From Chapter 8:

1991-1994: Tarnished Silver

1993

The Greece stadium, however, was not a done deal. Ryan was out of the loop, but State Assemblyman David Gantt was still needed to secure funding, and he was far from on board. The Red Wings, Orioles and Monroe County should pitch in some of their own money — up front, he insisted — if they wanted help from Albany. RCB officials, along with dozens of other minor league team officials, traveled to the state’s capital to testify before a Senate Committee studying ways of helping all of the state’s teams finance the required stadium renovations.

But the lack of consensus still hampered the plan. Buffalo was already in for $25 million toward its planned hockey arena and Syracuse seemed a lock to get $12–15 million for its new ballpark. Monroe County’s funding was still not secure; in fact it was still unsure if the county itself would supply its share. That was dependent on whether or not King could get the two-thirds majority in the county legislature needed to issue the bonds.

There were also problems with the site itself. Because the addition of a stadium constituted a drastic alteration to Canal Ponds’ original plans, the town of Greece was reconsidering approval of the park. Concerns of increased noise and traffic led some area residents to voice opposition. And while the plan had the consent and full cooperation of the developer, Pioneer Development Company, the actual owner of the park, Eastman Kodak, had yet to endorse the stadium.

Within all this controversy, Rochester Community Baseball prepared for another season on the field. It had been a stormy off-season for the team in other areas as well. Shortly after the end of the ’92 season General Manager Joe Altobelli fired two members of his staff, saying it was time to make changes. The parent Orioles made their own alterations and promoted Manager Jerry Narron.

Baltimore remained within the organization in its choice for the next Red Wing manager, but chose to reach down to the Single-A level and promote Bob Miscik. The 34-year-old Miscik became the youngest Rochester skipper since Cal Ripken Sr. in 1969. He was making the jump to Triple-A after just two years of managing experience, having ended his professional career in 1988 after nine seasons in the minors.

Miscik would be one of seven new managers in the International League. Seven of 10, however, as the league would be larger in 1993. Despite initial rumors that the two Triple-A expansion teams would be going to the American Association, in mid-1992 the IL had been awarded the new franchises: the Ottawa Lynx and Charlotte (N.C.) Knights. Ottawa joined the Wings in the Eastern Division and returned meaning to the “International” label in the league’s moniker, becoming the first non-United States team since Winnipeg in 1971. Ottawa was affiliated with the Montreal Expos, while Charlotte hooked up with the Cleveland Indians.

Other league changes included a switch of stadiums by the Tides. The club moved into a new 12,000-seat stadium in Norfolk, and in response to the investment of money and effort by the city, decided to change the team’s name from Tidewater Tides to Norfolk Tides. The league reduced its schedule to 142 games, in accordance with the agreement with the major leagues. Rochester would play each Eastern Division foe 18 times and Western Division teams 14 times.

Baltimore signed a number of experienced minor leaguers and journeyman major leaguers for the Wings during the off-season. Combined with some talented young players, Rochester looked to be a contender. The pitching staff had been overhauled with the acquisitions of IL veterans Jamie Moyer (10-8, 2.86 for Toledo) and Steve Searcy (Pitcher of the Year in 1988 with Toledo). Additions who spent 1992 in other organizations were reliever Mike Cook (Louisville) and Don Schulze (three seasons in Japan). Moyer and Schulze teamed with returnees John O’Donoghue and Mike Oquist as four of the five starters. The other was Todd Stephan, a converted reliever. The bullpen looked to be the team’s strength. The right-handed Cook joined with lefty Brad Pennington to give Miscik closers from either side, while Searcy teamed with Anthony Telford and Pat Clements (spent 1992 in Baltimore) as long relievers.

Three-quarters of the infield was set. Popular Tommy Shields left the organization in the off-season, so Baltimore picked up former Texas Ranger prospect Scott Coolbaugh to play third base. He hit .248 with 13 home runs and 62 RBI between two Triple-A teams in 1992. The shortstop job was given to the highly-regarded Manny Alexander. His keystone partner would be another free agent acquisition, former Cleveland Indians’ farmhand Tommy Hinzo, who had spent the last two seasons in the Mexican League. First base was the only unsettled position, with Jack Voigt and Mel Wearing competing with Paul Carey for playing time. Bobby Dickerson was the utility man.

The speedy Damon Buford would start in center field. Mark Smith, Baltimore’s 1991 No. 1 draft choice, climbed a level to Triple-A after a .288 season and was slated for right field. Mark Leonard, a late cut from Baltimore after being acquired from San Francisco for Steve Scarsone, would start in left. Voigt and Ed Yacopino completed the outfield corps.

Mark Parent was back behind the plate, reluctantly accepting his demotion from Baltimore. He was the sole starter left over from last year’s squad. Backing him was Rey Palacios, who played for California’s Double-A squad the previous season.

Offensively, Leonard, Carey, Wearing, Smith and Parent gave Miscik four players with the potential to hit at least 20 homers. Buford (64 steals), Hinzo (80) and Alexander brought much-needed speed to the lineup. That quickness also helped the defense, which looked strong up the middle with Buford and Alexander among the league’s best glove men.

The Red Wings were scheduled to open the season in Syracuse, but in mid-March, with MacArthur Stadium under 29 inches of snow, there was talk of moving the opener to Toronto’s SkyDome, home to the Chiefs’ parent club. By April 7, however, the Syracuse diamond was playable and Rochester opened its season with a 6-1 victory. Moyer started and got the win for the Red Wings, who unveiled new road uniforms. More in line with the Orioles’ garb, the new outfits featured “Rochester” in the same script style as before, but the lettering was black with a red outline, opposite the former jerseys. There was no longer any collar or waistband trim, as the Red Wings went to belted pants, and thinner pant and sleeve trim. The team also debuted road caps — adding a red visor to the regular black hat.

Rochester took another game in Syracuse before heading back down the Thruway to open its home season versus the Chiefs. It was to be the first Saturday opener in some time and a large crowd was expected but rain canceled the contest. Only 2,409 turned out the next day — Easter Sunday — to see a 5-2 loss. The Wings had a similarly-designed set of new home uniforms, but did not model them for the rescheduled opener. Instead the players had voted to wear their black batting practice jerseys, which featured a script “R” on left breast, for all Sunday games. The new home whites were debuted on April 13, on what was billed as “Opening Day II.” All inaugural ceremonies were held on this date, in front of 4,571.

The Wings headed south after the homestand. Before the first stop in Richmond, Miscik learned that former Los Angeles Dodger star Fernando Valenzuela was being sent down by Baltimore. The 32-year-old lefty had been one of baseball’s top hurlers in the mid-’80s before arm problems slowed his career. In 1992 he had pitched in his native Mexico, trying to show major-league teams his arm was still sound.

Valenzuela started the series’ opener against the Braves. A crowd of 11,009 saw the home team touch him for four runs in three-plus innings of work, leading to a 6-3 Richmond win. Right fielder Smith gave up his usual #34 for Valenzuela, temporarily taking the #42 of the recently-recalled Pennington. Catcher Darrin Campbell joined the club as well, replacing Rey Palacios, who was placed on the disabled list and later released.

A six-game losing streak was the result of the club’s trip through Richmond and Norfolk. The Wings were scheduled to come home for the April 22 exhibition game against Baltimore, but the game was postponed when the Orioles had to make up a rainout. There was little chance of rescheduling the exhibition, making it the second consecutive season the Orioles would not appear in Rochester. It also cost the Rochester fans a chance to see Valenzuela, who had been scheduled to start. Instead he was sent down to Double-A Bowie — much closer to Baltimore — to continue his comeback. The Wings lost another pitcher when Searcy was troubled by a tender shoulder. Brian Wood and Jeff Williams were added in their places.

The club hoped to right its ship with an 11-game homestand. One game was lost to weather, but the club took eight of the remaining 10 contests to move into first place. Rochester was dominating in all aspects of the game during the Silver streak. Parent hit five out of the yard in the space of eight games, giving him six home runs for the year, tied for the league lead. The starting pitchers went 7-0, with an ERA under two.

Buford extended his hitting streak to 19 consecutive games, which caught the attention of the parent club. He was recalled on May 2, joining Pennington and Jack Voigt (recalled on April 28) in Baltimore. Less than a week later Leonard was promoted. With the earlier trade of Ed Yacopino to Milwaukee, the moves left Smith as the only outfielder remaining from Opening Day. Jeffrey Hammonds, Baltimore’s No. 1 draft choice in 1992, was brought up from Bowie. The former Olympian was considered a can’t-miss prospect. The Wings also added a trio of players from other organizations. Right-hand pitcher Kevin McGehee (0-3, 4.91 for Triple-A Phoenix) was acquired from the San Francisco organization for former Wing Luis Mercedes. Free agent Bruce Dostal, a recent cut by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and veteran utility man Randy Ready, who had spent all or part of the last 10 seasons in the majors, were added to the Wings’ roster as well.

The signings came at the right time, as injuries tested Rochester’s roster depth. Alexander hurt an ankle and was expected out for up to eight weeks, while Parent and Hammonds were nursing minor ailments. The recalls and injuries played havoc with the lineup and when the pitching and defense temporarily slumped, the Wings dropped out of first, with the longest road trip of the season on tap.

But with Carey (subsequently called up on May 24), Smith, Dostal and Hinzo all hot with the lumber, the absence from the top spot was short. The Wings moved back into first after a 16-2 drubbing of the Western Division-leading Clippers in Cooper Stadium. The Wings scored 12 runs in the second, eight on grand slams by Dickerson and Coolbaugh. It was not known if any IL team had ever hit two grand slams in the same inning, but it had occurred only five times in major-league history.

The margin over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre grew as large as 5 1/2 games. The club was eight games over .500 and had three undefeated pitchers: Moyer (6-0), Schulze (4-0) and O’Donoghue (5-0). Coolbaugh picked up the offensive slack when Smith cooled and the return of Leonard helped as well. The Wings also added first baseman Glenn Davis, who, as a veteran of at least five major league seasons, had to approve his demotion. He had been acquired by the O’s in a blockbuster trade with Houston after the 1990 season, when he was one of the National League’s most consistent sluggers. But injuries kept him from getting on track in Baltimore. His agreement called for 20 games with the Wings, after which he would be recalled or released.

Yet considering the number of players enjoying strong seasons, it was a wonder the lead wasn’t larger. Through the end of May the Wings had six players capturing either IL pitcher or player of the week honors, Parent a two-time winner. He continued to hit his homers in bunches, many of the tape-measure variety, one a 470-foot blast in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Challenging the hitting streaks of Buford (19 and on hold while in Baltimore) and Smith (20) was Hinzo, who had a 17-game string.

There was something holding the Wings back — the bullpen. After a June 1 loss at Charlotte in which the relievers could not protect a late-inning lead, the bullpen record stood at 6-15, in stark contrast to the starters, who had 21 wins in 29 decisions. The balance so highly touted at the beginning of the season had disappeared. Veterans Pat Clements and Steve Searcy each announced their retirements in May, with Jason Satre from Double-A the only addition.Their departures left Rochester with only one southpaw on the staff, after beginning the season with five.

Those pitching for Rochester’s new ballpark were having similar problems in closing. The project was dependent on obtaining funding in the state budget. The spending plan was by law supposed to be in place by April 1, but as had happened so often in the past, the negotiations dragged on into May.

The state was sympathetic to the plight of its minor-league teams, but there were many that needed financial assistance. And since the Greece site was not universally accepted by all local parties, the chance still remained that the Monroe County would not receive the needed funding. In mid-May came confirmation of rumors that Peter Kirk, a former Rochesterian who owned and operated the Orioles’ farm clubs in Bowie (AA) and Frederick (A), had made a “firm, written offer” to purchase the Red Wings. While Curwin stated that no deal was in the works, Naomi Silver, secretary of the RCB board of directors, stated, “Unfortunately we’ve reached a point where we have to consider the possibility that if state funding is not forthcoming at the end of this session of the legislature, that we’d have to consider relocating the ball club.”

It would not be a hostile takeover. Kirk admitted that he would prefer the Wings stay in Rochester. He was, however, ready to buy the Wings if the club was forced to move. Despite the continued bottleneck, Curwin refused to reconsider the Avon or Victor sites.

The frustration of local fans was heightened later that month when city officials announced that construction would begin in 1994 for a $23.8 million, seven-screen movie theatre and parking garage. It would be located behind the Sibley Building, the same site that had been the first choice of the stadium committee. The bulk of the funding was Rochester’s contribution of $19.3 million. The theatre would be managed by Lowes Theatres, which had been negotiating with city officials for three years. The private corporation would contribute no money, but share profits with the city. Mayor Ryan called it a “very exciting project” that would “probably bring several hundred thousand people downtown in the course of a year.” Red Wings’ fans felt betrayed.

County Executive King tried to rally public support, saying that a vocal community “may break this log jam.” He made plans to go to Albany and directly lobby for support. WHAM-AM radio planned a “Rally ’Round the Red Wings Day” on Friday, May 29. King, Curwin and Altobelli were scheduled as guests and phone interviews planned with former Wings Boog Powell and Stan Musial. The station’s mid-day show would be hosted from the steps of City Hall and David Gantt was invited to speak on Bob Matthews’ evening sports show.

Unknown to King, RCB and the public, while WHAM and Red Wings’ supporters were outside City Hall, Ryan and State Assemblyman Joe Morelle were inside, trying to convince Gantt of a new downtown site. City officials and business leaders had been working with Kodak for several weeks to identify a site near the company’s headquarters, an area preferred by city officials due to redevelopment that had begun with the Brown’s Race/High Falls historic district. Officials from Kodak, the Greater Rochester Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation met the morning of the rally day — a meeting planned before King announced his intentions to travel to Albany.

Gantt remained the stumbling block. On Friday morning Morelle and Ryan made some headway with the state legislator, who had a lengthy list of demands concerning what he wanted to see happen on Norton Street should Silver be abandoned. But the meeting ended without any agreement. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Mooney, who along with RDDC Chairman Robert Lee had helped develop the proposal, went to Gantt’s office to mediate. Gantt subsequently agreed that he could support the new site with a commitment of at least $3 million for redevelopment. With his backing, officials hurriedly re-scheduled a press conference for 4:45 p.m. to announce the plan (it had been already been scheduled to go ahead with or without Gantt, since it would need to be revealed before King went to Albany). After the press conference Mooney and Lee hustled down the street to King’s office to assure him that he would have been notified if there had been time.

The new site was located west of Plymouth Avenue between the Inner Loop, Oak and Platt streets. In the shadow of the Eastman Kodak tower, the stadium would include land Kodak used for parking lots. The manner in which the proposal was developed illustrated the differences in style between Ryan and King. While King preferred to enlist public support, Ryan liked to work quietly behind the scenes. This made some business leaders more comfortable in working with city officials, knowing the negotiations would not be trumpeted in the media. Republicans responded that King’s tactics helped keep attention on the problem, and his plan to go to Albany added a sense of urgency to the negotiations. “This thing came together very, very quickly due to a lot of hard work,” admitted RDDC Chairman Lee.

The proposal surprised county officials and RCB directors, but both reacted positively. King called the announcement “very, very excellent news” and said that costs would likely be the only major impediment standing in the way of county support. Curwin said RCB would await a specific proposal and would reconsider its support for the Greece site.

Back on the field, the team’s level of offensive production slowed in June. The Wings narrowly averted being no-hit against Richmond when a sinking liner off the bat of newcomer Davis fell safely into left. It was only one of two hits he would have for Rochester. Two days later, June 6, he suffered a broken jaw in a late-night incident at a Virginia Beach nightclub. The details were unclear, but the bouncer’s punch left Davis needing surgery to wire the jaw shut, sidelining him for at least six weeks.

Despite the sputtering offense, the team increased its lead at one point to a season-high 6 1/2 games. Rochester’s 37-34 mark at the half-way point gave them a comfortable 4 1/2-game cushion, although it would have placed the team last in the IL’s Western Division.

Hammonds was one reason the Wings managed to remain atop the standings. Despite intermittent problems with a sore neck, in 36 games he hit .311, with five home runs, 23 RBI and six stolen bases. He was recalled on June 25, in return for Paul Carey. With Buford and Hammonds seeing time in Baltimore, the veteran Dostal became a key man in center field, filling in admirably and hitting .329 through mid-June. Ready was just under .300 and had already played five different positions for the Wings.

The team’s hold on the top spot didn’t weaken, despite 14 losses in 18 games. Miscik’s team dropped under the .500 mark heading into July, but remained in first place. The pitching staff, which had held steady while the offensive slumped, was hurt by recalls to Baltimore. Help appeared when Arthur Rhodes came down on rehab and the Orioles signed 33-year-old veteran right-hander Mike Bielecki, cut in mid-June by Cleveland because of lingering arm problems. Outfielder Chito Martinez also joined the club to play his way back into shape after an injury.

Despite three Triple-A all-stars (Hinzo, O’Donoghue and Smith), Rochester continued to hover around the break-even mark through early July. But the team took advantage of a fortunate schedule which gave them 20 of 23 games at Silver. At the end of the string of home contests, the Wings had a seemingly secure 5 1/2-game lead going into the season’s final weeks. Yet 19 of the team’s last 31 games would be on the road, 27 against division opponents.

A whirlwind of roster moves put in question the Wings’ ability to hold that lead. Parent was called up in early August, replaced by switch-hitting catcher Gregg Zaun from Double-A. Ready took advantage of a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave if he received an offer from a major-league club. He signed with Montreal after hitting .289, 9, 49 in 84 games. On the same day Martinez went back on the disabled list; 24 hours later Buford was recalled. With Smith, Dostal and Dickerson all day-to-day with minor ailments, the Wings found themselves with only 10 healthy position players. Outfielder Jason Alstead was called up from Bowie, arriving one hour before an Aug. 10 game in Rochester in which he started in center field. Two days later Ed Yacopino was brought back after his retirement from the Milwaukee organization.

Nor was the pitching staff left untouched. Telford was recalled on Aug. 11, replaced by Pennington. One new pitcher was added — right hander Barry Manuel, released by the Texas Rangers with a 2-2, 7.99 pitching line at Triple-A Oklahoma City. After going three weeks in July without a roster move, the team went through 15 in the space of 11 days.

Expansion Ottawa had climbed into second place and on Aug. 12 the Wings began a six-game home-and-home series with the Lynx. In the first game the visiting Wings blew a 5-0 lead, the Lynx winning 7-6 in 12 innings to climb within 2 1/2 games.

Reliever Jeff Williams was named as emergency starter for the second game when the Orioles recalled scheduled starter O’Donoghue and Game Three starter Oquist. Williams went a strong six, and the Wings took a 6-2 lead with four runs in the eighth. The Lynx came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning on four straight walks, the last three with the bases loaded, before Pennington found his control and closed out the game.

Rick Krivda was called up from Bowie to start the next game and responded with a strong performance, giving the Wings two wins in three games in Ottawa. The lead was back to 4 1/2 games.

The next three contests were in Rochester . When the home team took a 2-1 lead into the eighth frame of the first game, it appeared as if Rochester could, for all intents and purposes, close out the Lynx. But Pennington came in and was charged with a two-base throwing error, one hit, two walks, one wild pitch, and one balk, helping Ottawa rally for a 3-2 win. Bielecki, who had pitched effectively after his rocky start, was scheduled to start the next game, but he shocked the team by asking for and receiving his release. Satre was forced to go on three days rest and the Lynx took the game 4-1.

A crowd of 9,004 turned out for the last of the six games and saw Brian DuBois, another recent recall, on the hill. Twice down by three runs, the Wings rallied to send the game into extra innings. The Lynx responded with three in the top of the 11th, giving them an 8-6 win and a three-game sweep that left them 1 1/2 games behind the Wings.

On Aug. 23 the red-hot Lynx moved into a virtual tie for first. McGehee (7-6, 2.96) became the fifth Red Wings starter lost in the space of two weeks when he was called up to Baltimore. It brought to eight the number of pitchers who had thrown for both the Red Wings and Orioles. It left Oquist the only starting pitcher remaining from the beginning of August. Joining him in the make-shift rotation was a reliever (Williams) and two just up from Double-A (Krivda and DuBois). The Wings remained either tied or slightly ahead of the Lynx until Aug. 31, when a loss at Richmond knocked them out of first place for the first time since May 14.

The Lynx matched a pair of Red Wing wins, one a complete-game performance by right-hander Jim Dedrick, another recent Bowie recall, and carried a half-game lead into the final two games of the season. Rochester traveled to the Canadian city needing to sweep the two games in order to capture the division championship. A tie was not possible as Ottawa had played one fewer game.

The Wings climbed back into first place on the strength of Krivda’s third win without a loss. The rookie southpaw took a no-hitter into the fifth. Rochester scored single runs in the fourth and eighth; Ottawa closed to within one with a single tally in the eight and had the tying man on second in the ninth before Pennington nailed down his seventh save. The Eastern Division championship would be decided on the season’s final day.

Brian Wood got a rare start, and went three innings, allowing a solo home run before Manuel followed with five innings of one-hit pitching. Lynx hurlers were equally stingy — even more so, and the Wings trailed 1-0 going into the last inning. Alexander opened the ninth with a walk. Hinzo laid down the would-be sacrifice bunt, but a wild throw to second left both safe with none out. Slugger Martinez then successfully sacrificed the runners over for Mel Wearing, who had wielded a hot stick in the last month. Wearing’s single — only Rochester’s fourth hit of the game — scored two runs and Pennington made it hold up in the bottom of the ninth.

The Lynx had rallied from 7 1/2 back to overtake the Red Wings before the deciding series. But Miscik’s squad responded to the pressure, winning 11 of its last 16 games, including the last four, which were on the road. The revamped pitching staff — minus O’Donoghue, McGehee and Bielecki — was a decisive factor down the stretch.

Despite the fact that the Red Wings were division champs, the teams had decided before the final series that regardless of the outcome, they would remain in Ottawa to begin the post-season. Rochester had Oquist on the mound for Game One and he responded with a one-hit, complete-game 4-0 victory. The right-hander had evolved into the staff ace in the last half of the season. A 3-7 mid-season record found him banished to the bullpen; after his return to the rotation he went 6-1 in his last 13 starts.

The Wings had a chance to take a commanding lead in the series the next night, carrying a 4-3 lead into the ninth, with one out needed for victory. But reliever Schulze served up a home run ball and the 6-4 loss tied the series. Catcher Zaun, who returned to the Wings after Jeff Tackett ended a short late-season stint with the Wings, drove in all the Rochester runs.

The series came back over the border. After jumping to a 9-1 lead, the Wings held on for a 9-7 win in Game Three. But the Lynx had the fast start the next night, putting five second-inning runs on the board against Telford to win 9-5, sending the series to a fifth game. The omens were negative — before the deciding contest Carey and Pennington were called up to Baltimore and Oquist would be going on three days’ rest. Still, the Wings cruised to a 9-3 win. Wearing went 4-for-4 and hit two home runs. Zaun had three hits, including a solo homer.

Rochester advanced to the Governors’ Cup final against the league’s other first-year team, the Charlotte Knights. The Knights had the league’s most potent offense, and ominously, the Wings’ first three starting pitchers had all been in Double-A the previous month. Satre pitched the opener, and backed by two three-run home runs by Leonard, led the Wings to a 7-3 win in Charlotte. The Knights rebounded, scoring five runs off Dedrick in the first inning of Game Two, en route to an 8-5 win. They duplicated the effort in Rochester for Game Three, scoring four off Krivda in the first frame and notching an 8-2 win.

One loss away from elimination, the Red Wings responded with some offensive fireworks of their own. Coolbaugh keyed a five-run first with a grand slam, and added another home run and two doubles in a 15-1 romp. Alexander and Zaun recorded hits, giving both safeties in all nine playoff games. Zaun slammed a home run as well, his fourth of the playoffs. Rookie outfielder Jim Wawruck, called up just before the finals, had his second consecutive three-hit game.

The drama of another Game Five was unfortunately hindered by the weather. The first pitch was delayed 90 minutes by rain, after which the Knights jumped out to a 5-0 lead. The Wings rallied in the third on a solo homer by Zaun and had two men on with none out, but couldn’t add to their total. Another delay of 75 minutes after the sixth inning reduced the crowd of 3,645 to about 100 by the time play resumed. Oquist suffered his first playoff loss, giving up all the runs in the 6-1 loss.

The drive for a 10th Governors’ Cup fell short, but with a dramatic division championship, it was considered by most a successful year. Miscik and his team responded well to the 92 player moves, with 14 players promoted to Baltimore during the season. The team’s ability to overcome a season-long lack of bullpen consistency underscored the overall level of talent on the team.

Offensively the squad was third in hitting (.265) and runs (718) and fourth in home runs (130). The power numbers would have been higher if Paul Carey (12), Mark Parent (14) and Mark Leonard (17) remained in Rochester the entire season. Scott Coolbaugh did, and hit a team-leading 18, along with 67 RBI. Mark Smith had an excellent rookie year with 12 home runs and 68 RBI, although after his fast start his average faded to .280. Mel Wearing went the opposite direction, raising his average by season’s end to .235, with 14 home runs and 61 RBI. The team’s MVP and most consistent performer was all-star second baseman Tommy Hinzo. He hit .271 and led the Wings in games, runs (83), RBI (69) and stolen bases (29). Another unsung hero was Bruce Dostal, who hit .294 and was one of Miscik’s most reliable performers.

The yo-yo recalls kept any pitcher from posting outstanding season totals. Rochester pitchers ranked fifth in the league with a 4.04 ERA. Mike Oquist led the team in wins (9-8), while Kevin McGehee led the league in ERA at 2.96, belying his 7-6 record. Jamie Moyer (6-0, 1.76) and John O’Donoghue (7-4, 3.88) made telling contributions during their stints in Rochester. Don Schulze (8-5, seven saves) was a valuable swing-man and Mike Cook notched a team-leading 13 saves.

The most encouraging developments for the franchise were off the field. In a year marked by uncertainty as to the team’s future, fans turned out to Silver in near-record numbers. The final paid figure (including playoffs) of 381,106 (272,692 actual) represented an increase of 76,000 fans from 1992, and the average crowd of 5,081 marked a jump of 25 percent. If the three most popular dates had not been canceled (Opening Day, the O’s exhibition and Fay’s Night, which had drawn over 11,000 the previous season) the Wings would have almost certainly gone over the 400,000 mark. Red Wings’ fans had made a statement of their love for the team and their desire to keep them in Rochester.

The 10-team International League set a minor-league attendance record with more than 4.6 million in paid admissions. The Wings ranked 15th out of 169 minor-league teams in attendance and 13 of the 14 teams that ranked above them played in new or completely refurbished stadiums. Rochester looked to join that list, as the stadium debate was seemingly decided in mid-season.

All parties involved finally agreed on the Oak St. site in late June. The $37.3 million downtown plan called for forgiveness of the Red Wings’ stadium and UDC debt. Due to the delays, however, 1996 was seen as the realistic completion date. League head Mobley said that time frame would be a “little bit more difficult. I’m not saying it won’t work. But this will not be a scenario that allows Silver Stadium to be ignored in the interim.”

The most important battle left to be fought was for state funding. The financing plan called for $15.25 million to come from the state’s coffers. There were already conflicting signs from Albany. Both the UDC and Governor Cuomo were calling for state aid to fund 25 percent of new stadiums. The $15.25 million was 40 percent of Rochester’s total, and if that formula was applied, it would leave Monroe County $6–8 million short. The uncertainty was the impetus for King, Ryan and more than 10 other business and civic leaders to travel to Albany in order to lobby for the new stadium.

In early July state leaders passed a bill that set aside $60 million in funds to be delivered over four years to stadium projects. However $25 million of that was a loan for the Buffalo Sabres’ new arena. The remaining $35 million would be divided among the other communities, which would have to compete for the funds. Local officials saw little chance that War Memorial expansion funds would be included and there were worries that competition between the War Memorial and the stadium project could cause Rochester to lose out on both.

The doubt stretched into the off-season. Monroe County pushed ahead, naming a citizens’ stadium advisory panel and retaining Ellerbe Becket to develop a preliminary design. But until state funding was assured, none of the plans could be put into motion. UDC revealed in November that it had received applications totaling $75 million (this would later rise to $85 million by the Jan. 21 deadline). In order to accommodate everyone under the $60 million that had been allocated, UDC officials recommended a $12.5 million cap on each city’s request. Once again it looked like Rochester would be short-changed.

Two days after Christmas the UDC removed the cap proposal, but announced new standards. Among the new guidelines: Triple-A teams must promise to remain in new stadiums for 15 years if they received more than $500,000 in state money.

With still no guarantees on state funding, Monroe County officials optimistically pushed ahead. In January of 1994, a 150-page draft environmental impact statement offered a peek at the stadium, how it would operate and how it would affect the area. The study found the site offered few obstacles to the ballpark’s construction. Acquisition and demolition costs were pegged at $6 million; however the report called the preservation of a pair of buildings, which would be incorporated into the stadium design.

The state’s decision was scheduled to be announced on March 1, but the month dragged on without word from Albany. The word came in mid-month — UDC recommended Monroe County receive $13.4 million. In response, Terry Slaybaugh, manager of the county’s economic development division, stated that the county was not prepared to go forward with the project unless the entire $15.25 million was forthcoming. State aid for the War Memorial expansion was likewise on shaky footing.

As the original major-league deadline of April 1, 1994 approached (it had since been extended an additional year), Rochester was still unsure as to whether or not it would be building a new ballpark.

Copyright © 1997 Brian A. Bennett. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system - except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper - without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact Triphammer Publishing, P.O. Box 45, Scottsville, NY 14546-0045.