The Trading Deadline Redefines a Franchise

by Jack Astor, Charleston Gazette

8/14/2009: GLOUCESTER, MA – More than half of the players on the West Virginia Coal Sox active roster were not with the team on Opening Day. As the calendar turned from July to August, so too did the Coal Sox roster turn from old to new.

As the reports of the Coal Sox’s trading deadline fire-sale reached the Gazette offices, a sense of awe hung in the air. Each person present knew they were witnessing a defining moment in history; a day the likes of which the franchise will never again see. Coming on the heels of July 19^th, the day the Coal Sox traded away the franchise leader in hits and the franchise leader in wins (plus Bernardo Marín and Mathys Crête), the night of the trading deadline brought home the message that the franchise will never again be the same.

At 8 PM, comfortably before the midnight deadline, the Coal Sox traded Rocky Reed to the New Orleans Trendsetters for José Morales and two draft picks in a clear salary dump. Morales is a pending free agent, and in an amusing display of evasion General Manager Tyler Babcock stated that Morales was being acquired “for the stretch run” in response to a question about an extension for Morales.

It was in the final hour before the deadline that the end of an era came to a close – the franchise leader in saves and $2.3 million in contracts were traded to the Omaha Cyclones for a plethora of minor league prospects.

In four trades, the Coal Sox dealt away seven major league players (including five starters), one of them fan favorite and West Virginia legend Tom Kirkland. As I sat at my desk contemplating the deals, I was hit in the face with the obvious – no one would buy a ticket to see the Coal Sox in the second half of the season.

The trades were not bad – in fact, they’ve been met with cautious praise in the baseball community. The Coal Sox got younger – a lot younger. The average age of the outgoing players in the deals was 28.3 and the average age of the incoming players is 23.7. Babcock acquired virtually a second draft (in the top rounds, at least) by picking up a first, second, third, sixth and seventh round draft pick. The club decreased its projected year-end debt by half.

But for the second half of 2009, does any of this matter? Will the fans who cheered on Hamilton Cole when he threw his four-hitter against Florida bother showing up to watch a youngster throw an 88 MPH fastball? Will the diehards who witnessed Tom Kirkland collect four RBIs on Opening Day show up to watch a hapless rookie whiff repeatedly as he adjusts to major league pitching?

Yes.

When the Coal Sox returned home to Allegheny Field to open up their first home stand after the deadline debacle, over 30,000 fans were present. Although attendance for the most recent home stand slipped to about 25,000 per game, the decrease has not been nearly as precipitous or immediate as most feared.

The story of one fan explains the dedication of West Virginia’s fans despite the dizzying roster turnover.

“I’ll never stop watching the Black Lung Brigade. They’re still my team,” explained Wayne McDonald, a student at West Virginia University. “In fact, I plan on coming to more games this fall. I put my foot through my TV when it was rumored they were including Jon Wood in one of the deals.”

Baseball in Charleston, it seems, can weather any storm.

As long as Jon Wood is around.