The Bellingham Herald from Bellingham, Washington • 8

-y yfrif r-sfr A i IC I i iV iy im tf i wt if A The Bellingham Herald Sunday September 11 1994 BELLINGHAM AND BASEBALL Timeline MD DUfc Dgljp) Several City Council members say Baby co-owner should help foot bill BY KATHY SHEEHAN THE BELLINGHAM HERALD City Council members are in the hot seat now Will they approve some $100000 in improvements to the sports complex to keep professional baseball in Bellingham? Will that fly when the owner of the minor-league team insists he pay a dime toward the expense? Most council members reacted coolly last week when Jerry Walker the co-owner of the now-departing Bellingham Mariners threatened to leave town unless the city committed to $15 million in elaborate improvements to the Civic Athletic Complex off Lakeway Drive Now Walker has a new contract to replace the Baby with the San Francisco farm team And he says the team can get by with only about $100000 in improvements for the 1995 season but he still pay even part of the cost Council members will discuss the issue at a Parks and Recreation Committee meeting Monday afternoon Several say Walker or other private interests ought to pitch in for at least part of the tab And they may turn the tables on Walker pressuring him to increase the $260-a-night rent he pays to the city for the use of Joe Martin Field For instance Councilman Pat Rowe suggested Walker might have to give the city part of his take on scoreboard advertisements or concessions to win approval for even the minimum improvements not giving the store away to get minor-league baseball Rowe said Councilman Gene Knutson biggest booster on the council and the chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee will do most of the arm-twisting we have to do is commit to doing the minimum Knutson said A task-force of community citizens then should be impaneled to help figure out a long-range plan he said Knutson said he believes the rest of the council will treat Walker differently now that he has scaled co-owner Jerry Walker has apparently facilities are upgraded signed a deal to bring the Everett Giants HERALD f-Ui'Mrt shown here playing against the Baby Minor-league baseball has been part of the summer landscape in Bellingham for the last 22 years: 1973: The Los Angeles Dodgers bring a Class A Northwest League franchise to Bellingham It is the first professional baseball team since 1939 when the Bellingham Chinooks ended a two-year stay and departed for Salem Ore 1974: Led by future major leaguers Pedro Guerrero Rick Sutcliffe and Jeffrey Leonard Bellingham wins the Western Division title But the Dodgers lose the championship series to Eugene two games to one 1975: The Dodgers achieve national notoriety albeit ignominiously by losing their first 25 games of the season No official records are kept in that category but the streak unquestionably is one of the longest seasonopening dry spells in pro baseball history 1977: With the arrival of the Seattle Mariners as an American League expansion franchise Bellingham switches its affiliation to the The agreement begins an 18-year association between Bellingham and Seattle the longest tenure of any affiliate 1980: Because rain postponed the title series the Baby M's and Eugene are declared co-league champions It is the first of three Northwest League championships Bellingham will win going with tides in 1986 and 1992 June 12 1989: Jerry Walker co-owner of an Everett real estate company and Bill Tucker a New York City attorney purchase 80 percent of the Baby franchise The sale ends a 16-year stretch in which a group of about 30 investors owned a share of the Bellingham team September 1989: The Baby M's complete a season of skyrocketing attendance After averaging just 429 fans the previous season the third-worst figure among the 162 minor-league teams in North America Bellingham attracts 905 people per game The 111 percent increase is the biggest gain in the minor leagues that season December 1989: The Bellingham City Council approves the addition of 1000 bleacher seats at Joe Martin Field to accommodate the increasing attendance boosting the capacity to 2200 Aug 31 1994: Walker and Tucker announce they are at an impasse with the city over who will pay for improvements to locker-room facilities at Civic Stadium Sept 1 1994: City officials say they will pay for improvements to the toilet and shower facilities at Civic Stadium but will not foot the cost for additional upgrades that are required to meet professional baseball standards Sept 7 1994: The Seattle Mariners announce they will not renew their player development contract with Bellingham casting uncertainty on the future of minor-league baseball in Whatcom County Sept 9 1994: Walker announces he has signed a four-year agreement with San Francisco to bring the Northwest League franchise to Bellingham The team has been in Everett since 1984 THE BELLINGHAM HERALD or how much the city should spend to keep a baseball team in Bellingham But if Walker agreed to pay more in rent would be more willing to consider Gischer said Walker currently gets a $100 discount off the regular $360-a-night fee for use of Joe Martin Field Counci Iwoman Louise Bjomson noting that the city already has spent more than $250000 in improvements to Joe Martin Field since 1990 said she too hoped Walker would pay part of the cost of the needed improvements people provide those private things themselves when they deal with a she said Councilman Bruce Ayers said he was not willing to rush into a decision without exploring options of Walker or private sponsors making a financial investment in the Walker says tough but getting bum rap CHANGING HANDS: Bellingham Mariners this season to Bellingham if the back his request to a reasonable amount Walker is willing to go for a bare-bones improvement but is not entirely giving up the idea of full-scale improvements He emphasized that a $100000 be the total answer will always be an issue until that facility is substantially Walker said His home is Joe Martin Field The grass field is one of the best in the Northwest League but has no locker rooms or team offices It does not even have dugout bathroom facilities for the players Visiting team players use the public restrooms while portable johns are set up for the home team To meet the league requirements locker rooms office space laundry facilities and storage rooms must be expanded by April 1 That can happen either by build Fast facts BABY CO-OWNER: Jerry Walker is a 1971 graduate of Everett High School He was once invited to participate in baseball camps with the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates He also played one year of baseball at Everett Community College Walker was co-owner of the Walker Wells Associates real estate company in Snohomish County when he and Bill Tucker an attorney from New York City jointly purchased more than 80 percent of the Bellingham Mariners and some local business people also say they want much to do with Jerry Walker have a high level of Walker said expect a lot of my employees not an easy person to work for and sometimes you might not feel But Walker said he is getting a bum rap by his critics Some examples: Bellingham local businesses have supported him throughout the years (and) really feel hurt that he been as Diehl said needs to give back a little to the community and I think been lacking on Walker said he did give Diehl first crack at his business but that a Diehl salesman never returned his call Although Walker said he does try to patronize team sponsors he rejected the idea that he should only buy from team sponsors way was it ever mentioned or even he said of buying his personal cars from Diehl they want to know where I buy my clothes too? How about my groceries? Come The Baby deal with Little Caesars Pizza abruptly was severed after the first game of the summer Pizza chain owner Ray Caldwell said Walker was overcharging for slices of pizza and that the food service people handling the pizzas properly profit margin on selling Little Caesars Pizza was the worst profit margin I had in the said Walker who denied he was overcharging ing temporary or new facilities alongside Joe Martin Field or expanding locker rooms and office space that the team now uses at adjacent Civic Stadium Parks and Recreation Director Byron Elmendorf said not sure Civic Stadium has the space to expand But he will ask council members Monday to authorize a study to see if the work can be done at Civic Stadium for $100000 Mayor Tim Douglas alreacfy has said the city should spring for better shower and toilet facilities at Civic Stadium at a cost of about $50000 to $60000 It will be up to the council to decide whether to approve that and whether to spend an additional $40000 to $50000 for the offices and other improvements City Councilman Don Gischer said he decided yet whether on June 12 1989 He met Tucker while the two of them participated in the Mickey MantleWhitey Ford Fantasy Baseball Camp in Fort Lauderdale Fla in 1986 Walker was named The Bellingham Herald's Sports Newsmaker of the Year for 1989 Just about everyone in town has heard the story about Ford dealer Bob Diehl The Bellingham businessman provided free rental cars to coaches andor trainers for years until this year because Walker bought two Fords from a Seattle dealer last year entitled to do what he wants to do but kinda a slap in the Diehl said but some complain about their host he added are going to miss the atmosphere of minor-league baseball The players and manager Mike Goff aimed some criticism at Walker including his treatment of the host families The families complained that Walker appreciate them or recognize their contributions wife Lisa McGaiy-Walker also wrote a letter complaining that the families snubbed the Walkers and took advantage of ticket privileges among other things (Walker) really biting the hand that feeds Ippolito said you treat people with class and respect they are going to treat you the same way He treat people the player said Goff agreed it for the host families this club survive he said it for the volun Coming up MEETING: The Bellingham City Council Parks and Recreation Committee has scheduled a 1:15 pm meeting Monday to discuss the minor-league baseball situation The meeting will be in the board room City Hall 210 Lottie St between the public and private sector is the wave of the Ayers said arena even been Ayers also said the city must fully research we could make this facility multi-use and at the same time meet the requirements of the Chuck Anway a season ticket holder said he felt insulted when Walker asked a ballpark worker whether Anway had a ticket for a game one night or whether he had come in for free because his daughter was a bat girl me a little said Anway whose Northwest Video store is also a team sponsor was right there in the office when they actually printed my season ticket you had 100 season ticket holders I would go out of my way to at least know the last names of these he said Not everyone in town is against Walker though Rumors are rampant about employees and concession stand volunteers quitting because of mistreatment and about business sponsors feeling ripped off but several people contacted by The Bellingham Herald came to defense had no problems with said Gregg Harlowe a former assistant general manager Walker said he sometimes comes on strong with workers at the ballpark because very much a hands-on owner not like a country club he said The players would arrive at Joe Martin Field about 2 pm for a 7:05 pm start and get home until about 10:30 pjn always wondered why we get some of the Lad-jevich said never brought anything down not like we wanted it every game but once in a while would have been The players did get some food at games but it was when they were on the road In Spokane they were given hot dogs sodas and even T-shirts albeit Spokane shirts get anything said outfielder Kyle Towner would think being at home we would have gotten a few more Ippolito said you had told me that we would have a dozen pizzas for the team and hot dogs for the coaches have said Not from our PERSONALITY: Critics find reasons to be angry with Baby co-owner BY KATHY SHEEHAN THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Jerry Walker says he might be a difficult person to work for sometimes but his reputation of being a hard-nosed penny-pinching and perhaps greedy baseball team owner is undeserved critics have not been hard to find during the past 10 days after he threatened to move the Bellingham Mariners to another town if the city make improvements to the city-owned sports complex The Seattle Mariners citing a not-so-great relationship with Walker later cut off his contract for the Baby And even though Walker has a new deal with the San Francisco Giants he still says he will move his team out of town if the city fund stadium improvements The families who provide free room and board to the minor-league players say they are unappreciated and talking to Walker anymore Volunteers fans Quotable with die San Francisco Giants and hopes to move their Class A affiliate to Bellingham Rob Ippolito a relief pitcher this summer for the Baby said he heard glowing recommendations of Bellingham while he was rehabilitating from an injury during extended spring training this winter in Peoria Ariz said going to the great and Ippolito said "They would say going other to play in Players say they love angry at organization to be a shame that get a chance Bellingham Baby Rick Ladjevlch teers this club survive Most of the players have much interaction with Walker but Goff dealt with him on a more regular basis expects everybody to do something for him and hie give anything Goff said in this town deserve He said he planned to criticize Walker until he read the letter written by Lisa McGary-Walker A portion of the letter pertained to Goff and his coaching staff going to say a word until he (Walker) took a shot at my coaches myself and the Seattle the coach said The players also said they expected a bit more of Walker Some complimentary food would- have been nice some said REACTION: Team members appreciate fans generosity of host families BY JEFF FARRIS FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD Departing Bellingham Mariners players gave high marks to their hometown fans and reserved special praise for their host families time in Bellingham was very said infielder Rick Lad-jevich is a great city and a shame they are moving The support from the fans and the host families was great They went out of their way for us going to be a shame that other players who play in the Seattle organization get a chance to play in Team co-owner Jerry Walker has signed a new minor-league contract I wish I could Then say the big And they just said got to get is such an ideal situation for your first year of pro ball or even your second he said Peoria you have any money and pretty restricted Bellingham is the first time away and got money in your pocket hear one guy.