Hagerstown Suns

“Come on, Maryland, do what's right and raise the minimum wage to $10, which still isn't close to a decent wage. Also, step up and include restaurant workers, who have to rely on tips to come close to a decent wage. Give a waitress or waiter a minimum wage, and my tip will be for exceptional service.” - Waynesboro, Pa. “I'm from Fairplay. I've lived in here for 60-some years. Now we're saying Mr. Lewis wants to put a truck down at the ag center, and willing to put out $121 to $290-some thousand dollars, when we have a fire company in our community that should be open.

Robert E. Bruchey II, the former mayor of Hagerstown, has been hired by the Hagerstown Suns as Director of Sales, Marketing and Community Affairs, a team official confirmed Monday. “(Bruchey) comes from an extensive sales background and brings a vast knowledge of the local business community,” Suns general manager Bill Farley said in an email. “We expect him to help increase revenues in both sponsorships and company/group outings. We are looking forward to a great 2013 season.” Bruchey, a vocal supporter of the club and champion of a proposal to build a multiuse stadium to house the team in downtown Hagerstown during his final year in office, served as mayor from 2006 until he was ousted in the 2012 election by current Mayor David S. Gysberts.

The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday unanimously OK'd $35,000 worth of upgrades for Municipal Stadium, with an emphasis on children's activities and safety at the facility, for the upcoming season. The lease signed by the city and the Hagerstown Suns in 2007 requires that the city commit up to $35,000 of Capital Improvement Funds per fiscal year for upgrades at the 82-year-old stadium, according to a memo from city Engineer Rodney Tissue. Both parties are expected to negotiate in good faith, but ultimately the city has the final say in determining the upgrades it will fund, Tissue said in the memo.

Thursday wasn't anything like a deja vu moment for Tripp Keister. It was the real thing. Keister knew he had entered Municipal Stadium before. It was because he had. That was in 1993 when he was playing for the Capital City Bombers against the Hagerstown Suns. Now, Keister will not only be revisiting the staid old stadium. This year, he will be taking up residence there. Keister has been promoted up the Washington Nationals system as the new manager of the Suns, coming in to guide the next wave of prospects after a very successful 2012 season.

Still at a stalemate as to what to do about building a stadium in Hagerstown, City Councilman Lewis C. Metzner encouraged his fellow council members Tuesday to stop acting like “there is only one baseball team in the world” to host in the city. “How can we responsibly talk about spending the amount of money we're talking about without putting that out there?” he said during a work session at City Hall. “... I think we should immediately put out an RFP (request for proposals)

Editor's note: As we usher out 2012 and welcome 2013, The Herald-Mail has prepared a package of year-end stories that provide short recaps of some of the top stories of the year past. These stories will be published each day through New Year's Day. Multiuse stadium January-Present: The yearlong process of finding a suitable venue for the Hagerstown Suns has yielded nothing more than strikeouts for city of Hagerstown officials. Not a new issue by any means, building a new stadium to house the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals has been discussed for years as 82-year-old Municipal Stadium continues to fall further into disrepair with the passing of each baseball season.

Hagerstown Mayor David S. Gysberts, the five-member city council and other city staff met with members of the Washington County state delegation Tuesday evening for about 40 minutes inside the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown. Most of the conversation revolved around the issues municipalities are facing with the EPA-mandated stormwater management changes to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and the possibility of asking the state for funding toward a city redevelopment project, which could include a potential stadium.

Hagerstown Suns majority owner Bruce Quinn finally spoke publicly Tuesday about his intentions, outlining a concept proposal for a stadium facility that would keep the ball club in Hagerstown for decades to come. Speaking to Mayor David S. Gysberts and the Hagerstown City Council during a work session at City Hall, Quinn's $25 million stadium concept included $3 million in upfront money for naming rights as well as an annual rent payment of $105,000 over 30 years to fund a large portion of the private-sector share of financing.

With the city's proposal to build a downtown stadium seemingly stalling, Hagerstown Suns majority owner Bruce Quinn will meet with the Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday to discuss alternative measures to try to keep the team in town, Hagerstown Mayor David S. Gysberts said Monday. “I think that's our goal for Tuesday,” said Gysberts, who said he called Quinn on Friday to ask if he would be willing to come and speak to the city council in open session about options. “We're not giving up,” Gysberts said about trying to find a suitable location for the Suns to play.