Kansas Baseball

[W. Gray]

Wichita once had a team in the Triple A American Association. I cannot recall the team name but do recall going to see a game one evening just to see the San Diego Chicken. Wichita lost that team and received a Double A team, the Wranglers, in the Texas League.

The American Association disbanded in 1997 with some teams picked up by the Pacific Coast League, which now operates as far east as Tennessee.

Wichita recently lost the Wranglers to a town in Arkansas. The team is now the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.  Each team Wichita lost had a major league sponsor and both left because of stadium conditions.

Now Wichita is getting a new baseball team, which they have dubbed the "Wingnuts." The team is in the new Double A American Association, a league that has no affiliation with major league baseball. Fort Worth, Pensacola, St. Paul, St. Joseph, Lincoln, Shreveport, Sioux City, and El Paso are some of the teams the Wingnuts will be playing.

If it was difficult keeping a team having affiliation (read monetary support) with major league baseball, it may be more difficult keeping one that does not.

[Bonnie M.]

I wonder who will be financing this new team?  Baseball is such a great spectator sport, it's too bad that the teams have such a hard time existing.  Have stadium conditions been improved?   Why did they name the team "Wingnuts?"  (Boeing/Beach/Cessna connections?)

[W. Gray]

I think that is the connection.

There was a contest for a name with 200 entries submitted.

A fellow won a pair of season tickets for suggesting the name.

There have been a lot of negative comments with one person saying the "dingbats" might be a better name.

The old team left because Wichita would not improve the stadium. The town in Arkansas, Springdale, built or is building a new stadium for them.

I always thought it was near impossible to have a minor league team operate without a major league umbrella.