From Chapter 9:

1995-1996: The Final Season(s)

1995

The official closing of the sale of Silver Stadium to Monroe County took place on Jan. 18, 1995. For the first time in the history of Rochester’s professional baseball franchise, a team would play in a publicly-owned stadium.

Not all off-season activity revolved around the stadium. New ownership in Baltimore had overhauled the organization. Doug Melvin left his post as farm director and been replaced by Syd Thrift, a veteran of many major-league front offices. Manager Bob Miscik was told he would not return to Rochester and with coaches Steve Luebber and Ed Napolean leaving on their own accord, Rochester was in need of a entire coaching staff.

On Nov. 8, 1994, Marv Foley became the 61st Red Wing manager. The 41-year-old native of Kentucky had a 12-year professional career as a catcher, including parts of five seasons in the majors. He had a winning record in his seven years as a minor-league manager, including two Triple-A championships: with Vancouver of the Pacific Coast League in 1989 and Iowa of the American Association in 1993. He spent 1994 with the Chicago Cubs as bullpen coach. By the end of 1994 Thrift had filled out Foley’s coaching staff, naming former Red Wing Butch Davis as coach, and former major-league hurler Claude Osteen as pitching coach. Thrift also moved quickly to sign veteran minor-league free agents for the Wings.

A more unexpected shift was made early in 1995. General Manager Joe Altobelli stepped down, to be replaced by his assistant, 27-year-old Dan Mason. “The pieces to the puzzle fit,” explained Altobelli. “It just seemed like the right time.” Altobelli would continue with the team as a special assistant to President Elliot Curwin.

Mason was in his sixth season with the team, his third as assistant general manager. He began as an unpaid intern in 1990. The move had been in the works for over a month, with only the approval of the RCB Board of Directors needed, and their vote was unanimous. “Dan is one of the most dependable people I’ve ever dealt with,” said Curwin. “He’s a dedicated young man who’s completely focused on Rochester Community Baseball.” Mason’s response: “This is my dream job. I’m not going to kid you, I’m a very lucky guy.”

The Wings would also have a new radio voice in 1995. Popular broadcaster Josh Lewin left after nine-plus years and over 1,000 games to take a sports director job at a Baltimore radio station. Glenn Geffner, his broadcast partner in 1994, was chosen as the latest “Voice of the Red Wings.” He would also continue his duties as director of media relations.

And finally, to jump on the minor-league merchandising bandwagon, in October the Wings redesigned the team caps. The new logo combined the old and the new — the current script “R” was superimposed over a winged ball motif that stirred memories of the popular caps worn from 1966-1971. An all-black model would be worn on the road and the home cap would have a red brim.

The off-season news had all been positive, until Jan. 31. On that day, all of the plans, all of the schedules, all of the dreams collapsed. The proposed budget of newly-elected New York State Governor George Pataki did not include money for Frontier Field or the War Memorial expansion. Pataki, a Republican, had hinted at that possibility in mid-December, stating that a projected $4-5 billion budget gap would force him to re-evaluate stadium projects across the state. But County Executive Bob King, a close friend of Pataki, expressed no worries, and those connections were strengthened less than two weeks later when King announced his resignation in order to take a cabinet position in Pataki’s administration.

Despite King’s relationship with the governor, despite the fact that the legislature had passed the legislation, Pataki said, “the money wasn’t there and the promise shouldn’t have been made and we’ve had to take a very hard and tough look at all the elements of this state budget.” The shock among local politicians was deep and cut across party lines. Reaction and support for a bi-partisan effort to restore the funds was quick. Mayor Bill Johnson and new County Executive John Doyle held an immediate press conference. Johnson, the Democrat, focused on the $11 million of local money that had already gone into the project, stating, “public money is not to be flushed down the drain like this. We’ve got to save this project at all costs.” Doyle, the Republican, said that “for the state to go back now and renege on its obligations that we have so heavily relied upon is, I think, breaking the faith with the residents.” Doyle also once again warned that without Frontier Field, minor-league baseball in Rochester was at its end.

Red Wing officials were likewise stunned. “It’s really disheartening,” said Mason. The Wings were immediately placed into a very difficult situation. International League President Randy Mobley said his league would proceed in 1997 with or without long-time members Rochester or Syracuse (which also had its funding eliminated.) “I’m not going to get all up in arms over the Rochester situation,” said Mobley. “I’ve never seen as much in-fighting as I saw in the pursuit of Rochester’s stadium.... In my mind, Rochester has no baseball future at Silver Stadium....” The Red Wings had already geared their 1995 marketing plan toward the final season at Silver. Now it could turn out that 1995 would be the final season for Rochester baseball, period.

Even if the funding was restored, any delay would cause logistical nightmares. The lease with Monroe County required the county to make the new facility available by May 1, 1996. If that was not met, terms would have to renegotiated. Rochester front-office personnel were dreading the thought of a mid-season move into Frontier Field.

Rochester’s other sports were likewise adversely affected. The potential American Professional Soccer League franchise would fall through without Frontier Field. The lack of funds for the War Memorial expansion jeopardized the Amerks and the indoor lacrosse Knighthawks. For the Amerks, the news could not have come at a worse time. Team President Steve Donner had been negotiating with the team’s owners, the Buffalo Sabres, to buy the team. The purchase could not take place until a new lease could be negotiated between the arena’s operators and the Amerks. Without that agreement, the Sabres could either suspend the franchise, or sell it to out of town buyers. The in-limbo expansion did not affect the talks, but the timing of the whole affair made for a frustrating period for Rochester’s sports fans.

There were those that charged that Pataki’s budget was pure partisan politics, and it was within that realm that hope for a restoration rested. The new governor had not cut all stadium projects; state Democrats bristled that the projects given funds were from areas represented by Republicans. Some felt that Pataki was withholding the monies to create a bargaining chip with Democrats who would no doubt oppose his budget, which cut heavily into social programs.

Pataki was, by coincidence, in Rochester less than a week after he announced his spending plan. He met with County Executive Doyle and floated a number of ideas, which centered mainly on Monroe County borrowing all the money and being repaid by the state over a number of years. Local officials and the area’s Albany delegation held a two-hour meeting and decided to decline Pataki’s offer. It was a breach of faith, they felt, and nothing short of the originally-promised funds — for both Frontier Field and the War Memorial — would be acceptable.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, a crowd estimated at between 2,000-3,000 people turned out to Silver Stadium in snowy 28-degree weather to participate in an emotional rally and show of support for the new facility. Three days later Monroe County legislators introduced a bipartisan resolution urging the state Legislature and Gov. Pataki to restore the funding. Local officials, including Mayor Johnson and County Executive Doyle traveled to Albany the following week to lobby for the funds. They were unable to get an appointment with Pataki or his top aides, but received some encouragement from Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R), as well as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D).

Despite the stance that the entire state appropriation was the only acceptable outcome, plans were privately being considered as to ways the project could be finished with local funds. With $11 million already spent or committed, some felt that it would be better to complete the facility with county money so at least some return could be made on the investment. Publicly, however, Doyle stated, “We’re not accepting any less money. That would undermine our position.”

Fortunately the controversy became the rallying point for Democrats across the state. The Democrats controlled the Assembly and therefore had one spot on the state’s Public Authorities Control Board, which gave the final stamp of approval on the plans. In late February, Speaker Silver stated he would have the Assembly’s representative to the three-person board vote against money for Binghamton’s hockey arena (which had been included in Pataki’s spending plan) unless money for Rochester and Syracuse was reinstated. His spokeswoman said he was “going to draw the line in the sand” on the projects, which needed unanimous approval by the PACB.

There was positive progress in late March, when the Republican-controlled Senate said it supported stadium funding. By the end of the month both the Senate and Assembly had spending bills on the table which included the money. But Pataki refused to budge. The April 1 deadline came and went, marked with an announcement by local officials that even if the money was immediately available, the stadium would not be ready by Opening Day 1996.

Staying at Silver for 1996 would not be an unattractive option for the Wings. Since RCB was paying only $1 in rent, a extra season on Norton Street would be profitable. The delay would at least not cause problems with the league. IL President Mobley said it was clear that the Wings had done everything in their power to get a new facility by 1996. “The hurdles that have been put in front of them in recent months, in my opinion,” he said, “have been out of their control.”

As the acrimonious budget negotiations continued, the 1996 Red Wing roster would be shaped by incidents which were likewise out of their control. The major league players’ union was still on strike, but the owners were insistent on opening their camps for spring traning. Any player on the 40-man roster of a major-league team was expected to honor the work stoppage and not report, even if he had never played a single inning at the major-league level.

The Baltimore franchise made news during the spring as the only major-league franchise refusing to field a team of “replacement” players. Orioles’ majority owner Peter Angelos likewise would not allow his team to compete against organizations which did use replacement players. Although it was a major-league strike, it would have a large effect on the Triple-A level — half of the players expected in Rochester were not in camp.

There were some identifiable players who would start the year in Rochester. Kevin McGehee and Tom Wegmann were expected to be in the starting rotation, with McGehee tabbed for the Opening Day start. T.R. Lewis and Brad Tyler returned as well, with Lewis slated for left field and Tyler in the infield.

But the rest of the roster were a combination of players expected to be in Double-A, and Triple-A journeymen acquired by Thrift in the off-season. Filling out the rotation were John DeSilva, acquired in a swap for John O’Donoghue, along with Rick Forney (13-8 in Double-A) and Shane Hale, who spent all of ’94 in Single-A. The bullpen had good experience, with four of its six members coming from other organizations. The long relievers were Kevin Ryan, Frank Seminara and Steve Chitren. Both Chitren and Seminara had seen major-league duty in their careers, although the latter spent 1994 at Bowie along with Ryan. Ten-year vet Mark Lee was penciled in as the set-up man, while the lefty-righty duo of John Shea and Jimmy Myers were to share closer duties.

The infield had a seasoned double-play duo, with the corners manned by rookies Scott McClain (3B) and Billy Owens (1B). Both had reached double figures in home runs at lower classifications in 1994. Junior Noboa started his 15th professional season at second base. He was teamed with Jeff Huson, who spent the four years of the ’90s with the Texas Rangers. Tyler, Bowie grad Edgar Alfonzo and free-agent acquisition Bobby DeJardin were the back-ups.

Tyler would also see time in left field, platooning with Lewis. Former Ottawa Lynx Tyrone Woods was in right and figured to be the clean-up hitter. Between them was speedy Kimera Bartee, a prototype leadoff hitter. Kris Gresham, the starting catcher was strong defensively, but averaged only .211 in his four minor-league seasons. Rob Robertson was considered the back-up receiver, but could play almost any position.

The team’s roster was versatile, but included little speed beyond Bartee, and power was a definite concern.

The chances of seeing that array of players for a significant part of the season became extremely long just three days before Opening Day, when the players’ union ended its strike. The settlement called for an extended spring training, but within three weeks it was expected that more than half of the Rochester roster would be turned over.

Nonetheless, those on hand were focused and ready to play in Red Wings’ uniforms for as long as possible. The Wings opened at home, but April 6 was cold and snowy, forcing postponement. Temps were in the 30s the next day, but the game was held anyway, a 7-3 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The paid attendance was 7,775 (counting the 1,855 season-ticket holders, the largest total in years), although the actual fan count was about 4,700. The Wings showed off their new hats, along with matching batting helmets, and a commemorative diamond-shaped “Silver Stadium Final Season” logo patch on the right sleeve of the home jerseys.

Rochester won its first four, all at home, but pitching depth quickly thinned when Hale and Chitren were sidelined with elbow woes. Despite a torrid start by Woods, the Wings lost five of seven on their first road trip, dropping the team to 6-6 and a tie for first. That mark would go down as the season record for version one of the 1995 Wings, as April 19 also marked the beginning of the flood of players from Baltimore.

The outfield and the pitching staff were to the most affected, as those were the areas in which the Orioles were loaded with prospects. By the time the roster shifting ended, Rochester added pitchers Rick Krivda, Jimmy Haynes, Brian Sackinsky, Scott Klingenbeck, and Joe Borowski, outfielders Curtis Goodwin, Alex Ochoa, and Mark Smith; catchers Gregg Zaun and Cesar Devarez, and first baseman Paul Carey. Krivda, Smith, Zaun and Carey all spent most of the previous year with the Red Wings. Haynes (13-8, 2.90), Sackinsky (11-7, 3.36) and Klingenbeck (7-5, 3.63) were three of the “Fab Five” starting rotation that had helped Bowie dominate the Eastern League in ’94, while Borowski (14 saves) was an effective closer for the BaySox. Youngsters Goodwin and Ochoa, moving up from Double-A, were the organization’s prized outfield prospects. Goodwin was a swift center fielder who hit .286, scored 105 runs and stole a league-leading 59 bases. Ochoa (.301, 14, 82) had all the physical tools, including a marvelous throwing arm. Devarez also spent ’94 at Bowie, hitting .313.

Demoted from Rochester were Owens, Bartee, Ryan, Lewis, Forney, and Gresham; released were Noboa and DeJardin. Alfonzo was placed on the disabled list with an eye problem and DeSilva and Huson went up to Baltimore for a quick look. The Wings were two under the roster limit and hovering around the .500 mark as the player moves subsided. But holdovers Woods, McClain and Tyler were off to hot starts at the plate and McGehee already had four wins. After a brief offensive slump and some shaky bullpen work, the team took over first place on May 13.

(May also saw expansion of the Red Wings’ Hall of Fame. Added were former Manager Earl Weaver, broadcaster Joe Cullinane and Executive Secretary Pat Santillo. Manager Weaver, who piloted a Rochester pennant in 1966, would also be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Cullinane was the “Voice of the Red Wings” from 1962-73, the longest tenure in team history. Pat Santillo, the first female inductee in the hall, was retiring that month after 18 years in her position.)

A rare four-game sweep of the Clippers in Columbus helped lengthen the lead. The vacant roster spots were used for bullpen help, as two right-handers were added — John Dettmer, acquired in a trade with Texas, and Terry Clark, who had 26 saves with Richmond in 1994. With the glut of pitching, Sackinsky was given some time to rest his tender elbow.

The Wings were almost unbeatable at Silver and continued to extend their Eastern Division lead. The squad got even richer in late May when Sherman Obando and Arthur Rhodes were demoted from Baltimore. Alfonzo (continued eye problems) and Woods (knee) were placed on the disabled list, with Tom Wegmann sent down to Bowie to get work in his new role as starter. Infielder Jim Crowley, son of former Wing Terry Crowley, was called up to fill Alfonzo’s utility infielder role.

It was a loaded roster — but it would not last for long. Goodwin, among the league’s top base stealers with 16 thefts, was recalled on June 1, before a home win that put the Wings seven games over .500 for the first time since 1993. Devarez was next to leave, taking his .304 average to Baltimore. Despite their talents, the losses didn’t look to hurt the Wings. Damon Buford was sent down from Baltimore to take Goodwin’s spot and Zaun moved into the number one catching role, backed by the returning Gresham.

Seven straight wins pushed the team’s record to 34-22, three games better than Ottawa. There were comparisons to the 1990 runaway Governors’ Cup championship squad. Zaun said, “we’ve got it all now. It’s an awesome lineup and a solid pitching staff.” Yet Baltimore was struggling and within a matter of days recalled Klingenbeck (3-1, 2.85) and bullpen stalwarts Lee (1.57, three saves) and Clark (2.70, five saves). Injuries weakened the infield defense, as Tyler was out with a pinched leg nerve, and Carey’s sore knee had placed Obando at first.

Rochester did acquire the Orioles’ number one prospect, reliever Armando Benitez, who had attempted to make the jump from Double-A to the majors. Despite his troubles with Baltimore, there were no doubts as to his promise. He saved 16 games for Bowie in 1994, using his 97 mile-per-hour fastball to strikeout 106 batters in only 71 2/3 innings. Even with the recalls, Syd Thrift raved about the talent still wearing the red and black, stating “this is going to be a special team through the summer.”

What were hoped to be the final hurdles concerning the new stadium were finally cleared as summer neared. Toward the end of May came word that the stadium money was back in the budget, but caution reigned on the local level. Both Mayor Johnson and County Executive Doyle stated that no further construction would be done on the project until the state budget was actually signed. “When we have a budget with the stadium and War Memorial in it, it will become real to us,” echoed Terry Slaybaugh. A final agreement was reached on a new lease between the city and the Amerks, clearing the way for sale of the Amerks to local interests.

On June 3, state leaders reached agreement on the closing budget details, ending the second-longest delay in New York State history. A $155 million capital projects bill was overwhelmingly approved by both the Senate and Legislature on June 6, and sent to the desk of Governor Pataki, who was expected to sign it. Even though “it’s in the budget and the budget has passed,” cautioned Slaybaugh, “we had that last time.” While waiting, a fire of undetermined origin gutted the interior of the Genesee Refrigeration Building, which was to loom over Frontier Field’s right field wall. The blaze also damaged the exterior of the structure, leaving officials unsure as to whether or not the building was sound enough to remain as part of the stadium’s design.

After Pataki signed the spending bill, approval by the state’s three-member Public Authority Control Board remained the only hurdle. Its acceptance was granted on July 19, finally clearing the way for the construction of Frontier Field to resume after a five-month delay. By Monday, June 24, construction crews had fenced off the area and began excavation for the stadium bowl.

By this time, it was understood that there was no way for the field to be completed by Opening Day 1996. Officials, most notably Jim LeBeau, who had been hired to coordinate the construction, were, however, adamant that the facility could open by July 1 of that year. Monroe County and RCB officials resumed negotiations on lease adjustments, with the county representatives strongly urging the Wings to make the mid-season move. In a change that officials said was made before the delay, sod would laid, speeding completion of the playing field. Rochester’s soccer team was scheduled to start play in 1996, and Slaybaugh hoped to fit them in for eight games in July and August. In private, Wings’ officials admitted their desire to be the first team to play in the new facility.

There were some who worried that rushed construction would cause problems. “We’ve waited this long, we’d rather see a first-class stadium open in 1997 than get something pushed through,” said Curwin. Syracuse broke ground for its new park around the same time, but both the county and team agreed to a 1997 opening. IL chief Mobley was against a mid-season move. Slaybaugh admitted the county couldn’t force Wings to move, but would “do everything we can to encourage it.” In the end, however, it would come down to finances, and the RCB Board of Directors would have final say. “The bottom line is the county has to renegotiate a deal with our board,” said Curwin. “If they make a deal that makes sense, it would be feasible. If not, we’re looking at ’97.”

Doubts also began surfacing about the direction in which the team was headed on the field. Player moves were only part of the problem; a sudden rash of shaky defense and a stretch in which the Wings would play 22 of 27 games on the road caused uncertainty as well. Still the Wings reached the season’s half-way point at 41-30, with a season-high 5 1/2-game lead on Ottawa. Devarez had returned, and the Wings added reliever Alan Mills from Baltimore. Gresham was returned to Single-A ball, his reserve catcher’s role filled by minor-league veteran Mike Knapp, signed as a free agent. Another roster move saw Scott McClain sent down to Bowie, replaced by Kim Batiste. He had joined Bowie the month previous after being released by Philadelphia.

Those moves were overshadowed by the recall of Benitez and Myers, the heart of the Rochester bullpen. Benitez had not allowed a run in 9 2/3 innings, recording three saves and striking out 18. Myers had a 1.43 ERA and six saves. Their replacements were both from lower levels: Jim Dedrick from Bowie and Chris Lemp from Single-A Frederick. Lemp, who was the O’s all-time minor-league save leader, was handed the closer’s job. The next night, in his debut, he allowed a game-tying home run on his first Triple-A pitch. The 12 player moves in the space of one week would test the resiliency of Foley’s Red Wing squad.

It would get worse. Injuries in Baltimore forced the recalls of pitcher DeSilva (7-5) and shortstop Huson. The pitching pool got even shallower three days later when Frank Seminara (team-leading 29 appearances) was shipped to Milwaukee for minor-league shortstop Greg Smith. Injury problems also mounted, with Obando, Carey and Robertson all missing games.

Two wins on an 11-game road trip loosened the Wings’ long-standing grip on first place and left Foley’s squad 1 1/2 games behind Ottawa. New faces added during the road trip included Smith, infielder Russ McGinnis (signed as a free agent), first baseman Jason Friedman (from Bowie), and reliever Aaron Lane (Bowie).

This time a return to Silver did not help to stop the bleeding. Krivda went to Baltimore and Klingenbeck departed in a trade to Minnesota. First the bullpen had been gutted; now it was a constant drain of starters. A loss just before the All-Star break left the Wings in second, three games behind Ottawa and only a pair over .500. The squad had used 49 different players in its first 90 games, 23 of those being pitchers. Only one, Mark Smith, represented the Wings at the Triple-A All-Star Game.

Potential help arrived in the form of reliever Joe Borowski, sent down from Baltimore when one of the many injured Oriole pitchers returned to duty. However an injury to one of Baltimore’s catching corps cost the services of Devarez. On the same day Tyrone Woods tripped over first base trying to beat out a grounder and dislocated his shoulder, ending his season. The next night saw another exchange. Sackinsky left the game with soreness in his elbow, but the team regained the services of Benitez when another Oriole hurler came off the shelf. A single day passed before another move — Mark Smith (.289, 9, team-high 55 RBI) was called up by Baltimore. His replacement was Jim Wawruck from Bowie.

Unfortunately none of the replacements were contributing. One night’s lineup featured four starters (Crowley, McGinnis, Greg Smith and Knapp) hitting below .200. Yet Foley retained some optimism, aware that as Baltimore got healthy, players would return. The Wings were only 3 1/2 games out of first and looking forward to a stretch in which 21 of 31 games would be played at Silver, where the team was 33-17.

Further optimism was dimmed when outfielders Buford and Ochoa were were traded to the New York Mets for outfielder Bobby Bonilla. In 46 games Buford had a .309 average, scored 40 runs and stolen 16 bases. Ochoa had a .280, 8, 46 batting line in his 89 games, along with 18 steals in 21 attempts. Mark Smith and Borowski were returned to the Wings, who also added pitchers Brad Holman and James Hurst around that time.

The Wings lost 16 of 29 in July, yet an Aug. 1 win at home versus Pawtucket moved the Wings back into first place in the tightly-contested Eastern Division. A mere half-game separated Rochester, Pawtucket, Ottawa and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Nagging injuries to Carey and McGinnis and yet another recall of Benitez left the Wings three under the roster limit, with only one healthy position player on the bench. Foley said he didn’t need help — “it’s not good to have surplus guys around if they’re not contributing” — but received two players any way: 33-year-old pitcher Mike Hartley, who began the season with Boston but had recently been cut by Pawtucket, and 1B/DH Jason Friedman from Bowie, back for his second stint.

The Wings climbed up and down the crowded standings and more players moves occurred. Dedrick (4-0, 1.77) went to Baltimore, with pitcher Rocky Coppinger (13-3 between Frederick and Bowie; he had made one emergency start for the Wings in early July) and outfielder Jarvis Brown coming up from Bowie. Two days later ailing John Shea and Russ McGinnis were officially placed on the DL, opening up spots for Mike Oquist (from Baltimore) and left-hander Jimmy Williams from Norfolk, the player to be named later in the Bonilla trade. Befitting the chaotic season, the team reversed its form at Silver and lost six straight, dropping into a tie for second with Ottawa and Scranton, a game-and-a-half behind Pawtucket.

Yet out of the rubble came some semblance of a pitching rotation. Coppinger had three consecutive quality starts. Williams was 11-4 with Norfolk, and DeSilva, Haynes and McGehee had all recently reached double figures in wins. Yet the team’s achilles heel continued to be a lack of clutch hitting. Nine losses in 12 games, during which Mark Smith was recalled again to Baltimore, pushed the team back to third, but still within striking distance.

With seven games left in the regular season, Rochester began a critical three-games series at home versus Ottawa. Both teams began the day tied for second, a half-game behind Pawtucket. The Wings lost the first game of the series, and on the same day, lost more players, this time for the most bizarre circumstances yet in this wild season.

Two days prior, lefty James Hurst had been recalled by Baltimore. Hours after making the move, the Orioles learned that he had played in replacement games for Texas during spring training. In keeping with the O’s hard-line stance on replacement players, he was immediately waived. Just before the Ottawa loss, shortstop Greg Smith, who had been a replacement player with Milwaukee, quit, feeling he had no future in the organization. Borowski went up to Baltimore in place of Hurst. During the game, DH McGinnis reinjured his back and left the game.

The loss of Hurst left he Wings without a left-handed pitcher. The Orioles reportedly asked John Shea, cut less than a week before, to return, but he refused. The best that could be done was the addition of two bullpen men from Single-A.

Still the Wings closed out the series with Ottawa with a pair of lop-sided wins, 8-0, 14-2, sparked by two home runs and 10 RBI by recent recall T. R. Lewis. The second victory temporarily moved the Wings back into first; but with three games remaining, the Lynx had climbed back into a tie for first.

A win at home versus Charlotte was sparked by two Friedman homers. Combined with an Ottawa loss, it clinched a playoff spot for Rochester and gave the team sole possession of first. The Wings closed with two games in Syracuse. A 7-2 win in the first game (Ben McDonald making a rehab start) preserved the one-game lead through to the season’s last game. Ottawa played an afternoon game on the final day; its loss gave the Wings the division crown before stepping onto the field. It was the second division title in three years, and fourth in the last eight for Rochester, which finished the regular season at 73-69.

Ottawa would serve as the Wings’ first-round opponent. Rochester would face the Lynx minus Hartley and Brown. The loss of the latter was a sharp blow, as he had become the team’s regular center fielder and leadoff man. The team split the pair of games in Ottawa, the Wings winning the first 5-4 behind developing ace Haynes, before losing the second 1-0, the sole Lynx run coming in the first inning.

The Wings came home and took Game Three 10-6. A potential series-clinching victory the next night was postponed due to rain. However the cancellation left McDonald available to pitch and Haynes ready for a possible fifth game. Haynes would indeed be needed after poor relief efforts blew a 3-0 lead, giving the Lynx an 8-3 victory in Game Four.

Haynes took a 2-1 lead into the ninth inning of the deciding game. Considering his shaky bullpen, Foley left him out to start the final inning, but after allowing a single and double, the Wings’ manager called on Myers. The reliever allowed a two-run, game-tying single. Two outs later, a single plated the lead run. The Wings couldn’t score in the bottom of the ninth and the Lynx moved on to the Governors’ Cup finals.

As had happened all year, the Wings were undone by a lack of clutch hitting and poor relief work. Rochester fans could only wonder how the game would’ve ended if Armando Benitez had been available to pitch the ninth.

It had been a hectic season. The team weather 134 player moves and used 62 different players, 34 of them pitchers. It represented the most transactions in any season during the Orioles’ era. Only three players — Rod Robertson, Brad Tyler and Kevin McGehee — were with the team the entire season. The squad’s two post-season all-stars, Mark Smith and Alex Ochoa, were fittingly with other teams by the end of the season. At its best, wrote one Rochester sportswriter, the team resembled the great 1971 squad; at its worst, it brought back memories of the 1984 failure.

There were some high points. Jimmy Haynes became the first Red Wing in 10 years to top the league in strikeouts (140). His 12 wins also tied for the league lead with late addition Jimmy Williams, and Haynes’ 3.29 ERA led the team. Kevin McGehee and John DeSilva had matching 11-9 records, but inflated ERAs. Rocky Coppinger was 3-0 in five starts, with an ERA of 1.04, helping to solidify the starting rotation during the pennant chase. Yet the constant shifts among bullpen personnel caused the team’s biggest weakness, despite the effectiveness of Armando Benitez, Terry Clark and Mark Lee.

Robertson played every position including pitcher, hitting .278 with a career-high 15 home runs. His versatility (he also sang the National Anthem at one game) was crucial in the roller-coaster year. The team had three different leaders in the major offensive categories: Sherman Obando in batting (.296); Brad Tyler in HR (17) and Mark Smith in RBI (66). Tyler led the league with 71 walks. Strong late-season performances by Jason Friedman (.377 in 25 games), T.R. Lewis (.295, 19 RBI in 33 games), Jarvis Brown (.314 in 17 games) and Jim Wawruck (.302 in 39 games) helped the Wings to the division crown.

Any disappointment caused by the missed potential of the 1995 club was tempered by visible progress taking shape at the Frontier Field construction site, although there had been surprising developments. It was determined that the Genesee Refrigeration Building was not salvageable after the fire, and Monroe County officials announced plans to built a $300,000 party deck in its place. The brick-enclosed, multi-level patio sections would stretch across much of the right field wall and was dubbed by some as “Rochester’s biggest back-yard deck.” The addition was news to RCB officials, who knew nothing about it prior to the announcement.

Greater evidence of a lack of communication between the county and RCB came in late August when the team was made aware of plans to eliminate the stadium’s roof. In order to keep construction costs on line, county officials decided to eliminate the overhang, which would have covered the eight top rows of the seating bowl (about 2,000 seats). The move would save about $700,000. The county claimed the Red Wings knew of the decision back in November of 1994, but RCB leaders said they only found out about it when IL President Randy Mobley was in town, and while looking at plans of the stadium, asked where the roof was.

Apparently the design change was made at a Dec. 7, 1994 meeting; unfortunately due to the minor-league winter meetings, no RCB representative was at that gathering. Red Wing fans were livid and pointed their displeasure at County Executive John Doyle. It was pointed out that in public hearings on the stadium, the two most constantly requested features were individual chair-back seats and a roof.

Construction moved along smoothly and rentals of the stadium’s luxury boxes and sales of commemorative bricks were brisk. Nonetheless in mid-November, RCB formally announced that it would not make an mid-season move to Frontier. The board voted 20-0, with seven abstentions. A major factor in the decision was a report compiled by a construction analyst hired by the club. It virtually guaranteed that the facility would not open on time. Yet one day later Curwin left the door open for playing potential post-season games at Frontier.

More bad feelings about the roof controversy were generated in late December, when county officials announced plans to ask for another $2.5 million, about half of which would go towards six more sky boxes. Although leases on the boxes would cover their construction costs, howls of protest again surfaced. (An overhang on the left field side of the stadium was added to the spending bill, but would cover only about 300 seats.) Stung by the negative publicity, just prior to the legislature vote on the borrowing plan, county officials announced plans to build a free-standing roof. A number of different designs were under consideration, covering between 700–2,200 seats along the right field side. This roof, however, would have to be built with money raised from private donations. RCB agreed to put $100,000 toward an engineer’s study.

The issue continued to generate strong feelings. At the annual shareholders meeting in late January, Wings fans vented frustration over the lack of a roof. One fan, to a round of applause, exhorted Curwin to tell the county, “No roof, no move.”

Yet other than the stadium questions, off-season news was all positive. In November the team announced it would not be changing the team’s name for the 1997 season. “The response from our fans was loud and nearly unanimous — Don’t change it,” said Naomi Silver. Expectations were, however, for a new logo and new uniforms for the inaugural Frontier season.

In early January RCB announced a $779,939 profit for fiscal 1995; of that about $387,000 was attributed to the transfer of Silver Stadium to the county. Profits were up in most key categories, including ticket sales, concessions, souvenirs, advertising and other events. Paid attendance ended up at 402,127, while actual attendance was 264,605, both increases from 1994. Treasurer Bob Hope rated the team’s financial picture as “a 9 or 10. We’re about as solid financially as a Triple-A franchise operating in a 67-year-old stadium could be.”

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