Pulaski almost joined the family

I wonder how close it was to adding a link to a Seattle Appalachian League affiliate over on the left.

Prospects for Pulaski dimming again

The Appalachian League remained a nine-team circuit as of Tuesday evening despite the efforts put forth by president Lee Landers to add a 10th franchise to the Class A Short-Season circuit.

Landers continued dialogue with the Seattle Mariners in hopes of having that franchise fill the void that was created when Toronto abruptly pulled out of Pulaski at the end of the 2006 season. The league and Minor League Baseball searched in vain to find a solution to the problem but were unable to place a 10th team in the league, forcing the remaining nine teams to play an odd and often inconvenient schedule in 2007.

Whether Landers will be faced with that problem again in 2008 is still a question. He was hoping to get an answer from the Mariners on Tuesday, but none was forthcoming. Landers added that he would like to have an answer by Dec. 14 at the latest.

Pulaski is an historic location

Pulaski has a long history of hosting affiliated Minor League baseball. Prior to the Blue Jays' four-year term, the city had hosted Major League affiliates from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers since 1947. The franchise captured Appalachian League championships in 1948, 1969, 1986 and 1991.

This is the third time since 1992 that Pulaski has searched for a team. The Braves pulled out in 1992 and the Rangers did the same a decade later. The Blue Jays said they made the move because they wanted to downsize their Minor League operations in order to provide better resources for their remaining clubs. Yet Toronto added a Gulf Coast League affiliate earlier this year to replace the team that left Pulaski.