Comments on: Observations From Cooperstown–A Tribute to Bob Fowler

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:59:41 +0000

Bruce, I haven’t been to Murnane since ’96 or thereabouts, so my impressions of its state are probably a bit off. (In my defense, I went off to college, then law school, and haven’t lived in the area, or been able to regularly attend games, since.) But you’re certainly right about the area in terms of support – just people showing up to games. A few hundred die hards and handfuls of walkups, but that’s it.

There are still pockets of people who are passionate – and incredibly sad – that the Utica Devils (former AAA club of the NJ Devils) are gone – but they are a huge minority. Its sad but there it is.

By: Bruce Markusen

Bruce Markusen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:30:48 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, thelarmis.

Shaun, I think by the end, Murnane Field was in acceptable shape for the NY-Penn League, but the community, for any number of reasons, just didn’t support the team that well. Maybe an affiliation with the Mets or the Yankees would have helped, but I’m not sure.

Sadly, Utica has had a checkered history of support when it comes to professional teams, as seen quite demonstrably by the pro hockey situation there, with a series of poorly run teams supported poorly.

When I started in Utica in ’87, there were two major pro franchises, one in hockey and one in baseball. Now there are none.

By: Shaun P.

Shaun P. — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:13:27 +0000

I have a lot of respect for Mr. Fowler, and I am saddened to learn of his passing. I had heard that he was suffering from ALS, but I didn’t know he was gone. I went to an awful lot of Blue Sox games in the years you were covering them Bruce, and often listened to games on IBX too. Little did I know I was listening to you! Thanks for a nice walk down memory lane about Mr. Fowler, and filling in stuff I didn’t know about him.

It wasn’t entirely his fault*, and I’m on the record as officially blaming The Thief (the rest of you know him as the guy who played SS for the Orioles and wore #8), but I can’t forget that Mr. Fowler sold the Blue Sox, and ever since, Utica is out the NY-Penn League, and out of MiLB.

(*Its not like he was making much – OK, any – money; not many people bought tickets – as Bruce remembers, opening night wasn’t a guaranteed sell out; neither were promotional nights; the stands were barely filled on Tom Seaver night, for crying out loud, and Utica was crawling with Mets fans; and the biggest problem was that Murnane wasn’t anywhere near an appropriate ballpark for a pro minor league – and after Staten Island and Brooklyn and other newer stadia opened, it REALLY wasn’t at the appropriate level, and neither Utica nor Oneida County nor Fowler had the money to remake it – so I understand why it happened, but I’m still ticked that I can’t go home and watch a Blue Sox game in the summer time. Stupid IronBirds.)

By: thelarmis

thelarmis — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:15:05 +0000

i feel my knowledge of baseball grows whenever i read your columns here, bruce – many thanks!