Time is now for Tigers baseball in Connecticut

"Hooray! We have a baseball team. Well, sort of. Thursday’s announcement of the yet-to-be-approved relocation of the Oneonta (N.Y.) Tigers to Norwich for this summer is a great start. But the problem is the process of getting the team here was so drawn out that

• if Major League Baseball takes the full 30 days to give the green light, it will essentially be March.

Until then, the Tigers will still be physically based in New York,

• tickets can’t be sold and job openings can’t be filled.

• The team can’t negotiate a radio deal,

sell its signage along Dodd Stadium’s outfield wall or take out advertisement in local newspapers....

• Connecticut is already playing catch-up in the standings before a pitch has been thrown. It only illustrates the importance of getting team relocations done as quickly and neatly as possible. ...

It’s fair to note that the short-season New York-Penn League, which the Tigers call home, doesn’t start play until mid-June. That doesn’t mean the team has until then to get into gear....

• And as the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants learned, once you lose the fans here, good luck getting them back."...

"Time not Tigers' Friend in organizing relocation to Norwich," Joe Perez, Norwich Bulletin, 1/29/10

• Norwich leaders buzzing about new baseball team

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