The Altoona Curve and Pittsburgh Pirates held a press conference Monday afternoon at Blair County Ballpark. The purpose of the meeting was to announce that the Pirates and Curve have signed a four-year extension of their working relationship. The player development contract will continue at least through 2006. The present contract. signed in 1998 and was due to expire at the end of the 2002 season.
Four years is the maximum term for such a contract, although the time could have been set for only two years.
Attending the press conference on Monday were Dave Littlefield, Pittsburgh Pirates Senior Vice President/General Manager and Brian Graham, Pirates Director of Player Development representing the Pirates, Chuck Greenberg, Altoona Curve President and Managing Partner, Todd Parnell, Altoona Curve General Manager and Dale Sveum, Altoona Curve Field Manager representing the Curve and Robert Jubelirer, Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor and State Senator, who was an important part of the original team that brought minor league baseball and the Pittsburgh organization to Altoona.
“We are renewing the agreement here for another four years,” said Littlefield. “There is a strong relationship and we feel we are very fortunate to be here in Altoona. I feel this has been a real nice partnership. The fan support has been tremendous, Obviously the facility is the best facility in Double-A baseball and one of the best anywhere in all minor league baseball. We are working on a plan with Pittsburgh and Altoona to better showcase both the Curve and the Pirates in this area to create even more interest. We acknowledge that this a valued relationship and we are very happy to announce the renewal of that relationship.”
The Pirates never looked elsewhere for a location for their Double-A franchise this time, although Jubilirer recounted a time in the first negotiations 1998, when only a last minute phone call by then Governor Tom Ridge, switched the decision from Erie, where the Piartes already had a Single-A team to Altoona.
The Pirates and Curve are already working on the 2003 season, especially since the present ownership group came on board, and although the Greenberg-led group has done a good job in the smooth transition from the Bob Lozinak era , they are still considering next year as “their first full season,”
“It’s been great,” emphasized Parnell, “ but I don’t think we will ever go through a year like this with the amount of work we have done in a short amoun of time. It’s been great, but we are looking forward to the planning process for next year that has already begun. We are also excited about the pennant race, the team has been playing just great.”
Graham gave a short summary of the success the other Pittsburgh minor league teams are having this year, pointing out that “hopefully that translates to Altoona and then to Pittsburgh, because the ultimate goal is to develop players and get them up to Pittsburgh to help our major league club win. The idea of being able to put a ballclub in this stadium and this city with the front office and ownership group is ideal for me. The working relationship is outstanding and the availablity to come and play in this stadium gives our players the advantage.”
Parnell expressed the ownership’s good fortune in coming here after the previous Lozinak-based team had began the venture and referred to Lieutenant Governor Jubelirer as “the godfather” of the franchise, due to the role he played at the beginning.
“We are really blessed to have this franchise here,” said Jubelirer, “ and blessed to have the ownership group we have. They are taking this franchise to a new level. It has been almost like birth, you watch your child growing in the right direction and it gives you great pride. We might not have had this franchise. We came probably within two hours of losing it to Springfield, Massachusetts. I told Tom Ridge, ‘governor you can make the call and have Altoona join Reading, Erie and Harrisburg and have another Pennsylvania Eastern League team.
It’s been a tremendous thing for our quality of life and hopefully we will be affiliated with the Piartes forever.I’m so excited about the future of this franchise and I think the relationship with Pittsburgh is a key ingredient in making the dreams we have come true.”
