It was 24 years in the making. Just when you thought it might never happen — bam! — this team comes along and fulfills everybody’s wishes in the Ogden area, and we couldn’t be any more thrilled. – Ogden Raptors team president Dave Baggott
Baseball fans hoping to celebrate the Ogden Raptors’ first Pioneer League championship with the guys who won it might need the help of their travel agents.
And you definitely don’t want to camp out on Lincoln Avenue or 24th Street waiting for a parade.
Less than a day after winning their rookie league crown — something the team hadn’t done in 24 years in Ogden — the players and coaches all went their separate ways.
No party. No parade. Not much fanfare.
"There’s not much to celebrate because they’re already gone,” team president Dave Baggott explained.
Like the structure of their abbreviated Rookie League, the Raptors’ celebration was short and sweet.
In a busy and fulfilling period that flew by as quickly as a seventh-inning stretch, the short-season Class A Raptors defeated Great Falls 8-3 in the decisive Game 3 of the championship series Sunday night in Montana — after being blasted 15-3 in the first game of a doubleheader — went berserk on the Centene Stadium infield, enjoyed a postgame catered meal, showered up, hopped on the charter bus, endured an eight-hour drive to Ogden, returned to their temporary Utah homes, packed their bags and went to the airport.
Baggott, who’s elated to bring Ogden its first pro title in nearly five decades, said that is simply how it works at this level.
"Within 12 hours after the final out, they’re being flown throughout the world," Baggott said. "That’s the way it is. They have other places to go and other uniforms to put on, so they’re gone. … That’s life in minor league baseball."
Some, he explained, are headed home for a quick visit. Some are off to play winter ball in the Caribbean. Many, including coaches, left to participate in the MLB Arizona Instructional League, which begins Thursday.
"It’s a 12-month business for these players," Baggott said.
The departed players and coaches from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization left behind a special memory for Ogden and those who’ve been following and/or associated with the Raptors since 1994 when they relocated from Pocatello, Idaho (and previously Salt Lake City — the Trappers — and Calgary).
The Raptors had come up short in four previous Pioneer League championship series, including a loss to the rival Orem Owlz in 2016. It's the city's first baseball crown since the Ogden Dodgers — helped, in part, by then-manager Tommy Lasorda — won four straight times from 1966-69.
"It was 24 years in the making," Baggott said of the Raptors' championship run. "Just when you thought it might never happen — bam! — this team comes along and fulfills everybody’s wishes in the Ogden area, and we couldn’t be any more thrilled."
The Raptors organization is working on a way to celebrate its championship — Baggott lauded the team effort — with fans.
This ballclub, which has played downtown in the picturesque Lindquist Field since 1997, has had a vital role in the revitalization of Ogden, Baggott proudly claimed. He credited former Ogden mayor Glenn Mecham and city officials for having faith in his partners and him way back when.
"They thought it would be good to have a focal point of downtown," he said. "It’s definitely a different city. We’d like to think the Raptors have had a part in getting that jumpstarted. … I’d like to think it’s a feather in the cap for everybody in the Ogden community."
The championship gave the club something to brag about instead of apologize for, which was the case after a promotion announcement gone awry earlier this season.
In June, the minor league team caused a stir when it announced a controversial Hourglass Appreciation Night. A press release included a cartoon image of women in string bikinis and claimed 18 hourglass-shaped color commentators would each spend a half-inning in the booth with announcers while being live-streamed on video.
"Fans will have the opportunity to pose for pictures with the lovely ladies," the press release stated, "as we showcase seriously splendid visual appeal: Utah's legendary mountains, Dodgers and Reds farmhands — and gorgeous women whose curves rival those of any stud pitching prospect!"
The announced promotion was blasted for being sexist. Sports Illustrated called it "blatantly offensive," NBC Sports balked that it objectified women and others lambasted the idea on social media.
In the aftermath, Baggott said the promotion would not take place, announced that steps had been taken to ensure something like that would not happen again and apologized in a released statement.
Three months and a championship later, Baggott said he hadn’t thought about how the Pioneer League title might shed a better light on his organization and offer a better memory for the 2017 season.
"That was such a long time ago. It was such a non-issue," Baggott said, reiterating his claim that the promotion was not actually going to happen. "The main focus was just enjoying and reveling in the success these kids had."