Introduction to Chapter 7:

1986-1990: If You Re-Build It, Will They Come?

The original stadium plans came apart and Rochester Community Baseball was left no other choice but to finance the entire renovation on its own. The stadium closed down after the 1986 season and seven months and $4.5 million in improvements later, opened to rave reviews. But for some reason the expected boom in attendance failed to materialize. Whatever the cause, the unrealized increase in turnstile count jeopardized the tight-budgeted Red Wings' ability to meet their financial responsibilities.

Fans were not only treated to a sparkling Silver, but different teams and players. The International League and American Association formed the Triple-A Alliance and adopted a schedule featuring inter-league play. The long-contested Buffalo/Rochester rivalry was renewed and a post-season championship between the league's best teams re-established.

Still attendance stagnated. The problems were made even more puzzling when pennant-starved Rochester fans finally witnessed the club's long-awaited resurrection. Manager John Hart began the climb back with back-to-back playoff appearances, driven by performances of Jim Traber, Mike Hart, Jeff Ballard and Ken Gerhart. Hart turned the reins over the ex-Red Wing Johnny Oates who helped bring home the first pennant and Governors' Cup triumph in over a decade, fueled by the consistent play of Leo Gomez, David Segui, Mickey Weston, and memorable contributions by Sam Horn, Ben MacDonald and Dan Boone. The flag kept intact the streak of at least one pennant in every decade since the 1890s. The 1990s were taken care of when Greg Biagini led the Wings to another pennant and Governors' Cup.

Despite the on-field success, Rochester appeared to be one of few cities not swept up in the nation-wide revival of minor league baseball that began in the mid-'80s. Interest, attendance and profits were up all across the country. But Rochester more or less stood still. By 1990 the Wings had dropped to fourth among Internation-al League teams in terms of attendance, with yearly totals comparable to those of the late '60s and early '70s.

The minors' rejuvenation was not looked upon with joy by the major league owners. In 1990, upon the expiration of the Player Development Contract between the minors and the major-league clubs, the majors chose to play hardball. Threatened with their own demise, the minors had little choice but to accept the proposal. Most concern focused on the additional hard costs to the Red Wings, and little attention was initially paid to a new list of standards for minor-league ballparks.

Rochester Community Baseball realized it needed to explore ways to right its listing financial ship. The franchise set out to find find enough shareholders to allow them to make major corporate decisions - including a new issue of team stock. Rochester and Monroe County got into the act, forming a joint committee to study options for the long-term financial health of the Red Wings and Silver Stadium. It was, however, increasingly evident that the health of the franchise was deteriorating under the weight of the stadium debt.

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