The Bisons Begin a New Era with the Mets

By Thomas Tarapacki

The Buffalo Bisons are starting another year of minor-league baseball in downtown Buffalo but there's a lot new this year, from its major league affiliate to a new logo. The Bisons will launch the 124th season of professional baseball in Buffalo on Opening Day, Thursday, April 9, against the Pawtucket Red Sox with a new major league affiliation and a new look.

After last season, the Bisons and the New York Mets agreed to a two-year player development contract, making the Bisons' New York's Triple-A affiliate. It came about as a result of the Cleveland Indians ending their long-time affiliation with Buffalo that dated back to 1995. That relationship saw Bisons field some great teams, featuring future major league stars like Grady Sizemore and  C.C. Sabathia. Indians officials said that they were "thrilled" with their time in Buffalo (Bisons officials felt the same way), but that their new affiliate, Columbus, was "a better fit." The reason? Money, of course. Not only does Columbus have a new $55 million ballpark, but the Indians have strong ties throughout the state of Ohio. Cleveland now has four of its five Minor League affiliates in the state of Ohio. The Indians' official cable TV network, SportsTime Ohio, offers many possibilities for business development.  Of course, having everything in-state also makes travel easier (and cheaper) for everyone from scouts to players.

The change in Buffalo was part of a kind of baseball "musical chairs." The Mets had broken ties with the New Orleans Zephyrs after just two years, mainly because it wanted to have its Triple-A club closer to New York City. At around the same time, Toronto Blue Jays had parted ways with former triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs, after 31 years. Syracuse had been connected with the Blue Jays for 31 years, the 11th-longest affiliation in professional baseball, but the relationship soured in recent years.  Toronto wasn't pleased with the support it received from the front office or fans in Syracuse, and folks in Syracuse weren't happy with the support from the Blue Jays; the Chiefs haven't had a winning season since 2000, and haven't made the playoffs since 1998.

The Syracuse Chiefs had aggressively pursued the Mets, but the New York apparently opted for Buffalo as a larger market with a more successful track record. Toronto subsequently signed a deal with Las Vegas, the Washington Nationals inked a deal with Syracuse, and New Orleans hooked up with the Florida Marlins.

As an affiliate now of a National League team, the Bisons will not be able to use a designated hitter when they take on another affiliate of a National League team.  However, when the Bisons play an American League-affiliated team, both clubs will be able to use a designated hitter.

As a result of the new affiliation with the Mets, the team's uniforms and logo have also changed. The color scheme is now Mets' blue and orange, and the logo features a charging bison emerging from the Buffalo city skyline.

That's not all that's new. The downtown ballpark formerly known as is now Pilot Field, North Americare Park and Dunn Tire Park, is now named Coca-Cola Field. In addition, the Bisons' official mailing address is now One James D. Griffin Plaza, in honor of the late former mayor.

There's some question about the level of talent in the Mets' minor league system, and whether the Bisons will be as successful on the field as they had been under the Indians. However, the fact that Mets games are carried on SNY SportsNet New York, the local cable TV system should help generate fan interest in the Bisons. Also, the Bisons themselves should get some good exposure. Time Warner Cable 13 will carry 37 Games, and 5 Bisons games will be featured on SNY. On the radio, all 144 regular season games on will be on WWKB 1520 AM, 930 AM WBEN will carry all 22 Sunday games, and  WGR AM 550 will feature a Bisons "Game of the Week" at the end of the NHL season.

Find out more by going to www.bisons.com.