The Riches say farewell to Wichita
Last year around this time Rich Baseball Group, owners of the Buffalo Bisons and two other minor league teams dropped the bombshell that they were moving their AA baseball team, the Wichita Wranglers, to a new ballpark and a better deal in Springdale, Arkansas.
We did a story on this last topic last July in our Artvoice baseball column “Play Ball”. My recollection of preparing that story was that nobody at the Bisons wanted to talk to us about it, which I found a bit amusing since normally when we contact Brad Bisbing at the Bisons seeking an interview or information, he is more than happy to oblige and assist.
Anyways, as part of the deal, the Riches agreed to leave intact a highly popular baseball tournament in Wichita called the National Baseball Congress. In fact, it was this provision that quelled the leaders of Wichita and prevented them kicking up the dust about losing their AA team.
Looks now like the City of Wichita is going to buy the National Baseball Congress from the Riches, insuring that the event remains in their city. Once this deal is completed, and the curtain descends on the Wranglers’ 2007 season, it will spell the end of Rich Baseball’s association with Wichita, Kansas.
