Andrew Luck

[TommyBB]

Originally Posted by KatDad

I've got quite a few friends in Wichita who aren't real happy about Wichita taxpayers and property owners taking it in the shorts for the new stadium. They still aren't sure where people are going to park.

Wichita had the Aeros from 1970 to 1984. The name paid tribute to Wichita's private aviation prominence as the home of Beechcraft, Cessna, and Lear, as well as Boeing's Military Division. During that period, the Aeros were the AAA affiliate of the: Indians, Cubs, Rangers, Expos, and Reds. The Aeros moved to Buffalo, NY and became an affiliate of the International League.

New Orleans lost AA baseball in the middle 1960s when the long-standing Pelicans, a AA franchise left town. They had left their "Pelicans Stadium" in like 1959 or so. There is still nostalgia over this club.

In 1977, New Orleans got a AAA franchise, playing in the Louisiana Superdome, if you can believe it. Listened to games on radio every night, and went to a few, as well. It was the Cardinals' affiliate before Springfield and eventually Memphis. Benny Ayala (Orioles), Ken Oberkfell, Tommy Herr, John Tamargo (Catcher, later managed the Zephyrs and was a good manager) and Tony LaRussa played on that team. I remember them playing the Aeros in the old American Association. THAT was a good league, Zephyrs were in the A.A. until it folded, then went into the Pacific Coast League.

THAT was a blow to the organization, too, the travel is way too much for teams east of the Mississippi to go galavanting in California and Canada. But I remember the Aeros from 1977. In 1998, the Zephyrs played the Buffalo team for the AAA World Series. Hardly anyone remembers because New Orleans was basically evacuating for Hurricane Georges as the series happened.