NEW YORK-PENN League has new alignment to cut down on travel time

Mahoning Valley Scrappers will be part of four-team Pinckney Division.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Andy Milovich echoed an adage that applies to divisional realignment in the New York-Penn League this season.
"Players don't develop on a bus," the Mahoning Valley Scrappers general manager said. "They develop on the field."
Starting this season, the league will leave its two-division format and align into three divisions -- the Pinckney, Stedler and McNamara.
"The more you can cut down bus travel and the time you spend on the road, the more you can spend time on the field," Milovich said.
The Scrappers will be members of the Pinckney with Auburn, Batavia and Jamestown.
"A lot of it is necessitated by travel and what's practical," Milovich said. "We'll see the teams in our division a lot more frequently."
The Stedler will include Lowell, Oneonta, Tri-City and Vermont.
The McNamara will include Aberdeen, Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, New Jersey, Staten Island and Williamsport.
"Maybe from a purist standpoint, not playing every team home-and-home isn't the greatest thing," Milovich said, "but in terms of travel and not sending a team to Vermont and Vermont back to here, it will help the players in their development."
Ripken becomes owner
The New York-Penn League also made news in the off-season when former Baltimore Orioles star Cal Ripken purchased a team, moving it from Utica, N.Y., to Aberdeen, Md.
The only other league affiliation change came in the Houston Astros organization, where the Pittsfield Astros became the Tri-City ValleyCats.
Teams will play a 76-game schedule, with the three division winners and one wild card team advancing to the playoffs.