October 18, 2019: Minor-League Baseball Is Reorganized -- For the Worse

The new Minor League Baseball logo

October 18, 2019: Major League Baseball reorganizes Minor League Baseball. It had the right to do this. It did not have a mandate to do it. And it made things much worse.

The old minor leagues were scrapped, and new ones were organized. The number of full-season MLB-affiliated minor leagues with teams in the U.S. and Canada was reduced to 11, with a total of 120 teams: 4 for each of the 30 MLB franchises.

There are also 2 affiliated "rookie leagues" based in the U.S., with teams based at the parent clubs' Spring Training complexes in Florida (the "Grapefruit League") and Arizona (the "Cactus League"), an off-season Autumn league, and one affiliated rookie league in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, 4 independent leagues are in association with MiLB.

Cutting the minor leagues back was an idea so bad, it must have seemed like Donald Trump, then occupying the White House, had thought of it.

All this was complicated by the COVID pandemic shortening the 2020 season: The majors didn't start until July 23, and the minors didn't play at all that year.

*

October 18, 2019 was a Friday. The Boston Red Sox won the American League Pennant, beating the Houston Astros, 4-1 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers hit home runs in support of David Price.

The National League Championship Series was between Games 5 and 6. The Los Angeles Dodgers went on to beat the Milwaukee Brewers in 7 games, before losing the World Series to the Red Sox.

There were 4 college football games played:

* The University of Pittsburgh beat Syracuse, 27-20 at the Carrier Dome (now the JMA Wireless Dome) in Syracuse, New York.

* Marshall beat Florida Atlantic, 36-31 at FAU Football Stadium (now Flagler Credit Union Stadium) in the Miami suburb of Boca Raton, Florida.

* Number 4 Ohio State beat Northwestern, 52-3 at Ryan Field outside Chicago in Evanston, Illinois.

* And Fresno State beat Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), 56-27 at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, California.

The NBA season had yet to begin. There were 6 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers lost to the Washington Capitals, 5-2 at the Capital One Arena in Washington.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Florida Panthers, 5-4 at the BB&T Center (now the Amerant Bank Arena) in the Miami suburb of Sunrise, Florida.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Dallas Stars, 4-2 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2 at the United Center in Chicago. Jonathan Toews scored the winning goal, 46 seconds into overtime.

* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 at Rogers Place in Edmonton.

* The Anaheim Ducks beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

And in New Jersey high school football, my Alma Mater, East Brunswick, beat neighboring New Brunswick, 17-14 at Memorial Stadium in New Brunswick. The home team was gaining in enrollment again, after many years of decline that ended the rivalry between the 2 schools, which lasted from 1964 to 1974.