Many River Bandits fans are wondering what's next for the team as an affiliation agreement has not been renewed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Sunday was the first day the River Bandits could seek out other major league organizations.
The search is on for a parent club for the Quad Cities team. Affiliation agreements are made every three years. The River Bandits and Cardinals have had a partnership for eight seasons now. There's a chance it could stay that way, but long-time fans are preparing for a change-up.
91-year old Frank Wulf of Davenport is a big fan of baseball in the Quad Cities. He and his late wife Dorothy were season pass holders year after year. "She was at the first game when they built the stadium in 1931," said Wulf. The couple put together scrapbook upon scrapbook and logged the history of Quad Cities minor league teams. Wulf is now wondering if a new affiliate for Bandits in 2013 will be next for the books.
"If it happens, it happens. It happened before and we excepted it and moved on so that's what we'll do now," added Wulf.
Some fans say they think the Cardinals did a lot for the local team, possibly attracting bigger crowds. Douglas Larson of Bettendorf says he's at the games primarily as a St. Louis fan and he thinks he's not alone.
"I really see a lot of red," said Larson, "I'm just used to it, and if it's not broken don't fix it."
For him it's about supporting a ball club and watching players further their careers. A new parent club may have him re-thinking his season pass. "I like to see them go up. I like to say, hey, I saw Jon Jay or Matt Adams. It's fun. You feel vested," added Larson.
Bandits General Manager Stefanie Brown says the Cardinals filed for re-affiliation last week, deciding to explore other options. Brown says, even if there's an affiliation change, it won't change the affordable family atmosphere for minor league games in Quad Cities. Fans like Wulf say they'll still be there to cheer on the team.
"To me, whoever is playing here that's who I'm for," said Wulf.
Bandits reps say no moves were made out of the initial day of affiliation talks. Teams have until the 30th to reach an agreement with a major league club. After that they are assigned to an affiliate. As of Sunday afternoon, seven of the 16 teams in the Midwest League still haven't signed with an affiliate including Burlington.
