Message Board

Dear Owners, Effective immediately, the Ghent Whistlepigs are relocating from Norfolk, Virginia to Warren, Ohio. Luke Pontzer and the Whistlepigs organization have planted their flag in the Mahoning Valley. We wish them nothing but the best. They're going to need it. If you're wondering why Warren, Ohio, well, so are we. But the Mahoning Valley is not without its baseball credentials. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers played right next door in Niles for over two decades, a Cleveland Indians Single-A affiliate that became a quiet institution in the region, until the minor league contraction of 2021 erased them from existence without much ceremony. Now there's a vacant lot where a ballpark used to be and a hole in the valley that no one has quite filled. The Whistlepigs choosing to set up shop here is deeply on-brand. Haunted real estate is cheaper, presumably. Of course, if you want a real historical parallel for a cursed Ohio baseball team, you have to go back to 1899. The Cleveland Spiders' ownership bought the St. Louis Browns that year and promptly stripped Cleveland of every good player, shipping them south and leaving behind a skeleton crew so catastrophically bad they went 20–134 — the worst single-season record in professional baseball history. Unable to sell tickets, they played most of their games on the road, where local papers dubbed them "The Wanderers" and "The Misfits." They finished the season drifting from city to city, losing to everyone, welcomed nowhere. The Whistlepigs are not the 1899 Spiders. Let's be clear about that. In four seasons of existence, they have never been truly bad — except for that one time — but they have never been truly good, either. They've hovered around .500 like a man treading water who is very confident he's about to start swimming. They have not made the playoffs. Not once. Not ever. Ohio will understand. Ohio has seen worse. Ohio has seen much worse. Welcome to the Mahoning Valley, Luke. There is history here, and iron ore, and a fanbase that knows exactly what it feels like to want something just out of reach. You'll fit right in. — The Commissioner PS: Yes, I will send around a pre-season rankings early this week, just wanted to make sure the email function worked first.