In the Harrisonburg paper today
Winchester In RCBL?
By AARON GRAY
Daily News-Record
The eight-team Rockingham County Baseball League has a new suitor – and this one would stretch the recreational league farther than it has ever ventured.
Jeff Milburn, an assistant baseball coach at Shenandoah University, said this week he is interested in forming an RCBL club in the Winchester area and has already placed announcements in local newspapers to attract players.
"It’s still very early…" Milburn said, "but we’ve been in communication to see if the league would like to expand. It’s a great brand of baseball and there is a number of players up here that want to play."
The RCBL appears to be taking a wait-and-see approach on Milburn’s initiative.
"I guess I’m pretty indecisive right now," league commissioner Wake Gooden said. "I just heard about it today so, to be honest, I really haven’t had time to think about it. We will listen to what they have to present and we will, of course, give them an opportunity to sell us on adding another team, but that won’t take place until after this season."
Karl Olschofka, the league’s treasurer and former longtime commissioner, expressed skepticism.
"As we say in baseball, this is coming out of left field," Olschofka said. "I would be negative towards it, that’s my personal opinion. The travel is too far. Look how gas prices are. If we had the chance, we would probably go as far as Edinburg, that’s it."
Even in a league now confined tightly to the central Shenandoah Valley, the RCBL sometimes has trouble getting players to games. Winchester is a 1½-hour drive from the heart of the County League.
"A big downside would be the logistics," said Clover Hill manager Steve Lough, who commutes to Winchester everyday for work. "We have a lot of older guys with families in this league. The travel would be tough for them. Then there’s going to be guys thinking about skipping games. Our guys are committed to a lot of other things – baseball is just a fringe benefit."
Lough said he would rather see a Staunton team added to the league or a return of the Grottoes team that folded in 2003.
"Winchester to Stuarts Draft is over 100 miles," said former league commissioner Gene Clatterbuck, who resigned two weeks ago due to health reasons. "Because of the distance, I doubt they would get into the County League."
The RCBL’s two newest teams – New Market and Shenandoah – both had histories with the league before they re-entered the RCBL after long absences. The Indians are in their fourth year back. New Market returned just last year.
Shenandoah board member Lee Roberts said travel wouldn’t be his No. 1 concern if he were running a new Winchester franchise.
"Getting players will be the big issue," said Roberts. "… Winchester would be a pretty good drive for other teams, but that doesn’t matter to us because Draft is the same distance the other way. More teams and more ballplayers in the league is good."
Although the Indians draw players from Winchester -- two are on the current roster, along with manager Bill Michael -- Roberts was somewhat supportive of Milburn’s effort.
"We can always find more players," Roberts said Wednesday.
Adding a far-flung franchise would buck tradition in the RCBL. In its 81 years, the league has never had a team in Winchester.
"To start a brand new team, so many factors would be involved," Lough said. "Fan interest, stadium, location, uniforms, equipment, and all of that costs money. I’d hate to put a figure on starting a new team."
Lough estimated a cheap set of uniforms for a 26-player roster would cost between $3,000 and $4,000. A dozen baseballs, Lough said, costs about $30, and a standard baseball bat is about $35. Since the 1999 shift from aluminum to wooden bats, Lough estimated his team has broken about four dozen bats a season.
Then there are payments for the umpires, renting or leasing a stadium and maintaining the field.
"It’s quite a bit of money," said Lough, who has been involved with the RCBL on-and-off since 1971. "If you don’t have a team already intact, it’s hard to find financial support."
Clatterbuck expressed similar concerns.
"First, they would have to apply, come to a meeting and tell us why," Clatterbuck said. "Then, we would have to make sure they’re monetarily sound."
The next board of directors meeting is scheduled for Wednesday but Lough – one of the eight members on the board – does not expect the issue to be considered until the October/November meeting.
Winchester already has a team in the Valley League, an NCAA-sanctioned summer circuit that features standout college players from across the country.
"Everyone can’t play Valley League baseball," said Milburn, who has already started scouting the three local high school fields as possible venues. "A lot of things need to happen, but the interest is there. Without a doubt, I envision RCBL baseball in the Winchester area sometime in the future."
Although the Apple Valley League is closer to the Winchester area, the RCBL offers a higher brand of baseball.
