won't trade our independence for access to athletic teams or any other news source. We simply don't let our subjects dictate how we report on them."

The Daily Herald has advertising and sponsorship agreements with the Owlz, which Wright said the paper will continue to honor.

Deseret Morning News sports editor Dave Schneider said his section's decision to stop covering games was made Saturday, when the team's general manager gave local media an ultimatum regarding coverage.

An e-mail dispersed to local media outlets by Owlz general manager Zachary Fraser said that teams would have access denied to the rookie-league affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim if they didn't call the stadium the "Home of the Owlz."

Smart marketing move, short-season rookie league team. Real smart. ::)

 

[Chi City 81]

Agreed. The two papers are making the right call.

 

[I Like HD]

I doubt the Orem team truly cares about coverage. With Ogden and SLC already having minor league teams I bet most people didn't even know the Trib and Mormon news covered Orem baseball.

 

[shotglass]

Good for those two papers. And I don't think this is any small move by them, either. It's still a minor-league team in their coverage area.

 

[Idaho]

I doubt the Orem team truly cares about coverage. With Ogden and SLC already having minor league teams I bet most people didn't even know the Trib and Mormon news covered Orem baseball.

Well, for starters I'll correct you. The Trib is not involved in this and doesn't cover anything outside SLC for the most part. The other paper is the Provo (Orem) paper and is the hometown paper. I think the Orem baseball team cares that they don't get game stories in the local paper. The Deseret Morning News has a Provo edition and covered all home games in an effort to boost circulation in the area.

Regardless, the team is foolish to think they, as a small-market, short-season team can, strong arm the only coverage it gets.

 

[I Like HD]

My mistake. Yes, pushing Provo away is quite stoopid.

 

[PhilaYank36]

And this is why they call them "the MINOR Leagues."

 

[mike311gd]

The upper-management should focus on sixth-inning give-aways and the on-field marketing schemes. That's what happens when people buy into their hype.

 

[Eagleboy]

I don't see why the newspapers have to refer to the ballpark at all. I would assume some kind of satisfying decision should be reached in that the team could just say "The Owlz lost at home, 4-2," instead of referring to the ballpark. Even further, a dateline would, in theory, take care of this.

It's a good thing that they keep their independence, and the quote from Wright about that is very strong. And I think that the Owlz ownership is stupid for disregarding a name - but then again, they put a Z on the end of their team's name, so rational decisions seem to escape them. To me, in the end, a name is a name, and I don't care what the place is called as long as it's understood where the game is.

 

[DanOregon]

I think the newspapers stance might have been different if the ballpark wasn't named after a car dealer. That's just a guess.

 

[write then drink]

wonder if they're gonna run box scores / wraps / scores / anything?

 

[slappy4428]

Hello Angels? You taught your minor league teams well.
Remember how you looked stupid for screwing over Anaheim with the team name thing? Well, your rookie-league team is just as dumb...

 

[chazp]

If the papers don't run any coverage, I bet it won't be long until the team announces an about face and asks the papers to come back and cover their games.

 

[Idaho]

I think it'd be just great if the papers starting running expanded gamers for the other Pioneer League team in the state. :)

Actually, that's some valuable real estate suddenly available and can be filled with a WNBA roundup.

 

[Lester Bangs]

I don't see why the newspapers have to refer to the ballpark at all. I would assume some kind of satisfying decision should be reached in that the team could just say "The Owlz lost at home, 4-2," instead of referring to the ballpark. Even further, a dateline would, in theory, take care of this.

It's a good thing that they keep their independence, and the quote from Wright about that is very strong. And I think that the Owlz ownership is stupid for disregarding a name - but then again, they put a Z on the end of their team's name, so rational decisions seem to escape them. To me, in the end, a name is a name, and I don't care what the place is called as long as it's understood where the game is.

Yes, what's with Utah and extra Zs? Isn't the WNBA team the "Starzz?"

But honestly, even if you strike an agreement not to name the stadium, it's as bad as acquiescing on "the home of the Owlzzzzz." They don't get to decide what you call anything, period, and if you let them, what's next? Why can't we just start making **** up? Maybe we can start selling naming rights of our own -- "in our paper, it's called Mormon Tabernacle Field at Pizza Hut Stadium."

I'm tired of people trying to create their own realities. Had a marketing guy tell me a few weeks ago that he's lost faith in newspapers because "they don't seem to really care about truth anymore." I could help but blurt out, "your profession has made actual truth obsolete."

 

[Stitch]

The D News is still running scores and features.

 

[Idaho]

Yes, what's with Utah and extra Zs? Isn't the WNBA team the "Starzz?"

Starzz moved to San Antonio and are now the Silver Stars.

But I agree, the Z fad got out of hand after the Jazz, Grizz (hockey) and Buzz (baseball, changed to Stingers, then to Bees) got it started. There have been untold number of Z names and I hate it. Everything from dead teams like the Freezze, the Pioneerz and more.

As for naming the field at my paper, it's mostly used at most once in a story and then in an info box with the Who, what, when and where stuff.

I usually don't name the stadium in any of my gamers, if that matters.

 

[Shaggy]

"We won't trade our independence for access to athletic teams or any other news source. We simply don't let our subjects dictate how we report on them."

Think they make a similar bold stand if BYU pulls anything like this? I doubt it.

 

[Lester Bangs]

"We won't trade our independence for access to athletic teams or any other news source. We simply don't let our subjects dictate how we report on them."

Think they make a similar bold stand if BYU pulls anything like this? I doubt it.

The thing is, BYU -- or any reputable organization -- would never even consider something like this.

 

[Idaho]

Would the Cleveland Indians threaten to yank credentials from the Plain Dealer if the paper refused to call Jacobs Field by a name such as the Happy Hunting Grounds?