Media coverage of the Seals' demise - Hmmm...

It has been interesting reading all of the recent stories about the (late?) Victoria Seals in the media.

An alert reader pointed me to an excellent article by Alex Pomerant, the law student who was the man inside the Seamore the Seal costume. The piece paints an interesting picture of what it's like to be the mascot of a professional baseball team and explains what the team meant to the local community. Incidentally, I had the pleasure of pinch-hitting as the mascot in one professional game back in 1999 when I was working for the Asheville Tourists. It was a difficult and smelly job being Ted E. Tourist that night (it was July in North Carolina after all), but it was one of the most memorable nights of a wonderful summer. I totally understand where Alex is coming from.

Tom Hawthorn wrote yet another great article in the Globe and Mail on the Victoria Seals.  In addition to hitting on many of the high points of two fantastic years of Seals baseball, Tom also presents an alternative to the "blame the city" mentality that was so prevalent after the announcement that the Seals were ceasing operations.

Even Ballpark Digest has got into the act by publishing an article comparing the Seals to a canary in a coal mine. The piece concentrates on the second reason given by the Seals' ownership for pulling the plug: the instability of the Golden Baseball League.

Many league observers, myself included, are still trying to figure out the full story regarding the Seals' demise and the related changes coming to the GBL. One observer has even speculated that the Seals could return to an expanded GBL in 2011 with a better lease deal from the City of Victoria and that last week's announcement could have been simply a ploy to improve ownership's bargaining position.

We'll continue to follow this story as it unfolds.