Easier said than done

The South Bend Tribune has a look ahead at 2010 in sports. Fighting Irish football seems to be a main concern...for some reason...But, the Silver Hawks have a couple of paragraphs in Al Lesar's column.

South Bend's Class A minor league baseball franchise in the Midwest League, an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, couldn't have a better ownership front-man than Joe Kernan.

The former South Bend mayor and governor of Indiana knows who to schmooze and how to schmooze. He knows the ins and outs of the business community. Kernan knows the right things to say.

Manager Mark Haley is one of the area's hidden gems. A solid baseball man, the veteran skipper appreciates his strong ties to the community and probably should be more visible off the field.

The Silver Hawks are state-of-the-art in terms of their game-day promotions and family-friendly environment.

What they need, though, is relevance on the field. Obscure players come to South Bend, play for five months, then disappear forever. Securing an affiliation with a relatively close Major League franchise - Cubs, White Sox, Tigers, or some other Midwest club - would allow for an easier opportunity for fans to take stock in a player and follow his progress more closely.

See. It's just that simple.

White Sox...White Sox...didn't they already try that? From like 1988 to 1996?