BLUEFIELD — Fans of the Bluefield Orioles will bid their team a final good-bye this evening at Bowen Field as Baltimore’s 53-year affiliation with local minor league baseball concludes.

Player and staff introductions will begin about 5:45 p.m. with the first pitch to the visiting Princeton Rays scheduled for 6 p.m.

A doubleheader between the two local rivals, the result of a rainout earlier this season, will end the regular season and close a chapter in Bluefield sports history.

The Baltimore Orioles decided to cut back on its short-season minor league affiliates and has chosen not to renew its year-to-year operating agreement with the Bluefield Baseball Club. The 53 straight years of affiliation is thought to be a baseball record.

George McGonagle, club president, provided some perspective about that span during the press conference on Saturday that announced Baltimore’s decision.

More than 1.5 million fans have attended the approximately 1,800 home games since the Bluefield Orioles debuted in 1958, he said.

“Somewhere around 1,300 different players have enjoyed the Bluefield experience,” he said. “We estimate somewhere around 150 (to) 160 of them went on to the Major Leagues — not necessarily Baltimore ... .”

The most recent Bluefield alumni to play for Baltimore appear to be pitcher Daniel Cabrera, who played in Bluefield in 2001-02, and current starting pitcher Brad Bergesen, who appeared in five games as a Baby Bird in 2004.

Two former Bluefield Orioles, Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray, are in baseball’s hall of fame.

“Bluefield has done a great job with our players,” said Tripp Norton, Baltimore’s assistant director for player development.

“Many of our former players talk about Bluefield with great esteem. They remember their playing time here fondly, and some of them still maintain relationships with those families that they met here along the way,” he said.

• • •

Norton talked on Saturday about Baltimore’s corporate discussions about terminating the agreement with Bluefield.

“Over the last few years it has come up in casual conversations,” he said. “Nothing was ever really acted upon until, in the last six weeks, when it really seemed to get a little steam behind it.”

“There was much deliberation,” he said. “It’s not a decision that we made lightly. We tried to look at it as many angles as we could find.”

Money, he said, “was not the main issue, but yes, it was a consideration.”

“Usually, when these relationships end, they end on a bad note. The affiliate was unhappy with the major-league club, or vice versa, and the result led to a parting of the ways.

“There really isn’t anything you can point to other than a shift in our player-development philosophy,” Norton said. “It’s just the hard decision that we’ve made, that it’s best for us moving forward.” Baltimore will now send rookie-level players to two teams — Aberdeen, Md. and Sarasota, Fla. — instead of three.

Asked about offering help to Bluefield to secure another Major League Baseball partner, Norton said, “Certainly, we’d give a pretty good reference to other teams.”

Shott said on Monday that “some interest has been expressed” beyond the one team that visited Bowen Field on Friday.

• • •

Local professional baseball apparently began with the Bluefield Blue-Grays, which played in the Mountain State League from 1937 to 1942, according to the Appalachian League media guide. The Blue-Grays joined the Appy League in 1946, as an affiliate of the Boston Braves.

They went through affiliations with three other Major League teams before the Orioles signed up for the 1958 season. The Orioles had landed in Baltimore in 1954 after 51 years in St. Louis.

George Fanning guided minor league baseball at Bowen Field as general manager for 45 years until his death in September 1995, McGonagle said.

His attention to the budget was recounted by Keith Conner, a journalist in Charlotte who broadcast Bluefield games on WKOY Radio in the mid-1980s.

“If you ever broke a bat, you had to bring the old one back to the bench before you got a new one,” he said. “Mr. Fanning would be sitting there and say, ‘Well, give me the old one.’ ”

McGonagle, who had been Fanning’s top assistant, was the GM for the next 12 years, retiring in 2007 when Bluefield and Baltimore celebrated their 50th anniversary together. He has since come back twice as acting general manager, after his replacements resigned.

Allen Coppinger Jr. was another key local supporter of the operation, serving as president of the baseball club.

The franchise suffered a major blow in 1973 when the mostly-wooden facility burned down.

Mary Kathryn Burton, secretary of the Bluefield Baseball Club, said, “I think we need to remember that Baltimore stayed with us when we didn’t have a stadium, after it had burned down. ...

“There was never any mention of Baltimore leaving. They stuck with us when we were sitting in the rubble, on seats that we brought in.”

Bill Looney, then the city engineer, recounted what happened next.

“Edwin Elliott was the mayor,” he said. “Edwin hired the same architect that designed the New York Yankees stadium, and they designed the stadium. It was pre-cast concrete, and the city paid for it. ... We had insurance money from the fire.”

Looney supervised the construction.

Conner said about covering the Orioles, “It was just great. I got to know the Rail Bird guys, like Tony Colobro, Walter Clark, Buddy Bovenzi and Mr. (Patsy) Malamisura.”

“I remember the old-timers ... and the kids,” Conner said. “Lots of kids. It was a great place to bring kids.”

The Bluefield Orioles were in Johnson City on Monday, ending their final six-game road trip. Norton said they were informed on Saturday of the affiliation decision.

The Baby Birds will finish 2010 with the worst record in the Appalachian League.

— Contact Tom Bone at

tbone@bdtonline.com

Bluefield Orioles



Year-by-year

Year    Record    Pct.    GB    Finish

1958    21-51    .292    26 1/2    5/5

1959    37-32    .536    4 1/2    4/6

1950s    58-83    .411

1960    35-32    .522    6 1/2    3/6

1961    34-34    .500    6    4/8

x-1962    47-23    .671    _—    1/6

x-1963    45-24    .652    —    1/6

1964    27-44    .380    20    4/4

1965    31-38    .449    11 1/2    5/6

1966    38-33    .535    6    3/5

x-1967    42-25    .627    —    1/6

1968    23-49    .319    19    4/4

1969    33-36    .478    6 1/2    2/4 N

1960s    355-338    .512

x-1970    37-21    .638    —    1/7

x-1971    42-27    .609    —    1/4 N

1972    36-32    .529    4    3/4 N

1973    37-33    .529    16    4/8    

o-1974    37-32    ,536    —    1/4 N         1975    26-43    .377    9 1/2    4/4 N

o-1976    42-28    .600    —    1/4 N

1977    32-38    .457    11 1/2    4/6

1978    29-40    .420    12    6/6

1979    33-35    .485    201/2    4/6

1970s    351-329    .516

1980    29-39    .426    16    5/6

1981    36-34    .514    10    t3/6

x-1982    47-22    .681    —    1/4 N

1983    32-38    .457    14    5/7

1984    32-38    .457    51/2    4/4 N

1985    35-35    .500    91/2    4/7

1986    39-29    .574    3    2/4 N

1987    38-31    .551    12    3/4 N

1988    24-47    .338    14    5/5 N

1989    27-41    .397    15    5/5 N

1980s    339-354    .489

1990    38-32    .543    141/2    4/10

1991    36-31    .537    4    2/5 N

x-1992    37-25    .597    —    1/5 N

p-1993    44-24    .647    —    1/5 N

1994    32-36    .471    10    3/5 N

0-1995    49-16    .754    —    1/5 N

x-1996    42-26    .616    —    1/5 E

x-1997    40-29    .580    —    1/5 E

1998    33-34    .493    4/12    2/5 E

1999    25-43    .368    15    3/5 E

1990s    376-296    .560

2000    31-32    .492    4 1/2    3/5 E

x-2001    33-33    .500    —    1/5

z-2002    45-23    .662    —    1/5 E

2003    23-40    .365    18    4/5 E

2004    28-39    .418    13/12     4/5 E

2005     31-36    .463    16    4/5 E

2006    31-37    .456    9 1/2    4/5 E

2007    32-36    .471    16    4/5

2008    29-36    .446    10    3/5 E

2009    33-35    .485    14    3/5 E

c-2010    22-44    .333    15 1/2    5/5 E

2000s    338-391    .464

Totals  1817-1791  .503  (3,608 games)

Playoff record: 11-7    .611

Grand total     1,828-1,798 .504 x

x-Won Appy League title

z-Lost in Appy League playoffs

o-Won division title only

p-Tied for division title, out of playoffs

c-current season



Orioles Managers

1958, ‘60: Bernard Lutz; ‘59: Robert Hooper; ‘61: Dee Phillips; *‘62, 63: Billy Hunter; ‘64, 65: Jim Frey; ‘66, 67: Joe Altobelli; ‘68: Ken Rowe; ‘69: Jackie Ferrell; *‘70: Ray Malgradi; *‘71: Jim Schaeffer; ‘72, 73: George Farson; ‘74: Bobby Malkmus; ‘75: Paul Flesner; ‘76: Ben Hines; ‘77, 78, 79: Junior Miner; ‘80: Grady Little; ‘81: Lance Nichols; ‘82: John Hart; *‘83, 84: Greg Biagini; ‘85: Mike Verdi; ‘86,88: Glenn Gulliver; ‘87: Jim Pamlanye; ‘89: Mike Young; ‘90, 91: Gus Gil; ‘92: Mike O’Berry; 93, 94, 95, 98: Andy Etchbarren; 96, 97: Bobby Dickerson; ‘99, ‘00: Duffy Dyer; ‘01: Joe Almarez; ‘02: Bien Figueroa; ‘03: Don Buford; ‘04: Gary Kendall; ‘05: Jesus Alfaro; ‘06: Gary Allenson; ‘07: Alex Arias; ‘08: Orlando Gomez; ‘09, ‘10: Einar Diaz.

*Manager of Year



Orioles All-Stars

‘59: *SS Bob Saverine, OF Boog Powell, *P Arne Thorsland; ‘60: 1B Phil Barth, OF Sam Bowens, P John Ellen; ‘61: 1B Dick Hickerson, 2B Bill Oplinger; ‘62: C George Farson, 2B Wayne Edwards, SS Mark Belanger, OF John Riddle, OF Charles Aikens, P Bill Larkin; ‘64: 2B Ken Gay, OF Gary Fancher; ‘65: 1B David Coleman, 3B Bob Jones, P Scott McDonald; ‘66: C Dave May, SS Paul Flesner, OF Alonzo Harris, P Vaughn Kovach; ‘68: OF Eddie Watts, OF Javier Andino; ‘69: 1B Enos Cabell, 3B Terry Clapp.

‘70: SS Doug Decinces, OF Terry Jones; ‘71: C Edward Jordan, OF Gil Flores; ‘72: 2B Blake Doyle, SS John O’Rear; ‘73: 1B Eddie Murray, OF Rodney Lee, P Russell Peach; ‘74: 2B Juan Martinez, SS Richard Rickman; ‘75: 3B Sheldon Draimin, OF Bobby Smith, P: David Ford; ‘76: 1B Jim Skaalen, SS James Smith, OF Mark Corey, OF Vernon Thomas, P Clint Thomas; ‘77: 1B Dan Logan, P Mark Smith, P Michael Rachuba; ‘78: 3B Robert Boyce, DH Victor Rodriguez, P Don Welchel; ‘79: OF David Schuman.

‘80: OF Jeff Williams, P Scott Johnson; ‘81: OF David Falcone; ‘82: 1B Jim Traber, 3B Jeff Doerr, LHP Tandy Charley.  ‘83: DH George Page; ‘84: C Kurt Beamesderfer; ‘85: 3B Craig Worthington; ‘86: OF Ken Adderly; ‘87: C Dan Simond, OF Tracy Pancoski, DH Terry Brown; ‘88: C Jeff Champ; ‘89: 3B T.R. Lewis, SS Manny Alexander.

‘90: C Gregg Zaun; ‘91: OF Clayton Byrne, RHP Chris Lemp; ‘92: C Marco Manrique, OF Roy Hodge, URL Eric Chavez; ‘93: *1B Bryan Link, 3B Miles Barden, RHP Calvin Maduro; ‘94: 3B Rick Short; ‘95: SS Eddy Martinez, OG Johnny Isom, RHP Chris Fussell; ‘96: 1B Calvin Pickering, 2B Carlos Casimiro; ‘97: RHP David Mastrolonardo; ‘99: DH Rick Elder, LHP Randy Perez.

‘00: *C Octavio Martinez, OF Alex Gordon; ‘01: 2B Omar Rogers, UTL Ruben Francisco, RP Ryan Keefer; ‘02: C Tom Arko, DH Luis Jimenez; ‘04: 1B Ryan Finan RHP Robert McCrory; ‘05: SS Stuart Musselwhite; ‘06: OF Kieron Pope; ‘07: OF Kraig Binick; ‘08: UTL Ronnie Welty; RHP Vito Frabazio.

*Player and/or Pitcher of Year

*some years not available