More Baseball for the Valley ... Strasburg lands VBL franchise for 2011 season

Anyone can be most confident that Strasburg organization will be ran in 1st class manner both on the field to off the field.  The town of Strasburg has been waiting very patiently for an opportunity as it presented itself when the Fauquier Gators folded recently.  With Strasburg located within the Shenandoah Valley, it was truly a perfect fit!

These BOD's as they are good people who love and respect the game of baseball!

Strasburg lands VBL franchise for 2011 season
By Jeremy Stafford - jstafford@nvdaily.com

STRASBURG -- The Valley Baseball League announced Tuesday, when it released its 2010 schedule, that team owners have approved the purchase of the floundering Fauquier Gators franchise by Strasburg Community Baseball Inc.

The Strasburg-based group, a nonprofit organization comprising a six-member board of directors, with room available for a seventh member, will move the Fauquier team to Strasburg.

The Strasburg team, which as of yet is without a mascot, will begin play in June 2011 as part of the town's 250-year anniversary celebration; the 12-team league will field only 11 teams this summer.

Jay Neal, a member of Strasburg Community Baseball Inc., said the Fauquier team has not yet been purchased, but that an agreement should be reached within a week.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to pick up a team, and there are a bunch of us who have been interested in doing that for years," said Neal, a graduate of Strasburg High School. "And it's the worst time in the world, economically ... but you can't always pick when your opportunities [come] up.

"But Strasburg is a wonderful place for a team."

The rest of the board members are Richard Wilson, Frank Conner Jr., Mike Whittle, Jan Bane and Butch Barnes.

Barnes will coach the Strasburg team, which will play at First Bank Park in Strasburg.

Neal said that, being a nonprofit group, any money that Strasburg Community Baseball Inc. brings in from the team will be donated to the Strasburg High School baseball and softball programs, as well as the Strasburg Little League baseball and softball teams.

In keeping with the tradition of Strasburg High School, Neal explained, the Strasburg team will wear purple.

VBL treasurer Jim Phillips said the Fauquier team recently folded because it lacked the personnel to remain active.

The purchase agreement for the team stands at a light sum of $5,000, money that was donated to Strasburg Community Baseball Inc. by Homewood of the Shenandoah Valley.

"Since they got here, they've been extremely interested in getting involved in community affairs," Neal said.

For Phillips, the prospect of having a Valley League team in Strasburg, when there's already area teams in Woodstock, Winchester, Front Royal and New Market, will hardly be a detriment to the league.

"They got a lot of baseball-minded people," Phillips said of Strasburg, "and, of course, with the history of Strasburg and sports, it's going to be a very good franchise for the league."

WMC's application for another "tax-exempt" status is advancing

Will City Council will ever challenge WMC?

In its special meeting and work session on January 26, 2010 ...

* Advanced an ordinance to approve Winchester Medical Center’s application for tax-exempt status for its diagnostic center at 300 Campus Blvd.

http://winchesterstar.com/pages/view/seize.html 

Folks, don't forget about these (in excess of revenue) profit figures that just the Winchester Medical Center (not-for-profit) alone is producing since 2001 according to Quad State Business Journal was $11.8 million.

So ... here you go ...

2001 - $11.8 million 

  '

  '

  '

2005 - $54,346,679 (per IRS990)

2006 - $57,422,678 (per IRS990)

2007 = $66,617,961 (per IRS990)

Folks, you should remember where The Pub documented that from 2001-2005, that was a 383% increase, well my goodness, from 2001-2007 that has risen even more so up to 460%.

You tell us what in the world in going on?  These numbers are getting to big for The Pub to even comprehend for this "not-for-profit" organization.  Please keep in mind, this is just Winchester Medical Center alone, there are many other revenue generating services that has not been factored in yet.

Please tell your friends who might be "charity care" candidates or "individuals who are in need" for financial assistance, that they need to "pre-qualify" and ASK questions!!!

... "pre-qualify" and ASK questions!!!
... "pre-qualify" and ASK questions!!!
... "pre-qualify" and ASK questions!!!
... "pre-qualify" and ASK questions!!!

Basically, in years past, If you did not ask, they did not tell you.  So if you were billed and made the payments, then VHS was very appreciative of your generosity.  The perception that has been developed over my nearly 24 months of research, VHS has taken money from individuals that they probably should not have taken.

How else can anyone explain these enormous profits???

Please share with your friends so they are more informed.

Setting WHAT record straight???

Setting record straight on WB

In response to Jeff Milburn's letter of Jan. 19: Yes, Winchester Baseball does start practice for most 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds in mid-March, with games beginning in April. The season culminates in late May/early June with playoffs and the World Series.

What Mr. Milburn does not mention is the 300 T-ball and machine-pitch players who are ready to start as soon as the spring season ends! Anyone familiar with Jim Barnett Park knows that there are a finite number of fields being used by Shenandoah University, Handley High School, Parks and Rec programs, and Winchester Baseball. Therefore, it is necessary to split the programs into three distinct parts (spring baseball, T-ball/machine-pitch, and fall ball).

I take issue with Mr. Milburn’s insinuation that WB does not treat all children equally. All-star teams are picked by a panel of coaches and, unfortunately, only the most skilled and dedicated players are taken. These players, and their parents, devote much time, travel, and expense to represent the Winchester area in state, regional, and even national events!

Since Winchester and WB are in the process of trying to secure a World Series event at Jim Barnett Park, I can only assume that Mr. Milburn’s letter constitutes nothing more than a “stir of the pot”!

Todd McNemar
Winchester

OK, please respond even further Mr. McNemar ...

please set the so-called record more straight why don't you ... as several attempts have been made to get answers to the following since October 2009 but WB officials still remain silent because the perception is that they do not want to open up Pandora's box!


If anything Mr. McNemar, the motive is to get ALL of the facts out on the table for City Council to review so they can make an informed decision about the City Taxpayers dollars if it should be spent or not on this World Series during these epic budget constraints we are facing.  How can that be stirring the pot?

• - How many kids are playing in Winchester Baseball for the ages of 8-12yrs old?
• - How many kids are Winchester City residents
• - How many kids are Frederick County residents
• - How many kids are Clarke County residents
• - How many kids are Warren County residents
• - How many kids are Shenandoah County residents
• - How many kids are from WV

Are there not ALL-STAR teams practicing in the Armory during December, January and February?  How can this be fair and equal if the ALL-STAR's are pre-selected before the season even starts?

Lastly ... how much is the player fee per kid and where do you reside Mr. McNemar ... within the City of Winchester or Frederick County?  If you reside in the County of Frederick which anyone could assume you do based on an address of 1342 Cedar Grove Road with a zip code of 22603 (click on the link to view map) ... then why don't you contact your Board of Supervisors and ask them to kick in some cash for this event?  If this address is not correct, then a correction will be made.

Please respond Mr. McNemar as the nearly one-thousand unique readers of The Pub would like to view your response.

How many Americans are uninsured?

What researchers to the best of their knowledge, would like to share the following which is the opinion formed from research and interviews The Pub conducted with Dr's out of state.

Of the 46 Million that everyone talks about, it is about 12M choose not to buy and are young.

There are about 12M illegal aliens. 

There are about 10-12M citizens in the $40-80K earnings range who choose not to buy. 

The really uninsurable are about 8M.

Winchester Baseball for masses,or for select few?

WB for masses,or for select few?

Is Winchester Baseball for the masses or a select few in an effort to gain individual national prominence?

For those baseball fans who might not be familiar, WB starts practice in mid-March and some teams are out there until 10 p.m. during school nights. Is this in the best interests of the kids on those cold nights?

The regular season ends during mid-June as the regular season is over and complete for the kids who did not get selected as an all-star, which there are not even tryouts for. Why is there such a rush to end the regular season?

With the 12-and-under season running during the same time as the local high-school season, the majority of the youngsters do not have an opportunity to watch the high-school teams compete.

Based on history, the all-star teams are pre-selected with the all-star teams practicing indoors at the Armory during December, January, and sometimes into February when the regular season has not even started yet.

What are those kids supposed to do for the entire summer if they are not selected to an all-star team? Why not go back to the good ol’ days when 12-and-under baseball was played throughout the summer with a two-week local All-Star break and then the second half of the season was completed?

The league playoffs were completed in early-to-mid August just in time for school to start again.

Keep all kids involved throughout the entire summer. What is wrong with this idea?

Jeff Milburn
Winchester