JETHAWKS' PACT WITH ARIZONA STILL UNCERTAIN CURRENT CONTRACT TO EXPIRE SEPT. 4.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to the Daily News LANCASTER -The JetHawks' six-season affiliation with the parent Arizona Diamondbacks This article is about the baseball team. For other uses, see Diamondback. The Arizona Diamondbacks (also referred to as the D-backs) are a Major League Baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They play in the West Division of the National League. could soon end. Or not. With just more than a month remaining in the JetHawks' player-development contract with Arizona -- a contract that will expire when the regular season does on Sept. 4 -- the future of the relationship, by all accounts harmonious, remains uncertain. The JetHawks are among seven California League The California League is a minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth teams whose PDCs will expire at the end of the season. The San Jose Giants The San Jose Giants are a minor league baseball team in San Jose, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the Northern Division of the California League, and have been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. (San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era affiliate), Lake Elsinore Storm The Lake Elsinore Storm are a minor league baseball team in Lake Elsinore, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and are a farm team of the San Diego Padres. (San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. Padres) and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a minor league baseball team in Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA. They are a "high-A" class team in the California League, and have been a farm team of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim since 2001. (Angels) are the only teams locked into contracts through 2008. But amid a steady stream of rumors suggesting the JetHawks will soon be changing affiliates, JetHawks general manager Brad Seymour Brad Seymour (born May 3, 1976) is a former Australian rules footballer. He spent his entire ten year career with the Sydney Swans, playing in the grand final of 1996. Recruited from the Wagga Tigers, Seymour played as a defender. External Links
Seymour left the door open to the possibility of a change, but indicated the JetHawks are not interested in ``making a change just for the sake of change.'' ``We're very happy with the Diamondbacks,'' Seymour said. ``If other opportunities came about, we would look into them ..., but it would really have to be special for something like that to happen.'' Hinch, who already has visited Lancaster several times this season, said the franchise appears to be well-run. He said he will establish the foundation for negotiations with the JetHawks when he visits Lancaster this weekend, noting that the discussions will be more about process than substance. Hinch said the Diamondbacks will factor in the length of the current relationship with Lancaster, along with the quality of treatment players and his staff have received. He said he will suggest unspecified minor changes that the Diamondbacks would want if they remained at Lancaster. ``Overall, we've been very happy,'' Hinch said. That said, both organizations are rumored to be pursuing other options. JetHawks are rumored to be interested in a deal with the Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Mariners have played in Safeco Field. , their affiliate the first five years of the franchise's existence (1996 through 2000). The JetHawks had a turbulent relationship with Seattle under the former ownership group headed by Mike Ellis Mike Ellis (born July 27, 1958 in Perth, Western Australia) is a retired Australian professional basketball player in the National Basketball League. He was the first captain of the Perth Wildcats when they formed in 1982 as the Westate Wildcats and captained the side from , which privately complained that the Mariners were reluctant to send Lancaster the top pitching prospects. In addition to the shared history, a future Lancaster-Seattle link makes sense because the new ownership group, headed by Peter Carfagna, has a relationship with the Mariners. Carfagna owns the Mariners' short-season Everett, Wash., affiliate. The Diamondbacks are rumored to be interested in an affiliation deal with Modesto, which is Arizona general partner Jeff Moorad's hometown. Seymour said no discussions, informal or otherwise, between the JetHawks and Seattle have taken place. He noted that such discussions would violate rules of the National Association (baseball's governing body). Proven violations of such rules call for prohibitive fines - $500,000 for parent clubs and $250,000 for affiliates. Teams are permitted to negotiate PDCs with existing affiliates and typically sign extensions earlier in the season. Seymour and Hinch both have had reasons for putting off contract negations. Seymour said the JetHawks team has been busy developing a business plan under its new ownership group. Hinch said he didn't want to extend or break an existing PDC (1) (Primary Domain Controller) A Windows NT/2000 service that manages security for its local domain. Every domain has one PDC, which contains a database of usernames, passwords and permissions. based on conclusions others had drawn. Arizona hasn't extended its PDC with any of its six minor league affiliates. ``I guess the way I viewed the process is a little bit slower than it has historically been done, but I wanted to visit all the stadiums and draw my own conclusions,'' Hinch said. ``Now we're going to start talking.'' gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 |
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