Cycling Central

As the new campaign has just begun there are quite a few baseball clubs that are struggling to survive in the competitive sports market. Each Franchise has their own way of operating their business but quite a few of them are seeking new investment as the costs of operating a successful Franchise are increasing every campaign. Many of the team owners were looking for a Franchise For Sale within baseball quite a few years ago when the forecast looked good, as the game, stadiums and players evolved into a global opening. Now many of the Franchise owners have to look at their Franchise and be conscious of the existing market and what it could mean for them if they don’t start treating their Franchise as a Home Based Franchise. What is meant by this is cutting costs to preserve the life of the Franchise, every Home Based Franchise has minimum costs because it is looked at as being very tightly knit and consequently not using outside sources as a basis for their survival.

The existing sports market is very complicated, quite a few Franchise owners across the MLB and other sports across the world are in search for new investment as they put their Franchise For Sale to several investors across the world. The competitive nature of sport does not finish on the field, it is much more fearsome off it, investors want the best price for the money so it may take years to find the right investor for the right team. The Chicago Cubs have had quite a few managerial figures over the years but the belief that operating a Franchise as a Franchise has served them well. The club has benefited from huge investment and the club has shone on and off the field and are considered one of the best-known sports clubs in the world.

We now take a glimpse at the Chicago Cubs history and how they have played on and off the field.

The team was created as an independent professional club in the year 1870 and they joined the National Association in 1871. Previously called the White Stockings, Colts, and Orphans, the team played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1890s the name of the team was altered to Colts. In 1898 the team was known as the Orphans. In 1905 the Cubs gained four pennants and two World Series championships over a five-year span. In 1907 and 1908 the Cubs won successive World Series titles, but since then the team has established the longest championship drought in major league baseball. They didn’t win one playoff series between 1908 and 2003, when they beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. In 1921 the organisation was purchased by a chewing gum manufacturer, William Wrigley, who invested heavily in the organisation.

They captured four pennants in 1932, 1935, 1938 and 1945, sadly they could not make to the World Series in any of these years. The organisation experienced a declining point after 1945.

In 1984, The Cubs won the first two games of the then-best of 5 National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field versus the San Diego Padres. Andre Dawson was named as NL MVP in his first year in the year 1987. Don Zimmer took over as the head coach of the team and managed the team to another division title in 1989.

In 2003 the team improved its performance and gave this year a kick start as they gained first place where they won their first division title in 14 years and with a record of 88-74.

Spring has arrived and that means that the baseball season has just started and the impatience among the supporters is felt all over the MLB. Every Franchise has it’s own goals of getting to the post season and lifting the World Series trophy. We take a peep at the Minnesota Twins Franchise and how they have grown from a Franchise For Sale to a key player in baseball across America. Through this present decline there are a lot of operations in which the clubs have had to modify their means of running their Franchise. Each Franchise is run in different ways, but the core approach of every Franchise is the same, this is the cast iron belief of running their club as a Home Based Franchise. A Number of the teams supporters have grown up around their clubs and it is a central position of their lives and as a result it is more crucial that it is run as a Home Based Franchise. Some of the current franchise owners were brought up near to their franchise location and this is a major part of why baseball is so personal to the fans. When the numerous Franchise For Sale options were available, a massive number of supporters had their say on who could buy and operate the Franchise. Their team is taken so seriously as a local franchise that fan control far prevails over business ethics and corporate structure. Some of the potential franchise owners have had the problem of not being from the Franchise region and as a result have been put off by the fans response. All the way through the clubs history their has been massive adjustments in owners, managers and players but the backing for their baseball club has never diminished as this Minnesota Twins article will show.

The club was created in 1894, as Kansas City , Missouri Franchise in the minor Western League. In 1900 the club relocated to Washington , D.C. when that league changed to the American League. Byron “Ban” Johnson, president of the Western League, altered the name to the American League in 1900 and major league status was granted a year later. The Minnesota Twins achieved the playoffs three times from 1961 to 1970, during the teams first 10 years.

In 1969 Minnesota captured the division title under the stormy leadership of first-year coach Billy Martin. The club continued to post winning records through 1971, winning the 1st two American League West division titles. In 1974 session, Harmon Killebrew marked his final season as they concluded the season in 3rd place with 82-80 record.

The early 1980s was a bitter time as the club could not perform well. In 1982 the club registered a horrible score of 60-102, and established themselves as the worst club in baseball by getting an embarrassing 16-54 start. After several losing campaigns in the Dome, the arrival of 1980s superstars Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett electrified the club and sent them to their 1st World Series. The Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals and won the 1987 World Series.

Despite Minnesota concluding last in 1990, pitchers Scott Erickson and Jack Morris helped turn the club around in 1991, taking the Twins to another AL pennant. Kelly was awarded top managing honours as the Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves in the 1991 World Series. However, the Twins struggled throughout most of the remainder of the 1990s.

The Twins performed famously in the 2000 seasons. Some of the major winnings of the club incorporates six Division Titles, six American League pennants, one Western League pennants and three World Series Championships.